Yes, I'm Ready


"Yes, I'm Ready" is a song by Barbara Mason from her album Yes, I'm Ready. It has been covered by numerous artists, and was a hit single for Teri DeSario and K.C. when they recorded a duet version in 1979.

Barbara Mason

Mason, a soul / R&B singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had released a few singles while she was a teenager in the mid-1960s. "Yes, I'm Ready" became Mason's first big hit on the music charts, peaking at No.2 on the Billboard R&B chart, and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1965. While Mason would continue recording into the 1980s, this song has been her highest-charting hit. Mason later re-recorded the song for her 1973 album, Give Me Your Love. The key personnel who helped bring this hit recording to life later became the important creators of the "Philly Sound". These people include: Kenny Gamble as a backup singer, Bobby Eli and Norman Harris on guitar, Ronnie Baker on bass and Earl Young on drums.

Teri DeSario

DeSario, a vocalist from Miami, Florida, was a high school classmate of Harry Wayne Casey, best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter for KC and the Sunshine Band. Casey liked the original recording and wanted to record a cover version of the song, and he was producing DeSario's second studio album, Moonlight Madness, for Casablanca Records. Neil Bogart, president of the record label, had an idea to record the song as a duet, and it was the first single released from the album in late 1979. Their version of the song spent two weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1980, kept from the summit by "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by the rock group Queen. It also spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart and reached No. 20 on the Billboard R&B chart, earning Gold Record certification from the RIAA.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

;Barbara Mason
Chart Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles12
US Billboard Hot 1005
US Billboard R&B2
US Cash Box Top 1003

Year-end charts

;Tom Sullivan
Chart Peak
position
US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100103
US Billboard Adult Contemporary44

;Teri DeSario with K.C.
Chart Peak
position
Australia 30
Belgium20
Canada RPM Top Singles10
Netherlands21
New Zealand 8
US Billboard Adult Contemporary1
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs20
US Billboard Hot 1002

Chart Rank
Canada73
US Billboard Hot 10024
US Cash Box34

Other versions

"Yes, I'm Ready" has been covered by other artists, including Mona Carita, Shirley Ellis, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Maureen McGovern, Jeffrey Osborne, and Carla Thomas. It was recorded as a duet by the artist Jed and American singer La Toya Jackson. This single was released only in 7" format in Japan, where it failed to chart. It was not included on any of Jackson's albums and includes the instrumental version on the B-side. In 1997, teenage singing sensation Kimberly Scott, mostly known for her hit "Tuck Me In", covered this song with Taiwanese musician Harlem Yu, arranged by Eric Hung which was included in Harlem Yu's 1997 English cover album "Harlem Music Channel".
Chicago's hit "Beginnings" includes the line "I don't even know how to hold your hand" from "Yes, I'm Ready".
Barbara Mason's original 1965 recording was sampled by Phantogram for their 2013 hit single "Fall In Love." This version was also sampled by American Rapper Key Glock, for his song "She Ready"