The group first began performing together in the early 1960s, and signed to Swan Records at the behest of producer Jerry Ross.
[2] The follow-up single was "I Found Out Too Late", which failed to chart; despite the flagging sales, the group released a full LP that year, again with Gamble arranging vocals.
A third and final single for Swan, "Gotta Be More than Friends", was released in 1964, and the group moved to ABC-Paramount late in 1964.
[3][4] Three further singles followed for ABC – "Evil One", "Gonna Be a Big Thing", and "Slow Fizz"[3] – but none of them sold well, and the group split up around late 1966.
The Sapphires, and especially the songs "Slow Fizz", "Gotta Have Your Love" (which reached number 33 on the R&B charts), "Evil One", and "Gonna Be a Big Thing", became popular on the UK's Northern soul scene,[4] including during the early days at the Twisted Wheel Club in Manchester, UK.