Norma Jenkins began her recording career in 1965 on the Maltese label as lead vocalist with a girl group billed as Norma Jenkins And The Dolls. The group released two singles for Maltese, 'This Is Our Day' and 'A Lover's Stand', before Jenkins left to start a solo career. Her first solo single was for Carnival Records, with 'Need Someone To Love' b/w 'Me Myself And I' coming out in 1967, and the Joe Evans-produced record earned her a mention in the May 1967 issue of Billboard magazine, in the R&B Spotlight column. Later that same year she recorded a duet with Troy Keyes for the ABC label, which was to be her last recording for five years. 1973 saw the release of a string of 45's on George Kerr-owned labels Jean Records and Kerr Records, including 'Go Home To Your Wife', which was written by George Clinton, and in 1976 she recorded her first full length album, the aptly titled 'Patience Is A Virtue'. This was a fine collection of soulful songs, and the vinyl has become highly coveted among collectors of rare soul music, especially in the UK where Jenkins still gets a lot of play on the Northern Soul scene. Nearly all the tracks from the album were released a singles and b-sides, and they are all worth checking out, but this post collects together all her 60's recordings, plus a couple of tracks from 1973 which were not released at the time, and a rare acetate of a song that was later recorded by The Sparkels in 1964.
Track listing
01 This Is Our Day (single 1965, with The Dolls)
02 What's Next (b-side of 'This Is Our Day')
03 Try Love (One More Time) (unreleased acetate 1963)
04 A Lover's Stand (single 1966, with The Dolls)
05 The Airplane Song (b-side of 'A Lover's Stand')
01 This Is Our Day (single 1965, with The Dolls)
02 What's Next (b-side of 'This Is Our Day')
03 Try Love (One More Time) (unreleased acetate 1963)
04 A Lover's Stand (single 1966, with The Dolls)
05 The Airplane Song (b-side of 'A Lover's Stand')
06 His Love Is Amazing (unreleased acetate 1966?)
07 Need Someone To Love (single 1967)
08 Me Myself And I (b-side of 'Need Someone To Love')
09 I Can Wait My Turn (Single 1968, with Troy Keyes)
10 A Good Love Gone Bad (b-side of 'I Can Wait My Turn', with Troy Keyes)
11 One Girl Too Many (single 1973)
12 Go Home To Your Wife (b-side of 'One Girl Too Many')
13 Coward's Way Out (previously unreleased 1973)
14 Where Does The Love Go (previously unreleased 1973)
15 Puzzle Man (Figure Me Out If You Can) (single 1973)
07 Need Someone To Love (single 1967)
08 Me Myself And I (b-side of 'Need Someone To Love')
09 I Can Wait My Turn (Single 1968, with Troy Keyes)
10 A Good Love Gone Bad (b-side of 'I Can Wait My Turn', with Troy Keyes)
11 One Girl Too Many (single 1973)
12 Go Home To Your Wife (b-side of 'One Girl Too Many')
13 Coward's Way Out (previously unreleased 1973)
14 Where Does The Love Go (previously unreleased 1973)
15 Puzzle Man (Figure Me Out If You Can) (single 1973)
