In 1961 the Pips released a single “Every Beat of My Heart” on Vee-Jay. It was their second single, after an early 1958 release on Brunswick Records. Below is an advance copy that Vee-Jay sent out to various DJs.
Vee-Jay had not made the recording, but had bought it from a small record company in Atlanta called Huntom Records, who had already released their version of the song.
Unfortunately, Huntom had not signed the Pips to their label, so the group was free to join Fury Records when owner Bobby Robinson offered them a contract. Robinson had heard the Huntom single and thought the group had potential. He swiftly recorded another faster version of the song in New York.
Amazingly, the Huntom, the Fury and the Vee-Jay versions were all released in 1961, with Fury crediting Gladys Knight & the Pips, while Vee-Jay and Huntom just credited the Pips. The Fury and Vee-Jay singles both entered the charts, but Vee-Jay won the race by reaching number one on the Billboard R&B Chart and number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. The Fury version made it to number fifteen (R&B) and number forty-five (Pop). Sadly for Vee-Jay, that was a one-off success. They won the race with the song, but Fury had the contract!
Top of the Billboard R&B Singles Chart in 1961
