Marshall, Donovan, Broomfield

Side A - Since I Found My Baby

Side B1 - Let Me Down Easy

Side B2 - That's Love

Catalogue # SJ563

Posted in: Release Listings

Release Date: Monday December 1st 2025

In 1978 a newly formed Augusta, Georgia group Marshall, Donovan and Broomfield chose to record cover versions of two songs previously recorded by Florida siblings Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. These Eddie Cornelius penned songs “Let me Down Easy” and “Since I Found My Baby” record by his family group in 1973 and 1974 and released on the United Artists label respectively would form both sides of Marshall, Donovan and Broomfield’s first 45 single release on group founder John Marshall’s own Augusta label. “let Me Down Easy” was a modest local radio turntable hit in and around Augusta at the time of release but it was the flipside “Since I Found My Baby” that would eventually find fame further afield when copies found in local Georgia record one stops found their way in to the UK where the song gained favour with aficionados of the growing UK modern soul scene of the early 1980’s and beyond. Nearly four decades on and Marshall, Donovan, Broomfield’s “Since I Found My Baby” is currently enjoying a very welcome renaissance and regularly selling for four figure sums.

John Marshall began his musical career in a high school group called The Fabulous Gardenias who recorded the doowop ballad “It’s You, You, You” backed with the up-tempo R n B mover “What’s The Matter With Me” released on R&B singer Tommy Brown’s local Liz label (named after his wife) in 1961. Often cited as being recorded in Detroit, John Marshall is adamant that the recording sessions were held at Atlanta. Tommy Brown did take the Gardenias to the Motorcity to audition at Motown, although nothing came of it for them, Tommy’s wife Liz Lands did land a recording contract with Berry Gordy placing her with his short-lived gospel label, Divinity before transferring her to his main Gordy label where she recorded the northern soul favourite with The Temptations “Midnight Johnny”. Unperturbed with his failure to place the Gardenias with Motown Tommy did manage to place the groups songs with the Atlanta based Fairlane label, which had some distribution with King Records in 1962. This time leading with “What’s The Matter With Me” and changing the flipside title to “Darling It’s You, You, You”. The line-up of the Fabulous Gardenias was John Marshall, the late Atlanta alumni Calvin Arnold, “Little” Joe Jones Jr (later of the Tams) and a fourth guy only remembered as Harold.

Following the break-up of the Gardenias circa late 1963, John Marshall continued with his day job working alongside his father as a pile driver within the Raymond Concrete Pile company (following bankruptcy later becoming the Bahrain based Raymond International). John would later return to a performing career following an invitation from his childhood friend Robert Lee Smith to join the celebrated Atlanta group the Tams. John also knew the Pope brothers Charles and Joseph, and Horace “Sonny” Keys from hanging around together as teenagers. The year was 1970 and with the Tams having left ABC-Paramount after a string of minor hits they signed to their mentor “Mr Atlanta Music” Bill Lowry’s 1-2-3 label releasing “Too Much Fooling Around/How Long Love”. 1-2-3 was a subsidiary of Capitol Records which saw the Tams later moving on to the main Capitol label with reworks of some of their earlier ABC material before resigning to ABC-Dunhill having hit big in the UK due to the re renewed interest and popularity of their 1964 release “Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me” especially on the northern soul scene. John Marshall regularly toured with the Tams throughout the USA but never joined them on any overseas tours with him leaving the Tams in early 1978.

Later in 1978 John Marshall having relocated to Augusta, GA the previous year was casually emptying the contents of his mailbox outside his home when a car suddenly pulled up. The driver called out “Hey I recognize you, you’re John Marshall you used to be with the Tams!” The driver continued to introduce himself as John Donovan stating that he too was a singer, followed by an impromptu performance, and hey! sure enough he could sing! A later introduction to Charles Broomfield (John Marshall’s next-door neighbour at the time) would lead to the formation of the group Marshall, Donovan, Broomfield with the addition of Mary Marshall and Pat Donavan (the then, two John’s respective wives) as backing vocalists. The previously mentioned group’s first release the John Donovan led “Let Me Down Easy/Since I Found My Baby” was recorded at the now defunct Jam Studio’s in Atlanta. Upon release, the “Let Me Down Easy “side received considerable local radio play but only led to the group performing a handful of local shows. On the strength of the group’s first release a second 45 release followed in 1980 “Let’s Dance/That’s Love” both sides of this 45 were penned by Harold Thomas a native of Charlston South Carolina who John Marshall knew from his time with the Tams, Thomas having been at one point part of Bill Pinkney & the Original Drifters and later the Tams management teams. This second 45 never gained the same local attention of “Let Me Down Easy” and after three years together the Marshall’s, Donovan’s and Charles Broomfield went their separate ways. John Marshall lost contact altogether with his former group members and left the music business taking up employment in the paper manufacturing business until his retirement from International Paper in 2013.

Due to the current resurgence of “Since I Found My Baby” we at Soul Junction retracked John Marshall an old acquittance from the past down, no easy task due to 85 years old John’s dislike of computers and social media. Having done so, Soul Junction now present to you the in demand “Since I Found My Baby” back with “Let Me Down Easy” with the addition of the excellent and lesser, known stepper “That’ Love” making this an excellent value 45 release.

Words By: David Welding
With acknowledgements to: John Marshall