Wikipedia - The Friends of Distinction formed in 1968 in Los Angeles with original members Floyd Butler (June 5, 1937 - April 29, 1990), Harry Elston (born November 4, 1938), Jessica Cleaves (December 10, 1948 - May 2, 2014), and Barbara Jean Love (born July 24, 1941).[1] Butler and Elston had worked together in The Hi-Fi's in the mid 1960s, often opening for Ray Charles.[1] Other members of the Hi-Fi's were Marilyn McCoo and Lamont McLemore, who would later co-found The Fifth Dimension. The Friends of Distinction were discovered by American football player Jim Brown, who also discovered Earth, Wind & Fire [citation needed], and were signed to RCA Records. The Friends' first major hit, "Grazing in the Grass", was an Elston-sung vocal cover version of an instrumental hit by Hugh Masekela, with lyrics written by Elston.[1] Released in March 1969, this gold record went Top 5 on both the pop and soul charts in the U.S., peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June.[2] The follow-up ballad "Going in Circles" also charted highly, hitting No. 15 in November.[2] When Love took time off during her pregnancy, Charlene Gibson replaced her, singing lead on the Friends' third hit, "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 2-9 May 1970. The Friends were prolific between 1969 and 1973, releasing six albums, with a seventh in 1976. They also released numerous singles, including "Check It Out" and a cover of Neil Sedaka's "Time Waits for No One".
While I truly love this music of my late teens, I still find new music to love every year. You just have to listen for it. I can't abide Adele, and the other "Music to commit suicide to" that is popular today, but that is not ALL of the music that there is!
Ha-ha, do you mean like Tiny Tim with Tiptoe Through the Tulips and The Fifth Estate with Ding Dong the Witch is Dead? Come on, there’s dogs in ever era.
James, you are so right, very underrated! If my memory serves correctly, I recall reading somewhere that a couple of members of the Fifth Dimension were also members of the Friends of Distinction. I remember thinking at the time I read the article that that's why they reminded me of each other. Not that they were clones, but that they each had these incredible harmonies. Still makes the hair on the back of my head stand up, and gives me goosebumps when I hear their music.
@@estedetringham7528didn't understand why they broke up, I read they were only together for about 6 years and in that short time span they had some mega hits! I guess they couldn't live up to their group name " friends of distinction"?
Another older White guy here. I could listen to this song 100 times in a row and still love it. Charlene Gibson is beautiful, this is an all time great one!
I dunno, little Richard, RIP, once said that there was the blues, then the blues gave “birth” to an illegitimate child called “rock and roll”. Now that I’m older, there’s just something about overall pop music that’s turning me off
@@eldajackson1 one of my top 10 "feel good" songs! Especially with all that is going on today, it takes me back to a time, a more simpler time, happier days!
I remember February 1970 as it was a month with just a few dates I had with a girl I was so crazy about. She turned me on to it. What I'm wondering is how do you recall the 21st? There must be some connection.
@@danielhagan921 The song didn't chart until the week of March 1st of 1970 according to Billboard top 100. He must have gotten lucky and heard a demo on a radio station 7 days or so earlier. Not to mention being in a wonderful situation perhaps with a gal when he first heard it.
That's a very fine difference, Trinity! I checked a calendar for 1970. It's only an eight or none day difference. I'm hoping John will let us in on how he remembers a 52 year old single date so well. Just curious - how about it, John?
I remember great songs like this as a chronology of my life, I remember what I was doing, ups and downs, and great friends I hung with when this was on radio!
@@loris.2481, I checked and no Friends of Distinction episode yet. But there is an episode for the Jones Girls. It hasn't been uploaded to TH-cam though. I'll be happy to watch that one. The Jones Girls made extremely good music.
Yes indeed and sometime on a small transistor radio going in and out of the station, but we didn't care because we loved the song so much. Yep great memories 😁
LARRY read your comment of listening to transistor radios back with the FRIENDS OF DISTINCTION!! How about WWRL I believe it was the SOUL STATION with GARY BYRD/HANK SPANN on AM radio mainly at night@ WABC 77 AM with JAY REYNOLDS 12 midnight to 6 am/DAN INGRAM 2 pm to 6 pm afternoons and so on!! And those clean messages in the songs and most songs had a religious/gospel sound in JUNE 1970: UP THE LADDER TO THE ROOF.NEW SUPREMES with JEAN TERREL)/UNITED WE STAND.BROTHERHOOD OF MAN/LAY DOWN CADLES IN THE RAIN.MELANIE/REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEBODYS HAND.DIANA ROSS (now going solo)/ EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL.RAY STEVENS/REFLECTIONS OF MY LIFE.MARMALADE/SPIRIT IN THE SKY.NORMAN GREENBAUM*** just to name a few!!!Thanks for your TRANSISTOR RADIO COMMENT! Those radios never gave us VIRUS/HACKED/IDENTITY THEFT/STOLEN I.D.,s as they and those CASSETTES/8 TRACKS/TURNTABLES were all safe to play with no ONLINE THIEVES!
