Take a Letter Maria

"Take a Letter Maria" is the debut single written and recorded by American soul singer R. B. Greaves. It was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio on August 19, 1969, using the house studio musicians. These include Donna Jean Thatcher on vocals (later Donna Jean Godchaux of the Grateful Dead), Roger Hawkins on drums, Barry Beckett on electric piano, Eddie Hinton and Jimmy Johnson on guitar, David Hood on bass, and Mel Lastie on trumpet.^[1] "Take a Letter Maria" was released in September 1969, and quickly gained regular airplay.^[2] The single peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100,^[3] and was kept from the top spot by the 5th Dimension's "Wedding Bell Blues".^[4]

"Take a Letter Maria"
Single by R. B. Greaves
from the album R. B. Greaves
B-side	"Big Bad City"
Released	September 1969
Genre	Soul
Length	2:44
Label	Atco/Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	R.B. Greaves
Producer(s)	Ahmet Ertegun
R. B. Greaves singles chronology
"Take a Letter Maria" (1969) "Always Something There to Remind Me" (1970)

The single was certified gold by November 1969; one million copies had shipped.^[5] By 1970, sales totalled 2.5 million.^[6]

Background

"Take a Letter Maria" has a Latin music flavor, complete with a mariachi-style horn section, and tells of a man who has learned of his wife's infidelity the night before. He dictates a letter of separation to Maria, his secretary, whom he asks out for dinner later in the song in order to "start a new life."

Chart positions

Chart (1969-1970)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
U.S. Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles[7]	10
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening[8]	21
Argentina [9]	2
Australia Kent Music Report[10]	6
Canada RPM (magazine)[11]	3

Personnel

• R.B Greaves- Vocals
• Eddie Hinton and Jimmy Johnson- guitars
• Barry Beckett- Electric Piano
• David Hood- Bass
• Roger Hawkins- Drums
• Donna Jean Thatcher- Vocals
• Melvin Lastie- Trumpet

Cover versions

"Take a Letter Maria" has had two charted cover versions by country music singers:

• • Anthony Armstrong Jones, from his album of the same name, hitting #8 on Hot Country Songs in 1970.^[12]
  • In 1999, Doug Stone released the song from his album Make Up in Love, reaching #45 on Hot Country Songs.^[12]
• Jimmy Ruffin recorded his take with Motown on his album The Groove Governor released in 1970.
• Wayne McGhie and the Sounds of Joy covered it on their 1970 album, which had little success at the time but was reissued on Light in the Attic Records in 2004.^[13]
• The New Riders of the Purple Sage included the song on their 1975 album Oh, What a Mighty Time.
• The alt-country supergroup The Pleasure Barons produced a high-energy rendition on their Live in Las Vegas CD, with vocals by Country Dick Montana of the Beat Farmers.^{[citation needed]}
• Gary Puckett, on his Greatest Hits CD in 1986.^{[citation needed]}
• Country music singer Sammy Kershaw, on the 2015 album I Won't Back Down.^{[citation needed]}

Song in popular culture

• In 1992, the song was featured in The Wonder Years, in the sixth-season episode "Kevin Delivers".^[14]
• In 1994, it was featured in the soundtrack of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
• In 1995, it was featured in the episode Home Season 2, Episode 9 of ER when Carol and Shep dance to it in her new home. However, the song has meaning with another storyline as Mark discovers his wife is in a relationship with someone else.

References

1. The Muscle Shoals Sound CD liner notes: Rhino Records, 1993
2. "WLS 890 Hit Parade". October 6, 1969. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
3. "Singles chart listings for R.B. Greaves". Allmusic. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
4. "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
5. "RIAA search results for R.B. Greaves". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
6. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London, UK: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 259. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
7. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 236.
8. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 107.
9. "Billboard - Hits Of The World" (PDF). Billboard. June 27, 1970. p. 61. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 129. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
11. "RPM Top 100 Singles - November 22, 1969" (PDF).
12. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
13. Bill Reynolds, "McGhie doesn't blow his covers". Hamilton Spectator, July 5, 2004.
14. "R.B. Greaves – IMDb". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved July 20, 2022.