“It’s a Cryin’ Shame” (Gayle McCormick)

Today’s classic song of the day is the little-remembered but still great “It’s a Cryin’ Shame” by Gayle McCormick. Released in the fall of 1971, this one only hit #44 on the Billboard Hot 100. It did better on the Adult Contemporary chart, going all the way to #9. You may remember it or you may not.

“It’s a Cryin’ Shame” was written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who were also responsible for tunes such as “One Tin Soldier” (Coven/The Original Caste), “Don’t Pull Your Love” (Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds), “Two Divided By Love” (The Grass Roots), and “Keeper of the Castle,” “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got),” and “Are You Man Enough” for the Four Tops (when they were with ABC/Dunhill, after they’d left Motown). Now that you know that, you can probably tell they were all written by the same guys.

You may not remember “It’s a Cryin’ Shame” but you surely remember Gayle McCormick as the lead singer of a band called Smith. They had a big hit in 1969 with a cover of “Baby It’s You,” a previous hit for the Shirelles. (The song was written by Burt Bacharach, Luther Dixon, and Mack David.) Smith’s version is memorable for Ms. McCormick’s powerful lead vocals. The lady had pipes. (Here’s a great live version that really showcases Ms. McCormick; damn, she could sing.)

Previous to joining Smith, Ms. McCormick sang lead with a St. Louis band called the Klassmen. (Actually, it was called Steve Cummings and the Klassmen, but who’s ever heard of Steve Cummings today?) They had a regional hit with a song called “Without You.” They never went national, and when they broke up Ms. McCormick joined the Los Angeles band, Smith.

Smith broke up shortly after their one big hit and Ms. McCormick embarked on what became a fairly short solo career. She released a few albums, had one minor hit (“It’s a Cryin’ Shame”), then left the music business entirely. She passed away in 2016, aged 67, of cancer. She was living in St. Louis at the time.