Quiet Elegance were an American female singing group founded in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, United States, in 1971. The group toured extensively as backing singers and also recorded a number of

Soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and

Southern soul Southern soul or country soul is a type of soul and country music that emerged from the Southern United States. The music originated from a combination of styles, including blues (both 12 bar and jump), country, early R&B, and a strong gospel ...

music singles during the 1970s. Two albums of their songs were released after they disbanded in 1977.

Background

Quiet Elegance comprised Mildred "Millie" Vaney, Lois Reeves, who is the sister of

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is best known for being the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas, which scored several major Hot 100 hits such as " Nowhere to Run", "Heat ...

, and Frances Yvonne "Frankie" Gearing. Mildred Vaney was also known as Mildred Scott. Both Gearing and Vaney had previously sung with The Glories, and Vaney had also sung with the Pilgrim Female Gospel Singers, The Sermonettes and the jazz group Bobby Dilworth & the Blazers. Gearing was the lead singer of the group and as well as her work with The Glories had previously also sung with the Laddins and the Steinways. Gearing's brother is the late guitarist Johnny Starr, who worked with

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of th ...

and

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

Active years

The group were managed by and toured with

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

, with Gearing being engaged to the Temptations'

Dennis Edwards Dennis Edwards Jr. (February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the frontman in The Temptations for Motown Records. Edwards joined the Temptations in 1968, replacing David Ruffin and sang w ...

. In 1972, while appearing with The Temptations in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, they were spotted by Willie Mitchell who signed them to Hi Records, based in Memphis. While with Hi Records they were managed and produced by Willie Mitchell and Dan Greer and toured with

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), known professionally as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Tired of ...

as a backing group. They also toured globally with

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

and Engelbert Humperdinck. Between 1972 and 1977 the group recorded a number of singles for Hi Records. The single "You've Got My Mind Messed Up" peaked at number 54 on Billboard's R&B singles chart in 1973. Quiet Elegance disbanded in 1977 when their contract with Hi Records came to an end. Lois Reeves re-joined her sister Martha as one of the Vandellas. Vaney went on to perform as one half of Cut Glass, the other half being Ortheia Barnes, sister of J. J. Barnes. She surfaced later in the 1980s as Millie Scott and released a number of singles and two albums on the 4th & Broadway label. Gearing made some solo recordings with

Beale Street Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of blues music. Today, ...

Records in 1978, shortly after leaving Hi Records. She then returned to her home town of

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

and worked full-time, but continued singing in the clubs and concert halls there, as well as acting as a carer to her ailing grandmother and mother. She also took to acting, and appeared in ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grang ...

'', playing Miss Mona's maid.

Recordings

Quiet Elegance recorded eight singles for Hi Records, including a promo single. All the singles the group had made, along with some additional songs written by Dan Greer, were released as an album entitled ''You've Got My Mind Messed Up'' in 1990. The album consisted of sixteen tracks and was later reworked and released in 2001 and again in 2003 as ''The Complete Quiet Elegance'', consisting of the same sixteen tracks plus some bonus tracks and alternative mixes. The 2001 release consisted of 19 tracks and the 2003 release consisted of 21 tracks. Both albums include songs written by

, including a version of " Tired of Being Alone", which had been a major hit for Green in 1971. As well as these two albums, Quiet Elegance are to be found on a number of soul music compilations.

Discography

All Hi Records releases:

Singles

* 1972: "I'm Afraid of Losing You" / "Do You Love Me" * 1972: "I Need Love" / "Mama Said" * 1973: "I Need Love" / "You've Got My Mind Messed Up" * 1974: "Love Will Make You Feel Better" (promo single, 7-inch) * 1975: "Your Love Is Strange" / "Love Will Make You Feel Better" * 1975: "Have You Been Making Out O.K." * 1976: "Something That You Got (Sho Nuff Makes Me Hot)" / "After You" * 1977: "Roots of Love" / "How's Your Love Life"

Albums

* 1990: ''You've Got My Mind Messed Up'' * 2001: ''The Complete Quiet Elegance'' * 2003: ''The Complete Quiet Elegance'' (re-issue with additional tracks)

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{authority control African-American musical groups American girl groups American soul musical groups Musical groups from Detroit Hi Records artists Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups disestablished in 1977 Singers from Detroit 1971 establishments in Michigan 1977 disestablishments in Michigan