OSCAR TONEY, JR.

Oscar Toney, Jr.'s 1967 remake of “For Your Precious Love” took the nine-year-old doo-wop ballad straight to church.

He was born in Selma, Alabama, on May 26, 1939, and grew up in Columbus, Georgia. He developed his musical chops in church and, while in high school, sang with his own gospel group, the Sensational Melodies of Joy. Toney first recorded in 1957 as a member of a doo-wop group called the Searchers. Their debut single, “Yvonne” / “Little Wonder,” came out on the tiny Max label and did nothing.

For his next recording session, Toney consulted Bobby Smith of Macon, Georgia. Smith had an arrangement with King Records, the independent powerhouse out of Cincinnati. A session there yielded two singles, all written by Toney. “Can It All Be Love” came out in 1964 to little fanfare, while “I Found True Love” was unissued until 1967.

Toney later met “Papa” Don Schroeder of Pensacola, Florida. Schroeder was a radio D.J. who wanted to expand his business base. He had already produced recordings by Mighty Sam McClain and had achieved tremendous success with James & Bobby Purify (“I’m Your Puppet,” 1966). Schroeder signed Toney as part of the licensing deal he had made with Larry Uttal of Bell Records and took the singer to Chips Moman’s AGP studio.

They immediately struck pay dirt with a remake of “For Your Precious Love.” The ethereal ballad had been a 1958 hit for Jerry Butler & The Impressions and was revived in 1963 by Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters. However, Toney’s version was a literal revival. He spent the first half of the record preaching like a backwoods holy man before launching into the lyrics with a mature, baritone-driven delivery that was pure Southern church. Factor in the cymbals, snare drum, guitar arpeggio, strings and female chorus all bathed in echo, and the end result was both transcendent and otherworldly. The single quickly took off, reaching #4 on the Rhythm & Blues chart and #23 pop. (In 1972, Linda Jones would record her own version of “For Your Precious Love,” basing it heavily on Toney’s interpretation.)

After two follow-up singles, Bell released an LP on Toney, titled (unsurprisingly) For Your Precious Love. In all, Bell put out seven singles on Oscar Toney, Jr., through 1968. At that point, Don Schoedrer, to whom Toney was personally contracted, left the music business, freeing Toney to pursue other avenues. He signed with Phil Walden’s new label, Capricorn. His first release, “Down on My Knees,” came out in 1970. Capricorn put out three additional singles on Toney through 1972. None of them had great commercial success.

When his contract with Walden expired in 1973, Toney flew to England, where he was a favorite of Contempo Records boss John Abbey. Toney signed with the label and, over the next two years, recorded six singles and an album. After 1975, Toney seems to have stepped down from the secular side of the music business. When last I heard, he was back in the Deep South, performing gospel music exclusively.

Charted singles:

“For Your Precious Love” (1967) R&B #4, Pop #23
“Turn on Your Love Light” (1967) R&B #37, Pop #65
“Never Get Enough of Your Love” (1968) Pop #95
“Without Love (There Is Nothing)” (1968) R&B #47, Pop #90

Other noteworthy recordings by Oscar Toney, Jr., include “Any Day Now,” “That’s All I Want From You,” “Unlucky Guy,” “You Can Lead Your Woman to the Altar,” “Down in Texas,” “Until We Meet Again,” “Just for You,” and “A Love That Never Grows Old.”