Motown News
MOTOWN GOSSIP
MUSIC NEWS, BREAKING STORIES
NOVEMBER 2012
MOTOWN NEWS & GOSSIP !!
SEXY SUPREME SCHERRIE PAYNE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
September 14, 15, 16th - Donald B Welch Presents...... "It Always Rains On Sunday." The new stage play by SCHERRIE PAYNE. Opens at The Stage 52 Playhouse in Los Angeles, CA. Performances are scheduled for September 14th and 15th at 8:00 pm, and Sept. 16th at 6:00 pm. All seats are $25.00. Tickets go on sale Monday, July 9th at 10:00 am and can only be obtained by purchasing them from Inglewood Tickets at 310-671-6400. Group discounts are only for groups of 20 or more at a $5.00 dollar discount. Call 818-487-5715 for group sales. This number is not for single seats or general questions.
NEW RELEASE FROM THE PAYNE KILLER ... SCHERRIE PAYNE
Are you ready to "Let Yourself Go?" Order Scherrie Payne's new single produced by Rick Gianatos it's available on iTunes and amazon.com.
Claudette Robinson has a new website that is fabulous. Go check it out!
ClaudetteRobinson.com
WINE WOMEN AND SONG
HAL AWARDS THIS YEAR SALUTES THE ISLEY BROTHERS
Insiders have reporter to Chicano Magazine that Thelma Houston, and Freda Payne will be among the artists to perform !!
Here's more:
HAL 23nd Annual Celebration
Weekend Schedule
Friday, September 21 – Sunday, September 23, 2012
Friday, September 21,
Welcome Reception
Mondrian Hotel
Penthouse
8440 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood
7:pm - 11:pm
$35.00
Ticket Required
Saturday, September 22
Celebrity Autograph Signing
& Breakfast
Le Parc Hotel
733 North West Knoll Drive
West Hollywood, CA 90069
10:30 – 12:30pm
$25.00
Ticket Required
celebrity signing schedule
coming soon!~
Legends of Soul Show
Foundation Room
House of Blues
8430 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
7:00pm – 9:00pm
$45.00
Ticket Required
Sunday September 23
Beverly Hills Hotel
Tribute to Heroes And Legends
Silent Auction, Dinner and Awards
Press Reception
Silent Auction
4:30 – 6pm
Dinner
6-7pm
Awards Presentation
7-9pm
Tickets
Entire Weekend - $325
Best Value!
Awards Dinner - $250
Friday/Saturday events - $95
Celebrity Breakfast - $20
Welcome Reception - $30
Legends of Soul Show - $45
Order today!
Online or call 310-274-1609
Stay at participating hotels
and receive special Heroes And Legends group rates!
Accommodations
The obituary for Funk Brothers musician Bob Babbitt is forwarded...FYI...Ron Brewington, Motown Alumni Association (MAA)
OBITUARY: LEGENDARY FUNK BROTHERS BASSIST BOB BABBITT
Bob Babbitt, a bass player who became world-renowned for his studio work at Motown Records and, as an independent musician, with a host of celebrated stars, passed away this morning, July 16, in Nashville, TN of complications from brain cancer at the age 74 according to his manager, David Spero. Babbitt was a Nashville resident for the last 26 years. Babbitt is survived by his wife, Ann Kreinar, and their three children, Carolyn, Joseph and Karen. A memorial is being planned for late August in Nashville. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville TN.
Born Robert Kreinar 11/26/37 in Pittsburg, PA, Babbitt started his career freelancing around Detroit in the mid-1960s, playing on several national soul and pop hits; he joined Stevie Wonder's touring band in 1966. A year later he was invited to join Motown’s house band, a.k.a. the Funk Brothers, to help meet demand at the company’s constantly busy recording studios. Babbitt was the only one tough enough to work in the shadow of Motown’s already-legendary bassist James Jamerson and assert his own identity onto some of Motown's biggest hits.
At Motown, Babbitt had a prolific six-year run, particularly with producer Norman Whitfield, for whom he played on such hits as the Temptations’ “Ball Of Confusion (That’s The World Is Today),” the Undisputed Truth’s “Smiling Faces Sometimes” and Edwin Starr’s "War"; with other producers he is the bassist on Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “The Tears Of A Clown,” Stevie Wonder’s "We Can Work It Out," and, at a session he recalled proudly throughout his life, one half of Marvin Gaye’s epic 1971 album What’s Going On, in which Babbit anchored the rhythm section from “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” through “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).” (Jamerson played the other half.)
