| "Black Pearl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Checkmates, Ltd. | ||||
| from the album Love Is All We Have to Give | ||||
| B-side | "Lazy Susan" | |||
| Released | April 1969 (U.S.) July 1969 (AUS) | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:25 | |||
| Label | A&M 1053 (U.S.) A&M 2985 (AUS) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Phil Spector, Toni Wine, Irwin Levine | |||
| Producer(s) | Phil Spector | |||
| Checkmates, Ltd. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Black Pearl" is a song written by Phil Spector, Toni Wine and Irwin Levine, and performed by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, Ltd. It was inspired by the 1968 Sidney Poitier film For Love of Ivy about Ivy Moore, a maid who after nine years of service leaves to go to secretarial school.[1] The song reached No. 8 on the U.S. R&B chart, No. 13 on the Billboard pop chart, and No. 31 in Australia in 1969.[2] The song was featured on the group's 1969 album, Love Is All We Have to Give.[3]
The song was produced by Phil Spector and arranged by Perry Botkin, Jr.[4] AllMusic described it as "one of the great Phil Spector productions, a phenomenal song with his extraordinary sound."[5]
The single ranked #66 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1969.[6]
- ^ Mick Brown (2007). Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector. Knopf Doubleday Publishing. ISBN 9780307267726. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ Checkmates, Ltd., "Black Pearl" chart positions Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Checkmates, Ltd., Love Is All We Have to Give Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Checkmates, Ltd., "Black Pearl" single release Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ "Sonny Charles & the Checkmates, Ltd. / Checkmates Ltd". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1969". Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2016.