In this special Mother’s Day episode of Sitting in the Park, Bob Abrahamian curated a heartfelt tribute to female soul artists—both solo performers and vocal groups—showcasing rare, regional, and largely forgotten records. The playlist spans cities from Chicago to Philly, L.A. to New Orleans, unearthing deeply emotional, gritty, and melodic performances. Instead of focusing solely on motherhood-themed songs, Bob widened the lens to honor womanhood in soul music, spotlighting underrecognized female artists who infused their voices with passion, resilience, and vulnerability—embodying the spirit of mothers, daughters, sisters, and soul survivors alike.
Marlene and the Debanettes - Earthquake - Sunburst
Stylettes - On fire - Cameo
Unforgettables - Was it alright - Colpix
Sugar Lumps - Won’t you help me - Uptown
Christine Wallace - Daddy (I like it) - Gowen
Beverly McKay - He’ll never change - Sue
Ronnie & Joyce - Yes I’m falling in love - Alpha
Orchids - We’re in love - Harlow
Chiffons - Up on the bridge - Laurie
Sylvia St. Claire - Is she all right? - Brunswick
Jan Bradley - Mama didn’t lie - Chess
Jackie Ross - Jerk and twine - Chess
Maxine Brown - Am I falling in love - ABC
Elena - Road of love - Roulette
U.S.A.’s - I’m on the verge (of going out of my mind) - Tonix
Melba Moore - Does love believe in me - Musicor
Honey and the Bees - I’ll be there - Arctic
Charmels - As love as I’ve got you - Volt
Margaret Royal - I’ll never go away - Tra-X
French Coffey - Nothing from nothing (something from nothing is everything) - Pick-A-Hit
Linda Jones - Don’t go (I can’t bear to be alone) - Turbo
Pat Davis - Don’t go away - Executive
Shirley Butler - I really really love you - HIP
Sandy Williams and the Dazzlers - He won’t forgive me - Fayette
Passionettes - My life depends on you - Soul Burst
Bob Abrahamian’s Mother’s Day broadcast from Sitting in the Park was more than a gesture of appreciation—it was a sonic testimony to the power, complexity, and overlooked genius of female voices in soul music. Instead of his traditional playlist of songs explicitly about mothers, Bob took a more layered and expansive approach: spotlighting women in soul whose artistry embodies the emotional richness and resilience often associated with motherhood and femininity.
At the heart of this episode was Bob’s commitment to unearthing rare, often forgotten 45s by female singers and girl groups, many of whom never saw commercial success or major label attention. These weren’t chart-toppers, but they were essential. The music came from the ground up—Cincinnati, Philly, L.A., Houston, Chicago—and spoke directly from the hearts of women navigating love, heartbreak, and self-expression.
The show opened with “Earthquake” by Marlene and the Debonettes, a Cincinnati-based group whose track delivers an emotional jolt fitting of its title. The song set the tone for the evening: raw, regional, and emotionally resonant. This was followed by Christine Wallace’s “Daddy I Like It” out of Philly, a city long known for its deep soul traditions, and The Sugarlumps’ “Won’t You Help Me” from New Orleans, which added a Southern spiritual urgency to the mix.
What’s compelling about this curated set is how it traces the cross-country soundscape of female soul. From The Stylets of Philadelphia to The Unforgettables in Los Angeles, Bob mapped out a quiet history of soul’s unsung women—artists who never got the full recognition they deserved, yet left behind recordings that still move listeners decades later.
One especially poignant selection was Jan Bradley’s Chicago classic “Mama Didn’t Lie.” A chart hit in 1963, the song takes on new dimensions in the context of this Mother’s Day show. Its message—about a mother’s wisdom warning against untrustworthy men—is timeless, but hearing it framed alongside deeper cuts by artists like Beverly McKay or Sylvia St. Clair draws attention to how common these themes were in women’s soul recordings. They weren’t just love songs—they were testimonies, warnings, meditations.
Bob even made space for a unique piece of history in Melba Moore’s “Does Love Believe Me.” Known primarily for her Broadway and television career, Moore’s early solo efforts in the '60s are seldom heard. By presenting this track, Bob subtly reminded listeners of the breadth of talent among female performers—many of whom had to navigate dual careers or cross over into other entertainment spheres to stay visible.
Then there’s Linda Jones, whose “Don’t Go (I Can’t Bear to Be Alone)” showcased the emotional gravitas that made her one of soul’s most distinctive voices. The selection underscored another motif in the episode: emotional endurance. Whether it was heartbreak, longing, or resilience, each song conveyed a distinctly female perspective often missing from mainstream soul narratives dominated by male voices.
Perhaps the most moving segment came toward the end, when Bob played Sandy Williams and The Dazzlers, The Passionettes, and Miss Madeline—artists about whom even Bob had limited information. “I have no idea where they’re from,” he admitted at one point, underlining a broader truth: that the history of soul music is full of ghost voices—talented women who recorded a single, vanished into obscurity, and left behind only a name on a label and a song that refuses to die.
Throughout the show, Bob’s signature blend of warmth, knowledge, and curiosity reminded us why his work with the Sitting in the Park show—and the larger Bob Abrahamian Collection—is so vital. It’s not just about archiving records; it’s about restoring dignity, identity, and legacy to artists whom time and the industry forgot.
Bob Abrahamian 00:00
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You are now listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob. This show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9 PM. Happy Mother's Day to everybody.
I wanted to do something different for this show. I wanted to do a new music show instead of what I usually do on Mother's Day, which is just play all songs about mothers. And, you know, I usually don't have 30 new songs about mothers each year. But I thought, in honor of Mother's Day, I would play all female solo artists—both solo singers and groups, although all the records have groups on them—in honor of women and mothers in general.
