Source Material: Brenda Lee Eager – “When I’m With You”

Brenda Lee Eager is a singer and songwriter from Mobile, Alabama.  She grew up in Lower Peach Tree, a small town in Alabama, and she sang in her local choir.  At 17, she sang professionally for the first time at the Kings Club in Prichard, Alabama.  A few years later, she relocated to Chicago, Illinois, and in 1971, she became the lead singer in Jerry Butler’s backup group Peaches.  That same year, they recorded “Ain’t Understanding Mellow;” it became her highest charting song, and her first Gold record.  Butler and Eager continued to release duets throughout the ’70s, and Eager recorded a few solo records of her own.

In 1974, she released “When I’m With You,” a soul record that’s a good example of Eager’s range as a solo artist.  She also released “There Ain’t No Way” in 1974.  In 1975, her first minor hit as a solo artist was “Good Old Fashioned Lovin.”  There were a few more solo releases, but Eager primarily worked as a backup vocalist and a songwriter; she worked with artists like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Prince, but she had the potential for a solo career.

Brenda Lee Eager – “When I’m With You”