Rotary Connection was a psychedelic soul band formed in Chicago in 1966 tha… Read Full Bio ↴Rotary Connection was a psychedelic soul band formed in Chicago in 1966 that lasted until 1971, and are possibly most notable for launching the formal singing career of a Chess Records' receptionist named Minnie Riperton. The highly experimental band was formed under artistic direction of Charles Stepney, at the behest of Marshall Chess, the then 25 year old son of Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess.

Marshall was the director behind a start-up label, Cadet Concept Records, and wanted to focus on music outside of the blues and rock genres, which had made the Chess label popular. This led Marshall to turn his attention to the burgeoning psychedelic movement. He recruited Charles Stepney, a vibraphonist and classically-trained arranger and producer for sonic wizardry. Marshall then recruited members of a little-known white rock band, The Proper Strangers (Bobby Simms, Mitch Aliotta & Ken Venegas). Sidney Barnes, a songwriter within the Chess organization, also joined, as did Judy Hauff and a Chess receptionist named Minnie Riperton, who would later be successful in her own solo career. Marshall also called up prominent session musicians associated with the Chess label, including guitarist Phil Upchurch and drummer Morris Jennings.

The band released their self-titled debut album in late 1967. It plays like a melange of styles, borrowing heavily from pop, rock, and soul, but in a way that isn't entirely radio-friendly. The album also boasts an Eastern influence through its use of the sitar on Turn Me On and Memory Band. Stepney's arrangements, brought to life by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, imbue the album with a certain dreamlike quality; this would become a trademark of both the arranger and the mouthpiece. The album proved to be a modest success within the Midwest, but failed to make an impact nationally -- this was to be the Rotary's ultimate fate.

The band returned in 1968 with a pair of albums, Aladdin and Peace. The former was the group's proper sophomore effort, and it found Riperton assuming a more prominent vocal role than the "background instrument" status she had on the debut. The latter was a Christmas release, with strong pervasive messages of love and understanding for a nation in the grips of Vietnam. The album's cover art of a hippie Santa Claus more than makes its intentions known. Peace is notable for being involved in controversy: an anti-war cartoon in a December 1968 edition of Billboard magazine featured a graphic image of a bruised and bloodied Santa on a Vietnam battlefield. Mistaking this cartoon for the album's cover art, Montgomery Ward cancelled all shipments of the album.

Rotary Connection would release three more albums: Songs, in 1969, a collection of drastic reworkings of other artist's songs, including Otis Redding's Respect and The Band's The Weight and Cream's Sunshine Of Your Love. Dinner Music followed in 1970, in which they added elements of folk and country into the mix along with some electronic experimentation, and; Hey Love in 1971, where the band, oddly credited as the New Rotary Connection, ended its career with a jazz-oriented affair. From this particular album came the uplifting I am the Black Gold of the Sun, which was famously covered in 1997 by underground dance outfit Nuyorican Soul.

After the break-up of the band, Stepney served as a producer and arranger for other artists, most notably the soul outfit Earth, Wind, & Fire. He died in 1976 of a heart attack. Minnie Riperton enjoyed the fruits of a successful solo career until breast cancer ended her life in 1979. Sidney Barnes continues to work a singer and songwriter, and in recent years has gained a following in the U.K.. The other remaining members of the band either attempted other, lower-profile, musical endeavours or divorced themselves entirely of the business. Thanks to reissues of their catalog in the late 1990s and the appropriation of material through sampling within the hip-hop community, Rotary Connection has been formally introduced to a new generation.

Lady Jane
Rotary Connection Lyrics

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(Mick Jagger, Keith Richards)

My sweet Lady Jane
When I see you again
Your servant am I
And will humbly remain
Just heed this plea, my love
On bended knee my love

I pledge myself to Lady Jane

My dear Lady Anne
I've done what I can
I must take my leave
For promised I am
This play is run, my love
Your time has come, my love
I pledge my troth to Lady Jane

Oh, my sweet Marie
I wait at your ease
The sands have run out
For your lady and me
Wedlock is nigh, my love

Her station's right, my love
Life is secure with Lady Jane

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Rotary Connection's "Lady Jane" are an ode to three women, each with a different destiny. In the first stanza, the singer addresses Lady Jane, promising his loyalty and devotion to her. He humbly declares himself her servant and pledges to remain so for as long as her heart desires. It is clear that the bond between the singer and Lady Jane is rooted in love, and that his pledge of loyalty is an earnest one.

In the second verse, the tone shifts as the singer addresses Lady Anne, whom he appears to be bidding farewell. The singer declares that he has done all that he can do and that he must take his leave, as he has obligations elsewhere. The singer acknowledges that Lady Anne's time has come, and he pledges his loyalty to her. The final stanza is an invocation to yet another lady, Marie, who is waiting for the singer at her ease. The singer reflects on how the sands have run out for "lady and me." Marriage is imminent, and it seems Lady Jane was not the only woman in the singer's life who warranted a pledge of loyalty.

Line by Line Meaning

My sweet Lady Jane
I address my affectionate Lady Jane with endearment

When I see you again
I express my anticipation for seeing her again

Your servant am I
I admit that I am her servant

And will humbly remain
I will always be humble in her presence

Just heed this plea, my love
I ask her to listen to my request

On bended knee my love
I go down on one knee to show my respect and devotion to her

I pledge myself to Lady Jane
I vow to dedicate myself to Lady Jane

My dear Lady Anne
I address Lady Anne with endearment

I've done what I can
I inform her that I have done what I could

I must take my leave
I let her know that I must depart

For promised I am
I inform her that I have made a promise to someone else