"Take a Letter Maria" is the debut single written and recorded by American soul singer R. B. Greaves. It was recorded at

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is an American recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama, formed in 1969 by four session musicians known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They had left nearby FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to create their own recor ...

on August 19, 1969, using the house studio musicians. These include Donna Jean Thatcher on vocals (later Donna Jean Godchaux of the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

), Roger Hawkins on drums, Barry Beckett on electric piano, Eddie Hinton and Jimmy Johnson on guitar,

David Hood David Hood (born September 21, 1943) is an American bassist from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He also plays the trombone. He is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Early life and education Hood was born in Sheffield, Alabama and attende ...

on bass, and Mel Lastie on trumpet. "Take a Letter Maria" was released in September 1969, quickly gained regular airplay. The single peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was kept from the top spot by the 5th Dimension's " Wedding Bell Blues". The single was certified gold by November 1969; one million copies had shipped. By 1970, sales totalled 2.5 million.

Background

"Take a Letter Maria" has a Latin music flavor, complete with a

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...

-style horn section, and tells of a man who has learned of his wife's infidelity the night before. He dictates a letter of

separation Separation may refer to: Films * ''Separation'' (1967 film), a British feature film written by and starring Jane Arden and directed by Jack Bond * ''La Séparation'', 1994 French film * ''A Separation'', 2011 Iranian film * ''Separation'' (20 ...

to Maria, his secretary, whom he asks out for dinner later in the song in order to "start a new life."

Chart positions

Personnel

* R.B Greaves- Vocals * Eddie Hinton and Jimmy Johnson- guitars * Barry Beckett- Electric Piano *

- Bass * Roger Hawkins- Drums * Donna Jean Thatcher- Vocals * Mel Lastie- Trumpet

Cover versions

*"Take a Letter Maria" has had two charted cover versions by country music singers: **

Anthony Armstrong Jones Ronnie Jones (June 2, 1949 – June 16, 1996) was an American country music singer known professionally as Anthony Armstrong Jones, a stage name that he took from the name of the British photographer who married Princess Margaret, Countess of Sn ...

, from his album of the same name, hitting #8 on

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

in 1970. **In 1999, Doug Stone released the song from his album '' Make Up in Love'', reaching #45 on Hot Country Songs. * Jimmy Ruffin recorded his take with

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

on his album '' The Groove Governor'' released in 1970. *The

New Riders of the Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969 and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. The band is sometimes referred ...

included the song on their 1975 album ''

Oh, What a Mighty Time ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Their sixth studio album and their seventh album overall, it was released by Columbia Records in 1975. ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' was produced b ...

''. *The alt-country supergroup The Pleasure Barons produced a high-energy rendition on their ''Live in Las Vegas'' CD, with vocals by

Country Dick Montana Daniel Monte McLain (May 11, 1955 – November 8, 1995), known by the stage name Country Dick Montana, was an American musician best known as a member of The Beat Farmers. He was born in Carmel, California. In 1995, It was reported that Montana s ...

of the

Beat Farmers Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. *Gary Puckett, on his ''Greatest Hits'' CD in 1986. *Country music singer Sammy Kershaw, on the 2015 album ''I Won't Back Down''.

Song in popular culture

*In 1992, the song was featured in '' The Wonder Years'', in the sixth-season episode "Kevin Delivers". *In 1994, it was featured in the soundtrack of '' The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert''. *In 1995, it was featured in the episod
Home
Season 2, Episode 9 of '' ER'' when Carol and Shep dance to it in her new home. However, the song has meaning with another storyline as Mark discovers his wife is in a relationship with someone else.

References

{{Authority control 1969 songs 1969 debut singles 1970 singles 1999 singles R. B. Greaves songs Doug Stone songs Anthony Armstrong Jones songs Atlantic Records singles Song recordings produced by Ahmet Ertegun Songs about infidelity Songs about letters (message)