The group was formed in 1968 by Isaac Hayes and David Porter of Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, after one of the label's top acts, Sam & Dave, left Stax to join the Atlantic label. As leading songwriters and producers for the label, Hayes and Porter put together a vocal group with two male and two female singers, all of whom sang lead on some of the group's recordings. The original members were Norman West, John Colbert (aka J. Blackfoot), Anita Louis, and Shelbra Bennett. Colbert – who had been known from childhood as Blackfoot for his habit of walking barefoot on the tarred sidewalks of Memphis during the hot summers – had recorded solo singles before joining The Bar-Kays as lead singer, after four original band members were killed with Otis Redding in a plane crash. Anita Louis was a backing singer on some of the records produced by Hayes and Porter. Shelbra Bennett had recently joined the label as a singer. Norman West, Jr., the last to join the group, grew up in Louisiana, and sang in church with his brothers Joe, James, and Robert. He replaced William Bell as a member of The Del-Rios in 1962, later recorded several unsuccessful solo singles in Memphis, and sang with a rock band, Colors Incorporated, which had been formed by members of Jerry Lee Lewis' band.
The group's first record, "Give 'Em Love", produced by Hayes and Porter and released in late 1968, was a Bilboard R&B chart hit, as were two follow-ups. Their fourth single, "The Sweeter He Is", became one of their biggest hits, reaching no. 7 on the R&B chart in late 1969 and no. 52 on the Hot 100. The group also released their first album, Soul Children, in 1969. Musicians used on the recordings included Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson, Jr., of Booker T. & the M.G.'s, as well as Hayes. However, after the group had a minor hit with a slowed-down version of "Hold On, I'm Coming" in early 1970, Hayes left the project to develop his solo career. The group recorded a second album, Best of Two Worlds, at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, but their next few singles failed to make the charts. In 1972, they recorded another album, Genesis, arranged by Dale Warren and produced by Jim Stewart and Al Jackson, which produced another hit single, "Hearsay". Written by West and Colbert, it reached no. 5 on the R&B chart and no. 44 on the US pop chart. They appeared at the Wattstax concert in August 1972, and followed up with several smaller hit singles. In 1973, they recorded the ballad "I'll Be the Other Woman", written and produced by Homer Banks and Carl Hampton, and with lead vocals by Shelbra Bennett, which became their biggest hit, reaching no. 3 on the R&B chart and no. 36 on the pop chart. They also recorded a final album for Stax with Banks and Hampton, Friction.
The Soul Children left Stax in 1975, and Bennett left for a solo career. The trio of West, Colbert and Louis signed to Epic Records in 1976, releasing an album, Finders Keepers and several moderately successful singles. Their second album for Epic, Where Is Your Woman Tonight (1977), reunited the group with producer David Porter. Porter then signed the group to a reactivated Stax label established by Fantasy Records, and co-produced another album for the group, Open Door Policy (1978). However, it was less successful than their earlier recordings, and the group decided to split up in 1979.
After the group split up, Anita Louis left the music business and later worked for Federal Express, Time-Warner, and as a professional business trainer. Norman West continued working in night clubs and as a gospel singer and musician. J. Blackfoot became a successful solo singer; his biggest hit was "Taxi" in early 1984, which reached no. 4 on the R&B chart. Shelbra Bennett recorded several singles as Shelbra Deane in the late 1970s and early 1980s; her biggest solo success was "Don't Touch Me" (no. 50 R&B, 1977).
In 2007, West and Blackfoot decided to reform the Soul Children, adding two new singers, Ann Hines and Cassandra Graham. They recorded an album, Still Standing for JEA Right Now Records. West released a single in 2008 called "Long Ride Home."
Original members
Shelbra Bennett (later Shelbra Deane) (born Memphis, Tennessee)
John Colbert aka J. Blackfoot (born November 20, 1946, Greenville, Mississippi, US; died November 30, 2011)
Anita Louis (born November 24, 1949, Memphis, Tennessee)
Norman Richard West, Jr. (born October 30, 1939, Monroe, Louisiana)
Hearsay
The Soul Children Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've been buggin' me about,
Another woman.
Yes you have.
I'm gettin' sick and tired,
Of bein' accused.
I'm gonna make it through, honey,
But when I come home from work,
I can hardly,
Close my eyes.
You keep buggin' me and naggin' me about,
Some hearsay and jive.
Ohhh, yeah yeah...
You've never seen me do nothin' wrong,
When I get my check,
I bring it home.
And you still run into me with that,
He said, she said, you did it.
Oh, good god,
????? in this neighborhood.
Oh yeah!
Neighbors talkin' about neighbors,
And that's no good,
No it ain't, baby.
And you pester me about what Shirley said,
Honey, that ain't true.
But did Shirley tell you,
What she was really tryin' to do?
I know she didn't, baby.
She was tryin' to get me,
To go to the Holiday Inn,
And she's supposed to be your so-called friend.
And you're still runnin' to her,
With that he-said, she-said, you did it.
[Female:]
You know you keep tellin' me about how tired you are.
Well I'm the one that's tired of that hearsay jive, baby.
Every time I walk out of my door, I'm staring Shirley right in the face.
And she's tellin' me about some woman you were with the night before.
[Male:]
Look here, I don't care about what Shirley said, you know?
Hey, and ??? the preacher said wasn't nothin' about honor, and-and, you know, faith, and things.
You better have faith in me, you know?
I'm your man.
[Female:]
But Shirley's my best friend.
[Male:]
Look here, lemme tell ya somethin'.
I don't want her comin' over to my house no more. I don't want her comin' over.