After leaving Motown, Babbitt’s career continued to flourish, recording with such greats as Bette Midler, Jim Croce, Bonnie Raitt and Frank Sinatra. He teamed up with producer Thom Bell and recorded on such Spinners classics as “Then Came You,” “Games People Play” and “The Rubberband Man.” He was also very proud of his work on the Jimi Hendrix album Crash Landing. In his incredible career, Babbitt has earned 25 gold and platinum records and played on more than 200 top 40 hits, from Gladys Knight & the Pips’ Grammy® Hall of Fame hit “Midnight Train To Georgia” and the Manhattans “Kiss And Say Goodbye” to Barry Manilow’s “Ready To Take A Chance Again” and Elton John’s “Mama Can’t Buy You Love.”
In 2002, Babbitt, representing himself and the legacy of James Jamerson, was the featured bass player in the Artisan documentary film Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, based on a book of the same name that told the then-little-known story of the Funk Brothers band. The film won Best Non-Fiction Film at both the 2002 New York Film Critics Circle, and the 2002 National Society of Film Critics. The soundtrack, released through Universal Music Enterprises, earned the Funk Brothers two Grammy® awards in 2003 for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, “What’s Going On,” an award they shared with Chaka Khan. Babbitt and other Funk Brothers attended the Grammy ceremony in New York City.
In 2004, Babbitt, as a member of the Funk Brothers, was presented with a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award by The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. Babbitt appeared twice with the Funk Brothers on American Idol, in 2009 and in 2011; in between he was also a featured musician on Phil Collins’ 2010 album, Going Back. Bob was presented with his own ‘Star’ on the Nashville Walk of Fame just last week.
From Rolling Stone:
Wanda Jackson turns 75 in October, but the rockabilly icon shows little sign of slowing down. On October 9th, Jackson will release Unfinished Business – her 31st studio album – on Sugar Hill Records. With production by folk musician Justin Townes Earle, the album features performances of Woody Guthrie's "California Stars" (later set to music by Wilco) and Bobby and Shirley Womack's "It's All Over Now."
According to the singer, working with Earle encouraged her to return to her roots.
"From day one I really liked Justin's idea to take me back to my roots and make a record of country, blues, and rockabilly songs," Jackson tells Rolling Stone. "The band was extra tight and great to work with during the whole process. The record just sounds terrific and I'm hoping that my fans enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it."
In a short video from Nashville's House of David Studios, Jackson boasts of her country credibility. "I'm country music's first sex symbol, believe it or not," she declares. "And Bob Dylan called me a 'Hurricane in Lipstick.'"
Watch Jackson's short video above, and check out the track listing for Unfinished Business:
"I'm Tore Down"
"The Graveyard Shift"
"Am I Even a Memory" (feat. Justin Townes Earle)
"Pushover"
"It's All Over Now"
"Two Hands"
"Old Weakness"
"What Do You Do When You're Lonesome"
"Down Past the Bottom"
"California Stars"
To preview the album visit Wanda's official website at http://www.WandaJackson.com
The Queen of Soul ETTA JAMES gone but not forgotten
By Manuel Esparza/chicano-magazine.com
ETTA JAMES, Baby Washington, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, were just a few of the soul women that hailed as Queen of Soul. Etta was the original Queen of the Soul long before Tina or Aretha leaving Baby Washington runner up to Miss James, at least in my book and other real hard core soul music fans who will say hands down, it was Ruth Brown.
Yes, Etta is gone but she is not forgotten. You all can Google Etta’s life story and music history. I want to share with you a moment in my life that I spent with the company of a Queen. One evening after one of Etta’s shows at the Strand in Redondo Beach, after the show or gig as Etta would probably say it, we ran into each other but really I was waiting for Etta to come out, and she recognized me as “Mary’s boy,” I was hanging with Mary Wells at the time. Etta told me quick and fast, “Hey, Spookey, what’s up? How’s Mary doing? Mary’s doing fine I told Etta, she had just finished a show where she burned up the stage but yet she still concern over her dear friend Mary Wells, a sweet lady; one that I will always remember. What’s my favorite Etta James song? Like Aretha Franklin, I pick “Pushover,” I love to dance to “Tell Mama.” Etta James is also a personal favorite of Diana Ross.
