2 Of Clubs

Cincinnati pop duo 2 of Clubs teamed vocalists Linda Parrish and Patti Valentine, who joined forces in early 1966 while the latter was performing at the local club Guys & Dolls. According to Mick Patrick's article on the Spectropop website, the duo soon entered the famed King Records studios to record a rendition of the Petula Clark B-side "Heart." Produced by Parrish's husband Carl Edmondson and released on the local Fraternity label in mid-1966, the single was a Top Ten hit in the Chicago market, falling just shy of the Billboard Hot 100. The second 2 of Clubs single, "Walk Tall (Like a Man)," followed during the holiday season, entering the Cashbox chart during the week of Christmas and peaking at number 92 in Billboard. With their momentum building, in 1967 the duo issued no fewer than three new singles: the Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil-penned "Let Me Walk with You," a cover of the Ike & Tina Turner classic "River Deep - Mountain High," and "Look Away." All three failed to chart, and although 2 of Clubs completed an LP's worth of additional material, the project was permanently shelved after Parrish and Edmondson divorced. With that 2 of Clubs split, although in the decades to follow Parrish and Valentine played the occasional reunion gig, most notably a 1999 Cincinnati oldies festival headlined by Little Richard. ~ Jason Ankeny