Brunswick Records is honoring Barbara Acklin “The First Lady of Brunswick” for her contribution to music and “Chicago Soul.”

Barbara Acklin

Many people remember Barbara Acklin for her songs “Love Makes a Woman,” and “Am I The Same Girl.” As well as so many others.  You may not have known that she was a singer, songwriter, engineer, and arranger.  In the ’60s and ’70s that was a major accomplishment for a woman.  Usually, women were pushed to the back and not taken seriously.

While working as a receptionist at Brunswick Records, recording star Jackie Wilson came in and Barbara pitched a song to him called “Whispers Getting Louder.”  I recently spoke with Barbara’s daughter Samotta Acklin, who is also a singer/songwriter, and she told the story the way her mom told it to her.

Samotta Acklin

“According to my mother, what happened was she was writing, and he asked her what this was that she was writing. And she told him, and eventually, I think someone else took the song to him to listen to it. And he loved it. And he recorded it, either the next day or that same day, I can’t recall what she said. But one of those, it was very soon after he heard the song. She sang it for him, for Jackie Wilson and he went to the label and told them that she could really sing and should be recording.”

Samotta went on to tell me that a lot of times Barbara was pushed in the background and people didn’t know that she was doing a lot of the writing for groups like The Chi-Lites. She and Eugene Record wrote “Have You Seen Her, Stoned Out of My Mind” (R&B no. 2, 1973), “Toby” (R&B no. 7, 1974), and “Too Good to Be Forgotten.” She also wrote for Peaches and Herb and many of the Brunswick artists.  She recorded amazing duets with Gene Chandler.

“My mother was a very strong woman. She had to be in that element. I’ll tell you the gentlemen around her at Brunswick were very protective of her as well. So, they would look out for each other. They named her “The First Lady,” so they had to look out for her.”

Barbara Acklin was a true businesswoman and made sure she got credit for the writing, arranging, and engineering she did on the songs. She is one of the few artists that is still receiving royalty checks for the work she created.

Paul Tarnopol, president, and co-owner of Brunswick Record Corporation said, “Barbara Acklin is a history maker. This industry honor is long overdue. With this recognition, Barbara’s contributions will be forever cemented in music history. She was one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of our time, and we are pleased that Brunswick was instrumental in her success.”

After reading about Barbara Acklin and speaking with her daughter Samotta I realized that Barbara was more than “Love Makes a Woman.” She was the woman that made the spirit of love.

I asked Samotta what advice her mom gave her as she entered the world of the music business. “My mother used to call it the booty business because it stinks. One of her famous terms that she used to use, was “Don’t believe the hype.” Because it’s important that you stay grounded in this industry. Now, of course, that’s across the board, whatever you do. But if you will start believing the hype you will get lost. You’ll start believing that you’re the best. And you should feel like you’re the best but know that there is always somebody better.”

We Celebrate the accomplishments of Barbara Acklin, “The First Lady of Brunswick.”

Until next time, keep your EYE to the sky!