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The Story (Behind the Group) Behind the Song Behind “C.R.E.A.M”
(Note: Yes, this is about the song most prominently sampled in the Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 classic “C.R.E.A.M.,” but it’s just barely about that. Like, you’re going to learn the name of that song [Assuming you don’t already know it], and the people who sang it, but that part’s going to account for about seven words total. The rest of this is an extremely convoluted route to reach a nearby finish line, but hopefully you don’t feel like I’m wasting your time any more than you do right this second.
Remember those Family Circus cartoons where the dad would be like “Hey Billy go get me a Phillips head screwdriver” or something and then you’d see the kid going all around his neighborhood, chasing a dog and climbing some trees or whatever? Well, this is the musical history version of that. Now, let’s begin.)
Picture it: Memphis, 1963. Anita Kerr and the Anita Kerr singers have found consistent work as vocal arrangers and background singers, their success providing the opportunity to record their own projects from time to time as well.
While Kerr and her singers were doing their thing over in Nashville, the trio of Mary Hunt, Mildred Pratcher and Shirley Thomas, better known as the Tonettes, was looking to make a name for themselves in Memphis. Not to be confused with the all-White trio operating…
