Stardom had been predicted for Loleatta Holloway from the time she'd emerged as a solo artist with her 1971 recording of Curtis Mayfield's "Rainbow." Her voice, homegrown from singing gospel with her mother's choir and experience on the road with Albertina Walker's group The Famous Caravans, easily transitioned to R&B with her no-holds-barred, heart-on-her-sleeve approach. With two albums under her belt and a Top 10 R&B hit with "Cry to Me" in 1975, she was signed to Salsoul Records by way of their imprint, Gold Mind Records. Disco was on the rise and Salsoul was a leader in its innovation. With players from the famed MFSB, she and producer Norman Harris recorded her first disco hits for her first Salsoul album, simply titled Loleatta.  The album included two No. 3 Dance singles, "Hit and Run" and "Dreamin'," that, aided by Walter Gibbons and Carl Paroulo's mixes, respectively, shook dancers all around the world with Loleatta's staggering vocalizations, down-to-earth storytelling, and Salsoul's renowned grooves.

That album kicks off the upcoming, deluxe box set from Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records and The Second Disc.  We're Getting Stronger: The Gold Mind/Salsoul Recordings (1976-1982) presents, on 5 CDs, all of Loleatta's albums for Gold Mind and Salsoul (all newly remastered by Nick Robbins) plus a host of bonus tracks, both on the individual albums and on a newly-curated disc, Remixes and Reincarnations.  It's due on July 26.  The collection has been designed by Ray Curenton, and produced and annotated by Tim Dillinger, whose full press release we're sharing here.  We're Getting Stronger is housed in a clamshell case and boasts a 32-page booklet.  Each album is stored within an individual wallet replicating the original LP artwork.  Discs feature the original Gold Mind logo.

Loleatta always saw herself as more than a disco artist, insisting on the inclusion of ballads on her albums, which brought her airplay that disco did not achieve. Her second Gold Mind album, Queen of the Night, featured "Only You," a duet with Bunny Sigler, also the tune's writer and producer, which climbed to No. 11 on the R&B chart. The album also included her cover of Debby Boone's No. 1 Pop hit, "You Light Up My Life," which earned Holloway her singular Grammy nomination.

On the heels of her Grammy nomination, Holloway found herself in the pages of Vogue photographed by Richard Avedon and performing at the hottest discos in the country like New York City's famed Paradise Garage. After one performance, she met artist and producer Dan Hartman who brought her the biggest hit of her career. 1980's "Love Sensation" seemed destined to provide the career breakthrough that had always been predicted for her when it hit No. 1 on the Dance chart. But, sadly, "Love Sensation," did not crossover to the R&B or Pop charts. The album from which the single came, also titled Love Sensation, would be the last full-length album of her career.

But Holloway's career was far from over. She continued to work in gay clubs for the audience that had so wholeheartedly embraced her and recorded singles for independent labels. When sampling emerged in the late 80s, her voice showed up in full force on Black Box's "Ride on Time," which sampled Loleatta's vocals from "Love Sensation." "Ride on Time" was an international smash, hitting No. 1 in the U.K. and reaching the top 10 in fifteen other countries, attaining platinum status in the United Kingdom and Australia. Lawsuits ensued from both Holloway and Hartman, and Holloway spoke boldly and openly to the press about the disembodiment that, in her mind, sampling created. "Loleatta Holloway is not even a person," she declared to dance music historian Tim Lawrence.

Despite the lack of compensation and credit, the "Ride on Time" melee presented new opportunities. When Mark Wahlberg (as Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch) sampled "Love Sensation" for the group's No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit, "Good Vibrations," she was given a featured credit, made an appearance in the music video, and went on the road with the group to promote the single.  This put a face with the voice, for many listeners for the first time, as she performed on MTV, the BBC, and talk shows like The Arsenio Hall Show.  Loleatta continued to achieve success in the world of dance music until her death in 2011, scoring another No. 1 Dance hit in 1998 with "Shout to the Top," a collaboration with Fire Island, and again in 2000 with a remix of "Dreamin'" from her first Gold Mind recording. We're Getting Stronger: The Gold Mind/Salsoul Recordings (1976-1982) celebrates the staying power of this unsung vocal goddess whose work has stood the test of time, reaching generations of listeners all around the world.

We're Getting Stronger: The Gold Mind/Salsoul Recordings (1976-1982) is due on July 26. You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below.  The Amazon U.S. link is not yet live.  SoulMusicRecords.com is offering domestic shipping to U.S. customers only; pre-orders must be placed at the link below by July 14.

