Southern Soul Paradise: Barbara Mason

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Barbara Mason - "I Am Your Woman"

This 1978 classic will most likely bring back some memories. To me, it's really a sad song. I am your woman, she is your wife, we're the two women that's in your life...you got two too many women in your life. Barbara is singing about a situation too many women find themselves in - falling for a married man. As she says in this song, he's not even making an attempt to get free and yet he expects her to wait around for him. There's a message here.

Here's a little bit about Barbara Mason as taken from Wikipedia: Mason initially focused on songwriting when she entered the music industry in her teens. As a performer, though, she had a major hit single with her third release in 1965, "Yes, I'm Ready" (#5 pop, #2 R&B), a fetching soul-pop confection that spotlighted her girlish vocals. One of the first examples of the rhythmic but lush sound that came to be called Philly soul, she had modest success throughout the rest of the decade on the small Arctic label, run by her manager, top Philadelphia disc-jockey, Jimmy Bishop. She reached the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 again in 1965 with "Sad, Sad Girl", and "Oh How It Hurts" in 1967, releasing two albums. A two-year stay with National General Records, run by a film production company, produced one album and four singles which failed to find success.

Mason started to concentrate on running her own publishing company in the late 1980s, but continues to perform occasionally. She released a new CD, Feeling Blue, in September 2007. Ms Mason is still performing to sold-out audiences in 2016. Her most recent show is at the Terrance Theater in Long Beach California.

Barbara Mason was inducted into the Soul Music Hall of Fame on March 1, 2016.