"Take a Letter Maria" is the debut single written and recorded by American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

singer

R. B. Greaves Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III (28 November 1943 – 27 September 2012) was an American singer who had chart success in 1969 with the pop single " Take a Letter Maria". A number two hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, this single sold ...

. It was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio on August 19, 1969, using the house studio musicians. These include Donna Jean Thatcher on vocals (later Donna Jean Godchaux of the Grateful Dead), Roger Hawkins on drums,

Barry Beckett Barry Edward Beckett (February 4, 1943 – June 10, 2009) was an American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder. He is best known for his work with David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and Roger Hawkins, his bandmates in ...

on electric piano,

Eddie Hinton Eddie Hinton (15 June 1944 – 28 July 1995) was an American songwriter and session musician, best known for his work with soul music and R&B singers. He played lead guitar for Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section from 1969 to 1971 and after leaving th ...

and Jimmy Johnson on guitar, David Hood on bass, and Mel Lastie on trumpet. "Take a Letter Maria" was released in September 1969, quickly gained regular airplay. The single peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was kept from the top spot by

the 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwe ...

's "

Wedding Bell Blues "Wedding Bell Blues" is a song written and recorded by Laura Nyro in 1966. The best known version was a number one hit for the 5th Dimension in 1969. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a woman whose boyfriend has not yet proposed to ...

". The single was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

by November 1969; one million copies had shipped. By 1970, sales totalled 2.5 million.

Background

"Take a Letter Maria" has a

Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...

flavor, complete with a mariachi-style horn section, and tells of a man who has learned of his wife's

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and ri ...

the night before. He dictates a letter of separation to Maria, his secretary, whom he asks out for dinner later in the song in order to "start a new life."

Chart positions

Personnel

* R.B Greaves- Vocals *

and Jimmy Johnson- guitars *

- Electric Piano * David Hood- Bass * Roger Hawkins- Drums * Donna Jean Thatcher- Vocals * Mel Lastie- Trumpet

Cover versions

*"Take a Letter Maria" has had two charted

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s by

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singers: ** Anthony Armstrong Jones, from his album of the same name, hitting #8 on Hot Country Songs in 1970. **In 1999,

Doug Stone Doug Stone (born Douglas Jackson Brooks; June 19, 1956) is an American country music singer and actor. He debuted in 1990 with the single " I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)", the first release from his 1990 self-titled debut album for Epic Rec ...

released the song from his album '' Make Up in Love'', reaching #45 on Hot Country Songs. *

Jimmy Ruffin Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...

recorded his take with Motown on his album '' The Groove Governor'' released in 1970. *The New Riders of the Purple Sage included the song on their 1975 album '' Oh, What a Mighty Time''. *The alt-country supergroup The Pleasure Barons produced a high-energy rendition on their ''Live in Las Vegas'' CD, with vocals by Country Dick Montana of the Beat Farmers. *Gary Puckett, on his ''Greatest Hits'' CD in 1986. *Country music singer

Sammy Kershaw Samuel Paul Kershaw (born February 24, 1958) is an American country music artist. He has released 16 studio albums, with three RIAA platinum certifications and two gold certifications among them. More than 25 singles have entered the Top 40 on the ...

, on the 2015 album ''I Won't Back Down''.

Song in popular culture

*In 1992, the song was featured in ''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...

'', in the sixth-season episode "Kevin Delivers". *In 1994, it was featured in the soundtrack of ''

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' is a 1994 Australian road comedy film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot follows two drag queens, played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, and a transgender woman, played by Tere ...

''. *In 1995, it was featured in the episod
Home
Season 2, Episode 9 of '' ER'' when Carol and Shep dance to it in her new home. However, the song has meaning with another storyline as Mark discovers his wife is in a relationship with someone else.

References

{{Authority control 1969 songs 1969 debut singles 1970 singles 1999 singles R. B. Greaves songs Doug Stone songs Anthony Armstrong Jones songs Atlantic Records singles Song recordings produced by Ahmet Ertegun Songs about infidelity Songs about letters (message)