BLUE MAGIC

In 1972, Randy Cain, formerly of the Delfonics, brought in singer-songwriter Ted Mills to write for the Philadelphia-based production company, WMOT (We Men Of Talent). Miller sang lead with a group called the Topics, for whom Alan Rubens and Steve Bernstein of WMOT financed a recording session with veteran producer Norman Harris. With the help of Harry Chipetz of Sigma Sound, the resulting single, “Spell,” came out on Atco Records under the group’s new name, Blue Magic. It reached #30 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart in early 1973.

Unfortunately, there were problems with the group. The back-up vocalists were considerably older and far less polished than lead singer Mills. So Rubens and Bernstein fired the rest of Blue Magic and teamed up Miller with the Shades of Soul, a Northwest Philly group they had met in their travels. It consisted of brothers Vernon and Wendell Sawyer, Keith Beaton, and Richard Pratt. The classic Blue Magic line-up was now in place.

The year 1973 gave the group two additional Soul hits, one of which, “Stop to Start,” briefly cracked the pop chart as well. It was Blue Magic’s fourth single, however, that put their name on the map. Co-written by Bobby Ell and Vinnie Barrett with the Stylistics in mind, “Sideshow” was rejected by that group’s producer, Thom Bell. Norman Harris, on the other hand, loved the forlorn ballad and cut it on Blue Magic. “Sideshow” hit #1 on the Soul chart and #8 pop in the spring of 1974. It was followed by the group’s second and final top forty pop hit, the similarly themed “Three Ring Circus.”

The singers on Blue Magic’s records often were not the official group members. While Ted Mills was always on lead, the back-up vocals were often provided by Phil Hurtt (who wrote “I’ll Be Around” for the Spinners), Ron Tyson (a songwriter who later joined the Temptations), and Carl Helm (a D.J. at radio station WDAS). Philly Soul veteran Bunny Sigler also contributed his voice, as did studio mainstays Evette Benton, Barbara Ingram, and Carla Benson.

But when it came time to take the stage, Beaton, Pratt, and the Sawyers were always ready. Wendell Sawyer drilled the group mercilessly on their harmonies, and they dazzled audiences with their gracefully choreographed routines. Their wardrobe ran the gamut from white tuxedos with top hats and canes to circus clown get-ups. The Rolling Stones were impressed enough that they invited Blue Magic to sing back-up on “If You Really Want to Be My Friend,” from the album It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll.

November 1977 saw the release of Blue Magic’s fifth and final Atco album. The Sawyer brothers departed briefly to sing in a group called Aura, but soon regrouped with Mills, Pratt and Beaton. They recorded a one-off album for Capitol in 1981. The resulting single, “Land of Make-Believe,” reunited Blue Magic with songwriters Bobby Ell and Vinnie Barrett. By 1983, they were on the smaller Mirage label and made the bottom half of the Soul chart with “Magic #.” In 1989, hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons signed Blue Magic to the OBR subsidiary of his Def Jam empire. This resulted in one album and a pair of singles that gave the group their biggest hits in thirteen years.

Charted singles:

“Spell” (1972-73) R&B #30
“Look Me Up” (1973) R&B #36
“Stop to Start” (1973) R&B #14, Pop #74
“Sideshow” (1974) R&B #1 (1 week), Pop #8
“Three Ring Circus” (1974) R&B #5, Pop #36
“Love Has Found Its Way to Me” (1975) R&B #45
“Chasing Rainbows” (1975) R&B #17
“What’s Come Over Me” (with Margie Joseph, 1975) R&B #11
“Grateful” (1976) R&B #15, Pop #104
“Freak-N-Stein” (1976) R&B #73
“Teach Me (It’s Something About Love)” (1976) R&B #48
“Summer Snow” (1976) R&B #40
“Land of Make-Believe” (1981) R&B #77
“Magic #” (1983) R&B #69
“It’s Like Magic” (1989) R&B #20
“Secret Lover” (1989) R&B #31