One Step At A Time
Madeline Bell
Philips PHS 600-271
1968
From the back cover: In Madeline's case the road to stardom started in New Jersey with an interested grandmother willing to invest in Madeline's career to the tune of 50-cent-a-session piano lessons. A hard young adolescence working behind supermarket wrapping counters, lightened by singing roles in school shows and evolving into weekend gigs (traveling 500 miles for $5 each) with a gospel group called the Glovertones, eventually led Madeline to an audition with the Bradford Singers, one of the nation's top gospel ensembles, and a whole new life for a nineteen year old young lady. The Bradford group performing in "Black Nativity" took Madeline far and wide on tour. The tour finally taking the group to England, and England finally taking Madeline out of the group and into a steady job in a new country – a "session singer" in England's top recording studios.
A session singer is a pro who backs other singers in their recording sessions when the arrangements calls for vocal background support. A singer's singer in short. And as such, Madeline backed the best England had. Dust Springfield, for example, appreciated Madeline's ever-present support so much she insisted on sending one "Gladys Thong" (who sounds exactly like Dusty) to reciprocate on this album.
So the years of being a bridesmaid but never a bride are happily behind her. And with the release – and subsequent success in the all important U.S. charts – of the title tune of this album as a single, the long deserved "discovery" of Miss Madeline Bell as a star in her own right has come to pass.
From Billboard - April 20, 1968: Madeline Bell has a Top 40 hit in her first U.S. single and now has a fine follow-up album with the hit as its title. She also is effective in such first-rate material as "Climb Every Mountain," "Can't Get Used To Losing You," and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy." "Mr. Dream Merchant" is a special gem.
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
What The World Needs Now Is Love
Climb Every Mountain (from "The Sound Of Music")
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
One Step At A Time
The Last One To Be Loved
Picture Me Gone
I'm Gonna Leave You
Can't Get Used To Losing You
Mr. Dream Merchant
Baby, I'll Come Right Away
Picture Me Gone should have been the second single but Philips stupidly put it on the B side of I'm gonna make you love me". She could have had a second hit.
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