1960's

Doris Troy – Randy’s Rarities

randydafoe12 Comments

A 16-year-old Doris Elaine Higginsen was working at The Apollo Theatre as an usherette and somehow James Brown found out she could sing. She got a job as a Background Singer and used the stage name Doris Payne and eventually formed The Sweet Inspirations with Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick. All three would have solo careers, with Dionne Warwick of course becoming a Superstar.

Doris wrote “Just One Look” (1963) with R&B singer Gregory Carroll and she released it on Atlantic Records under the name Doris Troy. It was her one and only hit on the Billboard Hot 100 where it reached #10 and #3 on the R&B Chart and #1 on the Chum Radio Chart in (Toronto) Canada.

“Just One Look” was covered right away and then in 1964 The Hollies had a #2 hit in the UK. Linda Ronstadt put the song on her album Living in the USA, the single hit #44 in 1979. There are about 60 versions of the song now, but I have to say I favour the original and the version by Anne Murray, she released it in 1974 where Doris Troy had that #1 showing in 1963, Anne reached #11 in Canada and #86 on the Hot 100. In all the song has charted for five different artists. Not very many songs have done that.

This is a great album, Love Song and that is the actual cover. It has to be one of the worst looking album covers ever. I kept thinking, what is that thing on her head!! Poor Anne but she did win her first Best Country Vocal Performance Grammy Award for her cover of the Loggins & Messina, “A Love Song” in 1974.

Doris would find she was in greater demand in the UK and besides performing and doing backup singing for The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, she was a vocal director. She sang on Carly Simons “You’re So Vain” and songs for Humble Pie and Dusty Springfield. She met George Harrison while doing some work at Abby Road Studio and he signed her to Apple Records. She did just one album in 1970 and wrote songs with George but although critically acclaimed, the album Doris Troy did not get much attention. She did another album with Polydor in Germany, also excellent but not much chart-wise. Her last solo effort was Stretchin’ Out (1974) on the Peoples Label in the UK.

Here is a stirring rendition of the African American Spiritual, “Jacobs Ladder” from that album Doris Troy.

Mama, I Want to Sing is a stage musical based on her life and it was made into a movie released on DVD in 2012. Maybe not a ‘rarity’ as much as a rare talent. Doris (Mama Soul) died in 2004 at age 67.

12 thoughts on “Doris Troy – Randy’s Rarities”

  1. Having always loved the original by Doris Troy, but the only cover I’ve ever heard is Linda Ronstadt’s. Anne Murray’s is pretty good, and I agree that album cover is terrible. I hope the person who authorized that design scheme was fired!

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  2. “Just One Look” is a great song. I first heard the neat rendition by the Hollies. While the name Doris Troy didn’t ring a bell, her recording sounded familiar as well. I didn’t know she sang backup on “You’re So Vain” or that she worked with Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones. Given her great voice, it’s really a pity she didn’t have more of her own hits!

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  5. The album she did with George is wonderful…I’ve listened to it before. I wish they could have got her a hit again at Apple.
    Just One Look is a great pop song…

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  6. Like you and Obb said, when there are several credible versions of one song, it points to a well-written song! I like the Linda R version best, and am most familiar with it, but I sort of remember Anne’s too and she did it quite well I hadn’t heard of Doris but she had a nice voice and wow – to be discovered by Brown while working as an usherette- that’s quite a story!

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