Linda Laurie - Stay With Me (1973)

Linda Gertz was born on 26 May 1941, and made her first record 'Sun Glasses' with her friend Susan Yellin when she was just 17 years old and still attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Bokklyn. It was released as by The Shades Featuring The Knott Sisters in 1958, with the b-side 'Undivided Attention' being simply credited to The Knott Sisters. Her ability to create trick voices caught the attention of indie label Glory Records, which rightfully saw in her the potential for a hit novelty record, and her next release was the one for which she is most famous, and which propelled her into the US charts in 1958. 'Ambrose (Part 5)' was personally shopped around by Glory Records to radio various stations, and it got a lot of airplay on the East Coast, particularly in the New York City and Philadelphia areas. To say this disc was strange would be an understatement, as it's a spoken-word piece with heavy Brooklyn accents, and features Linda Laurie (as she was by then known) as a girl walking through a dark subway tunnel with her boyfriend, Ambrose, who was an almost perverted-sounding older guy whose deep voice was also done by Laurie using primitive vocal effects. Although it was called 'Ambrose (Part Five)' there were never any earlier versions, making the title as weird as the actual record. The song's success helped to land her a spot on rock and roll package shows, including Alan Freed's stage shows at the Brooklyn Paramount, and Lee Gordon's 'Big Show' tours in Australia, as well as some television show appearances. She found the travel strenuous and eventually settled back in New York, and in the 60's she co-owned a boutique dress shop in Manhattan, while continuing to perform music on her own terms. She made several more teen and novelty records for various labels, such as her answer record to Dion's 'Runaround Sue', 'Stay-At-Home Sue', plus two follow-ups to her hit, with 'Forever Ambrose' and 'Return Of Ambrose', and although she never hit the charts again with her own material, her records have become very popular with collectors. She also recorded a number of regular pop songs which showed that she wasn't just a novelty act, and after relocating to the West Coast she started writing for other artists such as Bobby Vinton, Sonny And Cher, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, and Love Unlimited. Her biggest claim to fame came when a song she wrote and recorded herself was covered by Helen Reddy, and 'Leave Me Alone' (Ruby Red Dress)' became a No.3 chart hit in 1973. She also wrote the theme music for the Saturday morning show 'Land Of The Lost', which was later used in the 2009 movie version starring Will Farrell, and the disco song that she wrote for Love Unlimited in 1977, 'I Did It For Love', was sampled on several hip hop songs in the 1990's, including 'It's All About The Benjamins' by Puff Daddy, 'Money In The Bank' by Swizz Beats, 'Miss You' by Mariah Carey, and 'The Gang' by Shyne. She was diagnosed with cancer and passed away at the age of 68 on 20 November 2009 in Santa Barbara, California, but leaves behind some of the oddest music to come out of the late 50's and early 60's, alongside some great tracks that she wrote for other singers, including 'I'm Comin' Home Girl' for Bobby Vinton, 'Crystal Clear, Muddy Waters' and 'I Love What You Did With The Love I Gave You' for Sonny And Cher, and 'When You Find Out Where You're Going, Let Me Know' for Cher on her own. This album collects together most of her solo work, and shows a singer with a quirky sense of humour who could also deliver a belter of a pop song if she wanted to.    

Track listing

01 Sun Glasses (single by The Shades Featuring The Knott Sisters 1958)
02 Undivided Attention (b-side of 'Sun Glasses', as by The Knott Sisters)
03 Ambrose (Part Five) (single 1958)
04 Ooh, What A Lover! (b-side of 'Ambrose (Part Five)')
05 Forever Ambrose (single 1959)

06 Wherever He Goes, I Go (b-side of 'Forever Ambrose')
07 All Winter Long (single 1959)
08 Stay With Me (b-side of 'All Winter Long')
09 Prince Charming (single 1960)
10 Soupin' Up Your Motor (b-side of 'Prince Charming')
11 Stay-At-Home Sue (single 1961)
12 Lazy Love (b-side of 'Stay-At-Home Sue', by The Glen Stuart Orchestra)
13 Return Of Ambrose (single 1963)
14 Chicken Little (b-side of 'Return Of Ambrose')
15 Where Do You Go (single 1963) 
16 Lucky (b-side of 'Where Do You Go')

17 Chico (single 1964)
18 Jose He Say (b-side of 'Chico')
19 One Day (b-side of 'Baby Hold On To Me (I Can't Help Being Yours)' 1968)
20 Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress) (single 1973)