Every Entry Into The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart- 1969- Part 17. All threee of these singles entered the Hot 100 on February 1969. I have only heard the Marvin Gaye-Tammi Terrell duet previously.

49. “Good Lovin’ Ain’t Easy To Come By”- Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Tamla. Soul. Written by  Nickolas Ashford and Valarie Simpson. B-side ” “Satisfied Feelin”.” The last Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duet single to make the Top 40- it peaked at #30 and was in the Hot 100 for 7 weeks. . Tammy Terrell died of a brain tumor in March 1970 at the age of 24. I have heard this song so often I thought it had to have been a bigger hit than what it was. Marvin would sing duets with other partners over the years but the best ones were with Tammi Terrell.   Grade: A.

50. ” Cloud Nine”- Mongo Santamaria. Columbia. Jazz. Soul. Written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield. B-side- Son-Of-A-Preacher Man. Mongo Santamaria was born in Havana , Cuba in 1922 and a bandleader and bongo and percussion player. He had 5 Hot 100 singles with 2 making the Top 40- his biggest hit was “Watermelon Man’ #10 in 1963. “Cloud Nine” was his second #32- and it spent 8 weeks in the Hot 100. Cloud Nine is an instrumental except for the chanting of “Cloud Nine.” A year earlier The Temptations had taken the song to #6 on the Hot 100. The b-side is a cover of the Dusty Springfield hit. Grade: B-.

51. “Soulshake”- Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson. SSS Int’t.  R&B, Soul. Written by Margaret Lewis and Myra Smith. B-side: We Were Made For Each Other. Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson had 5 Hot 100 singles with 3 cracking the Top 40- the highest charting one being 1968’s “Pickin’ Wild Mountain Berries” #27. “Soulshake” peaked at #37 and spent 6 weeks in the Hot 100.  Grade: B.