The Flirtations have been the queens of Northern Soul for many years, performing for radio, television, and live audiences throughout the world. They are the only classic Northern Soul group that has its original members. This is The Flirtations' new album. It's filled with the greatest hits of the greatest girl groups, performed with new energy and excitement. This album is called Girls. It's The Flirtations like you've never heard them before. We think you'll like it. "Where does one start? A friend placed a few photos on Facebook from back in the day, and I started thinking that we, the original Flirtations should do some new recordings. That same day, another Facebook friend said, 'Why don't you girls do a new CD?' Later that day, The Flirtations' great producer, Don Hunter, emailed me and said, 'Let's Skype!' It was such a coincidence that all these people were on the same page, it was like an omen! I Skyped with Don, who had an idea. He sent me this list of songs he wanted us to record, and asked if I knew anyone who could do the job, studio-wise and engineering-wise. I said I had the perfect person and studio, Sam Scott and Racetrack Studios. Don and I spoke again, and before we knew it, Don was booking flights and I was booking studios and hotels. Meanwhile, I had a meeting with Shirley and Earn'ee. They both were up for it, and 16 tracks later, we all have what we think is a fab, great album! To all The Flirtations fans, old and new, we all hope you enjoy this labor of love!" - Viola Billups "When I heard about The Flirtations' new project, I thought, OMG! This could be fantastic! My imagination became fired up, and I could see the potential so clearly it was like coming out of the dark and into the light. I must say, it was a bit scary, because I had not been singing that much recently, but the buzz I began to feel when we went into the studio was so powerful, everything went very smoothly. Thanks to Don, Sam, Vie, and Shirley, I feel this is going to be a wonderful adventure for us all. I'm ready for my close up, world!" - Ernestine Pearce "When I received a call from Vie and she asked if I wanted to go into the studio, I was so happy! And when she said we could be working with Don Hunter I felt really excited. I so enjoyed doing the project, and it was wonderful to work with Don, Sam and the girls. Love to all our fans who have been with us and are still giving us their love and support!" - Shirley Pearce "The Flirtations and I have been friends for a long time. When I lived in London, I managed and produced the group for two years. On 22 June, 2014, Vie Billups and I were Skyping. She mentioned the Flirtations (Vie, Ernestine Pearce and Shirley Pearce) wanted to do a new album, but wanted to stay true to the traditional sound of old-school soul music, like the original Motown sound. As it happens, I was 'at' Motown during that golden period of the greatest hits by The Supremes, Martha and The Vandellas, The Marvelettes, and many others. Vie asked me if I had any ideas for a concept for a Flirtations album, and it instantly came to me. I even heard the title of the album in my head. I said, 'You should do a collection of girl-group hits from the 60s and newer and call the album Girls.' Vie liked it. She asked when I was coming over to produce it, and I said, 'Whoa… We haven't had 'that' conversation... I don't even know if I can get away.' "The next day, we Skyped again, and I told her I might be able to be there at the end of August, but I was concerned about who was going to play on the tracks. Vie mentioned to me that she knows a whizz kid who is at University in Leeds who really knows what he's doing. She was confident he could put together some great instrumental tracks. We left it at that, saying we could reconvene on Skype in a couple days. The very next day, I received an email with an instrumental track attached to it. I listened... I listened again. It was great! The next day I received an email with two new rhythm tracks. More greatness! Vie and I connected online, and I asked, 'What's happening over there? Where did you get these tracks, who made them, and how is he so fast?!' Vie had a very simple answer; 'It's Sam!' I needed to talk to this guy Sam. The next day, Sam and I Skyped. His full name is Sam Scott, and he told me he was a 20-year-old