Donations / World War III

Cleveland, late 60s - early 1970s

The Donations were a soul vocal group from Cleveland. The group included Walter Johnson, Sherman Satchel, Duane Gardner, and Eddie Brown. James Page, Travis Jones, and Lloyd Tucker were their managers.They recorded 2 45s for their own label, Dee'Os. The first 45 was a psychedelic soul/funk song "If The Bomb Falls" that had a strong topical message, similar to the Temptations records from the same time. The group decided to use the name World War III for the record, as they were trying to indentify with the underground music scene at the time. The song is in two parts over the 45 sides.

Their 2nd 45 was the nice midtempo "I'm Gonna Treat You Good" featuring strong harmonies. The record was a local hit and copies are still readily available in the used market.

The group goes back to 1966 when they started with Walter, Sherman, Duane, and Kenny Holloman. They mentioned in the Call and Post, credited with singing "Born To Love You" and "Stand In For Love", The O'Jays song that seemed to be in the repetoire of many Cleveland groups. They were a 5 member group in 1968, with Goodwin Black added to the primary four members.

An online bio by James Page says they made another 45 that predates the two described here, covers of "Ain't To Proud To Beg" and "Summertime". Other details of the record are not known to us.

Sherman Satchel and Walt Johnson are deceased

Discography:
If The Bomb Falls We're All Going Together (Part 1) / If The Bomb Falls We're All Going Together (Part 2) - Dee'Os 7194, 1971 (Boddie pressing number)
I'm Gonna Treat You Good (vocal) / I'm Gonna Treat You Good (instrumental) - Dee'Os 7303, 1973 (Boddie pressing number)