So if you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424. And I'm going to start off the show with a group from Ohio: Marlene and the Debonettes. This track is called “Earthquake.”
Bob Abrahamian 11:00
Bye. Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You're listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob, and this show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9 PM.
Happy Mother’s Day to everybody. Today, in honor of Mother’s Day, I'm doing a new show, but I'm playing all female artists.
That last record was from Philly. That was a singer named Christine Wallace with “Daddy I Like It.”
Before that, from New Orleans, The Sugarlumps with “Won’t You Help Me.”
From L.A., The Unforgettables with “Was It All Right.”
From Philly, The Stylets with “On Fire.”
And starting off the show, a group from Cincinnati—that was Marlene and the Debonettes with “Earthquake.”
Okay, I’ve got a lot more good music coming up, and all different styles too—fast, slow—but it’ll all be female artists. If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424.
This next record is a singer named Beverly McKay. This track is called “He’ll Never Change You.”
Bob Abrahamian 26:40
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You're listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob. This show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9 PM.
Today, in honor of Mother’s Day, I am doing a show where I'm playing all female artists and groups.
That last record was by a singer named Sylvia St. Clair. That track was called “Is She All Right?”
Before that, actually for the first time ever on my show, I played The Chiffons. That track was called “Up on the Bridge.”
Before that, a group from L.A. called The Orchids with “We’re in Love.” I also have that record where they credit themselves as The Orchards.
Before that, from Philly, Ronnie and Joyce with “Yes, I’m Falling in Love.”
And started off the set with a singer named Beverly McKay with “He’ll Never Change You.”
Okay, we’re 30 minutes into the show, which means we’ve got an hour left. I brought a lot more good music—fast, slow, all kinds of styles—but still all female artists. If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424.
And like I said, I’m doing a new music show, but I’ve got to play this record as my classic Chicago dusty. Actually, I’ll have two Chicago records in a row. But this first one—you know I’ve gotta play it. This is Jan Bradley with “Mama Didn’t Lie.”
Bob Abrahamian 38:42
Okay. You're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You’re listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob. This show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9 PM.
That last record you just heard was a very obscure one out of New York. That was a group called The USA with “I’m on the Verge of Going Out of My Mind.”
Before that, a singer named Elena with “Road of Love.”
Before that, Maxine Brown with “Am I Falling in Love?”
Before that, from Chicago, Jackie Ross with “Jerk and Twine.” I was doing the jerk during the record, but not the twine.
And started off the set with Jan Bradley with “Mama Didn’t Lie.”
Okay, I have to give you some information before I play more music.
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Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Ad Council.
Another show you might like on this station is called The Dusty Party. That show happens every Thursday night from 9 to midnight. On that show, there’s a rotating lineup of DJs who play soul, funk, blues, and jazz from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.
One other thing you might like, if you like my show, is my website: sittinginthepark.com. On the site, I have audio of all the interviews I’ve done and all my music shows going back to like 2006. So you should check it out.
You can even sign up for my email list, where I send out announcements about my shows. So definitely—if you want to hear this show—it’ll probably be up within 24 hours. And earlier shows are already up.
Okay, the number here, if you want to call me up, is 773-702-8424.
This next record is interesting, because I’m pretty sure it’s Melba Moore’s first record—or at least the first solo record she did under her name. And it’s really good. It’s actually from the ‘60s, before she became a Broadway star, probably. This track is called “Does Love Believe Me.”
Bob Abrahamian 55:42
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You're listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob, and this show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9 PM.
The last record you just heard was a group from L.A. called French Coffee with “Nothing from Nothing (Something from Nothing Is Everything).” I previously played another version of that song that actually had Little Anthony singing lead over the same backing track—I think that was the original version.
Before that, a singer named Margaret Royal with “I’ll Never Go Away.” And similarly, I had played another version of that song by someone called Onesie Mac that had exactly the same backing track but a different lead vocal.
Before that, The Charmels with “As Long As I’ve Got You,” which rap fans will recognize from the song C.R.E.A.M.
Before that, Honey & the Bees—an early record by them—called “I’ll Be There.”
And started off with what I think was Melba Moore’s first record, actually from the ‘60s. It’s a really nice cut called “Does Love Believe Me.”
Okay, we’ve got half an hour left of the show. If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424. And again, if you’re just tuning in, I am playing female artists and groups in honor of Mother’s Day. I hope everybody is having a wonderful Mother’s Day.
This next record is Linda Jones with “Don’t Go (I Can’t Bear to Be Alone).”
Bob Abrahamian 1:12:20
Okay. You're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You’re listening to the Sitting in the Park show—my special Mother's Day show—where I’m playing all female artists.
That last track you just heard was a rare record out of Philadelphia: a group called The Passionettes with “My Life Depends on You.”
Before that, a group—I have no idea where they're from, actually—but the label doesn’t say. The group was Sandy Williams and The Dazzlers with “He Won’t Forgive Me.”
Before that, you heard two records from Houston, Texas—actually three, because I played one twice. One of the records was Shirley Butler with “I Really, Really Love You.” And the other was Pat Davis with “Don’t Go Away.”
I’m really sorry about what happened the first time—the needle got gunked up, which has actually never happened to me before. So I played it again because I wanted to get a good take of it.
And if you’re listening to the show later through an MP3, you’ll only hear one version of it—through the magic of me editing it out on the computer.
And started off that set with Linda Jones with “Don’t Go (I Can’t Bear to Be Alone).”
Okay, we’ve got 10 minutes of the show left. Again, I hope everybody’s having a wonderful Mother’s Day.
This next record is from Chicago. This is Miss Madeline with “Behave Yourself.”
