(Dennis Lambert - Brian Potter)
Australia
#6 Sydney #13 Melbourne #12 Brisbane #5 Adelaide #6 Perth
Linda George: Soul influenced singer, formerly with Melbourne band Nova Express, who went into session work after a successful solo career in the 70s. She later became a voice teacher at the Victorian College of the Arts and in schools as well as privately.
Mama's Little Girl was on Linda George's first album Linda. The follow-up single was Give It Love/Yesterday And You, two further tracks on that album.
Further reading: 1. Milesago's Linda George page for discography and biography. 2. Linda George at Wikipedia
Suggestion from John Yeager. Thanks to Terry Stacey.
(Dennis Lambert - Brian Potter)
USA
On 1974 Capitol album Check It Out by the five Tavares Brothers from New Bedford MA, produced by Johnny Bristol. The smooth soul-disco group had eight national Top 40 hits 1973-1982, including It Only Takes A Minute (1075, #10 USA) and Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel (1976, #15).
The writers of Mama’s Little Girl, Lambert & Potter, contributed two songs to this album and produced two subsequent Tavares albums.
Further reading: Tavares biography at All Music Guide.
(Dennis Lambert - Brian Potter)
USA
Original version
On 1973 Dunhill album, Cameo, produced by songwriters Dennis Lambert & Brian Potter with Steve Barri. See the Dusty Springfield album discography at Softshoe's Music Matters. Also released on a single, B-side of Learn To Say Goodbye.
Lambert (from Brooklyn) and Potter (a Briton) first met in London in 1965 but didn't form their partnership until 1969 when Lambert encouraged Potter's move to the US. They were engaged as songwriters for ABC-Dunhill, often working with Steve Barri, for example by contributing to the 1969 Grass Roots album Leavin' It All Behind.
They moved on to production on such albums as the post-Motown Four Tops' Keeper Of The Castle (co-pr. Barri), and Glenn Campbell's landmark Rhinestone Cowboy. Their better known compositions include One Tin Soldier (The Original Caste, Coven), Don't Pull Your Love (Out) (Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds), Keeper Of The Castle (Four Tops, co-wr. Barri), and Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got) (Four Tops). For their own label, Haven, they produced (but didn't write) Player's 1978 hit Baby Come Back.
Earlier, Lambert had been one half of folk-rock duo Lambert and Nuttycombe, and he released a solo album, Bags and Things, in 1972. Freddie & The Dreamers' hit signature song Do The Freddie (1965) was a Dennis Lambert co-write from his mid-60s sojourn in London.
Further reading: Steve Huey's account of Dennis Lambert's career at All Music Guide.
(Paul McCartney)
UK
Red herring
SAME TITLE BUT NOT THE SAME SONG AS “MAMA’S LITTLE GIRL” BY LINDA GEORGE.
Single on Parlaphone (UK), Capitol (USA), B-side of Put It There.
(Dennis Lambert - Brian Potter)
Australia
Renée Geyer (1953-2013) was a versatile Sydney soul/jazz/blues singer active from the early 1970s, working in Australia and America. See, for example, her career outline at Howlspace [archived].
From the 1974 RCA Victor album It’s A Man’s Man’s World. See also the title track.
Thanks to Mike Robbins for version alert.
Pop Archives
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Website by Lyn Nuttall. © Lyn Nuttall 2004-2024. Chart positions courtesy of Gavin Ryan’s Australian Chart Books and Dean Scapolo’s Complete NZ Music Charts. Special thanks to Terry Stacey for information, corrections and suggestions. Thanks also to Tony Watson, Philippe Edouard, Dave Overett.., More…