The Flirtations

The Flirtations ranked among the more prolific female R&B ensembles during the middle and latter portions of the 1960s, achieving their greatest enduring popularity after traveling considerable distances from their origins. Initially formed as the Gypsies quartet featuring sisters Betty Pearce, Shirley Pearce, and Earnestine Pearce together with Viola Billups, the ensemble operated under that designation for a three-year span. In 1966 the act adopted the Flirtations moniker—though accounts differ regarding whether Betty Pearce departed during this transition or stayed until 1967—and secured a recording agreement with Josie Records. The label issued their lone single, the J.J. Jackson and Sidney Barnes co-produced “Change My Darkness into Light” backed with “Natural Born Lover,” during 1966, after which another release appeared via the Festival imprint.

By 1967, reduced to a trio, the Flirtations had relocated to England and discovered renewed opportunities both onstage and in the studio. At that period American soul enjoyed substantial popularity throughout the United Kingdom, drawing the attention of Decca Records producer Wayne Bickerton, who offered the group a contract. Bickerton selected and sometimes composed their songs while overseeing the sessions, resulting in the 1967 Parrot label debut “How Can You Tell Me” coupled with “Someone Out There.” The following year the trio moved to Deram Records and delivered the enduring late-1960s soul recording “Nothing But a Heartache.” This track achieved success on both sides of the Atlantic, maintaining a presence on Cashbox charts for numerous weeks in 1969 and peaking at position 31. Their popularity persisted through much of the subsequent decade, cultivating a particularly devoted audience in England, where, akin to fellow girl-soul acts like the Fascinations, they received notably warmer reception than in their homeland.

Following their departure from Deram in 1972, the Flirtations joined Polydor and scored further hits with a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Little Darling.” Viola Billups exited in 1974 to launch a solo career, with Loretta Noble stepping in as replacement. The ensemble maintained live performances into the 1980s and afterward, issuing the new single “Read About It” on Passion in 1986. Intermittent appearances continued in later years, and their work appeared on Rhino’s Beg Scream & Shout! The Big Ol’ Box of ’60s Soul. In March 2001 Viola Billups and Earnestine Pearce joined former producer Sidney Barnes onstage during his inaugural United Kingdom tour, performing publicly together in England. Enthusiasts within Britain’s Northern soul community long revered the Flirtations, much as they did Barnes and the Fascinations.

The original 1967 core lineup reconvened in 2009 to issue the dance single “Roulette,” marking their first release since the previous decade. Reuniting once more in 2014 alongside producers Don Hunter Powell and Sam Scott, the trio recorded Girls, a collection of girl-group covers from the 1960s, which Burbank Records released in 2015; the album featured two previously unavailable Flirtations interpretations from earlier sessions, “I’m Still Waiting” and “How Sweet It Is,” accompanied by the London Pops Orchestra.