Hailing from San Francisco, California, Samaki Bennett joined a vocal/disco/funk group called The Variations, with other members El Rey Johnson, Don Juan and Paul Edwards. In the early 1970s, the group toured with James Brown as his opening act. With their flamboyant costumes and remarkable choreography, they were able to captivate the audience and receive standing ovations on a nightly basis. They even received attention in 1973, when the Montreal Gazette published a headline that read, "Variations Steal James Brown's Show."
"A Woman's Blues" is an extremely funky album which only slows down for a soulful track from Samaki on the title track "A Woman's Blues". The album is a nice mix of original songs and covers of legendary soul hits. Featured on the album is a funky two-part call to action song, "Help the Poor", that was written by Lee Variety and co-produced by Lee and Samaki.
