Don Gardner
| Don Gardner | |
|---|---|
Don Gardner at the Clef Club of Jazz in Philadelphia in 2012.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Donald Gardner |
| Born |
May 9, 1931 Philadelphia, United States |
| Genres | Rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, drummer, bandleader, songwriter |
| Associated acts | The Sonotones Richard "Groove" Holmes Dee Dee Ford Baby Washington |
Donald Gardner (born May 9, 1931) is an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and drummer. His records included the 1962 pop hit "I Need Your Loving", with Dee Dee Ford.
Born in Philadelphia, Gardner started out as a professional musician in 1947 while still at school. He first recorded as a singer on the Gotham label in 1949. By 1953, he formed his own group, the Sonotones, in which he played drums and sang. The group toured on the "chitlin' circuit", and Gardner also recorded under his own name, for De Luxe Records and the small Junior label.
Keyboardist Richard "Groove" Holmes left the Sonotones in early 1960, and was replaced by Dee Dee Ford (born Wrecia Holloway, Minden, Louisiana, 1936; died New Orleans, 1972). She had lived in Newark, New Jersey, and sang and played organ in church. When the Sonotones played at the Smalls Paradise club in Harlem, New York, they were heard by blues performer Arthur Crudup, who recommended them to the Fire record label owner Bobby Robinson. He produced a song written by Gardner, "I Need Your Loving" (also known as "Need Your Lovin'"), a "gospel-drenched"call-and-response number in the mold of Ike & Tina Turner, and the song became their biggest hit, rising to number 4 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1962 and number 20 on the pop chart. The song was later recorded by Otis Redding, Tom Jones, Jackie Wilson, and many others.
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