Chris Bartley
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Biography
Leroy "Chris" Bartley, born on April 17, 1947, in Harlem, was an American R&B singer. Growing up listening to 1950s soul and doo-wop music, he formed his own group in the early 1960s with William Graham, Henry Powell, Sam Nesbitt, and Ronald Marshall. The group initially called themselves The Soulful Inspirations but changed names several times, including a stint as The Mindbenders. In the late 1960s, Bartley and Marshall auditioned as a duo with Van McCoy, who signed Bartley to a solo deal with Cameo-Parkway subsidiary Vando Records. His breakthrough came with the single "The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven", which peaked at Number 10 on the US R&B Singles chart and Number 32 on the Billboard pop charts in 1967. The song also reached Number 14 on the Canadian R&B chart. Following this success, Bartley released his debut album The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven and toured both in America and England. When Vando Records folded, Bartley signed with Buddah Records, but the resulting single "Baby I'm Yours" did not chart. Bartley left the music industry in the early 1970s due to family health problems, but re-emerged a few years later by joining The Ad-Libs. Chris Bartley died of kidney failure on October 26, 2009, at age 62.
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