Doing my research on them, they only lasted 6 years as a group, didn't understand the quick break up because they had some serious hits in that time span.
I think we all did. I was 8 yrs old when this song came out I remember loving it instantly. I guess we all thought that the good music would last forever. Joke is definitely on us...
I turned 10 in late 1970s. It's now April 2022 (Easter Sunday) and today at age 61, for some odd reason, this song from my childhood popped into my mind. ❤❤❤
Just a great song! I liked it from the first moment I heard it in 1970, as a 15-year-old lad. Fifty one years later I still absolutely love it! God bless, Dave
Same here! I was 14 in 1970. I was obsessed with this group, I had all their first five albums and memorized every songwriting and production credit. I would lay to floor with the speakers and soak in those harmonies all night.
This is Barbara Jean Love lipsyncing here, however when the song was recorded she was on pregnancy leave, and Charlene Gibson sang lead on the record. Also, that's Jessica Cleaves in the back.
I keep getting a lot of good comments on this particular video I was so happy when I found it and putting the stereo sound on it and extended it with the record and cover art cause it was a little bit longer than I ever heard it. Every time I look at it I always say ''She is so pretty I just love her''!
Hello. I was six when this was released but I certainly remember my father and his siblings jamming to this. Will you please share where this is from? It is a television show? Thanks so much for sharing.
@@CRSDelta I'm not sure, I don't think it was Soul Train because on there the group is usually right up next to people dancing, I think it was The Ed Sullivan Show which had a full stage like there in..
It's people like you that make youtube so addicting. Between Family Guy and the new Allstate commercial, Grazing In The Grass on the Ed Sullivan Show video has been given a brand new life. This song and video ranks right up there and deserves it's 15 minutes of fame again.
Yes, that's when singers who were singers had talent and not just rhyming a bunch of curse words and nonsense with a music track made on a computer with finger snaps.
The Friends of Distinction are a perfect example of the caliber of music we had! The competition was phenomenal. The fact that they even got played by the DJs during that time is a testament to their skill and abilities.
I was 14 when this wonderful song came out; I remember it so clearly. It really is a testimony to the talent of Friends of Distinction, and to our era. Thank you, Friends of Distinction, for this beautiful memory.
I remember this song when I was growing up and I've always liked it. Sounds like the 5th Dimension band with all the tight harmonies. Love that era of music that was chart toppers!
Here in 2024. Woke up with this song in my head; had to find the video. Jumping around my bedroom while it plays on my cell phone 😅 Miss that time so much 😢 Now 63; live in a different America.
This 1970 hit was released as I was entering my senior year in high school. Everything the Friends of Distinction performed I loved to listen to. I remember when doing my homework and this came on the radio I stopped everything and got up and started dancing. Glad she got the chance to sing as the lead singer. Her performance in Grazing In The Grass singing "rock it to me sock it to me" while the others sang in medley was brilliant. Another one gone way too soon.
Really? How did pass? Was she sick? How about the other members? Because I recognized the other female singer who used to sing backup for Earth Wind & Fire, her name is Jessica Cleaves & was wondering if I am correct or no?
I'm gonna put a song back at 1970.When I was living on Woodridge Avenue in Greensboro, North Carolina.I was 10 years old and this is my first time since 1970 that I've heard this song.Thank you very much and I hope to hear it many many more times
When this song can out I met five of my best friends. They are still my friends to this day, but this song reminds me when I met them in the third grade.
I was a young girl not even 10 when this came out but my dad owned a record store and music was so much of my life. Love these videos and songs. Music at it Best
@Richard Christopherson When it mattered, you don't mind giving up your allowances. For the longest time, my dad kept some of the things from his record store, one day I asked what this little yellow plastic disk was, he laughed and said that I should remember, it was the disk that went into the 45s, I was really young ,but the music store is were we spent so much time growing up. I'm the baby of the group. Once he said it , I vaguely remembered it. But it was cool seeing some of record store items.
This great song has stuck in my mind all these years because the words are great and Charlene's voice and melody makes you want to sing along. True Classic for sure!
In the 70 i was a freshman, listening to the Stones and Jethro Tull. I heard this groups songs on the radio and loved Grazin', but only heard this song rarely. Now when I hear it I go crazy because of it's special sound from that era, and it brings back good memories. I love their blend of their great voices, and the change of pace with the horn section just makes it fantastic.
Charlene Gibson is truly awesome and beautiful on this. The Friends of Distinction one of the most unrecognized super groups ever. I played the heck out of this song on WIBG Philadelphia when it came out in 1970 under the direction of Program Director Jack Reynolds and years later at KOOL 94.5 Phoenix as an "oldie." Million seller "Going In Circles" another killer song. What a group. Miss 'em! BTW, huge thanks to the poster Jan for a finally great "synced" version of one of the all time great songs in stereo!
I'm originally from Phoenix and remembered a lot of you DJs and of course the stations.The city had a great lineup of such until corporations bought them out and reduced the number of songs that could be played.
Wow, I've always known who recorded this, but never saw this as a Dusty Springfield song until reading your post, and realizing that there are similarities in sound, song and style.
About seven months ago I rediscoverd this song after not hearing it for fifty years. And now I cannot seem to hear it enough I turned 13 this same year and the song just brings me back to a feeling of that time. But also the singing, production etc make this such a great recording.
I'm surely glad you found it again, but 50 years without hearing it? You need to get a recording and listen to it about 970 times to make up for all those misses.
I was 14 when this came out- this remind me of my cousin Dorothy-she was always singing it back in the day- God picked her as a flower for his garden Dec 25, 2019- miss you tee tee🙏💖😘
Another great classic of wonderful loving memories of where i was and with whom, 😢 most are no longer here but i thank God 🙏❤️ i have memories and music like this that i can close my eyes and even if just for a splitting second i am back in Houston with my loved ones again..my God how i miss them so..until i see you again, rest in the loving arms of sweet Jesus I 🙏 pray..❤
I was graduating from the 6grade when this song came out. It is interesting when you hear certain songs how it just takes you back to that certain place and time. it was a great time to be graduating from elementary school looking forward to going through Junior high School. Wow!
@@itsabovemenow1016 Sad to that it was not a nice experience for you at that particular time. Still certain songs can take our mind to a certain place in time be it bad or good. You survived it. Stay Strong.
@@theronedawson3236 oh, sorry. Now that I reread it, I made it sound tragic. It really wasn’t horrible. I was just raised very sheltered. Then we moved to a bigger city and the summer before I started HS and the kids were “fast”. I was naive. I was also the only kid I knew who ever heard of the Friends of Distinction. My peers we’re into rock or bubblegum. But on balance, it was like most kids’ experiences. Highs and lows, good and bad.
Hadn't heard this sing in decades. Found channel 49 (Soul Town) on Sirius radio today, and this song was playing. Brought a sudden rush of great memories.
This was a great time for music. We had top 40 radio so we got a taste of everything, every genre played on one station. I miss those days and the music of that time.
@@janaddeo236 I'm with you Jan. I was 16, and with my girlfriend the first time I heard this song. It came on the car radio and she turned it up. It's been my favorite of that time ever since. "Old Joe", I thank you for your service! My uncle was in the famous 101st in WW2 and Korea, possibly Vietnam, I'm not sure of the last.
Thanks to great technology, I can play this on my Marantz 2270 receiver from 1972, and my JBL L-166 Horizon speakers from 1977. You can’t rival those old 70’s systems with anything you buy today.
Blazin'! This group set a song on fire. At the same time they did "Goin' In Circles", and their lead vocalist did an soul-felt solo. I appreciate them more now then I did at the time. So much good music was in the air at the same time....
The solid THUMP pulse provided by the bass player and drummer using the versus and the brass solo section has ALWAYS been my favorite part of this GOLDEN GEM!!!
@@jamesrobiscoe1174 Oh wow, thank you so much for educating me. I’m a semi professional drummer myself and I honestly NEVER knew nor heard that terminology before. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to enlighten me. God love ya brother!
@@Les445 LOL. "Going In Circles" was the very first slow jam I liked! I'm all of 13 and I'm just singing with my eyes closed. Putting my arms to total strangers to sway with me. I was a sensitive little mess.
@@jesincere8589 Yes. Barbara Jean went on maternity leave and Charlene stepped in while she was out. Then Barbara Jean came back, Jessica left, and Charlene and Barbara Jean were on the third(?) album together.
@@thatjpwing I looked on the back of the album where this song is from, it said Charlene was the vocalist on that song. it shows a picture of them all together, she is on the far left and there names are under it in order and she is the same girl in the video, her teeth were unique you can't mistake that smile with the overbite and is the same the photo. It was the third album with her as the lead, the first two albums were Barbara Jean doing the lead part ''ROCK IT TO ME, SOCK IT TO ME'' in the video on ''GRAISING IN THE GRASS''.
@@janaddeo236, thank you so much for the discography information. This is the reason why like to read the comments. I get to learn more about my favorite songs!
"Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" A treasure of days long past that enriches us to this day, Makes you smile doesn't it? Just being able to know that a group and a song can wring so much joy out of your heart after decades, joy that stays inside you and can never be lost is no small miracle, thanks
man, I LOVE those vocal arrangements in this song, by Jerry Peters. and those strings and horn arrangements by Perry Botkin, jr... Music Arrangers have ALWAYS been the unsung heroes in the music business. shoutout to those guys.
I never get tired of listening to, and singing, this song, and their other hits. I LOVED (AND STILL DO LOVE) The Friends Of Distinction. They were hit makers
I was just a small child when these songs came out, but I remember them so well. Thanks to TH-cam, for the first time in my life, I can see the people who sang them.
Black women in the 70's -----------proud--------classy--------gorgeous.
The lead singer was beautiful and the female backup was cute.
Always been attracted to Jessica Cleeves, very sexy.
You don't like Sexxy Red? She said her booty hole brown 😅
I hear that!
Yes indeed!!!
Still listening in 2024 ❤ We had the best music…back then. ❤️
True. Nothing today can even come close.
Oh yes! Oh, to truly have this kind of talent again!!
Wikipedia - The Friends of Distinction formed in 1968 in Los Angeles with original members Floyd Butler (June 5, 1937 - April 29, 1990), Harry Elston (born November 4, 1938), Jessica Cleaves (December 10, 1948 - May 2, 2014), and Barbara Jean Love (born July 24, 1941).[1] Butler and Elston had worked together in The Hi-Fi's in the mid 1960s, often opening for Ray Charles.[1] Other members of the Hi-Fi's were Marilyn McCoo and Lamont McLemore, who would later co-found The Fifth Dimension.
The Friends of Distinction were discovered by American football player Jim Brown, who also discovered Earth, Wind & Fire [citation needed], and were signed to RCA Records.
The Friends' first major hit, "Grazing in the Grass", was an Elston-sung vocal cover version of an instrumental hit by Hugh Masekela, with lyrics written by Elston.[1] Released in March 1969, this gold record went Top 5 on both the pop and soul charts in the U.S., peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June.[2] The follow-up ballad "Going in Circles" also charted highly, hitting No. 15 in November.[2]
When Love took time off during her pregnancy, Charlene Gibson replaced her, singing lead on the Friends' third hit, "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 2-9 May 1970. The Friends were prolific between 1969 and 1973, releasing six albums, with a seventh in 1976. They also released numerous singles, including "Check It Out" and a cover of Neil Sedaka's "Time Waits for No One".
I didn't realize Charlene Gibson was a replacement singer. The Friends of Distinction had some excellent songs, but "Going in Circles" was just epic!
@@TexRennersoooooooo TRUE!!!
Tooooooooo die for ❤❤❤❤
Awesome memories!!!! Good times👍👍😍
What a music historian…thanks so much for sharing!
Wow great job ! Thanks for all the input!😃
I'm an old white guy that is in love with these classics when I was young..what a great vocal group, makes me cry!
Well my friend we have turned into our parents
Thank God can't believe I'm so damn
Old
I was in my mid teens and this song among many made those years special.
@Sandra Gonzalez Our parents were right. Especially when it came to standards.
It’s the sound track of my life. Makes me cry to.
I'm right there with you bud!
This was back when you had to have talent to make a hit record.
You got that right !!!
@@janaddeo236 Thanks for the memories!
While I truly love this music of my late teens, I still find new music to love every year. You just have to listen for it. I can't abide Adele, and the other "Music to commit suicide to" that is popular today, but that is not ALL of the music that there is!
Word! 💯
Ha-ha, do you mean like Tiny Tim with Tiptoe Through the Tulips and The Fifth Estate with Ding Dong the Witch is Dead? Come on, there’s dogs in ever era.
This was a Mad, Mad hit making group...just on the heels of the 5th dimensions. So underrated!!!
James, you are so right, very underrated! If my memory serves correctly, I recall reading somewhere that a couple of members of the Fifth Dimension were also members of the Friends of Distinction. I remember thinking at the time I read the article that that's why they reminded me of each other. Not that they were clones, but that they each had these incredible harmonies. Still makes the hair on the back of my head stand up, and gives me goosebumps when I hear their music.
@@estedetringham7528 thanks 4 sharing.
@@estedetringham7528didn't understand why they broke up, I read they were only together for about 6 years and in that short time span they had some mega hits! I guess they couldn't live up to their group name " friends of distinction"?
Was that Jessica Cleaves singing with Friends of Distinction before or after she was with Earth Wind & Fire?
@@LisaWashington-vw6tg Before Earth, Wind & Fire
This, Grazin in the Grass and You Got me Goin in Circles…3 great songs by the group.
Another older White guy here. I could listen to this song 100 times in a row and still love it. Charlene Gibson is beautiful, this is an all time great one!
I dunno, little Richard, RIP, once said that there was the blues, then the blues gave “birth” to an illegitimate child called “rock and roll”. Now that I’m older, there’s just something about overall pop music that’s turning me off
Older white woman who has always loved this song.
Same here; had not heard this in years and then heard it just last night. Never gets old. 1970, what a year!
@@Electra225 Whenever it played, I never wanted it to end.
@@eldajackson1 one of my top 10 "feel good" songs! Especially with all that is going on today, it takes me back to a time, a more simpler time, happier days!
I first heard this song on February 21 1970 and it has been one of my all-time favorites for all these 52 years.
Good memory
I remember February 1970 as it was a month with just a few dates I had with a girl I was so crazy about. She turned me on to it. What I'm wondering is how do you recall the 21st? There must be some connection.
@@danielhagan921 The song didn't chart until the week of March 1st of 1970 according to Billboard top 100. He must have gotten lucky and heard a demo on a radio station 7 days or so earlier. Not to mention being in a wonderful situation perhaps with a gal when he first heard it.
That's a very fine difference, Trinity! I checked a calendar for 1970. It's only an eight or none day difference. I'm hoping John will let us in on how he remembers a 52 year old single date so well. Just curious - how about it, John?
I remember great songs like this as a chronology of my life, I remember what I was doing, ups and downs, and great friends I hung with when this was on radio!
The beautiful blending of their voices! Perfect pitch and tone! Wonderful musicianship
musiciahship? is that a word? hahhaha
The answer is musicianship is a word, Margaret. No haha about it.
So underappreciated !!
'Grazing in the grass'
'Going in Circles' !!!
Great song's....
Absolutely!!! Gives me goosebumps
I totally agree! I wonder if TVOne has an episode of "Unsung" The Friends of Distinction? If they don't, there should be.
@@martyemmons1859 Yes! I sure hope so, also The Fifth Dimension!!!
@@loris.2481, I checked and no Friends of Distinction episode yet. But there is an episode for the Jones Girls. It hasn't been uploaded to TH-cam though. I'll be happy to watch that one. The Jones Girls made extremely good music.
I know..how can this song make you lonely...great sound ...
One of my "childhood" favorites !!
Remember staying up all night listening to the radio ?
Yes indeed and sometime on a small transistor radio going in and out of the station, but we didn't care because we loved the song so much. Yep great memories 😁
Don’t ya miss top 40 AM Radio.. we had WFIL 56 and WIBG 990 Wibbage in philly.. life was grand even though we didn’t realize the big picture.
I did the exact same thing ! awesome
LARRY read your comment of listening to transistor radios back with the FRIENDS OF DISTINCTION!! How about WWRL I believe it was the SOUL STATION with GARY BYRD/HANK SPANN on AM radio mainly at night@ WABC 77 AM with JAY REYNOLDS 12 midnight to 6 am/DAN INGRAM 2 pm to 6 pm afternoons and so on!! And those clean messages in the songs and most songs had a religious/gospel sound in JUNE 1970: UP THE LADDER TO THE ROOF.NEW SUPREMES with JEAN TERREL)/UNITED WE STAND.BROTHERHOOD OF MAN/LAY DOWN CADLES IN THE RAIN.MELANIE/REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEBODYS HAND.DIANA ROSS (now going solo)/ EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL.RAY STEVENS/REFLECTIONS OF MY LIFE.MARMALADE/SPIRIT IN THE SKY.NORMAN GREENBAUM*** just to name a few!!!Thanks for your TRANSISTOR RADIO COMMENT! Those radios never gave us VIRUS/HACKED/IDENTITY THEFT/STOLEN I.D.,s as they and those CASSETTES/8 TRACKS/TURNTABLES were all safe to play with no ONLINE THIEVES!
Yes!
I love the way Charlene is in total command and scats that sucker at the end.
Great song from a music show in the early 70s. The crap on the radio now will never be like this great song from that era.
And decades away from that awful auto tune! Real voices, real orchestration, real instruments. Real talent!
You can say that again!!! 70's and 80's music will never be topped by any other music. That's a fact Jack.
This group really has some serious talent
Lot's of it!!!
Doing my research on them, they only lasted 6 years as a group, didn't understand the quick break up because they had some serious hits in that time span.
I took the music of my youth for granted. Now I look back and can't believe how good most of it truly was. I was 12 when this was on the charts.
I think we all did. I was 8 yrs old when this song came out I remember loving it instantly. I guess we all thought that the good music would last forever. Joke is definitely on us...
all of it was great!
We all did I'm sure. I was 8 yrs old when this first hit. Didn't get the lyrics, but I loved the melody and their voices....
I turned 10 in late 1970s. It's now April 2022 (Easter Sunday) and today at age 61, for some odd reason, this song from my childhood popped into my mind. ❤❤❤
I was 14. this is one of my favorites of all time!
Just a great song!
I liked it from the first moment I heard it in 1970, as a 15-year-old lad.
Fifty one years later I still absolutely love it!
God bless,
Dave
Same here! I was 14 in 1970. I was obsessed with this group, I had all their first five albums and memorized every songwriting and production credit. I would lay to floor with the speakers and soak in those harmonies all night.
@@itsabovemenow1016 Wonderful to hear!
God bless,
Dave
I was 13 when I first heard it. I'm 64 now and it still gives me goosebumps.
same here
I was 12 in 1970 and thank you Gordy for all the Motown sound. 1959 was an excellent year!!! The birth of Motown.
This is Barbara Jean Love lipsyncing here, however when the song was recorded she was on pregnancy leave, and Charlene Gibson sang lead on the record. Also, that's Jessica Cleaves in the back.
Thanks for the info
You're very welcome! 🙏🏿
Thanks - I know they changed lady singers I think twice. Who were the 2 women on ' Grazin in the grass?
Thank you for clearing that up! I was wondering because Charlene looked mighty different here. LOL.
Lol, very different!
I keep getting a lot of good comments on this particular video I was so happy when I found it and putting the stereo sound on it and extended it with the record and cover art cause it was a little bit longer than I ever heard it.
Every time I look at it I always say ''She is so pretty I just love her''!
Good video
She has the talent of a 'Siren' of lore. The beautiful voice that tried to call Odysseus' ship to the crash on the rocks.
Hello. I was six when this was released but I certainly remember my father and his siblings jamming to this. Will you please share where this is from? It is a television show? Thanks so much for sharing.
