Barbara Mason

R&B diva Barbara Mason scored a major success in 1965 when her song "Yes I'm Ready" rose to the Top Five of the Pop and R&B single charts, the first hit in a career that has kept her active for decades. Mason possessed a smooth, supple voice that was a great match for romantic tunes, though she also had the range and passion to connect with more forceful material, particularly on her classic sides for Arctic Records. Her mid-'70s records for Buddah (including 1972's Give Me Your Love and 1974's Lady Love) boasted a richer sound, with the production and arrangements influenced by the Philly Soul hits of the day, and in the '80s, she eased into a deeper style, recording longer narrative songs such as "She's Got the Papers, But I Got My Man" and "Another Man," collected on the album Another Man.