Biography
During roughly the same era, Jackson’s Jim Hill High School in Mississippi produced two standout acts, the Carvettes and the Poppies. The Carvettes reigned as the region’s leading male ensemble, while the Poppies earned equivalent recognition among female groups. Dorothy Moore, Rosemary Taylor, and Patsy McClune formed the original Poppies trio while attending Jim Hill High School. Still students, the trio secured background vocal work in Nashville for Billy Sherrill. After graduation Moore enrolled at Jackson State University yet continued her musical pursuits.
Her freshman semester proved brief; Moore withdrew to seize an Epic Records recording opportunity arranged through Sherrill. The Sherrill/Larry Butler composition “Lullaby of Love” achieved modest regional success in 1966. Capitalizing on the opening, the Poppies launched the Mid-South Review, a touring revue that crisscrossed the South alongside a Sam & Dave-style duo and another male group, likely the Carvettes, given that every act hailed from Jackson.
Epic issued a follow-up single, “He’s Got Real Love” backed with “He’s Ready,” in June 1966, three months after the debut, though it fared less favorably. The group remained largely unaware, absorbed by relentless roadwork. While the tour continued, Epic issued the ten-track Lullaby of Love LP, assembled from material by Sherrill, Butler, Bob McCree, and brothers Clinton and Edward Thomas; the entire album clocks in at twenty-three minutes. Despite Sherrill’s extensive track record, he could not replicate his customary commercial results with the Poppies. A third single, “Do It With Soul,” appeared late in 1966 as previously unreleased material and again registered only local or regional impact.
The Poppies’ final Epic release, “There’s a Pain in My Heart,” surfaced in 1967. The Mid-South Review persisted, yet compensation remained modest: four or five performance days per week yielded roughly thirty to thirty-five dollars monthly for each member. Patsy McClune departed for California and sustained a background vocal career on the West Coast without Moore and Taylor; Rosemary Taylor returned to her studies and later taught French.
Dorothy Moore, the Poppies’ lead vocalist, sustained a solo trajectory and kept the Mid-South Review active. Avon Records issued two unsuccessful singles, “See How They’ve Done My Love” and “Same Old Feeling.” Greater traction arrived via a Malaco production licensed to Lloyd Price’s GSF label, the coupling “Cry Like a Baby” b/w “Just the One I’ve Been Looking For,” which occupied the R&B chart for five weeks in 1973. A Chimneyville Records duet with King Floyd, “Don’t Let Go,” garnered solid airplay and paved the way for the 1975 million-selling “Misty Blue,” which secured a gold record for the Jackson, Mississippi songbird.
Her freshman semester proved brief; Moore withdrew to seize an Epic Records recording opportunity arranged through Sherrill. The Sherrill/Larry Butler composition “Lullaby of Love” achieved modest regional success in 1966. Capitalizing on the opening, the Poppies launched the Mid-South Review, a touring revue that crisscrossed the South alongside a Sam & Dave-style duo and another male group, likely the Carvettes, given that every act hailed from Jackson.
Epic issued a follow-up single, “He’s Got Real Love” backed with “He’s Ready,” in June 1966, three months after the debut, though it fared less favorably. The group remained largely unaware, absorbed by relentless roadwork. While the tour continued, Epic issued the ten-track Lullaby of Love LP, assembled from material by Sherrill, Butler, Bob McCree, and brothers Clinton and Edward Thomas; the entire album clocks in at twenty-three minutes. Despite Sherrill’s extensive track record, he could not replicate his customary commercial results with the Poppies. A third single, “Do It With Soul,” appeared late in 1966 as previously unreleased material and again registered only local or regional impact.
The Poppies’ final Epic release, “There’s a Pain in My Heart,” surfaced in 1967. The Mid-South Review persisted, yet compensation remained modest: four or five performance days per week yielded roughly thirty to thirty-five dollars monthly for each member. Patsy McClune departed for California and sustained a background vocal career on the West Coast without Moore and Taylor; Rosemary Taylor returned to her studies and later taught French.
Dorothy Moore, the Poppies’ lead vocalist, sustained a solo trajectory and kept the Mid-South Review active. Avon Records issued two unsuccessful singles, “See How They’ve Done My Love” and “Same Old Feeling.” Greater traction arrived via a Malaco production licensed to Lloyd Price’s GSF label, the coupling “Cry Like a Baby” b/w “Just the One I’ve Been Looking For,” which occupied the R&B chart for five weeks in 1973. A Chimneyville Records duet with King Floyd, “Don’t Let Go,” garnered solid airplay and paved the way for the 1975 million-selling “Misty Blue,” which secured a gold record for the Jackson, Mississippi songbird.
Albums