Loleatta Holloway, We're Getting Stronger: The Gold Mind/Salsoul Recordings (1976-1982) (SoulMusic/Second Disc Records SMCR 5215BX, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD / Cherry Red / SoulMusicRecords.com)

CD 1: Loleatta: Expanded Edition (Gold Mind GZS 7500, 1976)

1. Hit and Run (5:59)
2. Is It Just a Man's Way (3:44)
3. We're Getting Stronger (The Longer We Stay Together) (4:34)
4. Dreamin' (6:19)
5. Ripped Off (4:52)
6. Worn Out Broken Heart (5:36)
7. That's How Heartaches Are Made (3:03)
8. What Now (6:19)

BONUS TRACKS
9. Hit and Run (Original Walter Gibbons 12" Mix) (10:57) (Gold Mind 12" single 12G-4006, 1977)
10. We're Getting Stronger (The Longer We Stay Together) (Original Walter Gibbons 12" Mix) (7:18) (US Gold Mind 12" single 12G-4006-B, 1977)
11. Dreamin' (12" Disco Mix by Carl Paroulo) (8:51) (from12' Gold Master Series, Salsoul CD 20-10502, 1994)
12. Hit and Run (Unreleased Walter Gibbons Jungle Mix) (8:51) (from 12' Gold Master Series Volume 2, Salsoul CD 20-10512, 1995)

CD 2: Queen of the Night: Expanded Edition (Gold Mind GA 9501, 1978)

1. Catch Me On The Rebound (6:08)
2. Only You (Guest vocalist: Bunny Sigler) (6:15)
3. Good, Good Feeling (4:14)
4. Mama Don't, Papa Won't (4:58)
5. I May Not Be There When You Want Me (But I'm Right On Time) (7:33)
6. You Light Up My Life (4:03)
7. Two Sides to Every Story (4:29)
8. I'm In Love (4:15)

BONUS TRACKS
9. Catch Me On The Rebound (Original Walter Gibbons 12" Mix) (10:47) (from Gold Mind 12" single GG 402, 1978)
10. Catch Me On The Rebound (Instrumental) (7:19) (from Gold Mind 12" single GG 402-B, 1978)
11. I May Not Be There When You Want Me (Original Tom Moulton 12" Mix) (10:19) (from 12' Gold Master Series Volume 2, Salsoul CD 20-10512, 1995)

CD 3: Loleatta Holloway: Expanded Edition (Gold Mind GA 9504, 1979)

1. The Greatest Performance of My Life (6:59)
2. All About the Paper (6:11)
3. There Must Be a Reason (6:13)
4. That's What You Said (6:48)
5. Baby It's You (3:55)
6. There'll Come a Time (3:21)
7. Sweet Mother of Mine (4:39)

BONUS TRACKS
8. The Greatest Performance of My Life (Larry Levan Remix) (6:48) (from Larry Levan's Greatest Mixes Vol. 2, Salsoul LP SA 8533, 1980)
9. That's What You Said (12" Disco Version by Rick Gianatos) (10:07) (Gold Mind 12" single GG 503-B, 1979)
10. All About the Paper (Extended Version) (7:09) (Gold Mind 12" single GG 402-B, 1978)
11. The Greatest Performance of My Life (12" Disco Version) (9:26) (Gold Mind 12" single GG 503, 1979)
12. That's What You Said (Special Edit) (3:26) (Gold Mind single G7 4021, 1979)

CD 4: Love Sensation: Expanded Edition (Gold Mind GA 9506, 1980)
1. Love Sensation (6:02)
2. Long Hard Climb to Love (4:34)
3. Short End of the Stick (3:23)
4. I've Been Loving You Too Long (4:42)
5. Two Became a Crowd (5:22)
6. Dance What 'Cha Wanna (5:10)
7. My Way (5:25)
8. I'll Be Standing There (4:50)

BONUS TRACKS
9. Love Sensation (Original Tom Moulton 12" Mix) (6:31) (Gold Mind 12" single GG 505, 1980)
10. Love Sensation (Original Shep Pettibone 12" Mix) (7:46) (Salsoul 12" single SG 415, 1983)
11. Love Sensation (Unreleased Tom Moulton Mix) (8:36) (Salsoul 12" single 5507-1, 1992)
12. Love Sensation (After Hours Mix) (6:51) (Salsoul 12" single 5507-1, 1992)
13. Love Sensation (Acapella) (3:30) (Salsoul 12"  single SG 415, 1983)

CD 5: Remixes and Reincarnations

1. Catch Me On The Rebound (Original Walter Gibbons Disco Madness Version) (7:34) (from Disco Madness, Salsoul LP SA 8518, 1979)
2. Hit and Run (Joey Negro Dub Sensation) (5:12) (from Remixed with Love by Joey Negro, Z CD ZEDDCD030, 2013)
3. Run Away (Danny Krivit Re-edit) - The Salsoul Orchestra feat. Loleatta Holloway (8:37) (Salsoul 12" single SPEC 1786, 2001)
4. We're Getting Stronger (Instrumental) (6:04) (Salsoul 12" single 20-6502-1, 2001)
5. Mama Don't, Papa Won't (Mama's Mix) (6:18) (Salsoul 12" single 2578-1, 1993)
6. Love Sensation (Shep Pettibone "Rough Mix" / Dim's DJ Friendly Re-Edit) (7:31) (from My Salsoul: Disco Classics, Salsoul CD 20-1032-1, 2001)
7. Stand Up (Pangaea's Mix) (5:44) (from Salsoul U.K. 12" single SALSBMG08, 2017)
8. Short End of the Stick (The Reflex Edit) (5:43) (from The Reflex Salsoul Collection, Salsoul digital release, 2022)
9. Seconds (Special Club Version) (8:57) (Salsoul 12" single SG 376, 1982)
10. Dreamin' (Jazz N Groove Mix) (6:48) (Salsoul CD single SP5 1785, 2000)
11. We're Getting Stronger (Acapella) (5:51) (Salsoul 12" single 20-6502-1, 2001)