1969
BLACK PEARL * SONNY CHARLES AND CHECKMATES Ltd. * A&M 752 * UK
In 1969, havening not produced any 45s since 1967 and then only two records by Ike and Tina Turner, both of which were unreleased in the US, producer Phil Spector was making a comeback, his last official release in the US had been I Can Hear Music by the Ronetts, on Phillies 133. His first outing with The Checkmates for A&M, # 1006, was Baby Don't You Get Crazy which remaind unreleased; the next shot, also by The Checkmates on A&M 1039 was Love Is All I Have to Give, a Ronetts cut You Came, You Saw, You Conquered followed on A&M 1040; then it was the turn of the above Black Pearl US # 1053; which also saw the band name change from The Checkmates to Sonny Charles and Checkmates Ltd. Phil Spector only had three more records released on A&M - Sonny Charles and Checkmates Ltd - before moving to produce for various Beatles at Apple.
See also: Do The Walk