Lost Gem: Living Proof had a moment on "Hold On to Your Dreams"

Lost Gem: Living Proof had a moment on "Hold On to Your Dreams"

If you were driving around Detroit with your top down in the Summer of 1986, you were no doubt regularly hearing an inspirational ballad about sticking with your life vision. Written by Motown legend Ivy Hunter, "Hold On To Your Dreams" was recorded at various times by The Staple Singers, Wee Gee (of The Dramatics), and the Chi-Lites. But that Summer came perhaps the best version of the now classic song.

Detroit's own Living Proof - Rick Gibson, Anthony Pilgrim, Sonny Thomas, Willie Gibson and Bernard Gibson (who was part of the group Five Special and later a member of Dennis Edwards' Temptations Revue) worked with local DJ legend Foody and with arranger Carl Small to put together a powerful cover, complete with ethereal backing vocals and a real gravitas. The song received play locally, before getting picked up nationally by Fantasy Records and climbing halfway up the R&B charts.  With the help of Foody, the group, formerly called The Expectations had gathered a nice following in the Motor City, and this was their first major national recognition.

What is most notable about the song is both its innocence and its conviction in the power of dreams and a better future - in a way that few modern R&B songs even attempt to capture. And though we never heard again from Living Proof, they delivered a real keeper. It touched us then, and it still touches today. "Hold On To Your Dreams" is our latest SoulTracks Lost Gem. Check it out below and let us know what you think.

By Chris Rizik

Living Proof
"Hold On To Your Dreams"