The Flirtations

In 1962 in New York, four women from South Carolina formed the Gypsies. 

They were Lestine Johnson and sisters Ernestine, Shirley and Betty Pearce. In 1964 they signed to Old Town Records, where they released their debut single 'Hey There, Hey There'. The song achieved airplay only on local radio stations, but their next single, the JJ Jackson-written 'Jerk It' (which had the brilliant 'Diamonds, Rubies, Gold and Fame' on the flip) was more successful, reaching number 111 (pop) and number 33 (R&B) in the spring of 1965. The Gypsies also released 'It's a Woman's World', but despite the relative success of 'Jerk It', Lestine Johnson left the group, replaced by Viola Billups. The Gypsies released only two singles on Old Town Records in 1966, giving them a total of four. That year, now on Josie Records, the four women redubbed themselves the Flirtations and released the soul ballad 'Change My Darkness into Light'. It was ignored by DJs and sales suffered. The quartet then moved to Festival Records, where they released 'Stronger Than Her Love' and 'Settle Down' as a single, which failed to spark much interest. Betty Pearce left the group, reducing the Flirtations to a trio. After winning a small local talent contest in 1968 to see who could sound the most like the Supremes, they packed their bags and headed for England, where they signed to the Parrot label. (Tom Jones was signed to the label at that time.)

Their only release was 'Someone out There' c/w 'How Can You Tell Me?' Although the song received more airplay and recognition than their other singles, it did little.

In late 1968 the trio went to Deram Records and released what would become their signature recording: 'Nothing but a Heartache' - a dense, dynamic, earth-shattering melodrama produced by Englishman Wayne Bickerton and written by Bickerton with Tony Waddington. The B-side was a Christmas song entitled 'Christmastime Is Here Again'.

In early 1969 the record was released in the United States, but with a different B-side ('How Can You Tell Me?'). In March, 'Nothing but a Heartache' entered the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 34 in May and remaining on the Hot 100 for a then-impressive 14 weeks. The single - reminiscent of mid-60s Supremes - particularly 'Stop! In the Name of Love' - also reached number 31 in Cash Box.

The follow-up was the ballad, 'South Carolina' in July 1969. In 1970, 'Keep On Searching' was released and did nothing. However, this may have been due to confusion over whether the newest single was 'Searching' or 'What's Good About Goodbye My Love'. The latter rocketed to number 17 in R&B in early 1970, but did not reach the pop charts.

In July 1970 the trio scored another hit with the original version of Tom Jones' 'Can't Stop Loving You'. The song made number 96 in Cash Box. 1971 saw their sixth and last Deram single, 'Give Me Love'. Taken from their 1970 LP Sounds Like the Flirtations, it did not do well in the charts. The rest of their singles were not released in the US.

Throughout the 1970s the Flirtations released material on various labels. 1971 and 1972 Polydor titles included 'Little Darling (I Need You)', 'Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me', 'Hold onto Me Babe' and 'Love a Little Longer'. In 1973, their Mojo Records releases included 'Why Didn't I Think of That'. 

In 1975 it was RCA's turn: 'Dirty Work', 'Mr Universe' and 'One Night of Love', which gained enough sales and airplay for another LP, Love Makes the World Go Round, just before 1976. In 1977 they released the disco single 'Earthquake', whose 12-inch version was a hit in 1983.

Loretta Noble replaced Viola Billups in 1972. Viola Billups had a solo career as Vi and as Pearly Gates. The Flirtations sang high energy songs such as 'Time', 'Earthquake', 'Read All About It' and 'Back on My Feet Again' through 1989. In 2007 the group recorded 'Run for the Exit' for Disco 2008, featuring a solo track by Viola.