The Brothers and Sisters of L.A. were a one-shot studio group that brought together some of the best vocal talent on the West Coast for a one-of-a-kind recording project. In the '60s, Lou Adler was one of the leading record producers in Los Angeles, well known for his work with the Mamas and the Papas, Carole King, Johnny Rivers, and Spirit; he was also a label boss who founded two successful record companies, Dunhill and Ode. Adler was a great admirer of Bob Dylan, and he believed that too many artists had ignored the gospel influences in his songwriting. With that in mind, Adler got the idea to record an album that would feature some of Dylan's best-known songs in gospel-style arrangement, with the vocals provided by Los Angeles's best session vocalists, who in addition to backing the stars of the day often sang in church choirs in their spare time. The vocalists Adler recruited for the recording sessions included Merry Clayton (best known for her haunting solo on the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter"), Edna Wright (vocalist with the group Honey Cone, and sister of fellow studio vocal veteran Darlene Love), Gloria Jones (who in 1965 cut the original version of "Tainted Love"), Oma Drake (who worked with Neil Diamond, Leonard Cohen, and Judee Sill), Patrice Holloway (she provided the voice of Valerie on the animated television series Josie and the Pussycats), Clydie King (who cut sessions with Bob Dylan, Elton John, and Steely Dan), and Carolyn Willis (she has sessions with U2 and the Beach Boys on her résumé). Adler dubbed the ad-hoc choir the Brothers and Sisters of L.A., and the stellar vocal ensemble recorded the album, dubbed Dylan's Gospel, in four days in early June, 1969. While the album's gospel-style reworkings of songs like "I Shall Be Released," "The Mighty Quinn," and "All Around the Watchtower" were striking and passionate, it was a commercial disappointment, and Adler opted not to bring the group together again. In time, the album became a collectors' item with a cult following, and after Merry Clayton was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, Dylan's Gospel was reissued in 2014 by Light in the Attic Records. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi