The Independents were an American R&B vocal group active from 1971 to 1975.[1] They scored several hits on the U.S. Pop and R&B charts. Their 1973 song "Leaving Me" reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100,[1] and remained on the chart for 14 weeks. Sales of over a million copies led to a gold record being awarded by the R.I.A.A. on May 23, 1973.[2]
After the group broke up and recording the solo albums, Passionate Breezes and Gonna Getcha Love, Chuck Jackson, along with fellow group member Marvin Yancy, achieved success as the producers and writers for most of Natalie Cole's early chart releases,[1] and also had success with Phyllis Hyman and Ronnie Dyson. Jackson is the half-brother of the Reverend Jesse Jackson and is not related to singer Chuck Jackson.[1] In 2019, original member Maurice Jackson (no relation) reformed The Independents with Theo Huff, Rashan Thompson, Vanessa Lainey, Parkas Alexander and himself.
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record label | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US R&B [3] | |||||||||
| 1972 | The First Time We Met | 127 | 18 | Wand | ||||||
| 1973 | Chuck, Helen, Eric, Maurice | — | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak | Record label | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [3] | ||||||||||
| 1974 | Discs of Gold | 42 | Wand | |||||||
| 1991 | Leaving Me: Their Golden Classics | — | Collectables | |||||||
| 2016 | Just As Long: The Complete Wand Recordings 1972-74 | — | Kent Soul | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US R&B [3] | |||||||||
| 1972 | "Just as Long as You Need Me (Part 1)" | 84 | 8 | |||||||
| "I Just Want to Be There" | 113 | 38 | ||||||||
| 1973 | "Leaving Me" | 21 | 1 | |||||||
| "Baby I've Been Missing You" | 41 | 4 | ||||||||
| "It's All Over" | 65 | 12 | ||||||||
| 1974 | "The First Time We Met" | 103 | 20 | |||||||
| "Arise and Shine (Let's Get It On)" | — | 19 | ||||||||
| "Let This Be a Lesson to You" | 88 | 7 | ||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||||||
