Richard "Dimples" Fields

Eighties soft-toned vocalist Richard "Dimples" Fields topped the R&B charts with the world weary-toned mid-tempo groover "If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another" with its everyman spoken section. Fields is also known for "She's Got Papers on Me," a radio-aired track from his Dimples LP (issued as a promotion-only single), which featured a harpy-ish monologue by Betty Wright. Owner of the Cold Duck Lounge in San Francisco, CA, Fields began putting out his own albums in the late '70s. Garnering attention and sales in the Bay Area, he was signed to Neil Bogart's Boardwalk Records. His first charting single was a cover of the Penguins' million-selling 1954 hit "Earth Angel," which peaked at number 81 R&B in summer 1981. That was followed by "I've Got to Learn to Say No!" Fields wrote the sketch for what would be his 1982 number one R&B hit "If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another" while still in high school. Basically his view on world situations, the song struck a responsive chord with listeners almost immediately endearing him to them. It was originally included on the San Francisco-based singer's Spoiled Rotten LP, the third release of his locally released albums. While at a car dealership, Fields ran into a high school friend. She encouraged him to re-record "If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another." He worked with Belinda Wilson, who added her ideas to the song, such as upping the tempo from the original ballad mode to that of a mid-tempo tune. Included on his Mr. Look So Good! album, the track went to number one R&B for three weeks in early 1982. Fields had more everyman-theme singles that charted: "People Treat You Funky (When Ya Ain't Got No Money!)" and "Don't You Ever Stop Chasing Your Dreams (Part 1)." Another song that dealt with fidelity, "Your Wife Is Cheating on Us,"...