Hey, I guess I'm tellin' ya, I don't want it.
I don't want it. It's okay, just here, look, look...
You never seen me do nothin' wrong.
When I get my check,
I bring it home.
And you still run into me with that,
He said, she said, you did it.
Nevermind, baby!
I can't take no more, no!
??? think about it, I'll be home.
You know, honey, I will do you no wrong.
That hearsay jive, ain't nothin' but talk.
Thank you for using Top40db.com.
They're tryin' get me to pack my bags and walk.
That hearsay jive is ?????????
Oh, that hearsay jive will make you do things wrong...
The Soul Children's song Hearsay describes a man who is being accused of being with another woman by his partner. He is tired of the constant nagging and assures his partner that he has never done anything wrong. He explains that when he gets his check, he brings it home, but his partner is still bothered by hearsay and gossip from their neighbors. The woman is being fed lies and rumors by their mutual friend Shirley, who had tried to convince the man to join her at the Holiday Inn. The man insists that he has been faithful and that his partner should have faith in him. The song ends with him stating that he will be home and that hearsay is nothing but talk, which can make people do things wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since we've been together,
You've been buggin' me about,
Another woman.
Yes you have.
Since we've been together, you've been bothering me about another woman. You keep accusing me of cheating.
I'm gettin' sick and tired,
Of bein' accused.
I'm gonna make it through, honey,
Yes I am.
I'm tired of being accused of something I didn't do. But don't worry, I'll make it through.
But when I come home from work,
I can hardly,
Close my eyes.
When I come home from work, I can hardly relax because you keep bothering me about something I didn't do.
You keep buggin' me and naggin' me about,
Some hearsay and jive.
Ohhh, yeah yeah...
You keep bothering me with rumors and gossip that you heard from other people.
You've never seen me do nothin' wrong,
When I get my check,
I bring it home.
And you still run into me with that,
He said, she said, you did it.
You've never caught me doing anything wrong, and I always bring home my paycheck. Yet you still accuse me of cheating based on rumors and gossip.
Oh, good god,
????? in this neighborhood.
Oh yeah!
Neighbors talkin' about neighbors,
And that's no good,
No it ain't, baby.
People are always gossiping in this neighborhood, and it's not a good thing. It causes problems between people and creates unnecessary drama.
And you pester me about what Shirley said,
Honey, that ain't true.
But did Shirley tell you,
What she was really tryin' to do?
I know she didn't, baby.
You keep bothering me about what Shirley said, but it's not true. And even if she did say something, you don't know the context or what she was really trying to do.
She was tryin' to get me,
To go to the Holiday Inn,
And she's supposed to be your so-called friend.
And you're still runnin' to her,
With that he-said, she-said, you did it.
Shirley was actually trying to get me to go to the Holiday Inn, even though she's supposed to be your friend. And you're still believing rumors and gossip that you hear from other people.
[Female:]
You know you keep tellin' me about how tired you are.
Well I'm the one that's tired of that hearsay jive, baby.
Every time I walk out of my door, I'm staring Shirley right in the face.
And she's tellin' me about some woman you were with the night before.
You keep telling me how tired you are of these accusations, but I'm the one who's tired of hearing rumors and gossip. Every time I go out, Shirley tells me something new about you with another woman.
[Male:]
Look here, I don't care about what Shirley said, you know?
Hey, and ??? the preacher said wasn't nothin' about honor, and-and, you know, faith, and things.
You better have faith in me, you know?
I'm your man.
I don't care what Shirley said or what the preacher thinks. You need to trust me and have faith in me. I'm your man and I won't do you wrong.
[Female:]
But Shirley's my best friend.
[Male:]
Look here, lemme tell ya somethin'.
I don't want her comin' over to my house no more. I don't want her comin' over.
Hey, I guess I'm tellin' ya, I don't want it.
I don't want it. It's okay, just here, look, look...
I know Shirley is your friend, but I don't want her coming over to our house anymore. I don't want her causing problems between us. It's okay, just trust me.
Nevermind, baby!
I can't take no more, no!
??? think about it, I'll be home.
You know, honey, I will do you no wrong.
That hearsay jive, ain't nothin' but talk.
Never mind, I can't take it anymore. Just give me some time to think and I'll be back home. You know I won't do you wrong, and all this gossip is just talk.
Thank you for using Top40db.com.
They're tryin' get me to pack my bags and walk.
That hearsay jive is ?????????
Oh, that hearsay jive will make you do things wrong...
People are trying to make me leave because of rumors and gossip. But all this hearsay jive is dangerous and can cause people to do things wrong.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN COLBERT, NORMAN WEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lisa Kobar
First time hearing this...this is on fire!!!
Wayne Jackson
The Soul Children:Hearsay, and Laura Lee on the phonographs, playing their album, would send my late sister, in a frenzy, she loved her some Soul Children.
Robbie John
I heard this on Soul Sounds of the 70s. Very good song. Makes me think of some people arguing.
George Williams
The good old soul
Janet Boggs
We used to call them in seventies,the soul chillin
Eddie Tuduri
Wow, real music! ... no pro tools, no samples, oh, and real players, what will they think of next?
Mack 26
Haven't heard this since the 70s!! I was a kid.
saj8
Rest In Beats to J Blackfoot and Shelbra Bennett
Melody Sanger
REMEMBERING JOHN COLBERT
"J. BLACKFOOT"
(November 20, 1946 - November 30, 2011)
[11/20/2021]
Melody Sanger
REMEMBERING SHELBRA BENNETT
(February 12, 1947 - May 31, 2013)
[02/12/2023]