Steve Mancha
b. Clyde Wilson, 25 December 1945, Walhall, South Carolina, USA. As lead vocalist of the group 100 Proof Aged In Soulon their big 1970 hit Somebody's Been Sleeping, Mancha probably achieved his most significant commercial success; but soul fans, and especially Detroit soul fans, remember him from his days as writer and performer Clyde Wilson in Detroit, where his family had moved to in 1954. Signing first with Harvey Fuqua, together with friend Wilbert Jackson, Clyde and Wilbert performed as the Two Friends for Fuqua's HPC label. Soon, this and other Fuqua labels were incorporated by Berry Gordy into his fledgling Motown empire, and, in 1965, Wilson moved to the Wheelsville label, owned by Don Davis, where he recorded Did My Baby Call coupled with Whirlpool. It was then that Clyde Wilson became Steve Mancha, and joined Don Davis's Groovesville Records in 1966, together with J.J. Barnes and Melvin Davis. Mancha cut five singles for the label, with I Don't Wanna Lose You and Don't Make Me A Storyteller making the national R&B charts. Then Davis formed Groove City for which Mancha cut just one single, Hate Yourself In The Morning/A Love Like Yours. Six of these Groovesville and Groove City sides appeared on the Stax/Volt album, RARE STAMPS, after Don Davis began leasing his product to the Memphis-based label. (The other tracks on the album were Davis-produced items by J.J. Barnes). Subsequently, Mancha signed for Holland/Dozier/Holland's Hot Wax, which the famous trio had formed on splitting with Motown. Here, Mancha became lead vocalist on all but three of 100 Proof Aged In Soul's recordings, as well as co-writing seven of their sides. When Holland/Dozier/Holland moved to California, Mancha stayed in Detroit and became involved in gospel music, returning to the secular scene in 1986 when UK soul entrepreneur, Ian Levine, recorded him on ‘It's All Over the Grapevine’ for EMI.