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.
Turn Me On
Rotary Connection Lyrics
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You say you know all about life
And that you know why all the lights are turned on
Well if you're my friend, don't keep me in the darkness
Silently waiting the dawn
Turn me on
I want to know what it's all about
Turn me on
You claim your wisdom is wide as the keychain
That hangs from the breast of a king
Well I'm just a pilgrim, a one night event
A good and a worthy young man
Turn me on
I want to know what it's all bout
Turn me on
Tell me of love, speak about
Mention the people who've gone on before me
There's happiness growing at heart
And would I be welcome if I were to mention
To visit or follow a star
Ah, turn me on
I want to know what it's all about
Turn me on
Tell me about, speak about
Turn me on
I want to know what it's all about
Turn me on
Tell me about, speak about
Turn me on
I want to know what it's all about
Turn me on
Tell me about, speak about
The lyrics to Rotary Connection's song "Turn Me On" are a plea for enlightenment and knowledge. The singer is addressing someone who claims to know everything about life and its mysteries, urging them to share their insights with him. The singer acknowledges his own status as a "pilgrim," someone on a journey and seeking guidance. He wants to understand the meaning of love and to learn from those who have come before him.
The repeated refrain of "turn me on" is both a directive and a plea. It suggests that the singer is receptive to new ideas and is open to having his perspective changed. The song's title is likely a double entendre, referring not only to the singer's desire for knowledge but also to his more primal desire to be aroused or excited by the world around him. The line "there's happiness growing at heart" suggests that the singer is optimistic about the potential for enlightenment and growth.
Overall, the lyrics to "Turn Me On" convey a sense of curiosity, yearning, and vulnerability. The singer is searching for answers and direction, and he is relying on the kindness and wisdom of others to guide him.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you know all about life
You claim to have a comprehensive understanding of life
And that you know why all the lights are turned on
You also believe you know the reasons behind everything that happens
Well if you're my friend, don't keep me in the darkness
If you truly care for me, don't leave me in ignorance
Silently waiting the dawn
Without any knowledge or understanding, waiting for clarity
Turn me on
Enlighten me
I want to know what it's all about
I am eager to understand the world and my place in it
Tell me of love, speak about
Specifically, I want to learn about love and all that it entails
You claim your wisdom is wide as the keychain
You assert that your knowledge is vast, comparable to the regalia of a king
That hangs from the breast of a king
The medals and keychains that adorn a monarch's clothing
Well I'm just a pilgrim, a one night event
In comparison, I am nothing more than a temporary and insignificant visitor
A good and a worthy young man
Despite my relative unimportance, I am still a person of good character
Mention the people who've gone on before me
Refer to those who have passed before me
There's happiness growing at heart
Remember the positive memories and emotions that those people brought
And would I be welcome if I were to mention
Questioning if it would be appropriate to bring them up in conversation
To visit or follow a star
Reflecting on the possibility of following one's dreams and aspirations
Ah, turn me on
Expressing a deeper desire to learn and grow
Tell me about, speak about
Reiterating the need to be informed and educated
Writer(s): Sidney Barnes, Gregory S. Perry, Gregory Perry Copyright: Chevis Publishing Corp., Chevis Pub Corporation
Contributed by Sydney K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.