Four Decades On, Sharon Brown Still Specializes In Love | CHOONS S1E9
Published at : October 21, 2021
#SharonBrown #MusicHistory #ISpecializeInLove
A banger and a powerful story to match…Singer Sharon Brown goes on the record to discuss the making and aftermath of her 1982 transatlantic dance classic “I Specialize In Love.”
Born into a musical family, Brown found her calling as a little kid watching Sammy Davis Jr. and all the Motown greats at the world-famous Apollo Theater, in New York. With strong will and determination, she went on to become a prolific songwriter for CBS Records, penning lyrics for Blood, Sweat and Tears, and Ronnie Dyson. Brown also had a way of crafting funky tunes for her own with the highly influential “Family Tree,” a massive hit in England’s Northern Soul scene.
Her true shining moment, however, came unexpectedly in the form of a newspaper ad, looking for a “tall, black, willowy-voiced female” to cut a track in the recording studio. That track became “I Specialize In Love,” a slice of early 80s post-disco that perfectly blended R&B, electronics and the emerging sounds of Hip-Hop.
“Specialize” traveled far and wide throughout the European continent before it found its way back to the States, where it became a sizable hit in the dance charts and clubs. Yet, with all the glamour of sudden fame, she faced challenging and devastating situations that managed to virtually kill what was left of her music career.
-------------Contents of the video----------------
0:00 - Intro
0:39 - Teasers
1:21 - The 'Specialist' is in session
2:58 - A household filled with different sounds
4:41 - Watching 'Mr. Bojangles' at the Apollo Theater
5:36 - Early life challenges
6:33 - Walking into Blood, Sweat, and Tears
8:22 - First-hand knowledge
10:40 - How it all began with the 'Family Tree'
11:34 - Calling out Fatboy Slim
12:31 - Wanted! A tall, black, willowy-voiced female...
15:26 - Recording "I Specialize In Love"
17:56 - Someone puts their magic on an Import
19:38 - A photoshoot gone wrong
21:18 - Creating an image that wasn't Sharon Brown
22:59 - Fighting over a monster hit
24:23 - And the award goes to...
25:56 - Blackballed in an instant
27:26 - Triggered by "Specialize"
28:59 - Coming back into the light
29:19 - Staying independent
31:24 - Current projects and feeling grateful
33:25 - Thank you & Credits
More on Sharon Brown
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonbrownispecializeinlove8/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SHARONADABROWN
Show Tracklisting
I Wish You Love (Gloria Lynne)
Mr. Bojangles (Live Version - Sammy Davis Jr.)
Love Looks Good On You (Blood, Sweat and Tears)
Family Tree (Family Tree - Sharon Brown 1975 Recording)
I Specialize In Love (Sharon Brown)
Host and Producer: Diego Martinez
Executive Producer: Nicholas "NickFresh" Puzo
Audio Engineer: Adam Fogel
Follow us on social media: @choonspod
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.
In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
(1)the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2)the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3)the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4)the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)
A banger and a powerful story to match…Singer Sharon Brown goes on the record to discuss the making and aftermath of her 1982 transatlantic dance classic “I Specialize In Love.”
Born into a musical family, Brown found her calling as a little kid watching Sammy Davis Jr. and all the Motown greats at the world-famous Apollo Theater, in New York. With strong will and determination, she went on to become a prolific songwriter for CBS Records, penning lyrics for Blood, Sweat and Tears, and Ronnie Dyson. Brown also had a way of crafting funky tunes for her own with the highly influential “Family Tree,” a massive hit in England’s Northern Soul scene.
Her true shining moment, however, came unexpectedly in the form of a newspaper ad, looking for a “tall, black, willowy-voiced female” to cut a track in the recording studio. That track became “I Specialize In Love,” a slice of early 80s post-disco that perfectly blended R&B, electronics and the emerging sounds of Hip-Hop.
“Specialize” traveled far and wide throughout the European continent before it found its way back to the States, where it became a sizable hit in the dance charts and clubs. Yet, with all the glamour of sudden fame, she faced challenging and devastating situations that managed to virtually kill what was left of her music career.
-------------Contents of the video----------------
0:00 - Intro
0:39 - Teasers
1:21 - The 'Specialist' is in session
2:58 - A household filled with different sounds
4:41 - Watching 'Mr. Bojangles' at the Apollo Theater
5:36 - Early life challenges
6:33 - Walking into Blood, Sweat, and Tears
8:22 - First-hand knowledge
10:40 - How it all began with the 'Family Tree'
11:34 - Calling out Fatboy Slim
12:31 - Wanted! A tall, black, willowy-voiced female...
15:26 - Recording "I Specialize In Love"
17:56 - Someone puts their magic on an Import
19:38 - A photoshoot gone wrong
21:18 - Creating an image that wasn't Sharon Brown
22:59 - Fighting over a monster hit
24:23 - And the award goes to...
25:56 - Blackballed in an instant
27:26 - Triggered by "Specialize"
28:59 - Coming back into the light
29:19 - Staying independent
31:24 - Current projects and feeling grateful
33:25 - Thank you & Credits
More on Sharon Brown
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonbrownispecializeinlove8/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SHARONADABROWN
Show Tracklisting
I Wish You Love (Gloria Lynne)
Mr. Bojangles (Live Version - Sammy Davis Jr.)
Love Looks Good On You (Blood, Sweat and Tears)
Family Tree (Family Tree - Sharon Brown 1975 Recording)
I Specialize In Love (Sharon Brown)
Host and Producer: Diego Martinez
Executive Producer: Nicholas "NickFresh" Puzo
Audio Engineer: Adam Fogel
Follow us on social media: @choonspod
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.
In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
(1)the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2)the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3)the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4)the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)
80s music1980s disco80s dance