Annette Snell: The Collection (1970-1977)

Annette Snell, a Miami native, was a member of The Fabulettes, a girl group that recorded for Fred Foster's Monument and Sound Stage 7 labels in 1965 and '66. She had gotten her start as a member of a Florida outfit called the Mar-Vells that had been laying down background vocals in Miami studios as early as 1960. That was where she met Paul Kelly. Kelly had come up as a member of Miami bands like the Valadeers and the Del-Mires. Buddy Killen had signed him and fellow Del-Mire Clarence Reid to Dial in 1964. Killen would produce some of his best records on Paul, not only for Dial, but for Warner Brothers in the early seventies as well. Kelly had taken Annette Snell with him to New York in 1968, on a trip to shop some demos of songs he had written. She cut one of those songs, 'Since There Is No More You' for the small Love Hill label under the name Annetta (it was specifically a duet between Paul Kelly & Annette Snell). The record, although leased by Juggy Murray for national distribution, didn't make much noise. Paul brought her to the attention of Killen, who was suitably impressed. 'Footprints on My Mind' was recorded at The Soundshop with both Kelly and Killen producing. Dial first released it as the A side of 'I'll Be Your Fool Once More' in 1972, and again as the B side of 'You Ought to Be Here With Me' the following year, which would break into the R&B top 20 in the fall of 1973. 'Get Your Thing Together' would follow, and reach the top 50 in early 1974. 'Just As Hooked As I've Ever Been' would crack the Hot 100 later that year, and be the last tune she would wax for the label. All had been written by Kelly. Times were changing, and Buddy worked out a deal with his distributor, EPIC, to release some of his 'product' on the parent label. They decided to hold Annette's next sessions in Muscle Shoals, where she cut 'It's All Over Now,' at Broadway Sound. Only promotion copys were distributed before her ultimely death. She was returning home after working on some tracks for a supporting album when her plane went down somewhere in Georgia on April 4, 1977. She would not survive. At the time of her death she was married to Pete Jackson of Touch of Class. I gathered here all of the sides Annette Snell released on Dial Records, as well as 'It's All Over Now' and 'Since There Is No More You' (I am afraid this track skips several times, but it's all I could get, sorry!); eight cuts in all. http://redkelly.blogspot.com/, http://www.boogalooinvestigator.com/

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