7) Sonia Ross: Breaking My Heart (1969)





Of all the artists mentioned here, Sonia Ross is the most elusive. She left a legacy of 2 stunning singles, one of which was only issued at a later date, but seems to have  left no other imprint on musical history. Her full name was Sonia Rossman and came from Atlanta, with a background of singing in the Baptist church. In 1969 she recorded a couple of singles for the small Southern soul Tragar record label in Atlanta set up  by  former saxophone payer Jesse Jones, Let Me Be Free and Breaking My Heart. Let Me Be Free, a self-penned number, was itself a standout track, an uptempo number with prominent horn backing. Breaking My Heart was an aching, shimmering track with Sonia’s voice heading towards a Minnie Riperton – like  stratosphere at times above the horn section and backing singers. However, Jones apparently felt that the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ in it were much  too  sensual  for Southern ears and it wasn’t released until decades later.


That seemed to be that. Tragar Records continued to issue other brilliant tracks by Eula Cooper, Alice Swoboda and others, but none were particularly commercially successful. Sonia Rossman herself seemed to vanish from history, leaving 5 minutes or so of  musical magic as her marker.


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