Bassist Bates Leaves Mountaintops
for Solo Career
Rockin’ Mountain News
January 11, 1992
Jennifer Bates, vocalist and bassist for the Mountaintops, has left the group to pursue a solo career. Bates has signed a three-album contract with Incredible Records and will be entering the studio to begin work on her first project in May. According to her new manager, Albert Townsend of Incredible Records, she will spend the time between now and then working on new songs and selecting the members of her touring band. Townsend anticipates that the first album will be completed in time for Jennifer’s summer tour.
“It’s too bad the other ladies wouldn’t or couldn’t take this step with Jennifer,” laments Townsend. “I’m sorry to see such a popular band split up, but this is the music business, and you have to go where the business takes you.”
The split marks the end of a three-year odyssey for the quartet, one which began in a club in Los Angeles when local studio legend Connie Vandross began jamming onstage with drummer Shamika Jones at the Blue Oyster in San Diego. Within a week, both Ramona Wilcox and Jennifer Bates had joined the pair and the four had begun rehearsals as a working band. Their first album was sabotaged by poor production values and conflict over both the direction of the band and credit for the original songs they recorded, but by the end of the first year they had learned to work together. The group has been on the road for most of the time since then, with only the occasional hiatus. This is the first time that any member of the group has announced a permanent separation from the band.
Bates insists that the split from the Mountaintops was amicable. “I wish those girls all the best,” says Bates. “They’re all so very talented and we worked so well together. It’s a shame that I had to leave in order to fulfill my true potential. The Mountaintops were a part of my life for almost three years, and I’m going to miss them. And don’t count them out just because I’m no longer with them. They’ll be just fine.”
When contacted, Ramona Wilcox of the Mountaintops had no comment except to confirm Bates’ departure. When asked if the Mountaintops would disband, she insisted that the group would go on with their next scheduled engagement.
“The Mountaintops are not disbanding. We are moving forward with both our lineup changes and our bookings. We’re currently auditioning a new bassist and we’re considering adding another person who can play both guitar and keyboards to add versatility. We will also be looking for a studio to lay down tracks for our next album.”
Elvis Schafer, booking manager for Marlowe’s in Denver, confirmed that the club had booked the Mountaintops for the next two weeks. Schafer said that he knew of Bates’ separation from the group, and that Wilcox had informed him of the change before the engagement began. Schafer also expressed confidence in the band’s ability to please the club’s customers, despite the new lineup.
*****
Falling from the Mountaintop
Rockin’ Mountain News
February 2, 1992
by Joaquin Flores
The news shocked me when I first heard it almost a month ago. Jennifer Bates was leaving the Mountaintops? That vivacious redhead would no longer dominate the stage with her bass and her voice? The band was breaking up? Couldn’t be! The all-female quartet was too good, too close to hitting the big time to quit now! What had happened to them? Surely the problems weren’t so huge that they couldn’t repair them! They couldn’t split, not now!
But they had. Jennifer is no longer part of the band. She’s working on a solo career now, and some say she’s destined for stardom, that she might even edge Madonna aside the next time they hand out those Grammys.
But why? Why had Jennifer left? What was the real reason? I needed to find out.
I managed to catch up to the other three Mountaintops in Denver on the second night of a two-week stint at Marlowe’s. The first thing I noticed was that there were now five of them. The stage seemed a little crowded and the group seemed awkward. The new bassist, Lois Lane, can’t belt it out like Jennifer can, nor did her playing have the same edge that night. And the new guitarist/keyboardist, whose name I didn’t catch then, was just trying to find her way with the rest of the band. Still, I thought, they don’t sound bad, they just don’t sound like the Mountaintops I’d fallen in love with two years before.
I finally scheduled an interview with the group the day of their last show at Marlowe’s, and I was glad I did. All five women were laughing and joking with each other as the sound check broke up, trading barbs and teasing each other like old friends. When I got Connie Vandross alone to ask her about the differences between their current lineup and their old one, she smiled.
“Jennifer was and is a fantastic talent,” she insisted, “but she was always a little bit of a diva. If one of us got more vocal time than she did, you can bet we’d all hear about it. It was hard not to let her have her way because she’s so good, but Lois is just as skilled as Jennifer, and she doesn’t seem to care who gets how much mic time. And her sister is a joy to play with, too.”
Sister? “Yes. Lois and her younger sister Lucy. They’re fourteen months and three days apart and they won’t let us forget it, either. They used to be the Fast Lanes until they had a disaster similar to ours, except theirs happened onstage and they lost the third member of their group. Not lost like dead,” she laughed, “just like quit and gone home. We needed a bass player, they needed a job, and so we all agreed to give it a try here for two weeks.”
I asked her how it was working out and she laughed again.
“You’re kidding, right? Have you heard us lately?”
I admitted that I’d only caught one show on their second night.
