Evelyn Thomas - Out With The Old

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Evelyn Thomas tragically died in July 2024 of cancer, and in her memory we have put together her last ever recording “Out With The Old” to honour her beautiful career. It was originally a demo from my friend Soren Jensen and was never ever even finished, but I heard potential even in the crude unfinished demo. The vocals were just out off this world. It just needed different chords and a lush orchestral arrangement. I play it here for you, as a world premiere exclusive. What a joy it was to work with my premier diva, Evelyn Thomas so many times over the last forty nine years. I was also lucky enough to film the legendary beauty, singing all of her old classics, virtually every single one, and I had already put "Doomsday", here up on YouTube which you can find on my channel. I first discovered Evelyn while holding auditions in 1975 in Chicago, arranged by Danny Leake, who I'd met the year before, in England, with his group, 100% Pure Poison. In February 1976, Evelyn's first record, "Weak Spot" and a song by a young Chicago postman, L.J. Johnson, both charted in the same week, and both acts were flown over to appear on Top Of The Pops, both on the same show. The entire music business was flummoxed as to how two completely unknown young black singers from Chicago, who had never even recorded before, both had hits on entirely different labels in the same week as each other. Evelyn's second release, "Doomsday" also hit the charts, debuting its first week at number 41, which in those days was a fair sized hit. It was a further eight years before Evelyn went on to record her classic, the seven million selling "High Energy" My biggest ever hit, made in 1984 for Record Shack Records, which sold seven million worldwide. How they ever went bust after that is a mystery, but I stepped in and rescued the whole catalogue from the liquidator. What a privilege to now have a magical new song to always remember her. The final arrangement is so classic Ian Levine and Evelyn Thomas, that my eyes well up with tears every time that IN play it. A classic in every sense of the word, just as “Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay” was a huge hit after Otis Redding’s death, so “Out With The Old” comes out now after the tragic passing of Evelyn Thomas