@@CRSDelta I'm not sure, I don't think it was Soul Train because on there the group is usually right up next to people dancing, I think it was The Ed Sullivan Show which had a full stage like there in..
It's people like you that make youtube so addicting. Between Family Guy and the new Allstate commercial, Grazing In The Grass on the Ed Sullivan Show video has been given a brand new life. This song and video ranks right up there and deserves it's 15 minutes of fame again.
What a beautiful woman and her voice is amazing!
Dittos.
That was Jessica Cleaves, who also sang with EWF , George Clinton's Parliament and Funkadelics!
How I wish they still made music like this. Beautiful woman, beautiful song.
RIP JESSICA CLAVES
So sorry
I didn't know she passed away. She and The Friends of Distinction certainly left a wonderful song for us to listen to.
Floyd Butler, another member of the same singing group also died but their beautiful harmonizing music lives on.
Just a fyi. That's not Jessica singing lead. It was my Cousin, Ms. Charlene Gibson!!! Jessica was just "Lip-Synching it.
(Cleaves)
Color didn't matter ......it was just all great music ! So glad I grew. Uup in the 60s and 70s !
Fantastic song, fantastic sound, fantastic group.
I just love the way singing groups and singers moved more slowly in unison than today's jumping all over the stage.
They HAVE to jump around, because they have no other talent!!!
@@scotabot7826 🤣🤣🤣!
@@stopiwantoff7965 Just to make sure, I'm talking about the Groups of today, not the Fab and wonderful Friends of Distinction!!!
That's because they actually sang during their performances
* side eyes in Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, and Tina Turner and the Ikettes *
You couldn't escape the Great music back in the day.
This song is one example of that.
Yes, that's when singers who were singers had talent and not just rhyming a bunch of curse words and nonsense with a music track made on a computer with finger snaps.
The Friends of Distinction are a perfect example of the caliber of music we had! The competition was phenomenal. The fact that they even got played by the DJs during that time is a testament to their skill and abilities.
I'm another old, white woman who has always moved and been moved by soulful music. This song is one of my favorites. So much talent! ❤
I was 14 when this wonderful song came out; I remember it so clearly. It really is a testimony to the talent of Friends of Distinction, and to our era. Thank you, Friends of Distinction, for this beautiful memory.
I remember this song when I was growing up and I've always liked it. Sounds like the 5th Dimension band with all the tight harmonies. Love that era of music that was chart toppers!
Agreed!!!!!
I would have been 13. Haunting music from my childhood.
Here in 2024.
Woke up with this song in my head; had to find the video.
Jumping around my bedroom while it plays on my cell phone 😅
Miss that time so much 😢
Now 63; live in a different America.
One of my favorite songs! I remember every word!
this is talent at its best
My God songs were so much better in the 70s and 80s..... this is a great song!
What a great song soulfully sung!!!! In the days when we were Black and Proud, what da hell happened? The days when we had sound tracks in our lives.
This 1970 hit was released as I was entering my senior year in high school. Everything the Friends of Distinction performed I loved to listen to. I remember when doing my homework and this came on the radio I stopped everything and got up and started dancing. Glad she got the chance to sing as the lead singer. Her performance in Grazing In The Grass singing "rock it to me sock it to me" while the others sang in medley was brilliant. Another one gone way too soon.
I was a senior also. About two months to go before the real world
Really? How did pass? Was she sick? How about the other members? Because I recognized the other female singer who used to sing backup for Earth Wind & Fire, her name is Jessica Cleaves & was wondering if I am correct or no?
I'm gonna put a song back at 1970.When I was living on Woodridge Avenue in Greensboro, North Carolina.I was 10 years old and this is my first time since 1970 that I've heard this song.Thank you very much and I hope to hear it many many more times
When this song can out I met five of my best friends. They are still my friends to this day, but this song reminds me when I met them in the third grade.
I was a young girl not even 10 when this came out but my dad owned a record store and music was so much of my life. Love these videos and songs. Music at it Best
You already knew what was right.
So was I 10. hearing this music takes me back to being a kid.I would buy 2 45s a week with my allowance.
@Richard Christopherson
When it mattered, you don't mind giving up your allowances. For the longest time, my dad kept some of the things from his record store, one day I asked what this little yellow plastic disk was, he laughed and said that I should remember, it was the disk that went into the 45s, I was really young ,but the music store is were we spent so much time growing up. I'm the baby of the group. Once he said it , I vaguely remembered it. But it was cool seeing some of record store items.
This song brings back so many memories
The greatest music of my lifetime can you dig it
This great song has stuck in my mind all these years because the words are great and Charlene's voice and melody makes you want to sing along. True Classic for sure!
One of many great 70s songs, what a decade for great music from black groups
In the 70 i was a freshman, listening to the Stones and Jethro Tull. I heard this groups songs on the radio and loved Grazin', but only heard this song rarely. Now when I hear it I go crazy because of it's special sound from that era, and it brings back good memories. I love their blend of their great voices, and the change of pace with the horn section just makes it fantastic.
