Pure Essence

Cincinnati, mid 1970s

A soul group from the mid 1970s. Pure Essence was led by Jerome Richmond, who had been in the Combined Forces. He was a student at Hughes High School in Cincinnati and started the group with fellow students Antonio Reed and Steve Tucker. 

According to a 2016 interview with Reid, the group recorded a song called "Third Rock" that they took to local station WCIN, who did not respond favorably. The group recorded "Wake Up" on their own and released it around 1976 on their custom Mantra label. It's a nice funky soul song with a groove, extended across both sides of the record.

There's nothing in the Cincinnati papers about the group. In 2005, "Third Rock" was issued  by a Los Angeles record label, and re-released in 2017.

Antonio Reed was later known as LA Reid and has a impressive resume as record producer and executive through the present day (2022).

Discography:
Wake Up (Part I) / Wake Up (Part II) - Mantra 2477, c. 1976