BATTLE OF THE BANDS – “Too Late to Turn Back Now”

 

It’s about time I got back to Battle of the Bands! I have been MIA for too long! You can read a little about why and what’s been going on in my most recent Monday’s Music Moves Me post from last week. I’m obviously still not truly “back in the saddle” as I didn’t have time to put together anything for yesterday’s 4M hop. But I’m moving in the right direction. Slow and steady. I’m thrilled to be back among my Battle of the Bands pals and looking forward to visiting you all this week!

Since it’s been a minute, just a quick refresher on how Battle of the Bands works. A bunch of us choose a song, find two covers of that song and then present a music video of each cover in a blog post and you all get to give a listen and vote on which cover is the best. Then I’ll tally up the votes 6 days later and declare the winner in a Results Post.

Some folks do this once a month (I’m in that category and will post my battles on the 15^th of each month) and others do battles twice a month (on the 1^st and the 15^th). It’s fun! Join us! And be sure to visit all the other BOTB (‘Not Ready for Prime Time’) players. You’ll find links at the bottom of this post.

My battle for the month of May features the song “Too Late to Turn Back Now” by Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose:

“Too Late to Turn Back Now” is the 1972 follow-up single of Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose to their debut hit “Treat Her Like a Lady”. The single had previously been released in 1970 on the Platinum label.

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose was a family soul singing group from Dania Beach, Florida, that was formed in 1970 and gained popularity in the early 1970s. It was composed of siblings Carter Cornelius, Eddie Cornelius, and Rose Cornelius, who were joined by sister Billie Jo Cornelius in 1972. Cleveland E. Barrett (a childhood friend), an original member of the group, was killed in a car accident before their chart success.

Rose Cornelius had already appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in June 1967 and had been performing in Las Vegas and worldwide, touring in 1970 with a group called the Gospel Jazz Singers. She went home to Florida at her mother’s request to help form the group. Rose wrote most of the background vocals while Eddie wrote most of the songs.

The group hit the pop chart in 1971 with the single “Treat Her Like a Lady” (U.S. R&B Top 20, Billboard Hot 100 #3). The record was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 2 August 1971.

The act succeeded again in 1972 with “Too Late to Turn Back Now“. This song, written by Eddie Cornelius, had great success upon its re-release, peaking at #5 in the U.S. R&B, #2 in the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 in Cash Box’s chart of the Top 100 Singles for the week of July 29, 1972. “Too Late to Turn Back Now” is ranked as the 34th biggest U.S. hit of 1972. The record was awarded a gold disc on August 2, 1972 for one million sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

While the group failed to find any further success on the scale of their first two singles, two releases, “Don’t Ever Be Lonely” and “I’m Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore” reached the Billboard Top 40. Their final charting single was “Since I Found My Baby” in 1974, from their third and last album.

Here is their hit from the 70s that I so fondly remember. (NOTE: It is only included here for your enjoyment and is not eligible for votes. The battle contenders are listed below).

THE BATTLE

BATTLE CONTENDER #1:  Taylor Manning:

I didn’t find much about Taylor Manning but I believe she’s from the Carolinas and is well-known among the artists and groups in Carolina Beach. If found her on compilations of Southern Soul, Shag and Carolina Beach Music. She recorded the cover of this song in 2007.

 

BATTLE CONTENDER #2:  Pepe Marquez (featuring Steve Salas of Tierra):

This cover appeared on Pepe Marquez’ self-titled album released in 2010.

 

Okay, it all comes down to this:

TIME TO VOTE! Which version do you like better and why? When you’re done voting, please visit these other BOTB participants and check out their cool battles:

• Stephen T. McCarthy’s Battle of the Bands Blog
• Tossing it Out
• Mike’s Ramblings
• Curious as a Cathy 
• The Sound of One Hand Typing
• Shady Dell Music & Memories
• THE DOGLADY’S DEN 
• Jingle Jangle Jungle 
• Cherdo on the Flipside

Thanks for your participation and your votes! I’ll be back on the 21^st to post the results. Until then, Rock On my friends…