SAD NOTE: Legendary band leader JOHNNY OTIS dies a day before Miss Etta James. Johnny Otis discovered Etta at age 15, along with Sugar Pie DeSanto, Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, and others. Otis scored with a huge hit “Willie Hand Jive.”
WALTER GAINES of Motown’s The Originals Dies in Los Angeles
By Manuel Esparza/www.chicano-magazine.com
Singer Walter Gaines, a member of the Motown singing group The Originals, has passed away. From their beginnings in the early 60’s, the Originals had several ground breaking records that topped the pop and soul charts including such classics as “The Bells,” and “Baby I’m For Reals.” Other favorites include “Touch,” “Oh, You Put a Crush on Me,” “Good Lovin’ Is Just a Dime Away,” along with their smash disco dance hit “Down To Love Down.”
The Essential Etta James
By Larry Buford
She could screech like a wildcat or purr like a kitten, but when you heard it you knew it was unmistakably the voice of Etta James – the legendary singer who passed away Friday January 20, 2012 after a lengthy battle with leukemia. She will be remembered for her extraordinary recordings and stage performances.
There exists an extensive collection of some of her early hits titled The Essential Etta James. Reading through some of the song titles is like reading a fragmented love letter. Weaving them together could look something like this:
[“My Dearest Darling” when we first started seeing each other I told you I wanted “A Sunday Kind Of Love.” Do you remember? You thought I was kidding with all those jive-talking men hittin’ on me, and I whispered “I Prefer You.” I asked, “Would It Make Any Difference To You” if you knew I’d been watching you and hoping we could get together? I would have done or gone through “Anything To Say You’re Mine.” You looked so sincere when you asked “Baby What You Want Me To Do?” Then you kissed me on the cheek, and sent chills down my spine. That night we got “All The Way Down” and it was wonderful!
After that I heard nothing from you for days and my thoughts of you made me “A Prisoner Of Love.” Finally when you came by to see me I was “Feeling Uneasy” until you took me in your “Lovin’ Arms” and held me tight. I cried tears of joy and thought to myself, “Something’s Got A Hold On Me” – I knew right then I was hooked on your love. I said “If I Can’t Have You” I don’t want anybody else. You looked me in the eyes, told me you loved me and said, “Don’t Cry Baby,” “Trust In Me.” That was the assurance and the “Security” that I needed. “At Last” I had found my true love; my knight in shining armor. As time went on I began “Loving You More Everyday.” I treasured what we had.
Then one day I found out you were seeing someone else. I didn’t want to believe it at first but when I went down that night to club “In The Basement” and saw you and her talking, something told me it was over. I lost control and made a big scene. You had been taking me for a “Pushover” while I was being your “Seven Day Fool.” I was devastated and “All I Could Do Was Cry.”
Soon after we broke up I heard it through the grapevine that you were going to be married. I cried so much I had to go “Tell Mama.” I told her “I’d Rather Go Blind” than to see you married to someone else. Mama said, ‘If you feel that way then go “Stop The Wedding.”’ I was “Almost Persuaded” but decided not to go. Instead, I went to the club and sat for hours thinking about all “These Foolish Things.” Then I told Joe to give me “One For My Baby (And One For The Road).” “Fool That I Am” for falling in love with you.]
In the collection’s liner notes – written by biographer David Ritz – James is quoted: “It was a roller-coaster ride,” she says with a sigh, her mind racing with a million memories. “Man, it was absolutely crazy. But when I listen to the music on these discs, when I think of the producers and writers and musicians who gave me their talents and hearts, when I hear all the different kinds of songs I sang, the different styles, the different feelings I expressed…well I know I’ve been blessed.”
In appreciation, we thank you Ms. Etta James for the many songs that became some of the best and most memorable soundtracks of our lives.
Larry Buford is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer. Author of “Things Are Gettin’ Outta Hand” (Steuben Pub) www.amazon.com. Available at Smiley’s Bookstore in Carson CA, Skylight Books, Los Angeles, and Chaucer’s in Santa Barbara CA. Visit the author at www.larrybuford.com. (213) 220-8101
Larry Buford
http://www.larrybuford.com/
2011 HAL AWARDS BECOMES A MOTOWN SHOW DOWN!!
Lenny Williams joins The Temptations, Jean Terrell, and Martha Reeves in Beverly Hills
By Manuel “Spookey” Esparza www.chicano-magazine.com
A Motown family reunion would be best fit for these years 2011 Heroes and Legends Awards produced by the Godmother of Motown, Janie Bradford, without her works these kinds of events of reuniting the Motown family would never happen.
