Love Unlimited

This article is about the female vocal trio. For other uses, see Love Unlimited (disambiguation).

For the Red Hot Chili Peppers album, see Unlimited Love.

Love Unlimited
Love Unlimited, c. 1972
Background information
Origin	San Pedro, California[1]
Genres	R&B, soul, funk
Years active	1969–1981[2]
Labels	UNI, 20th Century Fox
Past members	Glodean James Linda James Diane Taylor

Love Unlimited was a female vocal trio that provided backing vocals for American singer-songwriter Barry White on his albums and concert tours. They also found success with their own recordings.

Career

Formed in 1969, the group included Barry White's future wife, Glodean James; her sister, Linda James; and their cousin Diane Taylor.[3]

Their first hit was "Walkin' in the Rain with the One I Love" in 1972. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 7 on the Cash Box Top 100, and 6 on the Best Selling Soul Singles Chart.[4] It was also successful in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.[5] It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in July 1972.[6]

In 1973, when their album titled Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart,[4] Love Unlimited became the first female group to have an album reach the top five since Greatest Hits Vol. 3 from Diana Ross and the Supremes in 1970. The album featured the single "It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart It's Spring)" a song originally written by Barry White and Paul Politi for Felice Taylor in 1966. It would peak at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1975.[5]

In 1975, they had their first and only number one hit, "I Belong to You", which spent a week at the top of the Best Selling Soul Singles Chart. It also peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] The song was featured on their third album In Heat which also included a vocal version of "Love's Theme".[1]

In 1977, they were moved to White's own record label Unlimited Gold, recording two further albums He's All I've Got and Love Is Back (1979).[1] The trio disbanded in 1981 after members sought separate careers.[2] Diane Taylor died of cancer in 1985.[3]

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Peak chart positions					Certifications	Record label
		US [4]	US R&B [4]	AUS [7]	CAN [8]	NL [9]
1972	From a Girl's Point of View We Give to You... Love Unlimited	151	19	—	—	—		UNI
1973	Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited	3	3	18	1	—	RIAA: Gold[10]	20th Century
1974	In Heat	85	15	—	81	—
1977	He's All I've Got	192	51	—	—	—		Unlimited Gold
1979	Love Is Back	—	70	—	—	12
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions					Certifications	Album
		US [4]	US R&B [4]	CAN [8]	NL [9]	UK [5]
1972	"Walkin' in the Rain with the One I Love"	14	6	40	12	14	RIAA: Gold[10]	From a Girl's Point of View We Give to You... Love Unlimited
	"Is It Really True Boy - Is It Really Me"	—	—	—	—	—
	"Are You Sure"	—	—	—	—	—
1973	"Fragile - Handle with Care"	—	—	—	—	—
	"Oh Love, Well We Finally Made It"	—	70	—	—	—		Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited
	"Yes, We Finally Made It"	—	—	—	—	—
	"It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart It's Spring)"	83	35	—	—	11
1974	"Under the Influence of Love"	76	70	78	—	—
	"People of Tomorrow Are the Children of Today"	—	—	—	—	—		Together Brothers
	"I Belong to You"	27	1	37	—	—		In Heat
1975	"Share a Little Love in Your Heart"	—	21	—	—	—
1977	"I Did It for Love"	—	66	—	—	—		He's All I've Got
1979	"High Steppin', Hip Dressin' Fella (You Got It Together)"	—	45	—	—	—		Love Is Back
1980	"I'm So Glad That I'm a Woman"	—	96	—	2	—
	"If You Want Me, Say It"	—	71	—	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

1. "Love Unlimited - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
2. "Love Unlimited Split for Separate Careers". Jet. Vol. 60, no. 4. Johnson Publishing Company. April 9, 1981. p. 61. ISSN 0021-5996.
3. "Love Unlimited Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
4. "US Charts > Love Unlimited". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
5. "UK Charts > Love Unlimited". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
6. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 315. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
7. David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
8. "CAN Charts > Love Unlimited". RPM. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
9. "NL Charts > Love Unlimited". Dutch Charts. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
10. "US Certifications > Love Unlimited". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 12, 2020.

External links

• Love Unlimited at AllMusic