Jim Gilstrap
Encyclopedia
Jim Gilstrap is an American
singer
best known for his work as a session musician
and his 1975 solo
hit single
"Swing Your Daddy", as well as singing co-lead to the theme from the TV series Good Times
.
and rhythm and blues
in Pittsburg
, idolizing when he was younger, Bobby Bland
. His family moved to California
, and after serving in the Vietnam War
, Gilstrap set about pursuing a music
career. He successfully auditioned to join the Doodletown Pipers
as a vocalist in the late 1960s, and soon moved on to The Cultures, who offered backing support to established pop
and soul musician
s.
In the early 1970s, Gilstrap was one of the backing vocalist
s in Stevie Wonder
's backing outfit, 'Wonderlove', appearing on Wonder's album
s, Talking Book
and Innervisions
. Gilstrap sang the opening two lines of the Wonder song
, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life
" (with Lani Groves singing the next two lines). He subsequently signed a recording contract
with Chelsea Records in 1975. His recording
of the Kenny Nolan
penned
"Swing Your Daddy" was a #4 hit in the UK Singles Chart
in April 1975, and reached #10 in the U.S.
Billboard
Black Singles
chart
.
Gilstrap also recorded two albums of his own during the 1970s. His debut, also titled Swing Your Daddy, contained two more singles in "House of Strangers" and "Put Out the Fire." The follow-up Love Talk (1977), despite some minor success with the title track and "Move Me," failed to produce another big hit.
He recorded backing vocals for the UK
singer Elkie Brooks
(Live and Learn (1979)), and resumed his primary career as a session vocalist, performing with numerous pop
and R&B stars
over the next decades.
He can be heard in a vocal performance on Quincy Jones
' 1974 jazz-funk
composition "Soul Saga (Song Of The Buffalo Soldier)", from Jones' Body Heat
album. Gilstrap has also provided the male lead vocals for the theme music
to the 1970s television program
Good Times
. He was one of the background vocalists on the soundtrack to the movie
Grease
(1978).
Throughout the 1990s Gilstrap worked alongside many smooth jazz
artists including Ramsey Lewis
and Dave Koz
. In 1975, he sang "I've Got You Where I Want You" for the soundtrack to the Robert Redford
movie Three Days of the Condor
. In addition, he sang the theme song for the 1990s cartoon series
TaleSpin
. More recently he did an original song for the Japan
ese film
Survive Style 5+
entitled "A Lament".
Northern soul
fans
hold Gilstrap in high regard for his song, "Run, Run, Run" on Bell Records
with the group Side Effect
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
best known for his work as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
and his 1975 solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Swing Your Daddy", as well as singing co-lead to the theme from the TV series Good Times
Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
.
Career
Gilstrap grew up listening to bluesBlues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
in Pittsburg
Pittsburg, Texas
Pittsburg is a city located in Camp County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,347. It is the county seat of Camp County. It is best known as the home of the giant poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride and the home of racing legend Carroll Shelby...
, idolizing when he was younger, Bobby Bland
Bobby Bland
Robert Calvin Bland better known as Bobby "Blue" Bland, is an American singer of blues and soul. He is an original member of the Beale Streeters, and is sometimes referred to as the "Lion of the Blues"...
. His family moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and after serving in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Gilstrap set about pursuing a music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
career. He successfully auditioned to join the Doodletown Pipers
Doodletown Pipers
The Doodletown Pipers were a 1960s and 1970s easy listening vocal group founded by Ward Ellis, George Wilkins, Bernie Brillstein and Jerry Weintraub....
as a vocalist in the late 1960s, and soon moved on to The Cultures, who offered backing support to established pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and soul musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s.
In the early 1970s, Gilstrap was one of the backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
s in Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's backing outfit, 'Wonderlove', appearing on Wonder's album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, Talking Book
Talking Book
Talking Book is the fifteenth album by Stevie Wonder, released on October 28, 1972. A signal recording of his "classic period", in this one he "hit his stride"...
and Innervisions
Innervisions
Innervisions is the sixteenth album by American musician Stevie Wonder, released August 3, 1973 on Motown Records; a landmark recording of his "classic period"...
. Gilstrap sang the opening two lines of the Wonder song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life
You Are the Sunshine of My Life
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is a 1973 pop single released by Stevie Wonder. The song became Wonder's third number-one pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his first number one on the easy listening chart. It won Wonder a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. This song was...
" (with Lani Groves singing the next two lines). He subsequently signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Chelsea Records in 1975. His recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of the Kenny Nolan
Kenny Nolan
Kenny Nolan is a Los Angeles, California based singer-songwriter.He is best remembered for his 1977 self-penned song "I Like Dreamin'", which achieved the #3 chart position on the Billboard Hot 100 early that year....
penned
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
"Swing Your Daddy" was a #4 hit in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in April 1975, and reached #10 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Black Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
Gilstrap also recorded two albums of his own during the 1970s. His debut, also titled Swing Your Daddy, contained two more singles in "House of Strangers" and "Put Out the Fire." The follow-up Love Talk (1977), despite some minor success with the title track and "Move Me," failed to produce another big hit.
He recorded backing vocals for the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
(Live and Learn (1979)), and resumed his primary career as a session vocalist, performing with numerous pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and R&B stars
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
over the next decades.
