(August 5, 2024) Shirley Lites has made her mark in many segments of the music industry. She’s been a lead singer, backing vocalist and band leader for the legendary Billy Paul. Lites also works as a radio personality who spins records in a Quiet Storm format program called the Love Zone. She then shifts gears and DJs another radio show and gets the party started by playing everything from house and disco to pop, funk, R&B and neo soul.
Lites has scored hits in the dance music genre with the song “Heat You Up/Melt You Down.” She’s a real student of music. So, when Lites re-entered the studio to cut a remake, nobody should be surprised to learn that she went off the beaten path an uncovered the hidden gem “I Wanna Be By Your Side.”
The song is a duet that originally paired Syreeta Wright and GC Cameron and was recorded in 1973. Lites teams with bassist and vocalist Keni Jackson on this lovely rendition that hones closely to the Wright/Cameron original.
Jackson is himself a music industry veteran who has performed, most notably, with legends Patti LaBelle and Earth, Wind & Fire. Jackson’s assertive and rugged baritone is the perfect contrast and complement to Lites’ soaring vocals.
The song itself is a conversation between a man seeking to make the case that he’s ready make a commitment. Lites’ past scars make her cautious but she’s willing to listen to what he has to say. Check out Shirley Lites and Keni Jackson on “I Wanna Be By Your Side” here.
By Howard Dukes
