Showstoppers

The Showstoppers were a four-piece vocal soul group from Philadelphia, their line-up including Alex and Laddie, younger brothers of Solomon Burke. They are best remembered for their 1968 hit ‘Ain’t Nothin’ But a Houseparty’, which was released on the local Philly label Showtime and sold well locally, but despite rights being acquired for national release by MGM, failed to become a national hit. However it caught on with DJs in the UK, was released on the small London independent label Beacon (giving it its only hit), reached No. 11 in 1968 and made the charts again on reissue in 1971, reaching No. 33. Regarded as a Northern soul classic, the song has since been covered by the Tremeloes, the Paper Dolls, and the J Geils Band, who had a US hit with it in 1973. The Showstoppers also had a minor UK hit later in 1968 with ‘Eeny Meeny’, which reached No. 33, but the subsequent single ‘Shake Your Mini’ was unsuccessful. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.