Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – Sep 27, 2026
he Grammy Awards for 1991 were quite interesting in that Luthur Vandross won for a medley he produced that went to the top of the R&B charts.
Interesting because the medley included a song that made it to #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the R&B singles chart in 1967.
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The first half of Vandross’ masterpiece medley “Power of Love,” was a brand-new song written by Vandross in concert with Marcus Miller.
The second part of the medley, a 1967 gospel-influenced song, was originally recorded by an R&B group formed in New York City and was written and produced by Teddy Vann.
By seamlessly stitching Vann’s infectious 60s chorus onto his own contemporary production, Vandross introduced the 1967 classic to a whole new generation and took it all the way to the Grammys.
The R&B group that originally performed the song transitioned from a secularized gospel trio into a pop-soul harmony act. They recorded primarily for Calla Records during the late 60s and made their national debut in 1967 with “Forget It,” which became a Top 10 R&B hit, before releasing their signature song later that year.
Their signature song can be best described as an energetic, uplifting track blending traditional southern soul harmonies with a driving pop-soul beat.
Sometimes they were up. Sometimes they were down. But the Sandpebbles always had their feet on the ground … because they had, “Love Power,” and it’s this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.
YouTube video of this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKsOLOBOKqE
This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.