He can be heard in a vocal performance on Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
' 1974 jazz-funk
Jazz-funk
Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
composition "Soul Saga (Song Of The Buffalo Soldier)", from Jones' Body Heat
Body Heat (Quincy Jones album)
Body Heat is a 1974 Jazz-funk album by Quincy Jones.- Track listing :# "Body Heat" – 3:58# "Soul Saga " – 4:58# "Everything Must Change" – 6:01...
album. Gilstrap has also provided the male lead vocals for the theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
to the 1970s television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Good Times
Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
. He was one of the background vocalists on the soundtrack to the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Grease
Grease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
(1978).
Throughout the 1990s Gilstrap worked alongside many smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
artists including Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
and Dave Koz
Dave Koz
Dave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California....
. In 1975, he sang "I've Got You Where I Want You" for the soundtrack to the Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
movie Three Days of the Condor
Three Days of the Condor
Three Days of the Condor is a 1975 American action thriller film produced by Stanley Schneider and directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay, by Lorenzo Semple Jr...
. In addition, he sang the theme song for the 1990s cartoon series
Cartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
TaleSpin
TaleSpin
TaleSpin is a half-hour American animated television series based in the fictional city of Cape Suzette, that first aired in 1990 as part of The Disney Afternoon, with characters adapted from Disney's 1967 animated feature The Jungle Book. The name of the show is a play on "tailspin", the rapid,...
. More recently he did an original song for the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Survive Style 5+
Survive Style 5+
Survive Style 5+ is a 2004 Japanese film directed by Gen Sekiguchi. It stars Tadanobu Asano, Kyōko Koizumi, Reika Hashimoto, Jai West, Sonny Chiba and Vinnie Jones.-Synopsis:...
entitled "A Lament".
Northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
hold Gilstrap in high regard for his song, "Run, Run, Run" on Bell Records
Bell Records
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 by Arthur Shimkin in New York, the owner of children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records. A...
with the group Side Effect
Side Effect
Side Effect were an American disco band, that recorded between 1972 and 1982. The group was formed by founder and leader Augie Johnson in Los Angeles, California in 1972.-Career:...
.
Credits
Gilstrap recording credits include:- "LowdownLowdown (Boz Scaggs song)"Lowdown" is a Billboard hit originally recorded in 1976 by Boz Scaggs for his mainstream-breakthrough album, Silk Degrees. The song was co-written by Scaggs and David Paich...
" and Down Two Then LeftDown Two Then LeftDown Two Then Left is the eighth album by singer Boz Scaggs, released in 1977. The album peaked at #11 on the Billboard charts.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Boz Scaggs; except where indicated#"Still Falling for You" – 3:52#"Hard Times" – 4:26...
- Boz ScaggsBoz ScaggsWilliam Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,... - Hymn for My Soul - Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
- Big Easy FantasyBig Easy FantasyBig Easy Fantasy is an album by Willy DeVille and the Mink DeVille Band. It was released in Europe on the French New Rose label in 1995. The album is a mixture of studio tracks and concert recordings made in New York and Paris. The "big easy" of the album's title refers to New Orleans...
, Loup GarouLoup GarouLoup Garou is an album released in 1995 by Willy DeVille. First released in Europe in 1995 on the EastWest label, it was released the following year in the United States on the Discovery label...
and Backstreets of DesireBackstreets of DesireBackstreets of Desire is an album by Willy DeVille. It was recorded in various Los Angeles recording studios in 1992. To make the album, DeVille was joined by many prominent musicians, including Dr...
- Willy DeVilleWilly DeVilleWilly DeVille was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five year career, first with his band Mink DeVille and later on his own, Deville created original songs rooted in traditional American musical styles. He worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of contemporary... - ChemistryChemistry (Johnny Gill album)Chemistry is the second solo album by singer Johnny Gill and features a fan favorite, "Half Crazy," written by noted Philadelphia songwriter/producer Linda Creed.Richard Harrington of the Washington Post wrote, "Gill is 18. He just sounds older...
and Perfect Combination - Johnny GillJohnny GillJohnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic... - Songs of the BeatlesSongs of the BeatlesSongs of the Beatles is a 1981 album by American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan.-Track listing:# "Get Back" - 2:55# "And I Love Her" - 4:08# "Eleanor Rigby" - 3:48# "The Fool on the Hill" - 4:15...
- Sarah VaughanSarah VaughanSarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."... - Partners - ScherrieScherrie PayneScherrie Payne is an American singer. The younger sister of singer/actress Freda Payne, Scherrie Payne was the co-lead singer of The Supremes from 1973 to 1977, after Jean Terrell left the group in the fall of 1973...
and SusayeSusaye GreeneSusaye Greene , is an African-American singer, best known for being the last official member to join Motown girl group The Supremes, remaining in the group during its final years of existence from 1976 to 1977.-Early life and career:... - Two Sides of the MoonTwo Sides of the MoonTwo Sides of the Moon is the only solo album from the primary drummer from The Who, Keith Moon. Rather than using the album as a chance to showcase his legendary drumming skill, Moon chose to sing on all the songs, and play drums only on "Crazy Like a Fox", "The Kids Are Alright" and "Move Over Ms....
- Keith MoonKeith MoonKeith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon... - Leo SayerLeo Sayer (album)Leo Sayer is the self-titled sixth album by English singer-songwriter Leo Sayer, and released in 1978.The song "I Can't Stop Loving You " later became a hit when Phil Collins recorded it in 2002.-Track listing:...
- Leo SayerLeo SayerLeo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s... - No Protection - Starship
- Kelis Was HereKelis Was HereKelis Was Here is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Kelis, released in the United States on August 22, 2006 by LaFace Records and Jive Records...
- KelisKelisKelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart... - "Easy Baby" (from the film 99 and 44/100% Dead) - Henry ManciniHenry ManciniHenry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...