One-hit wonders have made a number of appearances on the ol’ GMC and I wouldn’t even begin to try to list them, but one thing does occur to me. Some of them were probably lucky to have had that one hit, while others were so talented that they deserved more. The latter description would certainly fit Doris Troy, who hit big with 1963’s “Just One Look,” but over the course of her long career was never able to replicate its success on the charts.
The Bronx native was born Doris Higginson, the daughter of a minister who had originally hailed from Barbados. She grew up surrounded by gospel music and even sang in the choir, but ran into parental trouble when she tried her hand at the R&B sounds she also loved. (Her struggles would later inspire the stage show Mama, I Want To Sing, and eventually a movie of the same name.)
Her professional break came while she was working as an usherette in Harlem’s famed Apollo theater. There she was discovered by soul legend James Brown, and with his encouragement the young singer — now calling herself Doris Troy — soon found work doing backup for the likes of the Drifters and Dionne Warwick.
Eventually launching a solo career, she soon rocketed up the charts with “Just One Look,” a song she’d helped write and one that would become her signature tune. It would lead to decades of good record sales on songs like “Face Up To The Truth” and “Gonna Get My Baby Back,” but none hit with the impact of her special song, which would eventually be recorded by some of the biggest names around.
As the years passed Doris spent a lot of time in Great Britain, where her popularity was often higher than in the states. As the millennium turned she continued to be active but was in ill health. She was battling emphysema — an especially difficult illness for a singer — but was still making appearances in Las Vegas when she died in 2004.
Doris Troy – “Face Up To The Truth”
Geezer Music Club 