''Circle of Love'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the American vocal group

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. ...

, released in 1975 by

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the comp ...

. Featuring

Kathy Sledge Kathy Sledge (born January 6, 1959) is an American singer–songwriter and producer. Sledge is best known as the youngest and founding member of Sister Sledge, an American vocal group which is made up of her sisters that formed in 1971. After ach ...

on vocals, the album includes the songs "Circle of Love (Caught in the Middle)" and "Love Don't Go Through No Changes on Me". The album was described as a mix of pop and soul in a 1975 ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

'' review.

Background

At the time of this release, all members of the group were still teenagers; the oldest member Debbie Sledge was nineteen years old, studying at Tyler College of Art,

Joni Sledge Joan Elise Sledge (September 13, 1956 – March 10, 2017) was an American singer best known as a founding member of the family vocal group Sister Sledge. The group was known for their hits during the mid-1970s through the mid-1990s; most notably ...

was an eighteen-year-old college freshman at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

, Kim Sledge was in her senior year of high school at

Olney High School Olney Charter High School, formerly Aspira Charter School at Olney, and Olney High School, is a public high school located in the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Previously directly controlled by the School District of Philade ...

in their hometown of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

; and the youngest,

Kathy Kathy is a feminine given name. It is a pet form of Katherine, Kathleen and their related forms. Kathy may refer to: In sports *Kathy Bald, Canadian freestyle swimmer *Kathy May, American tennis player *Kathy Radzuweit, German volleyball player ...

, was a 15-year-old 10th–grader. This album gained moderate commercial success, Their single "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me", reached number thirty–one on the Hot R&B/Soul Singles charts by mid 1975. The song was performed along with "Circle of Love (Caught in the Middle)" on an episode of ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

'', which aired in April 1975.TV.com – Soul Train, Season 4, Episode 30: Blue Magic / Sister Sledge / Major Harris – April 12, 1975
/ref>

Track listing

All tracks composed by

Gwen Guthrie Gwendolyn Guthrie (July 9, 1950 – February 3, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter and pianist who also sang backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Peter Tosh, and Madonna, among others, and who wrote songs made fa ...

and Patrick Grant; except where indicated: # "Circle of Love (Caught in the Middle)" (Fay Hauser, Patrick Adams) – 3:30 # "Cross My Heart" – 3:22 # "Protect Our Love" – 4:10 # "Give in to Love" (

Linda Creed Linda Diane Creed (December 6, 1948 – April 10, 1986), also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 19 ...

Thom Bell Thomas Randolph Bell (January 27th, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist, and composer known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. He found success as a producer ...

) – 4:55 # "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me" – 3:24 # "Don't You Miss Him Now" – 3:15 # "Pain Reliever" – 3:30 # "You're Much Better Off Loving Me" – 3:17 # "Fireman" (Guthrie, Grant, Charles Sampson) – 3:40

Personnel

Debbie Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. ...

, Kim Sledge - vocals * Bert "Super Charts" DeCoteaux - arrangements, conductor * Bob Defrin - art direction *

Bob Babbitt __NOTOC__ Robert Andrew Kreinar (November 26, 1937 – July 16, 2012), known as Bob Babbitt, was a Hungarian-American bassist, most famous for his work as a member of Motown Records' studio band, the Funk Brothers, from 1966 to 1972, as well a ...

, Patrick Grant - bass * Billy King, Carlos Martin - bongos * Kermit Moore, Seymour Barab - cello * Billy King, Carlos Martin - congos * Jimmy Young - drums *

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he has a very ...

Tony Bongiovi Anthony C. Bongiovi (born September 7, 1947) is an American record producer and recording engineer. He is the cousin of musician Jon Bon Jovi. Career Bongiovi has produced records by Gloria Gaynor, Talking Heads, Aerosmith ('' Classics Live''), ...

- engineer * Ellen Libman,

Ron St. Germain Ron Saint Germain (alternate spellings Ron St. Germain, Ron Saint-Germaine and similar) is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer born in post-war Frankfurt, Germany, into a career Air Force family. Prior to his career in music ...

- assistant engineer * Donald Corrado, Jim Buffington - French horn * Jeff Mironov, Jerry Friedman,

John Tropea John Tropea (pronounced 'tro-pay'; born January 7, 1946) is an American guitarist. Career Tropea began guitar studies at the age of 12. His musical education continued at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied jazz guitar, harmony, ...

- guitar * Derek Smith,

Pat Rebillot Patrick Earl "Pat" Rebillot (born April 21, 1935) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life and education Born in Louisville, Ohio, Rebilliot studied music at Mt. Union College and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with Jeno Taka ...

, Ricky Hughric - keyboards * Dennis King - mastering * David Carey, George Devens, Joe Venuto, Phil Kraus - percussion * Armen Kachaturian - cover photography * Buzz Brauner, Frank Wess, George Marge - reeds, woodwind * Al Cobbs,

Alan Raph Alan Raph (born July 3, 1933, in New York City ) is a bass trombonist, composer, arranger, and conductor who founded and conducts the Danbury Brass Band. He has recorded with many popular musicians and for television, movies, and ballet. He was ...

Garnett Brown Garnett Brown (January 31, 1936 – October 9, 2021) was a jazz trombonist who worked with The Crusaders, Herbie Hancock, Lionel Hampton, Earth Wind and Fire and others. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he graduated from the University of Arkans ...

, Jack Jeffers - trombone *

Ernie Royal Ernest Andrew Royal (June 2, 1921 in Los Angeles, California – March 16, 1983 in New York City) was a jazz trumpeter. His older brother was clarinetist and alto saxophonist Marshal Royal, with whom he appears on the classic Ray Charles big ban ...

, James Sedlar, Jimmy Owens - trumpet * Alfred Brown, Julien Barber, Seymour Berman - viola *

Gene Orloff Gene Orloff (June 14, 1921 – March 23, 2009) was an American violinist, concertmaster, arranger, contractor and session musician. Background The son of a Russian immigrant violin maker, Orloff would try and get his father's violin down from th ...

, Harold Kohon, Irving Spice, Isadora Kohon, Louis Haber, Louis Stone, Michael Comins, Noel DaCosta, Sanford Allen - violin

References

Sister Sledge albums 1975 debut albums Atco Records albums {{1970s-R&B-album-stub