The Friends of Distinction formed in Los Angeles in 1968 with original members Floyd Butler, Harry Elston, Jessica Cleaves, and Barbara Jean Love. The group was discovered by American football player turned actor Jim Brown who subsequently managed the group and got them signed to RCA Records.
Harry Elston began singing as a youngster in a Dallas church choir with his older brother and younger sister. When he was 15, Harry joined the Johnny Otis Caravan. Following a two-year stint in the US Air Force and a fling at professional baseball, he began singing with Ray Charles, which is where he met San Diego native Floyd Butler.
Their first major hit, Grazing in the Grass, was a vocal cover version of an instrumental hit by Hugh Masekela, with lyrics written by Elston. Released in March 1969, the record hit the Top 5 on the US pop and soul charts, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June.
The follow-up ballad Going in Circles also charted, hitting #15 in November.
Charlene Gibson replaced Barbara Jean Love during her pregnancy, singing lead vocal on Love or Let Me Be Lonely, which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1970.
Between 1969 and 1973, the Freinds of Distinction released six albums, with a (belated) seventh in 1976. They also released numerous singles, including Check It Out and a cover of Neil Sedaka‘s Time Waits for No One.
The group quit touring in 1976 and broke up soon afterwards. Jessica Cleaves went on to sing with Earth, Wind & Fire for a number of years.
Floyd Butler died of a heart attack in 1990, at the age of 52. Jessica Cleaves died on 2 May 2014, from a stroke. She was 65.
Floyd Butler
Vocals Harry Elston
Vocals Jessica Cleaves
Vocals Barbara Jean Love
Vocals Charlene Gibson
Vocals
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Their first major hit, Grazing in the Grass, was a vocal cover version of an instrumental hit by Hugh Masekela, with lyrics written by Elston. Released in March 1969, the record hit the Top 5 on the US pop and soul charts, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June.
