Young Divines

Atlanta, GA's the Young Divines made small local flames but nary a spark anywhere else. An initial release, "Ain't That Sharp," for Note Records in 1976 misspelled their name the Young Devines. The members were Donald Render (lead tenor), John Dawson (tenor and baritone), John Johnson (baritone/second tenor), and Jimmy Robertson (baritone/bass). A second release, "Do It the Right Way," started to buzz, but a small promotion budget kept it from detonating. A stint with Jimmy Jones' New London Records in 1977 resulted in "I'll Show You With Love" b/w "Deep in Your Heart" which showed potential, enough for Cotillion Records in New York to secure a licensing deal with Jones for mass distribution. Other releases are harder to find since they did little and pressings were small; Charles White wrote many songs for them, including "African Suspense," "Chocolate Lady," "Short Man," and "What Is the Price of Love," that are quite elusive. ~ Andrew Hamilton