Today’s classic song of the day is “Jimmy Mack” by Martha and the Vandellas. Released as a single in February of 1967, this Motown classic peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 but went all the way to #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
“Jimmy Mack” was written by the team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, AKA Holland-Dozier-Holland, AKA H-D-H. Brian and Lamont also produced.
The song came about when Lamont Dozier attended a music industry awards dinner in 1964, where recently departed songwriter Ronnie Mack (he died at age 23 of lymphoma) was honored for his composition, “He’s So Fine.” That inspired Lamont and the Holland brothers to write “Jimmy Mack,” in part as a tribute to their fellow songwriter.
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas originally recorded “Jimmy Mack” in 1964, but Motown’s Quality Control Team vetoed the single’s release, thinking it sounded too much like a Supremes recording. The Motown team pulled it from the vaults almost three years later, however, and it became a smash hit—and the Vandellas’ final top ten single.
“Jimmy Mack” has been covered by a number of artists over the years. Sheena Easton, for example, released her version of the song in 1986 and it charted at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100.
My favorite cover of “Jimmy Mack,” however, was on one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite artists, Laura Nyro. She included her version of the song on her 1971 album, Gonna Take a Miracle, backed up by Labelle. The album is comprised entirely of covers of classic R&B tunes, many of them a cappella. It’s a wonderful album full of wonderful tunes, performed with gusto by Ms. Nyro and Labelle. If you don’t own it, you need to rush out and buy it (or download it) right now. Really, it’s that good.
