Stay with me [[baby)

[jsmith]

Just about the best deep soul record of the 60's [[of all time) was by LORRAINE ELLISON -- Stay With Me ... Warner Bros.
It's a very slow intense record with powerful [[overpowering) gospel styled vocals.
Jerry Ragavoy had booked Lorraine into one studio, next door a session was scheduled for Frank Sinatra. Frank failed to show & the studio execs went to Jerry R and said all these guys are here & have nothing to do, you use em.
What transpired was just pure class.
It was instantly declared a masterpiece when released in the UK in 66 -- a 45 every Brit soul fan just had to own. It remained so popular here [[the UK), that WB repressed & re-released the track on 45 in 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975 & yet again in 1981.
The BBC had a weekly radio show were musicians / singers / celebrities picked their fave 10 records of all time. After a few weeks of the run [[during which just about everyone on the show included Lorraine's track), the BBC execs banned anyone else from selecting the song ... BIAS OR WHAT.
Cover versions were recorded by the likes of the Walker Brothers [[a UK hit in 67), Charity Brown, David Essex [[a UK hit in 78), Ruby Turner [[a UK hit in 94), Rebecca Wheatley [[a UK hit in 2000), Janis Joplin, Bobby Hatfield, Robin Lee, Genya Ravan, Terry Reid, Steve Marriott, Long John Baldry, Sharon Tandy, Natalie Cole, Jimmy Witherspoon, Dan McCafferty, Kiki Dee, Shirley Brown, Samantha Rose, Sam Brown, Phil Seymour, Whitesnake, Ronnie Montrose, Duffy, Mary J. Blige, Melissa Etheridge, Bette Midler, etc.
Some of those versions made the UK pop singles chart but the highest Lorraine's effort got here [[pop) was #56 in 1975 and #82 in 1995.
. . . . MY QUESTION ...
The track is just a gospel styled tour de force ....
BUT have any gospel versions of the song ever been cut & released ...
IF SO, the details please.

[jsmith]

One of the UK versions, sung live here on TV ...

[jsmith]

A UK hit version ... band same as on the clip above [[Jools Holland's) ...

[jsmith]

A film soundtrack version ...
the singers live version of the song ... DISTORTED SOUND ON THIS RECORDING

[jsmith]

Please don't post up Janis Joplin's version here ... my ears bleed every time I hear it.

[jsmith]

Elton John got ex Motown artist Kiki Dee to cut this for his Rocket Record label ..
Elton was anothjer Brit who just loved the song [[& the original version) ...

[Graham Jarvis]

Lea Roberts on Minit.

[jsmith]

Missed the Lea Roberts version. But she only had 1 of her 12 US 45's released in the UK and that wasn't one she cut for Minit.
It seems strange to me that, with this song being such an anthem here in the UK and still being played on UK radio in 1970 [[& beyond), that her version wasn't released here.
Judging by the lack of posts on this thread, seems that there's very little interest in the song in the US.

[stingbeelee]

Hi jsmith, the long-told story of making this record is simple, but I'm wondering; did Lorraine come to the studio with just a couple of musicians to make the record? If there was an orchestra next door, how did they learn the record? Did they write the charts immediately for the strings, woodwinds, brass, etc. I don't doubt the story, but it seems fantastical that Lorraine comes next door and sings the song with an entire orchestra -who don't know the song - and then leaves. There must be more to the story or as Peggy Lee would say "Is that all there is?"

[jsmith]

I'm sure Jerry Ragavoy was able to write out the score for the orchestra in no time at all -- him being a fully experienced musical genius. I guess an unknown black singer such as LE might have been allocated a small blues / jazz combo to back her up in the studio.

[jsmith]

Another UK version of "Stay With Me". This time by Ferris Wheel [[ahead of Linda Lewis fronting the group) ...

[Graham Jarvis]

Lorraine an incredible artist, sadly she passed away in 1983 just aged at 52 years old. She had four record issues in the UK and an an album, which most were hard to find [as was the case in the US for her other 45's.]

In 2006 Rhino music issued her "Warner Bros. Recordings" limited edition only in the US with a total of 65 tracks with 22 unissued. I found it easy to get a copy and so did others over a longer period which was unusual as these "sets" normally sell quickly. Maybe she did not have the wider interest in the US ?

Her set "Sister Love The Warner Bros Recording" is a stunning collection of all of her Warner music and all of the details as to being a prolific recording artist, despite only three chart entries. Her 48 sides and 3 albums for Warner Bros. from 1963 to 1973.

This set does pop up occasionally on Ebay. Grab it!

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