The “Golden Hits Of The 70s”
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NEW YORK CITY
“I’M DOIN’ FINE NOW”
(Thom Bell, Sherman Marshall)
Chelsea 0113
No. 17 June 23, 1973
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John Brown, Claude Johnson, Tim McQueen, and Eddie Schell were high school buddies with a history
of singing that goes way back. John had chirped big-time with the Five Satins (1957-1960) and the
Cadillacs, also filling in for the Moonglows. Just prior to N.Y.C.’s big moment, John and the others
recorded a lone single for Buddah Records as “Triboro Exchange,” after the bridge linking three of New
York City’s boroughs. The record did little in money generation, but Chelsea Records man Wes Farrell
liked the group just the same. (Wes wrote tunes for the Shirelles, Jay & The Americans; produced disks
by the Cowsills, EVERY MOTHER’S SON, the Partridge Family, Tony Orlando & Dawn.) He convinced
the fellows to change their name to the more memorable “New York City”; they acquiesced.
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Wes Farrell persuaded Philly magic man, producer/arranger Thorn Bell (produced and wrote for
Delfonics, Detroit Spinners, TEDDY PENDERGRASS, Stylistics) to cook up some instrumental tracks for
the chaps to lay some vocals on. With four in the can, Thom sent for New York City. “The session was so
easy, so relaxed,” lead vocalist Tom McQueen reported to Blues & Sours Tony Cummings. “Everybody
just mellowed out down there and when we finished we knew we had a hit.” “I’m Doin’ Fine Now” was
one of the tracks, and it did real fine. McQueen’s self-penned “Make Me Twice the Man” (#93, 1973) and
“Quick, Fast, in a Hurry” (#79, 1974) did marginally, but nothing further charted.
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Trivia buffs, take note: the back-up band that toured with New York City was called the Big Apple Band;
two of its members were Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, both former members of the Apollo
Theatre’s house band and future founders of Chic, arguably the hottest band of the disco era.
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