Part of the generation of soul music groups that arose in the late 60s and early 70s, the combination of Harry Ray, Al Goodman and Billy Brown became most notable as perhaps the greatest live performing group of that elite bunch. While many groups of that era had more successful recording careers, few have equaled the stage presence and consistent crowd pleasing shows of Ray Goodman & Brown.
After scoring a #1 hit as The Moments (“Love On A Two Way Street”) on the Stang record label, RG&B left the label but were forced to leave their group name behind. They hit #1 again as Ray, Goodman & Brown (Al Goodman joked that nobody could force them to give up their own names) with “Special Lady” and had a string of hits in the early 80s. After a bit of a dry spell, and the brief departure of Harry Ray from the group, RG&B reunited in 1987 for what would become another smash album, Take It To The Limit, the title song of which shot to the top 10.
That highly regarded disc (considered by many to be the group’s best) was out of print for awhile, so we were excited when Orpheus Records is reissued it a couple years ago. And to remind SoulTrackers of just how special that album was, we’re taking a look back with a brand new Lost Gem Reissued, featuring the title cut “Take It To The Limit,” a Mike Harris and Rahni Song composition that captured the zeitgeist of mid-80s R&B and became a Quiet Storm sensation.
We’re happy to have this gem of an album available again. Check out the “Take It To the Limit” single and then listen to the whole album below.
By Chris Rizik
