Jim Gilstrap
James Earl Gilstrap is an American singer and regarded as one of the most prolific session musicians in the industry. He is best known for his 1975 solo hit single "Swing Your Daddy", as well as singing co-lead to the theme from the TV series Good Times.
Career
Gilstrap was born November 10, 1946, in Daingerfield,Texas to Jodie and Pearlie Mae Gilstrap. He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve. He began his career in the music industry when he returned from serving in the Vietnam War. Early groups he worked with include the Doodletown Pipers and The Cultures.In the early 1970s, Gilstrap was one of the backing vocalists in Stevie Wonder's backing outfit, "Wonderlove", appearing on Wonder's albums, Talking Book and Innervisions. Gilstrap sang the opening two lines of the Wonder song, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life". He subsequently signed a recording contract with Chelsea Records in 1975. His recording of the Kenny Nolan-penned "Swing Your Daddy" was a #4 hit in the UK Singles Chart in April 1975, and reached #10 in the U.S. Billboard Black Singles chart.
Gilstrap also recorded two albums of his own during the 1970s. The first, titled Swing Your Daddy, contained three more singles in "I'm on Fire", "House of Strangers" and "Put Out the Fire". The second album, Love Talk, was not as successful.
He worked as a session artist for the UK singer Elkie Brooks on her album Live and Learn, among other performances.
He can be heard in a vocal performance on Quincy Jones' 1974 jazz-funk composition "Soul Saga ", from Jones' Body Heat album. Gilstrap has also provided the male lead vocals for the theme music to the 1970s television program Good Times.
"I've Got You Where I Want You" was used in the soundtrack of the film Three Days of the Condor. In addition, he sang the theme song for the 1990s cartoon series TaleSpin. More recently he did an original song for the Japanese film Survive Style 5+ entitled "A Lament".
He worked with the group Side Effect on their track "Run, Run, Run" that was released on Bell Records.
Credits
Gilstrap's recording credits include:Aaron Neville
- Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas
- The Tattooed Heart
- Devotion
- Believe
- 20th Century Masters: The Christmas Collection
- Gospel Roots
- Christmas & Hits Duos
- I Know I've Been Changed
- 21
- Best of Al Jarreau
- Championship Wrestling
- La La Peace Song
- Amaia Montero
- 2
- A Christmas to Remember
- Just as I Am: 30 Favorite Old Time Hymns
- Something About You
- Too Tough
- The Songstress
- Rapture
- The Best of Anita Baker
- Sweet Love: The Very Best of Anita Baker
- Aretha
- Who's Zoomin' Who?
- Aretha
- Greatest Hits: 1980-1994
- Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of Aretha Franklin 1980-1998
- Fate for Breakfast
- King of Blues: 1989
- Higher Ground
- Songbird
- Bodacious
- Right Here and Now
- Making Music
- The Essential Bill Withers
- B.C.
- Billy Preston & Syreeta
- Motivation
- New Warrior
- The Journey
- Boney's Funky Christmas
- Try and Love Again
- I Want You
- Silk Degrees
- Down Two Then Left
- Hits!
- My Time: The Anthology
- The Collection: Slow Dancer/Silk Degrees/Down Two Then Left
- Funky Entertainment
- On the Move
- Sonny & Brownie
- Dream a World: A Child's Journey to Self-Discovery
- Music For Young Masters: Secrets Of The Heart
- House of Love
- The Best of Candi Staton
- Candi/Young Hearts Run Free
- Music Speaks Louder Than Words/House of Love
- Absence Without Love/On & On
- Simply Carrie
- Let's Talk About Love
- Let's Talk About Love/Celine Dion
- My Love: Essential Collection
- Let's Talk About Love/A New Day Has Come
- The Collection: Let's Talk About Love/Falling into You/A New Day Has Come
- Let It All Go
- Celestine Prophecy
- Rock N Roll from Planet Earth
- Classics
- Paradise with an Ocean View
- Crowded House
- Crowded House/Temple of Low Men
- The Message Man: The Best of DJ Rogers
- Testimony
- Inspired by a True Story
- From the Heart
Dave Koz
- Lucky Man
- Off the Beaten Path
- The Christmas Album
- David T Walker
- Time Will Reveal: The Complete Motown Albums
- Debra Hurd
- Dee Dee Bridgewater
- Just Family
- Bad for Me
- Only the Best of Dee Dee Bridgewater
- Dee Dee Bridgewater /Just Family/Bad for Me/Dee Dee Bridgewater
- Straight from the Heart
- Blue Skies
- Dreams
- Never Too Far
- Aquarela do Brasil
- Sings Cole Porter/Aquarela do Brasil
- You Can Sing on the Left or Bark on the Right
- The Disney Afternoon Songbook: Music from Hit TV Shows
- The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song
- Disney's Music from the Park
- Disney's Rock-A-Bye Baby: Soft Hits for Little Rockers
- Heartbreaker
- Dolly
- Matrix Revolutions
- Raven
- Native Land
- Thank You...For F.U.M.L.
- Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C.
- Tango Palace
- Double Blessing
- Jungle Wave
- Rich Man's Woman
- Live & Learn
- The Fox
- Duets
- Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive
- The Very Best of England Dan & John Ford Coley
- The Magical Music of Disney
- Todo Historias
- Tutte Storie
- Donde Hay Música
- Dove C'e Musica
- Eros
- Cosas De La Vida
- Calma Apparente
- Alas y Raices
- Ali e Radici
- Eat at Whitey's
- Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford
- Poor Man's Son
Gene Page
- Lovelock!
- Close Encounters
- Give Me the Night
- The George Benson Collection
- While the City Sleeps
- The Best of George Benson
- Les Incontournables
- The George Benson Anthology
- The Greatest Hits of All
- Very Best of George Benson: The Greatest Hits of All
- Rhino Hi-Five: George Benson
- The Essential George Benson
- Snapshot
- Illusions
- Best of George Duke: The Elektra Years
- Is Love Enough?
- Cool
- Face the Music
- Duke
- Ultimate George Duke
- Dukey Treats
- DreamWeaver
- George Duke Collection
- Miss Gladys Knight
- Good Woman
- Rockin' Down The Road
- Misty Paradise
- Copout
- Harry Styles
- Marching in the Street
- Groovin' You
- Sho Nuff Groovin' You: The Arista Records Anthology 1975-1981
- "Easy Baby"
- Lite Me Up
- Hiroshima
- Odori
- Third Generation
- Another Place
- Go
- Ongaku
- East
- Providence
- L.A.
- Shamrocks and Shenanigans: The Best of House of Pain and Everlast
- A Portrait of Howard
- Carasmatic
- Irving Fields and His Trio at the Emerald Room
- Looking East
- The Essential Jaco Pastorius
- It's Your Night
- It's Real
- King Kong
- Dad Loves His Work
- JT/Flag/Dad Loves His Work
- When I Find You Love/Sweet and Wonderful
- American Dreams
- Swing Your Daddy
- Love Talk
- Swing Your Daddy/Love Talk
- Hymn for My Soul
- Roles
- Sample This
- The Best of Joe Sample
- Introducing Joe Sample
- Rhino Hi-Five: Joe Sample
- Joey Lawrence
- Little Head
- Ice Age: The Meltdown
- Chemistry
- Perfect Combination
- That's What Friends Are For/You Light Up My Life/Better Together: Duet
- Mathis on Broadway
- Johnny Mathis / Deniece Williams
- That's What Friends Are For
- Just Wanna Rock 'n' Roll
- Jose Feliciano
- Baby Sister
- 808s & Heartbreak
- Amazing
- Two Sides of the Moon -
- Kelis Was Here
Breathless
Breathless/At Last... The Duets Album
Kenny Loggins
Back to Avalon
The Unimaginable Life
Kenny Rankin
Silver Morning
Peaceful: The Best of Kenny Rankin
Kurt Bestor
Sketches
Larry Graham
Fired Up
Leo Sayer
- Leo Sayer
- Intimate
- Recent Songs
- Only The Best Of Les McCann
- Pump It Up
Woman Overboard
Linda Ronstadt
- Hasten Down the Wind
- Simple Dreams
- Living in the U.S.A.
