The Sweet Inspirations is the self-titled debut album by American recording soul/gospel female group the Sweet Inspirations, released in 1967 by Atlantic Records. Led by Cissy Houston, the Sweet Inspirations were highly-in-demand female back-up singers featured on some of the most important pop and soul recordings of the 1960s and '70s. They toured and served as session background vocals on albums by various artists' including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and Dusty Springfield. This was their first album, recorded in 1967, in which it contains mostly covers of the hits of the day.[1] The album peaked at number 12 on Billboard's Hot Soul Albums, and features the Top 20 hit "Sweet Inspiration" plus the R&B chart hits "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" and "Let It Be Me".

The Sweet Inspirations
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1967
RecordedApril 1967
GenreR&B, soul
Length33:10
LabelAtlantic
ProducerTom Dowd, Tommy Cogbill
Sweet Inspirations chronology
The Sweet Inspirations
(1967)
Songs of Faith & Inspiration
(1968)
Singles from The Sweet Inspirations
  1. "Why (Am I Treated so Bad)"
    Released: May 1967
  2. "Let It Be Me"
    Released: July 1967
  3. "Sweet Inspiration"
    Released: February 1968

Track listing

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All tracks supervised by Jerry Wexler
Recording engineer: Tom Dowd
Side A
  1. "Oh! What a Fool I've Been" (Darryl Carter, Lindon Dewey Oldham, Wallace Pennington) - 2:36
  2. "Blues Stay Away from Me" (Alton Delmore, Henry Glover, Rabon Delmore, Wayne Raney) - 3:22
  3. "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream" (Ted White, Aretha Franklin) - 2:20
  4. "Knock on Wood" (Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper) - 3:30
  5. "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" (Chips Moman, Dan Penn) - 3:30
  6. "Don't Fight It" (Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett) - 2:25
Side B
  1. "Sweet Inspiration" (Lindon Dewey Oldham, Wallace Pennington) - 2:50
  2. "Let It Be Me" (Gilbert Bécaud, Mann Curtis, Pierre Delanoë) - 2:41
  3. "I'm Blue" (Ike Turner) - 2:08
  4. "Reach Out for Me" (Hal David, Burt Bacharach) - 2:19
  5. "Here I Am (Take Me)" (David Porter, Isaac Hayes) - 3:04
  6. "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" (Roebuck Staples) - 2:46

Production

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  • Design: Loring Eutemey
  • Producer: Tom Dowd, Tommy Cogbill
  • Supervised: Jerry Wexler
  • Recording engineers: Chips Moman, Daryl Carter
  • Stephen Paley - cover photograph

Charts

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Chart (1968) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Pop Albums 90
U.S. Billboard Top Soul Albums 12

Singles

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Year Title Chart Peak
position[2]
1967 "Why (Am I Treated so Bad)" Hot 100 Singles 57
Hot Soul Singles 36
"Let It Be Me" Hot 100 Singles 94
Hot Soul Singles 13
1968 "Sweet Inspiration" Hot 100 Singles 18
Hot Soul Singles 5

References

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  1. ^ The Sweet Inspirations: Sweet Inspirations - Allmusic
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 556.
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