Deep Groove Encyclopedia - Moment Of Truth

Moment Of Truth

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Moment of Truth (Billy Jones, Norris Harris, Ivory Bell, Michael Garrison) was one of the most soulful of the early disco-soul groups. Formed in New York and produced by Norman Bergen and Reid Whitelaw, they recorded one of the most in-demand 45s of the pre-12 inch era in "Helplessly" which reached #3 on the disco charts in 1975. Originally issued on Roulette, the success of the single resulted in the group becoming one of the first artists signed to Salsoul. Moment Of Truth's self-titled release was one of Salsoul's earliest albums and produced three more best-selling singles: "Loving You Is Killing Me," "So Much For Love," and "You Got Me Hummin'." Unfortunately, club play didn't translate into actual sales, and they broke up before capitalizing on their vast potential. Harris became a member of Chain Reaction, who had a minor hit with "Never Lose Never Win" in 1977. The album was out of print for almost 20 years before Salsoul reissued it in the early 1990s.

Moment Of Truth's Deepest Grooves

Your Love/If At First You Don't Succeed (Roulette, 1974)

Helplessly/Helplessly (disco mix) (Roulette, 1975)

Moment Of Truth (Salsoul, 1976)
A true classic, Moment Of Truth prove themselves the equal of the Trammps, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and Double Exposure as purveyors of uptempo Philly soul on their only record. The lead singer comes off like a more desperate Levi Stubbs, which is no small accomplishment. Every cut is excellent and brimming with passion and crisp harmonies. Soul fans were definitely deprived of a potentially Hall of Fame-caliber group when they disbanded.