An eight-strong soul group whose roots lay in the Washington DC area, Father’s Children released just one album, their eponymously titled debut, recorded for the Mercury label in late 1978. Produced by The Crusaders’ Wayne Henderson, for these sessions he augmented Father’s Children’s line-up with, among others, Bobby ‘The Genie’ Lyle (synths) and backup vocalists Augie ‘AJ’ Johnson, Gregory Matta and Miki Howard from the Henderson-produced group Side Effect. The album that resulted really is the definition of the term ‘rare groove’. Overlooked at the time of its original release in 1979, it later became a cult classic on the underground soul circuit thanks to its high steppin’ rhythms, tight, funky arrangements and, of course, Father’s Children’s gorgeous gospel-influenced vocal harmonies. Hollywood Dreaming, which has since become the album’s most celebrated track, evokes the sun-drenched boulevards of Los Angeles, whilst Got to Get Away is undoubtedly one of the highlights: an irresistible mid-tempo number that seems to define what soul music was about – or should have always been about – at the end of the ’70s. The arrangement is just right … and listen to those voices! Wayne Henderson leaves the producer’s chair for My Grandma to contribute a characteristically robust trombone solo, and the album ends in an upbeat mood with You Can Get It, a straight-down-the-line funk shuffle punctuated by a rousing brass arrangement and Father’s Children’s energetic vocal delivery. The CD reissue includes two bonus tracks culled from the group’s Mercury single of July 1979. Remastered from the original stereo master tapes.

Father's Children
LP SRM-1-3755 (1979) STEREO
 
Shine On (Father’s Children; Morene; Oliver) TV
Hollywood Dreaming (Father’s Children)
Dance Do It (Father’s Children)
Wild Woman (Father’s Children; Davis)
Music Use It (Father’s Children; Henderson) GM
Got to Get Away (Father’s Children; Smith) AJ MH GM
Gone Bad (Father’s Children)
My Grandma (Father’s Children; Smith) WH
Music for Your Mind (Father’s Children; Smith)
You Can Get It (Father’s Children) KAH DG

Bonus tracks
45-rpm SINGLE 74083 (1979) STEREO

Hollywood Dreaming (Father’s Children) 7” EDIT
Shine On (Father’s Children; Morene; Oliver) TV 7” EDIT

Vocalists: TV Tony Vaughn (speech); GM Gregory Matta (background vocal); AJ Augie Johnson (background vocal); MH Miki Howard (background vocal)
Soloists: WH Wayne Henderson (trombone); KAH Khalik Abdul Hanif (guitar); DG Dean Gant (clavinet)

Father’s Children: Qaadir Abdul Mateen, Raheem A Khabir, Hakeem Abdul Ghani
(lead/background vocals)
Khalik Abdul Hanif (guitar); Malik Abdul Khabir (bass guitar)
Yah Yah Abdulla (congas, percussion); Tony Vaughn (keyboards)
Sadik Abdul Hagg (drums, percussion, background vocal)

Featuring: Bobby Lyle (synthesizers, Arp Quadra, Arp Odyssey) [1-8, 10]
John Skykun (synthesizer programming)
Bob Greve, John Ervin, Chuck Brooke, Denny Christianson, Don Cooke,
Frank Szabo (brass)