Friend & Lover

Friend & Lover was an American folk-singing duo composed of husband-and-wife team Jim and Cathy Post. The duo is best known for its hit single "Reach out of the Darkness," which reached number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1968.[1]

Biographical information

Cathy Conn was born May 30, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois. She had a background in song and dance before meeting future husband Jim Post at a Canadian provincial fair in 1964. Their marriage and the band eventually broke up. Cathy re-married twice, became Cat Conn, has three children and five grandchildren, and lives in the mountains of New Mexico.[2]

Jim Post was born October 28, 1939, in Houston, Texas. He had previously performed with the folk group the Rum Runners. He went on to record solo albums for labels such as Flying Fish Records and Fantasy Records.

Reach out of the Darkness

Jim, inspired by a New York City love-in, wrote the duo's only significant hit single, "Reach out of the Darkness."[3] The song was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with Ray Stevens and Joe South on the session, and released on the Verve Forecast label[4] (although the Verve Records Discography has a completely different account of the song and its flip "Time on Your Side (You're Only 15 Years Old)" being recorded in New York City on 23 August 1967, with the sides reversed[5]). The song made the U.S. Top 10 chart in June 1968 and was adopted as a kind of anthem by the protest movement against American politics of the time.[6] It was re-released as the title track of a follow-up album in 1969. The song became a staple of local and regional Christian rock groups in the 1970s, as the lyrics were viewed by many as having religious overtones. The song appeared in the movie 1969, in Beverly Hills, 90210: "The Time Has Come Today" (season 4, episode 25),[7] and in Mad Men: "Man With a Plan" (season 6, episode 7).[8]

Discography

Albums

Year Album Record Label
1968 Reach out of the Darkness Verve Forecast Records

Track listing

  1. "Boston Is a Lovely Town"
  2. "I'm a Woman, I'm a Man"
  3. "Zig-Zag"
  4. "Saturday's Hero"
  5. "Room to Let (to Rowena with Love)"
  6. "Reach out of the Darkness"
  7. "A Wise Man Changes His Mind"
  8. "Ode to a Dandelion"
  9. "If Love Is in Your Heart"
  10. "The Weddin' March (I Feel Groovy)"
  11. "The Way We Were in the Beginning"

Singles

Year Title Peak chart
position		 Record Label B-side Album
US
1965 "Santa's Got a Brand New Bag"
(as Jim and Cathy)		 – Cadet Records "People Stand Back"
1967 "A Town Called Love" – ABC Records "If Tomorrow"
"Reach out of the Darkness" 10 Verve Forecast
Records		 "Time on Your Side
(You're Only 15 Years Old)"		 Reach out of the Darkness
1968 "If Love Is in Your Heart" 86 "Zig-Zag"
1969 "Circus" – "I Want to Be Free"
"A Wise Man Changes His Mind" – "Ode to a Dandelion" Reach out of the Darkness
1970 "Hard Lovin'" – Cadet Concept Records "Colorado Exile"

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Single: The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Music Charts. 1968-08-17. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  2. ↑ "Friend and Lover - 'Reach out of the Darkness'". Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  3. ↑ Eder, Bruce. "Friend & Lover - Biography". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  4. ↑ Unterberger, Richie (2000). "Liner Notes for Friend & Lover's "Reach out of the Darkness"". Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  5. ↑ "Verve Records Discography 1967". Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  6. ↑ Monger, James Christopher. "Reach Out of the Darkness - Review". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  7. ↑ ""The Time Has Come Today" episode on TV.com". Retrieved 2009-09-27.
  8. ↑ Bonnie Stiernberg (May 13, 2013). "Mad Men Review: "Man With a Plan" (Episode 6.07)". Paste.
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