How Sweet It Is.....

A classic party hit, and million seller was born in the shape of How Sweet It Is (to be loved by you) which was produced by Johnny Bristol and Harvey Fuqua in July 1966. Junior Walker recalled...

“We were fooling around at the start of a session and a lot of people in the studio were shouting at us to play. Lawrence Horn was in the control room and somebody started telling everyone to be quiet as we were about to start recording. When I listened to the tape, it sounded like a party, so we decided to make the record just like that”

Few people would even attempt covering a Marvin Gaye number, particularly one as good as How Sweet It Is... However, Junior Walkers version sounds as good today as it did over forty years ago. Walker went on to cover many other great records includng Money, Come See About Me, and of course These Things Will Keep Me Loving You.

In 1968, Johnny Bristol approached Walker with a smooth mid tempo ballad What Does It Take (To Win Your Love). The arrangemement with strings and female backing singers was a significant departure from Junior’s raw sound and Walker said simply

“Man, this ain’t my bag”

Bristol persisted for almost a year until Walker relented. What Does it Take was released in 1969 and rocketed to number 1 R&B, number 4 in the pop chart and became Walker’s biggest seller ever.

Junior Walker continued working with Bristol for the next three years and together with Motown arrangers Willie Shorter, Dave Van De Pite and HB Barnum, they produced a series of superb records followed including Do You See My Love For You Growing, Take Me Girl I’m Ready, and the marvellous Walk In The Night which was his last hit record reaching number 10 R&B.