“Then you have to come and hear us tonight! Ugh! We stunk our first couple of shows. I mean we were really bad. We were trying to force Lois into Jennifer’s slot, and she’s just not Jennifer.” She stopped and chuckled. “Actually, that’s not at all a bad thing. But we had to figure out how not to step on each other, both musically and literally. It took some time and some hard work.
“But all that’s changed now, ‘cause we have it figured out. Lucy and I are going to rip it up on ‘Still The One’ tonight! You know those snaky dual lines Orleans played on that song? Lucy and I have them beat by a mile! She’s so much fun to play with. She and Lois both just want the song to succeed and they don’t care who’s out front as long as the song works.”
I asked her about Jennifer’s departure and she smiled, then shook her lovely blond mane.
“You’ll have to talk to Mama Mona about that. Us little peons don’t discuss band business with outsiders. Look, I have to get back. You’re coming tonight, right? Maybe you can catch Ramona after the show.”
I stayed. And I’m glad that I did.
Everything Connie had told me about the new lineup was true, and she hadn’t told me a quarter of what they could do now. With Jennifer Bates on bass, the Mountaintops could rock with the best of them, but with Lois Lane on bass their sound is somehow broader and smoother without losing one iota of power. And Lucy Lane does indeed complement Connie on guitar, but I thought the whole band took off when they combined Lucy’s keyboards with Ramona’s piano and sent “I’m So Excited” into the stratosphere. With Lois, Connie, and drummer Shamika Jones on vocals, and with Lois and Connie dancing across the stage during the piano break, they brought down the house and then put it back together again. And with five voices, the group can sing harmonies that were impossible before.
I did manage to catch Ramona just after the show, and she agreed to chat with me for a few minutes. I asked her if Jennifer’s version of the split was accurate.
She frowned at me and shook her head. “I’m not going to start a war of words with Jennifer or anyone else from Incredible Records,” she insisted. “I’m not happy that Jen left us the way she did, but things seem to have worked out for the best for all concerned.”
I asked if she meant that Jennifer had left without giving notice.
I was reminded that Ramona doesn’t like to repeat herself. “Were you not listening to me, Joaquin? What did I just tell you?” When I pressed her to either confirm or deny that Jennifer’s departure was an ‘amicable split,’ she frowned again.
“The only thing I’m going to say on the subject is that we’re extremely fortunate to have connected with Lois and Lucy Lane. Jennifer’s departure has changed our look and our sound, and I understand if our fans aren’t all that happy with the difference. But if they’ll give us a chance, I think they’ll see that we have just as much to offer them now as we did before, if not more. Lucy and Lois are fantastic musicians, and I think we’re going to make our mark on the business very soon.”
I wondered aloud if Jennifer’s new album deal was a problem for the remaining Mountaintops.
“You’d have to ask the others that question, but as for me I’m not upset. I hope Jen does very well. She certainly has the talent for it, and I wish her all the best.”
I remarked that there had been rumors of problems between Connie and Jennifer over the past few months.
“I don’t know where you heard that,” she growled at me. “Connie and Jennifer got along as well as two women cooped up in a tour bus for nine months out of the year could. Sure, they had their differences, but what band doesn’t? I’ve had arguments with all three of the others at times, but we always solved the problems internally.”
I mentioned Jennifer’s departure as evidence to the contrary.
Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. “You’re starting to be a pest, Joaquin. Look, you can either refuse to accept what I’ve told you and go back to Jennifer for another juicy quote, or you can believe my version of the story and print it. Either way, none of us is going to slam Jennifer Bates in print to boost your circulation.”
At that, she stood and walked away. As I turned to go, I saw the band’s new bassist walking in my direction. I stopped her and asked about Jennifer.
Lois shrugged. “I’ve never met her, so I can’t tell you a thing about her. All I know is that my sister and I are with the Mountaintops for the duration of this engagement.”
I asked, You mean you’re not officially part of the band?
“No. That’s what we all agreed when we took the gig. But Lucy and I are meeting with the others tomorrow at lunch to discuss our future with them – which I really hope we have, because these ladies are terrific people and wonderful musicians – but nothing’s written in stone yet. Check back with us tomorrow afternoon. We may have a breaking story for you.”
I did. And they did. Lois and Lucy Lane are now officially part of the Mountaintops. And I cannot say enough about the level of talent and high degree of professionalism displayed by these two young women. They are definitely an asset to the group and can only get better as time goes on.
Some of the band’s fans have expressed concern or dismay at the direction the group is taking, but I think they’re doing the right thing. It’s my considered opinion that the Mountaintops will regain their place in the hearts and minds of their many fans and go on to make many more. The fallout from the split with Jennifer won’t go away immediately, and it will probably slow them down a little, but if this quintet follows the course they’ve laid out, they’ll be just fine.