- Greatest Hits, Volume Two
- The Linda Ronstadt Box Set
- 3 for One
- Back to Front
- You'll Never Know
- 3-Way Mirror
- Carolina Day: The Collection
- Songs
- The Ultimate Luther Vandross
- The Essential Luther Vandross
- Love, Luther
- The Music of Luther Vandross
- The Box Set Series
- Anastasia
- Smile
- Take Me with You
- Avenues of Love
- Handpicked
- I'm in Love Once Again
- The Unexpected Alliance
- Policy
- Martha Reeves
Michael Bolton
- The One Thing
- All That Matters
- Hits 1985-1995: Best of the Best Gold
- Michael Bolton
- Off the Wall
- HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
- Greatest Hits: HIStory, Vol. 1
- Off the Wall/Thriller
- The Ultimate Collection
- The Essential Michael Jackson
- King of Pop
- Off the Wall/Invincible
- The Collection
- White Night
- Back Again!!!
- Stay in Love
Sex & Soul: Mixed by Moog-Ly
Nancy Wilson
- Come Get to This
- This Mother's Daughter
- Forbidden Lover
- A Lady with a Song
- Greatest Hits
- All in Love Is Fair/Come Get to This
- Awakening
- The Dance of Life
- Victory
- Confidence
- Looking at You, Looking at Me
- The Nature of Things
- Ecstasy's Dance: The Best of Narada Michael Walden
- Awakening/The Dance Of Life
- Looking at You, Looking at Me/The Nature of Things/Divine Em
- Beautiful Noise
- The Greatest Hits
- In My Lifetime
- Classics: The Early Years/Jazz Singer/Beautiful Noise
- Living with War
Olivia Newton-John
Over the Rhine
- The Long Surrender
- Patrice
- Pizzazz
- Posh
- Now
- Anything But Ordinary
- Haven't You Heard: The Best of Patrice Rushen
- Patrice/Pizzazz/Posh
- Straight from the Heart/Now
- Remind Me: The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984
Patti Austin
- Patti Austin
- The Very Best of Patti Austin: The Singles
- Winner in You
- Be Yourself
- A Little Bit of Love
- The Best of Paul Williams
- Crossing
- Positive
- Through the Fire
- Born to Love
- Let's Love
- Mysterious Cargo
- Phyllis Hyman
- Goddess of Love
- The Legacy of Phyllis Hyman
- Rejoice Africa
- A Good Day
- Bamalama
- Body Heat
- Mellow Madness
- I Heard That!
- Roots: The Saga of an American Family
- The Dude
- Back on the Block
- From Q, With Love
- Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones
- Ultimate Collection
- Summer in the City
- Rachelle Ferrell
- Ramsey
- Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection
- Ultimate Hits Collection
- Genius Loves Company
- Forever Ray Charles
- Ray Simpson
- The Last Time Around 1970-1982
Vuelve
Ringo Starr
- Goodnight Vienna
- Ringo the 4th
Roberto Carlos
- Roberto Carlos
- Todas As Manhas
- Skydance
- God is Able
- Delight
- Fever
- Sahara
Russell Hitchcock
Sam Cardon
Innovators
Santana
Spirits Dancing in the Flesh
Sarah Vaughan
- Songs of the Beatles
- Partners
- Takin' It Easy
- Effective
- Side Effect/What You Need
- Kiss of Life
- Let Me Be Your Angel
- With You
- Sneakin' Out
- Sixteen
- The Very Best of Stacy Lattisaw
- Time Exposure
- Guitar & Bass
- 3
- The Clarke/Duke Project, Vols. 1-3
- Have You Ever Seen the Rain
- Betcha
- On a Misty Night
- No Protection
- No Protection/Love Among The Cannibals
- A+
- Talking Book
- Innervisions
- Fulfillingness' First Finale
- Original Musiquarium I
- The Definitive Collection
- No Fear Here
- Syreeta
- One to One
- Set My Love in Motion
- Syreeta/Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta
- Truly Blessed
- Night Grooves: The Blackbyrds' Greatest Hits
- Action/Better Days
- City Life/Unfinished Business
- Look Out for #1
- Right on Time
- Light Up the Night
- Winners
- The Jacksons: An American Dream
- Original Album Classics
- Triumph/Destiny
- Triumph
- The Best Remixes
- The Party
- The Best of the Rippingtons
- Testify
Tom Scott
- Target
- Verve Jazz Masters '59: Toots Thielemans
- Quiet Moon
- Direct
- Tracy Nelson
- Vanessa Rubin Sings
- Living on a Dream
- Whitney
- The Collection
- Big Easy Fantasy
- Backstreets of Desire
- Loup Garou
- Inherit the Wind