Love Unlimited
| Company type | Vocal trio |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder | Glodean James, Linda James, Diane Taylor |
Area served | United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Netherlands |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Love Unlimited was a female vocal trio known for providing background vocals on albums and tours of American singer-songwriter Barry White, while also enjoying success with their own music releases.
Career
Established in 1969, the ensemble consisted of Glodean James, who later became Barry White's wife; her sister Linda James; and their cousin Diane Taylor.[1]
Their debut hit single, "Walkin' in the Rain with the One I Love" (1972), climbed to number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 7 on the Cash Box Top 100, and reached number 6 on the Best Selling Soul Singles Chart.[2] The track also peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, achieved sales exceeding one million units, and was awarded a gold certification by the RIAA.[3]
In 1973, their album Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited attained the number 3 spot on the Billboard Pop Albums chart,[2] marking them as the first female group since Diana Ross and the Supremes in 1970 to enter the top five. This album included "It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart It's Spring)", which reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1975.[4]
Their sole chart-topping single, "I Belong to You" (1975), held the number one position on the Best Selling Soul Singles Chart for one week and peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] This song was featured on their third studio album, In Heat, which also contained a vocal rendition of "Love's Theme".[5]
By 1977, they had signed with Barry White's label Unlimited Gold and released two additional albums: He's All I've Got and Love Is Back (1979).[5] The group disbanded in 1981 as each member embarked on solo endeavors.[6] Diane Taylor succumbed to cancer in 1985.[1]
Albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | AUS | CAN | NL | ||||
| 1972 | From a Girl's Point of View We Give to You... Love Unlimited | 151 | 19 | — | — | — | UNI | |
| 1973 | Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited | 3 | 3 | 18 | 1 | — |
|
20th Century |
| 1974 | In Heat | 85 | 15 | — | 81 | — | ||
| 1977 | He's All I've Got | 192 | 51 | — | — | — | Unlimited Gold | |
| 1979 | Love Is Back | — | 70 | — | — | 12 | ||
Singles
|"I'm So Glad That I'm a Woman" | — | 96 | — | 2 | — | | |"If You Want Me, Say It" | — | 71 | — | — | — | || Year | Title | Highest chart rankings | Certifications | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
CAN | NL | UK | ||||
| 1972 | "Walkin' in the Rain with the One I Love" | 14 | 6 | 40 | 12 | 14 |
|
From a Girl's Point of View We Give to You... Love Unlimited |
| "Is It Really True Boy - Is It Really Me" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Are You Sure" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1973 | "Fragile - Handle with Care" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Oh Love, Well We Finally Made It" | — | 70 | — | — | — | Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited | ||
| "Yes, We Finally Made It" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart It's Spring)" | 83 | 35 | — | — | 11 | |||
| 1974 | "Under the Influence of Love" | 76 | 70 | 78 | — | — | ||
| "People of Tomorrow Are the Children of Today" | — | — | — | — | — | Together Brothers | ||
| "I Belong to You" | 27 | 1 | 37 | — | — | In Heat | ||
| 1975 | "Share a Little Love in Your Heart" | — | 21 | — | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "I Did It for Love" | — | 66 | — | — | — | He's All I've Got | |
| 1979 | "High Steppin', Hip Dressin' Fella (You Got It Together)" | — | 45 | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | ||||||||
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSoul1 - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedus - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedThe Book of Golden Discs - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameduk - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedAllMusic - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named"Split 81"