The Emotions were an all-girl group formed in Chicago in 1968, consisting of three sisters Sheila Hutchinson, Wanda Hutchinson and Jeanette Hawes. They had started out as a Gospel trio, the Hutchinson Sunbeams, but joined Stax Records in Memphis, where they recorded twenty-three singles and three albums on the Volt and Stax labels, working with Isaac Hayes and David Porter.
The Emotions’ “So I Can Love You” album from 1969 (Volt)
When Stax closed in 1975, the girls moved to Columbia Records and started working with Charles Stepney and Maurice White. The switch brought them major success with their 1976 album “Flowers” reaching number five on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and number forty-five on the Billboard 200, achieving gold certification along the way.
The Emotions’ “Flowers” album from 1976 (Columbia)
The album was recorded by Paul Serrano at PS Recording Studios in Chicago, with Stepney and White sharing production duties and a strong Chicago session band, consisting of Verdine White (bass), Al McKay and Joe Hutchinson Jr. (guitars), Fred White (drums), and Larry Dunn (keyboards). Richard Brown (tenor sax), Louis Satterfield (trombone), Michael Harris (trumpet) and Oscar Brashear (trumpet) made up the horn section.
When Charles Stepney died later in 1976, Maurice White took over as lead producer and took the group to the West Coast to work on their next album and subsequently to work alongside Earth, Wind & Fire on the single “Boogie Wonderland”. The Chicago links helped them build a very successful career, including the award of a Grammy in 1978 for “Best of My Love”.
