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As an 18 year old boy growing up in the underrated town of Billings, Montana, I was moving potatoes from 100lb bags to 5lb bags in the “55 degree” room of a food wholesaler when I first heard …Yes, I’m Ready, by Barbara Mason.
I was ready to pack my bags and walk to wherever this girl lived!
Turns out, she was in Philadelphia on the leading edge of what would become “Philly Soul.” Philly soul is characterized by larger than life arrangements with strings, horns and vibraphones. It led the way for disco and smooth jazz styles and for groups that include Vivian Green and Boyz II Men. Mason was only 18 when she took all of 10 minutes to write Ready and recorded it on the first take. Her inspiration was a tune produced by Curtis Mayfield and recorded by Major Lance called The Monkey Time. Lance sings “Are You Ready?” and Ms. Mason answers, “Yes, I’m Ready. ”
I loved the song in ’65 and I love it now but her name has never once popped into my head. I just figured she was one of the many talented artists of that period. Ready has been covered by Shirley Ellis, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Maureen McGovern, Jeffrey Osborne, Carla Thomas, and Johnny Cash. Cash sang the song to the inmates of Folsom Prison during the recording of his hit album and received a standing ovation from the inmates. Maybe.
Five years later, Mason expanded her persona by putting out some pretty frank tunes about sexual love and infidelity which was pretty unusual for a female soul singer at the time. She still works today and released her last album in 2007.
Review Overview
What’s not to like about music? At age four, I liked to lie in front of my Dad’s huge console record player/radio and listen to the big bands of the 40’s. I have early memories of hiding under the covers with a mono earphone in my ear, sound streaming from my first transistor radio. In high school, I began collecting records from artists I had never heard of just to see if I liked the music. I usually did and still do.