philosophy student at Uni in Leeds. Sam had learned his way around the studio from his dad, Clive Scott, one of the founders of the British group Jigsaw, who had a huge hit with the song 'Sky High'. I instantly liked Sam! He was funny, clever, knowledgeable, and really knew what he was doing in the studio. I have never met someone so talented and yet so young! "I arrived in London on 15 August, 2014, and the next day we went back to work. Everyone was on their game, and we needed to be; the goal was to record 16 songs and shoot 3 videos in 15 days! It was so ambitious I thought I'd bit off more than I could chew. But a strange thing happened; we finished the vocals on the first two songs on the first day! One day of recording and we were ahead of schedule! The second day we finished the vocals on two more songs… Now we were 'really' ahead of schedule! The next day, another vocal done, the next day two more vocals done. I could not believe this was happening! Then came shooting day for the videos. The goal was to shoot three videos in one day in two different locations… Insane! And true enough three videos in one day was a bridge too far… We got the footage for two videos and we shot the third video two days later. The next problem was finding a film editor. As Vie and I were discussing it, Sam raised his hand; 'I can edit', he said. Was there anything this kid 'couldn't' do?! Most of the second week was reserved for Sam and me mixing the record. Everything went without a hitch. Sam mastered the album, making it ready for producing CDs and four downloads, we finished the three videos, and it all happened the way I pictured it; 16 tunes and 3 videos in 15 days! "As a bonus, I found two more unreleased songs in the vault that I produced on The Flirtations several years ago. They were recorded with a 40 piece orchestra (back when you could afford to 'hire' a 40 piece orchestra), and the arrangements were created by the wonderful British conductor, Arthur Greenslade, who also conducted the sessions. I was concerned with tape that old, it might be brittle and fall to pieces, but it was in remarkably good shape! My friend and recording engineer in Minneapolis, Frank Wisnewski, digitized the tape and sent the digital recordings to us in England. Sam mastered them, and it fit absolutely seamlessly with the current recordings on the album! And now here it is… The Flirtations tribute to the greatest girl groups of all time! Because The Flirtations are 'one' of those greatest groups we recorded a brand-new version of their international hit, 'Nothing But A Heartache', also included on this album. "Many thanks to Peter Trott for his ingenious marketing expertise. And then there is Sam Scott. Sam, if I said everything I have to say about you, I would have to go on for another two pages! You are a remarkable young man, and you have my deepest thanks and gratitude for making this project as joyful as it was to produce! I can cannot wait for us to work together again! Vie Billups, Ernestine Pearce and Shirley Pearce are The Flirtations, the only classic girl group that is still performing with its original members. Thank you my darlings! It was great fun and we made great music together." - Don Hunter Powell The Musicians: Keyboards: Sam Scott Bass: Cam Chaser Drums: Hermes Meacher Percussion: Sam Scott, Don Hunter Trumpets: Thomas Marsh, Rose Martellato, Leo Chee Trombones: Hector Cuttle, Seamus Russell, Seth Rost Sax: Asher Horst, Costa Hartal, Carlo Stoats Violins: Schlosser Ra, Otter Hall, Ace Hart, Matt Mures, Tam Marsh, Horace Muller, Ruelle Smolt, Stuart Musset, Roca Russell Violas: Sal Moss, Mache Leto, Omar Holmes, Seth Marc Cellos: Chas Horace, Al Carlo, Costa Meara Harp: Tosh Rho Musical Director and Arranger: Sam Scott Executive Producer: Don Hunter Powell and Vie Billups Produced by: Don Hunter Powell and Sam Scott Recorded & Mastered by: Sam Scott at Racetrack Studios, Ascot, England Analog to Digital Conversion: Frank Wisnewski, Minneapolis, MN Additional Mastering: Greg Reierson, Rare Form Mastering, Minneapolis, MN Album Cover Design: Paul Daniel Rodriguez Still Photography: Sam Scott Makeup Artist: Shaz Walters Videography: Paul Martin Film Editing: Sam Scott Film Glazing: Chelsey Youngblom Filmed at: Denmark Studios Dancer: Peter Trott Burbank USA: Keith Luecke