The “Golden Hits Of The 60s” 

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DON GARDNER &

DEE DEE FORD

“I NEED YOUR LOVING”

(DON GARDNER, Bobby Robinson)

Fire 508

No. 20      July 28, 1962

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Donald Gardner was born and raised in Philadelphia.    In 1952, with his school days behind him, Don and

some neighborhood souls formed the Sonotones and cut some now-collectible disks for the Gotham and

Bruce labels; sales, however, were zip.    The Sonotones broke up, and for the next few years, Don and a

quartet of musicians worked the Philly bars.    Gardner had some solo  sides  issued on Bruce, Deluxe,

Kaiser, and Value.

During the ’60s, the definition of a  “commercial” R & B sound began to shift.    Musical forms like the blues

and doo-wop were fading in popularity; Ike & Tina Turner’s  hot and sweaty sound was selling a lot of

records.   In 1961, a keyboardist named Dee Dee Ford met Gardner, and together they taped a gutsy duet of

“Glory Of Love” for New York’s KC Records.    (The label sat on the sides   until the duo’s “I Need Your

Loving” took off and stimulated the need for more gospel­ influenced shouters.) For a handful of   months–

starting with “I Need Your Loving”–Don and Dee Dee had their sassy screams and screeches featured on

AM radio.   White boys and girls jumped all about.      “Glory Of Love” (#75, 1962) charted later in the year,

as did Don and Dee Dee’s official follow-up to “I Need Your Loving,” “Don’t You Worry” (#66).

Internal discord was not apparent–if the two were fussin’, no one seemed to notice.   By year’s end,

however, Don and Dee Dee separated.   Before an  unsuccessful one-off   reunion in 1966, they each issued

a  few solo singles.   Don did resurface briefly in 1973 on the R & B charts with a tune called “Forever,” a

duet, not with Dee Dee Ford, but with Jeanette “BABY” WASHINGTON.