September Jones – The Enigmatic Solo Artist
In the mid-1960s, the R&B/soul scene produced many one-off artists and short-lived vocal groups whose histories have since become obscure. September Jones was a solo soul singer who recorded for Kapp Records in the 1960s, while The Geminis were a female vocal trio signed to RCA Victor around the same time. Given that both acts shared the same management (Gerard W. Purcell Associates) and era, some have speculated that September Jones might have been involved with The Geminis early in her career. To investigate this, we’ll examine the known career of September Jones, the membership of The Geminis, and any commentary or evidence linking the two.
September Jones remains something of a mystery in soul music history. She was a Detroit-based singer active in the mid-1960s, noted for her “amazing haunting voice”. In 1966–67 she released at least one single on Kapp Records: “I’m Coming Home” b/w “No More Love” (Kapp K-802). This recording – a upbeat soul number later cherished on the Northern Soul scene – was produced with involvement from Motown alumnus Jack Ashford and the Pied Piper production team. In fact, Jack Ashford (of the Funk Brothers) is credited with giving her the stage name “September Jones,” although even he does not recall her real name. This has made September Jones one of “soul music’s greatest enigmas,” with very little known about her life outside of her recordings.
Despite her talent and the quality of her recordings, September Jones never achieved wide fame. Beyond the Kapp single, collectors have since uncovered a few unreleased tracks she recorded in Detroit – for example, “Voodoo Mademoiselle” (1965) and a 1968 cover of James Brown’s “I’ll Go Crazy,” which surfaced on later compilations. All these recordings suggest she was active in the Detroit soul circuit. Notably, some of the same Pied Piper writers/producers (like Jack Ashford and Joe Hunter) who worked on September’s material also worked on other Gerard W. Purcell-managed acts, connecting her indirectly to projects on major labels like RCA and Brunswick.
Promotional photo of September Jones, taken during her time as a Kapp Records solo artist (circa 1966). Her distinctive stage name was given by Motown producer Jack Ashford. Little is known about her beyond a handful of Detroit-recorded soul tracks. She was managed by Gerard W. Purcell, as noted on the photo.
The Geminis – 1960s Vocal Trio on RCA Victor
The Geminis were a female soul vocal trio active in the mid-1960s, one of several girl groups of that era. Managed by Gerard W. Purcell & Associates (the same firm that managed September Jones), The Geminis were signed to RCA Victor and hailed from the East Coast (purportedly based in New York). Their lineup consisted of three women – sources identify the members as Carol Williams, Barbara Vaught, and Florence “Phepe” Washington. (Carol Williams would later find success as a disco singer in the 1970s, but at the time she was just starting out.)
In 1966, The Geminis scored a small R&B hit on the charts with their single “Get It On Home” on RCA Victor. They followed up with several further singles into 1967, including titles like “You Put a Hurtin’ On Me” and “I Hired the Girl”. While none of these became major crossover hits, they established The Geminis regionally as a promising girl group. An AllMusic biography of Carol Williams notes that “the trio scored a small R&B hit in 1966 on RCA with ‘Get It On Home,’ and recorded further singles such as ‘I Hired The Girl’ and ‘You Put A Hurting On Me’...”. Their records, characterized by upbeat arrangements and harmony vocals, have since become Northern Soul favorites.
After the stint on RCA, The Geminis even briefly signed with Brunswick Records around 1967–68, though it appears none of their Brunswick recordings made significant impact (some may not have been released or charted). Carol Williams later recalled her time in The Geminis as an important start to her career, where she honed her craft as a singer and even as a songwriter. Notably, throughout The Geminis’ known tenure, there were no publicized lineup changes – the group was consistently presented as a trio of the same three members in their promotional materials.
Promotional photo of The Geminis (RCA Victor, 1966), featuring the trio’s three members. Contemporary sources identify the lineup as Carol Williams (center), Florence “Phepe” Washington (left), and Barbara Vaught (right). The group was managed by Gerard W. Purcell & Associates and had a modest hit with “Get It On Home” in 1966.
Shared Management and Promotional Links
It is noteworthy that both September Jones and The Geminis were represented by Gerard W. Purcell’s management. Purcell was a New York-based manager and producer who assembled talent for various record labels in the 1960s. Under his wing, several Detroit soul acts were brought to major labels. For example, Purcell’s team (sometimes dubbed GWP Productions) worked with The Metros (a Detroit male group on RCA), Willie Kendrick (a Detroit singer on RCA), Sharon Scott (another soul singer), The Geminis on RCA, and September Jones on Kapp. This cluster of artists suggests Purcell had a pipeline of Detroit/New York soul talent in the mid-’60s.The promotional photos and press materials for September Jones and The Geminis even have a similar look and list the same management credits, which is one reason people draw a connection. In the September Jones publicity photo (see above), the caption reads “September Jones – Kapp Records” and at bottom “Personal Management: Gerard W. Purcell Associates Ltd.” In The Geminis’ group photo, the caption reads “The Geminis – Exclusive RCA Victor Recording Artists” with the same management line at bottom. This indicates Purcell was marketing them in parallel – one as a solo act, the others as a group. It’s not surprising, then, that some wondered if September Jones might have been one of the Geminis before going solo, or if the solo career was an offshoot of the group.
