Hot Chocolate -

Hot Chocolate was an American soul-funk trio from Cleveland that released a 1971 album on Co Co Records.

Members: Lou Ragland (vocals, guitar), George Pickett (bass), Tony Roberson (drums)

For the namesake British hitmakers, click here.

Background

Hot Chocolate formed in Cleveland in 1970 when singer-guitarist Lou Ragland assembled bassist George Pickett and drummer Tony Roberson as a working trio.

Ragland was born Louis Edward Ragland on July 18, 1942, in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents encouraged music at home, and he learned alto saxophone, clarinet, tuba, guitar, and organ before adulthood.

In high school, Ragland formed The Monclairs vocal group. At the Music Box, he led Lou Ragland and the Bandmasters as a house band from his teens into his early twenties, with vocalist Kim Tolliver as a featured singer. The Bandmasters cut the 1964 single “Never Let Me Go” (b/w “Party at Lester’s”) on Way Out. Ragland followed with the 1967 Amy single “I Travel Alone” (b/w “Big Wheel”). His next group, Volcanic Eruption, cut the 1970 Way Out single “I’ve Got Something Going For Me” (b/w “Red Robin”).

In 1970, Ragland formed Hot Chocolate for Cleveland’s east-side R&B rooms and downtown rock clubs. The trio built a repertory of originals during its first year onstage, then chose album material through a patron ballot at Trina’s. Ragland created Co-Co Cleveland for the LP.

Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate released their self-titled debut album in 1971 on Co Co Cleveland Records.

The album contains seven vocal and instrumental tracks led and largely written by Lou Ragland, performed with the Pickett/Roberson rhythm section.

Vocalists Jimmy McLain and Tyrone Brown appear on “Ain’t That a Groove,” which struts through a chanted workout and break passage. “So Dam Funky” vamps on clipped ensemble figures and a dry backbeat. “Sexy Moods of Your Mind” glides through a dreamy soundscape and open-spaced drift. “Messin’ With Sly” clips the instrumental run into tight accent figures. “What You Want to Do” drops into a second break passage with low-slung stop-start accents.

A1. “Ain’t That a Groove (You’re Mine)” (6:00) – Ragland
A2. “So Dam Funky” (4:15) – Ragland / Shann / Roberson
A3. “Sexy Moods of Your Mind” (5:22) – Ragland
A4. “Messin’ With Sly” (2:50) – Pickett / Ragland / Roberson

B1. “We Had True Love” (6:10) – Hawkins / Ragland
B2. “What You Want to Do” (4:29) – Ragland
B3. “What Should I Do” (3:50) – Ragland

Ragland produced the album at Agency Recording Studios in Cleveland with engineer Don White. Dick Dugan drew the cover illustration for Hot Chocolate, which shows three musicians playing inside a large cup labeled Hot Chocolate.

Co Co Cleveland pressed 500 copies of the album, which soon achieved collector’s status. Later in 1971, Co Co issued the non-album single “Good For the Gander” (b/w “We Had True Love”).

Postlude

The group reached Warner Bros. in 1973 with “Since You Said You’d Be Mine” (b/w “I Didn’t Mean to Leave You”), issued under Lou Ragland after the British Hot Chocolate held the name for national release. Ragland returned to Co-Co Cleveland the same year with “I Can’t Take It” (b/w “What the Doctor Prescribed”) while a 1973 Agency live set stayed unreleased until its inclusion on the Numero anthology I Travel Alone.

Around 1974–75, Ragland recast the operation as Seven Miles High and started the SMH label. He cut “What Should I Do” (b/w “Understand Each Other”) for SMH, then expanded the material into Is the Conveyor “Understand Each Other,” a 1978 album under his own name. Ragland founded Great Lakes Records in 1979 and moved to Las Vegas the next year. He issued the 1982 Great Lakes single “This Is the Night for Loving” (b/w “Didn’t I Tell You”). His later records included the 1985 EP Love Moods and the 2006 album Until I Met You.

Ragland joined the George Holmes Ink Spots in 1978 and became the act’s lead figure after the 1993 death of Holmes. He also formed the gospel group First Light and later led the Las Vegas Tenors. Ragland remained active in Las Vegas with a regular Ink Spots engagement at Alexis Park before the COVID-19 shutdown. He died of cancer on August 19, 2020, in North Las Vegas.

Tony Roberson earned late-Seventies studio credits with Enchantment, Gary Bartz, and The Spinners. He resuscitated 7 Miles High for the 1981 single “She’s Gone Away” (b/w “Do It to You”), released on the Chicago-based Gerim label.

Discography: