Biography
Church-bred Southern soul duo the Patterson Twins emerged in the early '70s. Natives of Magee, Mississippi, the pair cut singles for independent outlets including Nashville's King, the Jewel sublabel Ronn, and Malaco, yet their lasting recognition rests on the 1978 Commercial album Let Me Be Your Lover, now viewed as a cult classic thanks to repeated reissues.
Biological twins Estus and Lester Patterson drew inspiration from other Southern vocal pairings such as the Sims Twins, Sam & Dave, and Mel & Tim. Recording at first as Soul Twins, they issued their debut single in 1972 on the small Mississippi-based Big Beat label, where Willie Mitchell supplied uncredited production. Between 1973 and 1976 the Pattersons placed a series of singles on King (the Nashville imprint, not the Ohio company), Ronn, and Malaco; one of them, the Prince Phillip Mitchell composition "I Need Your Love," later appeared on numerous rare-R&B anthologies.
In 1978 the brothers signed with another modest concern, Commercial, and delivered Let Me Be Your Lover, enlisting a production team that featured Sanchez Harvey of the short-lived Gordy/Motown act Bottom & Co. The set included a new version of that group's "Gonna Find a True Love."
After relocating to California the Pattersons established their own Kon-Kord Records. During the mid-'80s they issued a pair of their own singles while using the label chiefly to produce and nurture other R&B and gospel acts. Estus and Lester reconvened for the 2006 album If I Could Live My Life Again, which received contributions from Hense Powell and Richard "Dimples" Fields, followed by the gospel sequel Take Us Higher in 2007.
By then the original Let Me Be Your Lover had become a coveted item among deep-digging R&B collectors, with original pressings commanding prices that sometimes approached the cost of its initial recording. Japan's Think! Records reissued the album across several formats in 2013; six years later Acid Jazz and Miles Away joined forces to bring it back into circulation once more.
Biological twins Estus and Lester Patterson drew inspiration from other Southern vocal pairings such as the Sims Twins, Sam & Dave, and Mel & Tim. Recording at first as Soul Twins, they issued their debut single in 1972 on the small Mississippi-based Big Beat label, where Willie Mitchell supplied uncredited production. Between 1973 and 1976 the Pattersons placed a series of singles on King (the Nashville imprint, not the Ohio company), Ronn, and Malaco; one of them, the Prince Phillip Mitchell composition "I Need Your Love," later appeared on numerous rare-R&B anthologies.
In 1978 the brothers signed with another modest concern, Commercial, and delivered Let Me Be Your Lover, enlisting a production team that featured Sanchez Harvey of the short-lived Gordy/Motown act Bottom & Co. The set included a new version of that group's "Gonna Find a True Love."
After relocating to California the Pattersons established their own Kon-Kord Records. During the mid-'80s they issued a pair of their own singles while using the label chiefly to produce and nurture other R&B and gospel acts. Estus and Lester reconvened for the 2006 album If I Could Live My Life Again, which received contributions from Hense Powell and Richard "Dimples" Fields, followed by the gospel sequel Take Us Higher in 2007.
By then the original Let Me Be Your Lover had become a coveted item among deep-digging R&B collectors, with original pressings commanding prices that sometimes approached the cost of its initial recording. Japan's Think! Records reissued the album across several formats in 2013; six years later Acid Jazz and Miles Away joined forces to bring it back into circulation once more.
Albums
