I’ve heard this song by Marvin, I’ve heard it by Dusty and I’ve heard it by the Stones, but until now I’d never heard it by Barbara til now. In fact I’d never heard of Barbara Randolph at all.

She was the adopted daughter of actress Lillian Randolph, who played the “coloured” cook and housekeeper Annie in It’s A Wonderful Life.

Barbara made her own acting debut at the age of eight in Harry Belafonte’s screen debut Bright Road, and her recording debut in 1960.

She spent a years as a member of The Platters before returning to the movies, appearing in Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner in 1967 – the same year she signed with Motown.

She toured with Marvin Gaye, and in the 1968 Motown Sound revue alongside The Four Tops, Hugh Masakela and Gladys Knight & The Pips, but only released two singles = for Motown’s subsidiary Soul label.

The first was the upbeat Northern Soul favourite I Got A Feeling, a Holland-Dozier-Holland composition first recorded by The Four Tops, and the second was the same songwriting team’s Can I Get A Witness.

Marvin recorded it first in 1963 over a boogie-woogie-influenced piano riff and sang it gospel-style, with backing vocals by The Supremes and the song’s composers, Holland-Dozier-Holland. Five years later Randolph funked it up, infusing it with soul and swing, power and passion.

The song has also been covered by Dusty (on her second EP in 1964), by The Rolling Stones (on their eponymous 1964 debut), The Supremes themselves (in 1966, but not released until 1987) and by Stevie Wonder (on I Was Made To Love Her in 1967), while Elton John sang it at Live Aid in 1985.