[3] This period coincided with the peak of Cadet Records' influence, during which Green continued to produce other acts,[1] including Ashby,[3] Woody Herman[6] and Marlena Shaw.
[7] Simultaneously, Stepney – often assisted by Upchurch, Christian and Jennings – also worked with the group Rotary Connection, recording for Chess's Cadet Concept label.
[8] As of October 2014, the Strings' catalog remained out of print,[3] although their biggest US hit, "Burning Spear", was included on the 2004 Chess compilation Chicago Soul.
[1] Speaking to an interviewer from Berklee College of Music, where he later worked as a professor teaching jazz arrangements,[6] Evans attributed the ensemble's distinctive sound to his use of violas (rather than any violins) as lead string instruments, beside the cellos.
[13] By the time the concerts were announced, the group's second album, Groovin' with the Soulful Strings (1967), had been on the US Billboard Top LP's chart for 33 weeks.
[15] Released in June 1968, Another Exposure featured interpretations of George and Ira Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So",[16] Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", and three recent songs by the Beatles:[17] "Hello, Goodbye", "Lady Madonna" and "The Inner Light".
[20] Composed solely of cover versions, it included the Temptations' hit "I Wish It Would Rain", a reworking of Debussy's "Clair de Lune",[21] as well as songs by Marvin Gaye and James Brown.