50 years of loving this song and I still can't get enough!
So true!!
Charlene Gibson is truly awesome and beautiful on this. The Friends of Distinction one of the most unrecognized super groups ever. I played the heck out of this song on WIBG Philadelphia when it came out in 1970 under the direction of Program Director Jack Reynolds and years later at KOOL 94.5 Phoenix as an "oldie." Million seller "Going In Circles" another killer song. What a group. Miss 'em!
BTW, huge thanks to the poster Jan for a finally great "synced" version of one of the all time great songs in stereo!
I thought this was Barbara Jean Love singing lead🤷🏽♀️
@@HotSixty: Charlene replaced Barbara Jean when she went on pregnancy leave.
Yep. That's the same Jack Reynolds who was doing the overnight show at WWWD in Cleveland back in the 80's. Had that smooth, relaxing voice.
@@jrwxtx Nope. Barbara Jean Love
I'm originally from Phoenix and remembered a lot of you DJs and of course the stations.The city had a great lineup of such until corporations bought them out and reduced the number of songs that could be played.
I swear, all these years I thought this was Dusty Springfield singing this. this song is her style. you learn something NEW everyday.
Wow, I've always known who recorded this, but never saw this as a Dusty Springfield song until reading your post, and realizing that there are similarities in sound, song and style.
And, I might have thought 5th dimension. But, I loved this song then & now.
Such incredible. harmonies....
A. favorite !!
About seven months ago I rediscoverd this song after not hearing it for fifty years. And now I cannot seem to hear it enough I turned 13 this same year and the song just brings me back to a feeling of that time. But also the singing, production etc make this such a great recording.
I'm surely glad you found it again, but 50 years without hearing it? You need to get a recording and listen to it about 970 times to make up for all those misses.
This song took me way back when things were simple
And better.
I agree 100%
I was 14 when this came out- this remind me of my cousin Dorothy-she was always singing it back in the day- God picked her as a flower for his garden Dec 25, 2019- miss you tee tee🙏💖😘
I remember hearing this lil high energy song on the radio in 1970 when I was 10. A lifetime later I still like it😂
Flashback song !! I was at summercamp that year.
I fell in love with my counselor !!
Good group and song.
Damn, I turned 21 of 1970 and it turned out to be my favorite decade! Music like this sure helped make it the best.
Another great classic of wonderful loving memories of where i was and with whom, 😢 most are no longer here but i thank God 🙏❤️ i have memories and music like this that i can close my eyes and even if just for a splitting second i am back in Houston with my loved ones again..my God how i miss them so..until i see you again, rest in the loving arms of sweet Jesus I 🙏 pray..❤
Amen. LOVE. PEACE. God Bless
❤ MAGNIFICENCE.....PERIOD ⭐⭐⭐🍇
I was graduating from the 6grade when this song came out.
It is interesting when you hear certain songs how it just takes you back to that certain place and time. it was a great time to be graduating from elementary school looking forward to going through Junior high School. Wow!
1970 landed me smack dab in high school and drama I was not built for. Damn, damn… DAMN!
@@itsabovemenow1016 Sad to that it was not a nice experience for you at that particular time.
Still certain songs can take our mind to a certain place in time be it bad or good.
You survived it. Stay Strong.
@@theronedawson3236 oh, sorry. Now that I reread it, I made it sound tragic. It really wasn’t horrible. I was just raised very sheltered. Then we moved to a bigger city and the summer before I started HS and the kids were “fast”. I was naive. I was also the only kid I knew who ever heard of the Friends of Distinction. My peers we’re into rock or bubblegum. But on balance, it was like most kids’ experiences. Highs and lows, good and bad.
@@itsabovemenow1016 I got it. Well that is how life can be at times.
The best. Such a great song.
When music was music. Such a classy group. Love them and always will.
I sure do AGREE! @deborahstaats922 "When music was MUSIC"! What happened?
What happened to music? I mean we were so spoiled... I guess they set the bar so high back then that nobody's even be able to approach it yet😢
The Friends Of Distinction definitely were a part of the soundtrack of my youth. I remember all of their tunes. Groovy.
WOW OMFG thanks to whoever posted .. this is a gem from childhood.
Hadn't heard this sing in decades. Found channel 49 (Soul Town) on Sirius radio today, and this song was playing. Brought a sudden rush of great memories.
Love this song. I was 15 when l first heard it.
They were sooooo smooth..
Funky too.real diverse.
This was a great time for music. We had top 40 radio so we got a taste of everything, every genre played on one station. I miss those days and the music of that time.
Real talent ! Real singers ----------nothing fake !!
One of the good memories from Vietnam. At that time, I was Sgt. Joe/101st ABN/11Bravo. '69-'70.... Now, just another old man.
You sound like me, I was 15 back then but in my head I'm still 15.
@@janaddeo236 I'm with you Jan. I was 16, and with my girlfriend the first time I heard this song. It came on the car radio and she turned it up. It's been my favorite of that time ever since.
"Old Joe", I thank you for your service! My uncle was in the famous 101st in WW2 and Korea, possibly Vietnam, I'm not sure of the last.
