Quiet Elegance were an American female singing group founded in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, United States, in 1971. The group toured extensively as backing singers and also recorded a number of

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 attes ...

and

Southern soul Southern soul is a type of soul music that emerged from the Southern United States. The music originated from a combination of styles, including blues (both 12 bar and jump), country, early R&B, and a strong gospel influence that emanated fro ...

music singles during the 1970s. Two albums of their songs were released after they disbanded in 1977.

Background

Quiet Elegance comprised Mildred "Millie" Vaney,

Lois Reeves Sandra Delores Reeves (born April 12, 1948), better known as Lois Reeves, is an American singer, most notable for being the younger sister of Motown legend Martha Reeves, for having replaced popular Martha and the Vandellas member Betty Kel ...

, who is the sister of

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas which scored over a dozen hit singles, including " Come and Get These Memories", " Nowhere to R ...

, and Frances Yvonne "Frankie" Gearing. Mildred Vaney was also known as Mildred Scott. Both Gearing and Vaney had previously sung with The Glories, and Vaney had also sung with the Pilgrim Female Gospel Singers, The Sermonettes and the jazz group Bobby Dilworth & the Blazers. Gearing was the lead singer of the group and as well as her work with The Glories had previously also sung with the Laddins and the Steinways. Gearing's brother is the late guitarist Johnny Starr, who worked with

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...

and

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

Active years

The group were managed by and toured with

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

, with Gearing being engaged to the Temptations'

Dennis Edwards Dennis Edwards Jr. (February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the frontman in The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a serie ...

. In 1972, while appearing with The Temptations in

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, they were spotted by Willie Mitchell who signed them to

Hi Records Hi Records is an American soul music and rockabilly label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producers for Sun Records), and three silent partn ...

, based in Memphis. While with Hi Records they were managed and produced by Willie Mitchell and Dan Greer and toured with Al Green as a backing group. They also toured globally with Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. Between 1972 and 1977 the group recorded a number of singles for Hi Records. The single "You've Got My Mind Messed Up" peaked at number 54 on

Billboard's ''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 ...

R&B singles chart in 1973. Quiet Elegance disbanded in 1977 when their contract with Hi Records came to an end. Lois Reeves re-joined her sister Martha as one of the

Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosali ...

. Vaney went on to perform as one half of Cut Glass, the other half being Ortheia Barnes, sister of J. J. Barnes. She surfaced later in the 1980s as Millie Scott and released a number of singles and two albums on the

4th & Broadway 4th & B'way Records (pronounced and spelled out completely as Fourth and Broadway Records in the UK) is a US-based subsidiary of Island Records that specialised in street-oriented music such as hip hop. Established in 1984, it was the flagsh ...

label. Gearing made some solo recordings with

Beale Street Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of blues music. Today, th ...

Records in 1978, shortly after leaving Hi Records. She then returned to her home town of

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

and worked full-time, but continued singing in the clubs and concert halls there, as well as acting as a carer to her ailing grandmother and mother. She also took to acting, and appeared in ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grang ...

'', playing Miss Mona's maid.

Recordings

Quiet Elegance recorded eight singles for Hi Records, including a promo single. All the singles the group had made, along with some additional songs written by Dan Greer, were released as an album entitled ''You've Got My Mind Messed Up'' in 1990. The album consisted of sixteen tracks and was later reworked and released in 2001 and again in 2003 as ''The Complete Quiet Elegance'', consisting of the same sixteen tracks plus some bonus tracks and alternative mixes. The 2001 release consisted of 19 tracks and the 2003 release consisted of 21 tracks. Both albums include songs written by Al Green, including a version of "

Tired of Being Alone "Tired of Being Alone" is a soul song written by American singer Al Green. It reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number seven on the Soul Singles Chart in 1971. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the number-12 song for 1971. Background ...

", which had been a major hit for Green in 1971. As well as these two albums, Quiet Elegance are to be found on a number of soul music compilations.

Discography

All

releases:

Singles

* 1972: "I'm Afraid of Losing You" / "Do You Love Me" * 1972: "I Need Love" / "Mama Said" * 1973: "I Need Love" / "You've Got My Mind Messed Up" * 1974: "Love Will Make You Feel Better" (promo single, 7-inch) * 1975: "Your Love Is Strange" / "Love Will Make You Feel Better" * 1975: "Have You Been Making Out O.K." * 1976: "Something That You Got (Sho Nuff Makes Me Hot)" / "After You" * 1977: "Roots of Love" / "How's Your Love Life"

Albums

* 1990: ''You've Got My Mind Messed Up'' * 2001: ''The Complete Quiet Elegance'' * 2003: ''The Complete Quiet Elegance'' (re-issue with additional tracks)

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{authority control African-American musical groups American girl groups American soul musical groups Musical groups from Detroit Hi Records artists Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups disestablished in 1977 Singers from Detroit 1971 establishments in Michigan 1977 disestablishments in Michigan