60's Vocal Groups: The Friends of Distinction

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Bill Price, and this episode from the series 60's Vocal Groups, will feature the psychedelic soul and R&B group that was active from 1969 to 1976, The Friends of Distinction.

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Transcript

This episode from the series 60's Vocal Groups, will feature the psychedelic soul and R&B group that was active from 1969 to 1976, The Friends of Distinction.

The Friends of Distinction was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1968. The original members included Floyd Butler, Harry Elston, Jessica Cleaves and Barbara Love. In the mid 1960s, Butler and Elston were part of a group known as The Hi-Fi’s.
Interestingly, two other members of The Hi-Fi’s included Marilyn McCoo and Lamont McLemore, who would go on to form The Fifth Dimension. An other interesting fact about The Friends of Distinction was that a football player by the name of Jim Brown discovered the group and also the band Earth, Wind and Fire. 

The group was then signed to the RCA Record label, with their first hit a vocal cover version of Hugh Masekela’s “Grazing in the Grass”, with lyrics written by Harry Elston. The single was released in March 1969 and climbed to number three on the Billboard Hot 100, earning a gold record. The following release titled “Going in Circles” also charted, by reaching the number 15 position in November 1969.

In May 1970, the third release titled “Love or Let Me Be Lonely”, climbed to number six on Billboard’s Hot 100. On the single, Charlene Gibson who sang the lead vocal
replaced Barbara Love who took time off for a short period of time.

Here is the number six hit from 1970, “Love or Let Me Be Lonely”,

Between 1969 and 1973, the group released six albums and in 1976 the seventh album. They also recorded and released several singles, which included a cover of Neil Sedaka’s “Time Waits for No One”. By 1976, the group stopped touring and soon disbanded. After the group’s breakup, Jessica Cleaves performed with Earth, Wind and Fire for several years. In 1990, Elston and Butler had planned on reforming the group, but on April 29th 1990, Butler passed away at the age of 52. Jessica Cleaves passed away on May 2nd 2014 at the Age of 65. Elston later formed a quartet also called The Friends of Distinction. As of 2023, the
group was still performing.

Here is The Friends of Distinction’s first hit from 1969, a vocal cover version of Hugh Masekela’s “Grazing in the Grass”.

This has been a look back at one of the vocal groups from the late 1960s, The Friends of Distinction. Until next time I’m your host Bill Price.