Biography
The C.O.D.'s formed in Chicago and burst onto soul radio in 1965 when Kellmac Records issued their buoyant single "Michael the Lover." The boastful number was later covered by the Mad Lads and the Jackson Five, though Motown ultimately shelved the latter's late-'60s recording. Backing vocals on the original track came from Ruby Stackhouse alongside the group's own Larry Brownlee, Robert Lewis, and Carl Washington.
"I'm A Good Guy" appeared soon afterward as the follow-up, yet Kellmac next issued the third single, "I'll Come Running Back to You" b/w "I'm Looking out for Me," under two separate catalog numbers; neither pressing found buyers. The 1967 release "It Must Be Love" b/w "She's Fire" received only brief airplay before vanishing, and the final single, "Coming Back Girl," likewise failed commercially, closing both the group's and the label's account.
Brownlee subsequently entered Lost Generation, where he co-wrote the influential 1970 soul classic "Sly, Slick & Wicked"—a track covered repeatedly and used by several 1970s ensembles as the basis for their own names—along with "Talking the Teenage Language," "You're So Young but You're So True," and "Wait a Minute." Internal conflicts at Brunswick terminated the quartet after four years. Unable to retain the Lost Generation name, Brownlee reactivated the C.O.D.'s, only to see another single stall on Magic Touch Records in 1976.
He next aligned with Mystique, fronted by Ralph Johnson, who had sung with the Impressions from 1973 to 1976. The ensemble achieved modest chart success yet disbanded after issuing four singles on Curtom in 1977. A prolific songwriter, Brownlee registered fifty-nine compositions with BMI, among them Lowrell's 1979 hit "Mellow, Mellow Right On," though he died in 1978 without witnessing that success. Later reissues of "Michael the Lover" on Emase and "I'm a Good Guy" on Soultown likewise went unsold. Sequel Records later compiled Mystique's output on CD, while Demon Records paired Lost Generation's two Brunswick albums with three bonus tracks, but no C.O.D.'s material has appeared on compact disc.
"I'm A Good Guy" appeared soon afterward as the follow-up, yet Kellmac next issued the third single, "I'll Come Running Back to You" b/w "I'm Looking out for Me," under two separate catalog numbers; neither pressing found buyers. The 1967 release "It Must Be Love" b/w "She's Fire" received only brief airplay before vanishing, and the final single, "Coming Back Girl," likewise failed commercially, closing both the group's and the label's account.
Brownlee subsequently entered Lost Generation, where he co-wrote the influential 1970 soul classic "Sly, Slick & Wicked"—a track covered repeatedly and used by several 1970s ensembles as the basis for their own names—along with "Talking the Teenage Language," "You're So Young but You're So True," and "Wait a Minute." Internal conflicts at Brunswick terminated the quartet after four years. Unable to retain the Lost Generation name, Brownlee reactivated the C.O.D.'s, only to see another single stall on Magic Touch Records in 1976.
He next aligned with Mystique, fronted by Ralph Johnson, who had sung with the Impressions from 1973 to 1976. The ensemble achieved modest chart success yet disbanded after issuing four singles on Curtom in 1977. A prolific songwriter, Brownlee registered fifty-nine compositions with BMI, among them Lowrell's 1979 hit "Mellow, Mellow Right On," though he died in 1978 without witnessing that success. Later reissues of "Michael the Lover" on Emase and "I'm a Good Guy" on Soultown likewise went unsold. Sequel Records later compiled Mystique's output on CD, while Demon Records paired Lost Generation's two Brunswick albums with three bonus tracks, but no C.O.D.'s material has appeared on compact disc.