Sweet & Innocent & The Memphis Mustangs Cry Love 7-Inch Single Vinyl

A product of North Memphis' segregated Dixie Homes housing complex, The Sweet & Innocent arrived during the Soulsville U.S.A. renaissance in the early '70s. While Al Bell was busy across town turning Stax into a national Black powerhouse, Ron and Sari Bledsoe's short-lived Active imprint operated out of a storefront on Chelsea Avenue, using nearby Manassas High as a talent pool. Rubye James and Linda Royston-Sweet & Innocent-joined a roster that included The Epics, First Company, and The Memphis Mustangs, groups all lost to the tide of time. The Sweet & Innocent's are a rare blend of atmospheric blues, post-Beehive girl group harmony, and Jacksons-inspired kid soul. "Spin it one time for me," Ron Bledsoe penned on promo copies of their January 1972 burner "Cry Love." Let's spin it again.

1. Express Your Love 2. Cry Love