I became familiar with this R&B classic when my Mom tried to track down this record for an extended period when I was about 7 or 8 years old, but couldn’t find it anywhere. It wasn’t exactly out-of-print, but it wasn’t easy to find, oddly considering how big a hit it was back in the day. She eventually found it and was definitely worth the effort.

My Mom’s efforts to track down the record are not dissimilar to Moore’s efforts in getting this song released. She recorded it in 1973, but it wasn’t until 1976 that it became a hit. Moore’s version is the most popular (reaching #3 on the Billboard charts in 1976), but it had its origins as a country song. It was written by Bob Montgomery for Brenda Lee, but she turned it down. It became a minor hit for Wilma Burgess in 1966 and a bigger hit for Eddy Arnold in 1967. Moore’s version is by far the most popular, but countless country and R&B artists have recorded it over the years. A great song is a great song is a great song…