Additionally, there were musical ties behind the scenes. September Jones’s Kapp single was written and produced by the Pied Piper team (including Jack Ashford and Joe Hunter), who also worked on many Detroit soul recordings for RCA. It’s possible The Geminis’ recordings had some of the same producers or writers. (For instance, The Geminis’ “You Put A Hurtin’ On Me” (1966) was written by the Pied Piper songwriters Jack Ashford, Lorraine Chandler, and others – the same team behind September’s material.) These overlaps fuel the idea that Purcell’s artists were somewhat interconnected.
Was September Jones a Member of The Geminis?
Despite the connections in management and production, no definitive evidence has emerged that September Jones was ever one of the three women in The Geminis. All known historical records and expert testimonies identify The Geminis’ members as Carol Williams, Florence “Phepe” Washington, and Barbara Vaught – none of whom went by the name September Jones at the time. September Jones, as a stage name, was unique to the Detroit singer Jack Ashford worked with. In interviews and forum discussions, Carol Williams has not mentioned any singer named September Jones in her group, and Jack Ashford (who was closely involved in September’s career) did not mention her being in a group like The Geminis. In fact, Ashford implied that September Jones was a solo vocalist he and his team recruited in Detroit, not part of an established trio.Soul music historians and enthusiasts have actively researched this question. A recent deep-dive by collectors on the Soulful Detroit and DetroitYes forums sought to uncover September Jones’ identity and career. They contacted people who worked with her and other Detroit musicians. Notably, members of The Fabulous Counts (a Detroit band that is believed to have backed September Jones in studio) were asked about her – “even contacted members of The Fabulous Counts, a Detroit group that backed her. Yet, no one can confirm her…” true identity or any alias. If September Jones had been a performer under a different name (like one of the Geminis), presumably someone in those circles might recall that connection. But the consensus so far is that September Jones’s real identity remains unknown and there’s “no confirmation” of her being the same person as any member of The Geminis.
Furthermore, The Geminis did not undergo a lineup change (at least not one documented) during their RCA/Brunswick tenure. If September Jones had been part of the trio, one of the known three members would have had to be a pseudonym for her, or she would have replaced one of them at some point. There is no record of a member named “September” or a swap of personnel in The Geminis in the music trade papers or liner notes that have surfaced. Their releases and promotions consistently featured the same three faces (as in the photo above) and names. By contrast, September Jones was marketed separately as a solo act on a different label.
Expert Commentary and Conclusion
Music historians who have commented on this topic generally treat September Jones and The Geminis as separate entities. AllMusic’s biography of Carol Williams, for example, notes Carol’s early work with The Geminis and separately lists September Jones as another artist Purcell worked with, without suggesting they were one and the same. Derek Anderson, a soul music writer, recounts Carol Williams’ time in The Geminis and the singles they made, again with no mention of September Jones being involved with the group. Instead, September Jones is usually discussed in the context of Detroit’s Pied Piper productions and as a “mystery singer.”In summary, there is no concrete evidence that September Jones was ever a member of The Geminis. The two acts were contemporaries under the same management, which explains similarities in their promotion and perhaps why the question arises. Visually, one might observe a resemblance between September Jones’s solo publicity photo and the women in The Geminis’ photo, but this is anecdotal at best. All available documentation indicates that September Jones was a distinct solo artist (with a stage name created for her) and The Geminis were a distinct trio with their own members. Unless new information comes to light (for instance, if someone uncovers September Jones’s real name and it matches one of The Geminis, or an interview with a Geminis member recalling such a connection), we must conclude that September Jones was not one of the Geminis.
Latest Update: 27 June 2025
The Author, Allan Lane, has since been in correspondence with Carol Williams who was very clear that September Jones was never a member of The Geminis under her original name.On a separate note Detroit Soul devotees, Jim O'Hara, Jordan Wilson & Andy Rix recently had an article published in the Detroit Metro Times in their quest to locate the long lost vocalist - and word has it that they have been suiccessfull and all will be revealed very soon.
Sources:
Carol Williams biography and Derek Anderson’s music blog (history of The Geminis and their singles on RCA Victor).SoulfulDetroit/DetroitYes forums (testimony from Jack Ashford and researchers on September Jones’s identity).
Promotional materials and record label credits from the 1960s (Kapp and RCA Victor press releases, Record World magazine reviews).
“History of Soul Music” archives and Discogs entries (membership of The Geminis and management info).