African Queens

For the television series, see African Queens (docu-series).

African Queens
Studio album by the Ritchie Family
Released	1977
Recorded	Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre	Disco
Label	Marlin
Producer	Jacques Morali
The Ritchie Family chronology
Life Is Music (1977) African Queens (1977) American Generation (1978)

African Queens is the fourth studio album recorded by American female vocal trio the Ritchie Family, released in 1977 on the Marlin label.

History

The album features the track, "Quiet Village", which peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Disco chart along with songs "African Queens" and "Summer Dance". "Quiet Village" also peaked at No. 68 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

The Bay State Banner wrote that "the music moves swiftly via massive string swoops and spurts of high hat drumming, jetting far away from present reality towards exotic distances only the world of fantasy can reckon." ^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and Phil Hurtt, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"African Queens (Nefertiti, Cleopatra and the Queen of Sheba)"	4:35
2.	"Theme of Nefertiti"	1:30
3.	"Theme of Cleopatra"	1:30
4.	"Theme of the Queen of Sheba"	1:30
5.	"African Queens (reprise) (Nefertiti, Cleopatra and the Queen of Sheba)"	3:40

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Summer Dance"		5:28
2.	"Quiet Village"	Les Baxter	5:45
3.	"Voodoo"		5:35

Personnel

• Gwendolyn Oliver, Cassandra Ann Wooten and Cheryl Mason Jacks - Vocalists
• Russell Dabney – drums
• Alfonso Carey – Fender bass
• Jimmy Lee – lead guitar
• Rodger Lee – rhythm guitar
• Nathaniel "Crocket" Wilke – Fender Rhodes electric piano, clavinet
• Babatunde Olatunji – Ngoma drums, Shekere, bongos
• Ralph MacDonald – tambourines, triangle, bell tree, cowbell
• Mario Grillo – timbales
• Anthony Robinson – congas
• J.M. Diatta – ngoma drums
• Charles Payne – Djembe

Production

• Jacques Morali – producer, rhythm, percussion and vocal arrangements
• Henri Belolo – executive producer
• Phil Hurtt – vocal arrangements
• Horace Ott – strings and horns arrangements
• Gerald Block – engineer
• Carla Bandini, Jeff Stewart – assistant engineers
• John Galluzzi – photographer

Charts

Chart (1977)	Peak [3]
Australia (Kent Music Report) [4]	66
U.S. Billboard Top LPs	164
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs	57

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US R&B [3]	US Dan [3]
1977	"Quiet Village"	68	1
	"African Queens"	—
	"Summer Dance"	—

References

1. African Queens review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
2. Freedberg, Mike (August 25, 1977). "Record Reviews". Bay State Banner. No. 97. p. 17.
3. The Ritchie Family > US Charts at AllMusic . Retrieved 2016-07-11.
4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 253. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.

External links

• African Queens at Discogs (list of releases)