June 9: On This Date In 1977, The Emotions Released Their ‘Best Of My Love’ Single

0 Posted by - June 9, 2022 - BLACK MUSIC, LATEST POSTS, On This Date

By Victor Trammell

Photo credits: Columbia Records

The foxy tune titled “Best of My Love” is a recording by a four-lady singing group of sisters that called themselves The Emotions.

Pamela Hutchinson, Wanda Hutchinson, Sheila Hutchinson, and Jeanette Hutchinson were the original members. Their classic romance-centered hit is from the quartet’s fourth studio album titled Rejoice, which was launched in 1977. The songs on this project were written and composed by Maurice White and Al McKay.

These two professional musicians were key members of the legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire.

White also produced the tracks on Rejoice along with Clarence McDonald. Columbia Records released “Best Of My Love” as the lead single off Rejoice on June 9, 1977, according to the digital music archives of Album of the Year. The catchy, danceable groove topped both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the US Billboard R&B charts.

It also reached the Top 5 music charts for singles in the UK and Canada.

Additionally, the quartet’s hit was ranked within the Top 10 in New Zealand’s charts for singles. It went on to earn a spot among the Top 20 continental music charts in Australia. This showed the relentless reach of Black women in music, as well as their undeniable impact in places all across the world.

The Hutchinson sisters’ “Best of My Love” anthem won a Grammy at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards. Their record beat out other musicians nominated in the category of Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.

The four-sister band also won an American Music Award in the category of America’s Favorite Soul/R&B Single. The record was classified in a special selection containing scores of the best songs released all through American history. There, “Best Of My Love was number 87 on the list of “The Billboard Hot 100’s All-Time Top Songs.”

It was also the third biggest pop smash of 1977 and the fifth most major R&B hit that same year. The song “Best of My Love” has been certified as a platinum single by the RIAA after a million copies of it were sold in the US alone.

Total sales, which reached or moved above 100,000 units in the UK earned the group a silver certification, courtesy of the BPI.

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