While performing with the Canadian folk ensemble the Rum Runners at a state fair, Jim Post crossed paths with Cathy Conn, a dancer whose company shared the same bill. She abandoned her stage career, wed Post, and under his vocal guidance developed sufficient skill for the pair to function as a viable act. Their harmonies never matched the intricate blend of Ian & Sylvia, yet Conn delivered powerful choruses and Post supplied an agreeable tenor. Performing as Friend & Lover, the couple honed material in clubs before issuing their first single, “If Tomorrow,” produced by Joe South and released on ABC-Paramount. The record made no chart impression, and although the duo earned opening slots alongside the Buckinghams and Cream, momentum remained elusive until Jerry Schoenbaum, president of MGM/Verve, heard Post’s composition “Reach Out of the Darkness.” The buoyant, exuberant track blended elements midway between Spanky & Our Gang and the early Jefferson Airplane, perfectly suiting the summer of 1968, when traces of 1967’s psychedelic optimism lingered amid rising political tensions. Its spirit echoed the Byrds’ “Renaissance Fair,” David Crosby’s luminous recollection of the inaugural San Francisco Be-In; here the spark came from Post’s visit to a New York City love-in and the atmosphere of liberation surrounding it. The single resonated widely, climbing to number ten on the national charts, yet Friend & Lover never repeated that success despite subsequent releases of two singles and an album. Bound by their Verve agreement, they forfeited a promising Columbia contract when the label refused to grant a release, then continued as Jim & Cathy on Cadet Records. The couple eventually divorced, dissolving the partnership, after which Post recorded for numerous labels and turned to playwriting and theatrical production. Jim Post died on September 14, 2022 at the age of 82.