I was thrill to find out that I would be invited to the awards show and also the Soul Legend show hosted the night before at the House of Blues starring Motown super legend Brenda Holloway with special guest Vermetta Royster of Sisters Love, and Al B. Sure. (Thank God, Phil Spector wasn’t there)
A sure fire soul singer by the name of Vermetta Royster formely of the 70’s soul girl group Sisters Love opened the show singing jazz standards and really pouring heart and emotion in every song she did. What a wonderful artist she is but then it was star time and that meant only one thing, BRENDA HOLLOWAY WAS NEXT!!
The Motown star was dressed in a hot red lacy gown, as Miss Holloway sang through a number of her own Motown hits, “When I’m Gone,” “Just Look What You Have Done,” along with “Every Little Bit Hurts,” and midway thru that song Brenda sang the Marvin Gaye classic, “Distant Lover.” Holloway announced that she would sing a tribtute to the late great Miss Mary Wells, as she started rockin’ the house with “The One Who Really Loves, You,” “Two Lovers,” “You Beat Me To The Punch,” and “My Guy.” This was such a special night as Brenda brought love and peace to all of Mary’s devoted fans, including me. Attending the event was Iris Gordy, ex-wife of Motown legend Johnny Bristol, and a producer of the late 70’s girl group High Ingery, “You Can’t Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On”) fame, also the first Lady of Motown Claudette Robinson was in the house with the wife of Ronnie White of The Miracles. Soul legend Lenny Williams was there driving all the ladies crazy, but his lovely wife Debbie was there keeping an eye on him, Oh, oh oh!!
After an evening of pure Motown sexy soul from; the one and only Miss Brenda Holloway, I knew forsure I could not miss the Heroes and Legends Awards the next day honoring Bobby Womack, Ray Parker, Jr., and The Temptations !!
As always, Spookey was one of the first celebrities there (don’t hate), but after a few hours, the stars started pouring in one by one, two by two, and three by three.
First to arrive was handsome Dennis Edwards of the Temptations, followed by Otis Williams and his new group, then out of nowhere … Mr. Berry Gordy, Jr., arrived, this time early that he caught me off guard. (Can you imagine that?). Motown and Stax legend Mable John arrived along with Betty Kelly of Martha and The Vandellas, as well as Eddie and Brian Holland, sexy singer Freda Payne, and my favorite Supreme Scherrie Payne, along with the sexy little bundle of joy, Joyce Vincent Wilson of Tony Orlando and Dawn, and the lovely Claudette Robinson of The Miracles, but guess what? While Spookey was at the bar at the Beverly Hills Hotel, super stars were entering left and right as Martha Reeves arrived as well as Jean Terrell, the lead singer of The 70’s Supremes, and Motown legend Louvain Demps of the Andates. This was a Magical Motown night. The great Anna Gordy Gaye was in attendance along with Pop and soul TV star Brandy !!
I was running around everywhere … having a greatest time in my life and when the evening ended Janie Bradford and I parted ways, and I was able to thank her for all her love and support with a special gift that I brought her. I gave Janie a kiss and off I went home as the Motown stars stayed for the after party. Why didn’t I stay? I had enough and they had enough of me but Lenny William’s wife did invite me to Lenny’s show at the Grove of Anaheim in November 12, with the Whispers, kool. By the way, Mr. Bobby Womack didn’t show up for the awards show but you know what, he wasn’t even missed.
A Man that will always be loved and never forgotten … Nick Ashford
By Manuel Esparza/www.chicano-magazine.com
When I start to think about the music of Ashford & Simpson, it goes way back to the good ole days as a child. Walking to school with my little radio listening to KGFJ or 1580 K-Day, always hoping to hear again this pretty little song that was so irresistible, “Silly Wasn’t I,” by a new singer named Valerie Simpson, and to boot she was a new Motown artist.
This was 1972, when The Honey Cone, Jean Knight and Donnie Elbert were stomping with “One Monkey,” “Mr. Big Stuff,” and the greatest soul record ever made, “Where Did Our Love Go,” by Donnie, but here I was in love with this song, “Silly, Wasn’t I,” and at my age it took me a few more years to find it and own it as one of my favorite 45’s.