Charlene: beautiful voice, beautiful face.
I’m an old white dude that has black, Mexican, white, music in his soul. These will always be the best songs from the 60’s to 70’s. Love this
Thanks to great technology, I can play this on my Marantz 2270 receiver from 1972, and my JBL L-166 Horizon speakers from 1977. You can’t rival those old 70’s systems with anything you buy today.
The ending on this chills.
So far everybody loves this song video !!
Goosebumps
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽!!!!!!
Blazin'! This group set a song on fire. At the same time they did "Goin' In Circles", and their lead vocalist did an soul-felt solo. I appreciate them more now then I did at the time. So much good music was in the air at the same time....
I was 9 when this song came out. I bought the Band Of Gold 45 that summer. I can't believe I didn't buy this 45... What was I thinking? 😊
What a beautiful lead singer, with a beautiful smile!
👍Classic!!!!
More than 53 years and it's sounding even better. More and more of these old classics are preventing us from having dry eyes when listening.
The solid THUMP pulse provided by the bass player and drummer using the versus and the brass solo section has ALWAYS been my favorite part of this GOLDEN GEM!!!
In classical music that thumping note is called a pedal point.
@@jamesrobiscoe1174 Oh wow, thank you so much for educating me. I’m a semi professional drummer myself and I honestly NEVER knew nor heard that terminology before. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to enlighten me. God love ya brother!
Coolness a whole lot of years later. Wade on in, the water int' deep.
Super smooth and cool. They make it look easy. I'm still in awe of their talent.
Love this song
This is OLD SCHOOL SOUL MUSIC at it's best..."THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...👏👏👏
I've already commented this twice but I have had goosebumps through this whole entire performance. ✌️❤️
Oh my God, my heart just aches when I think of this song. Childhood comes rush back like high tide.
@@itsabovemenow1016 I heard that!!!! Going in Circles.A fav
@@Les445 LOL. "Going In Circles" was the very first slow jam I liked! I'm all of 13 and I'm just singing with my eyes closed.
Putting my arms to total strangers to sway with me. I was a sensitive little mess.
The middle section was immense!
Yes, so well written, so well arranged, and the lead singer is flawless.
My favorite out of all of their songs. The leader singer on this one was Charlene Gibson
She replaced the light skinned lady (Barbara Jean) early on?
@@jesincere8589 Yes. Barbara Jean went on maternity leave and Charlene stepped in while she was out. Then Barbara Jean came back, Jessica left, and Charlene and Barbara Jean were on the third(?) album together.
@@thatjpwing I looked on the back of the album where this song is from, it said Charlene was the vocalist on that song.
it shows a picture of them all together, she is on the far left and there names are under it in order and she is the same girl in the video, her teeth were unique you can't mistake that smile with the overbite and is the same the photo. It was the third album with her as the lead, the first two albums were Barbara Jean doing the lead part ''ROCK IT TO ME, SOCK IT TO ME'' in the video on ''GRAISING IN THE GRASS''.
Mine too.
@@janaddeo236, thank you so much for the discography information. This is the reason why like to read the comments. I get to learn more about my favorite songs!
Beautiful song with plenty of love and soul.
"Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" A treasure of days long past that enriches us to this day, Makes you smile doesn't it?
Just being able to know that a group and a song can wring so much joy out of your heart after decades, joy that stays inside you and can never be lost is no small miracle, thanks
❤❤ WHITE GUY....ALSO ...LOVES GREAT MOTOWN 👍 HIGH SCHOOL DAYS...!!! SO___ BEAUTIFUL 😊
YEAH, song came out by my high school graduation 😊.
I miss those days when songs like this seem to come out every week.
The brass, the background voices.....beautiful
Agree!
I forgot how many great songs they had. And how great their vocals are.
God one of my all-time favorites.
Me too.....................😗
It’s 20/24 and I’m still rockin to this one… Friends Of Distinction were underrated and lived in the shadows of other groups just like them…….
man, I LOVE those vocal arrangements in this song, by Jerry Peters. and those strings and horn arrangements by Perry Botkin, jr... Music Arrangers have ALWAYS been the unsung heroes in the music business. shoutout to those guys.
I 💯 agree - at the end , they show for 1 second musicians playing! I caught that!
❤️WOW...This brings back good memories...It's just as moving today as it was back then!❤️
Talented and gorgeous! Grazing in the Grass, Baby!
One of my all time favorite songs 🎶❤️🎶❤️ still gives me chills❣️😊
I never get tired of listening to, and singing, this song, and their other hits. I LOVED (AND STILL DO LOVE) The Friends Of Distinction. They were hit makers
The bass player justs kicks ass in this song the whole band
It makes want to cry when I hear songs like these talent reminds me of youth i
I was twelve when I bought this 45 in 1970. Awesome group.
This is when Talent was at it's peak.
DAMN....This song makes you feel GOOD
Man... I LOVED this song!!
We were blessed growing up here
I was just a small child when these songs came out, but I remember them so well. Thanks to TH-cam, for the first time in my life, I can see the people who sang them.