R. B. Greaves

Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III (28 November 1943 – 27 September 2012)[2] was an American singer who had chart success in 1969 with the pop single "Take a Letter Maria". A number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, this single sold one million copies, and it earned gold record certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Greaves also reached the Top 40 in early 1970 with "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me".[3]

R.B. Greaves
Birth nameRonald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III
Born(1943-11-28)28 November 1943[1]
Georgetown, Guyana
Died27 September 2012(2012-09-27) (aged 68)
Granada Hills, California, U.S.
GenresR&B, soul, pop
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1969–1970s
LabelsAtco Records, Bareback, Sunflower Records

Biography

Greaves was born in 1943 on the US Army Air Forces base at Georgetown, Guyana.[1] A nephew of Sam Cooke, he grew up on a Seminole Indian reservation in the United States, but he moved to England in 1963.[4]

Greaves had built a career both in the Caribbean and in the UK, where he performed under the name Sonny Childe with his group the TNTs. His debut recording, "Take a Letter Maria", was released under the name R.B. Greaves and produced by the president of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegün.

The song is the story of a man who learns of his wife's infidelity and dictates a letter of separation to Maria, his secretary, who the last verse suggests may become his new love. The song has a distinct Latin flavor, complete with a mariachi-style horn section.

The record stayed in the Billboard chart for 15 weeks in the United States, selling a million copies. It received gold record certification from the RIAA on 11 December 1969. By 1970, sales of this song totaled 2.5 million.[4]

In the early 1970s, Greaves spent a lot of time in Southern California, and was often accompanied at live shows and on recordings by his longtime friends Phillip John Diaz, a guitarist, and Michael “Papabax” Baxter, a songwriter and keyboardist.

Greaves recorded a series of cover versions as follow-ups, including Burt Bacharach's and Hal David's "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale".[1] Greaves left the label in the 1970s in favour of Sunflower Records, and then signed to Bareback Records. His only chart release for the latter label was "Margie, Who's Watching the Baby".[5]

Death

Greaves died from prostate cancer in Granada Hills, California, on 27 September 2012 at the age of 68.[6]

Discography

Albums
Year Album Peak chart positions[7]
US US R&B
1969 R.B. Greaves
  • Released: 1969
  • Label: Atco Records
  • Format: LP album
 85 24
1977 R.B. Greaves
  • Released: 1977
  • Label: Bareback Records
  • Format: LP album
 — —

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions[8] RIAA[9] Album
US US R&B US AC AUS[10] CAN
1969 "Take a Letter, Maria" 2 10 3 6 3 Gold R.B. Greaves
1970 "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" 27 50 3 48 12
"Fire & Rain" 82 — — 82 74 Single only
"Georgia Took Her Back" 88 — — — 86
"Whiter Shade of Pale" 82 — — — 85
1972 "Margie, Who's Watching the Baby" 115 — — — —
1977 "Who's Watching the Baby (Margie)" — 66 — — — R.B. Greaves (1977)

"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not certified

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (1992). Fred Weiler (ed.). The Billboard Book of USA Top 40 Hits (5 ed.). Guinness. p. 204.
  2. Slotnik, Daniel E. (3 October 2012). "R. B. Greaves, Pop Singer, Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  3. "R.B. Greaves Always Something There to Remind Me Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  4. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London, UK: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 259. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  5. "Billboard charted singles" (PDF). Mike Curb website. p. 23. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
  6. "R.B. Greaves, 'Take a Letter Maria' Writer and Singer, Dies at 68". The Hollywood Reporter. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  7. "Album chart listings for R.B. Greaves". AllMusic.
  8. "Singles chart listings for R.B. Greaves". AllMusic.
  9. "RIAA search results for R.B. Greaves". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
  10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 129. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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