Mixed Feelings – Sha La LA

Side A:

Sha La LA

Written by Glenn Walling.

Produced by Mixed Feelings.

Originally released on United World Of Music Records.

Based in St. Matthews, South Carolina, Mixed Feelings band leader and keyboard player Glenn Walling never expected that “Sha-La-La” would become an international sensation three decades after its original release. Drafting it on the fly in under 20 minutes in 1976, he intended it for the flip side of the group’s self-proclaimed masterpiece, a country-inflected soul ballad entitled “Love Will Find A Way,” but the Nashville-based distributor inadvertently switched up the sides on the promotional copies. 

The Mixed Feelings grew out of the all-white Royals, an R&B/beach combo that Walling formed with friends from St. Matthews as well as nearby Orangeburg, South Carolina. The Royals met vocalist Arthur Donaldson in oksuccessfully auditioned him for lead vocalist, adding him as a permanent member the next year, and changing names to “Mixed Feelings.” The new handle reflected the group’s unheard-of integration as well as a “mixed” repertoire expanded to include doo-wop and Top-40.  

Soul-Cal Records, in coordination with Keb Darge and Kenny Dope at Kay-Dee Records, is pleased to breathe fresh air into the music of the Mixed Feelings, bringing it to the masses as a single sided 12″ release. Yeah, it’s good enough that we’ll release it without a b-side. With original copies of the record exchanging hands for $4,000 or more, it’s a steal.