Darrow Fletcher – The Pain Gets A Little Deeper CD (Kent)

Darrow Fletcher was a Chicago child prodigy who showed emotional maturity and vocal excellence from his first teenage hit 45 in 1965. ‘The Pain Gets A Little Deeper’ was the soul equivalent of Frankie Lymon’s ‘Why Do Fools Fall In Love’: young, vulnerable, heart-felt vocals that belied the singer’s years. It entered the charts on 1 January 1966 and catapulted the 14 year old to fame in the R&B world, particularly in his home city of Chicago. Elton John has cited the recording as one of the best soul records he had ever heard.

The follow-up records were only local hits but many were of exceptional quality and the teenager’s age did not prevent him tackling some serious emotional subjects. In fact it was this notion of a kid dealing with the complexities of love that made his records so appealing. ‘My Judgement Day’ was an early example of combining soul and social issues over a sublime Chicago backing track and sensitive arrangement.

Darrow was massive on the mod revival scene of the 80s and nearly all his Jacklyn and Groovy sides are fetching more and more money on recent auctions. Once considered commonplace, they are now held in respect. ‘What Good Am I Without You’ recently rocketed in popularity and price and it is now the turn of ‘My Young Misery’ to be the talk of DJ and collector’s gatherings.• ‘Infatuation’ and ‘What Have I Got Now’ are always hard to find and popular, while the more common ‘Changing By The Minute’ is recognised as a classic dance track. Darrow could also deliver haunting ballads such as ‘When Love Calls’, ‘My Judgement Day’ and ‘Little Girl’.

Chicago music expert Robert Pruter contributes to the sleeve notes and research.

This CD covers Darrow’s complete early years up to 1971 – Ace Records