Barbara Pennington

Britisher Ian Levine had a burning desire to create soul music. On one of his first treks to the U.S. he came armed with a production budget for Voltafine Productions, which he partnered with the help of Danny Leake. Levine persuaded his generous father to bankroll the project, the goal of which was to make soul music. The fall of 1975 found Levine in Chicago scouting for talent; with the help of arranger/producer Paul Wilson, the Brit uncovered Barbara Pennington, a woman who shared vocal similarities with another Chicagoan, Chaka Khan. On a previous trip to the States, Levin...