By this time, I was already in love with Diana Ross and The Supremes but as the years went by, I knew enough about Valerie Simpson that she and her future husband wrote and produced several Motown songs that I loved, “Destination Anywhere,” for the Marvelettes. All of the great hits by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, plus the supreme stuff they did on Diana Ross like “Surrender,” “Remember Me,” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Wow, then Valerie had a few albums of her own on Tamla, making “I Believe I’m Gonna Take This Ride,” another favorite of mine. Later falling in love with “Love Woke Me Up This Morning,” to name a few but it wasn’t until Valerie left Motown with Nick Ashford and signed a recording deal with Warner Brothers, as a singing duo that they started making a name for themselves as one of the greatest soul singing duos of all time. This was 1973.
Well, since then till now, I have been a big time Ashford & Simpson fan. And, I mean hardcore. From the start I loved “Main Line,” but “Don’t Fight It,” was my song. Everything they did was alright with me … Songs like “Somebody Told a Lie,” “Believe In Me,” “Destiny,” “Tried, Tested and Found True,” were always playing on my record player. I bought all their album releases and 45’s. As I grew old enough, and got to see them in concert when they came to California, and yes … I was backstage with Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson. I was pretty excited and thrilled and will always cherish those special moments.
It’s true. Nick Ashford just passed away. August 21, 2011. A man that will always be loved, and never forgotten. My prayers for his wife Valerie Simpson and family.
NICK ASHFORD … My Kind of Pick Me Up !!
“Spookey” Orange, CA
Special Up-date ..Motown Legends was canned because of behind-the scene problems, no no not with The Vandellas, and not with
Brenda Hlloway or Kim Weston. The whole Festival was canned so this show didn't happen. Thanks to Rudy Calvo or Spookey would
have been driving to Hollywood looking for those sexy Vandellas !!
WOMEN MOTOWN … COME TO SUNSET JUNCTION
Motown legends The Vandellas will be Dancing in The Streets of Sunset Junction
By Manuel Esparza, Chicano Magazine www.chicano-magazine.com
Get ready ‘cause here they come … Motown superstar legends The Vandellas Rosalind Ashford and Annette Sterling join Brenda Holloway, and the sensational Kim Weston at this years Sunset Junction in Silver Lake, that’s when they close down Sunset Boulevard and the party starts. Women of Motown are set for Saturday August 27, and the next evening (Sunday 28) The Three Degrees, bringing the Philadelphia Sound. News is that Betty Kelley
will attend the event. Don't miss your chance to meet and hear the Original Vandellas !!
Rock & Soul star Chaka Khan’s Star on Hollywood Blvd.
By Manuel Esparza, Chicano Magazine www.chicano-magazine.com
From her funky soul beginnings with Rufus, Chaka Khan made a name for herself as lead singer on such hits as “Tell Me Something Good,” but it was the groups “Sweet Thing,” that made them a world wide success. Rufus fans also embraced “You Remind Me of a Friend of Mine.” As the 70’s were coming to a close it looked like it was over for Rufus and Chaka Khan as the singer struggled to find that big, big hit, and she did when she recorded the Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, “I’m Every Women,” along with Prince’s, “I Feel For You,”. Chaka was here to stay and she gave fans the warm, “Through the Fire,” a stamp on quiet storm radio stations. One of Chaka’s true treasure gems is the Quincy Jones produced hit, “Stuff Like That,” a tune that teamed up Quincy, Chaka, along with the sensational Ashford and Simpson. My all time favorite.
A few singers tried to remake “Sweet Thing,” and “I’m Every Women,” but no one has come close to the real thing. Chaka Khan has received 10 Grammy Awards and today, she received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Chicano Magazine was there …Chaka looked great and her attitude with her friends (she doesn’t like to say, fans) was like sitting kicking back at Chaka’s pad face to face. It was pure joy. Chaka’s speach at the ceremony was richly inspired as Chaka told her friends and she had many of them to reach for their goals and dreams, but with passion. One of her long time friends, not Prince, who Chaka is opening concert shows on his recent tour, but the man himself Stevie Wonder, who wrote “Tell Me Something Good,” was there to wish Chaka the best, said a few words, sang a little with Chaka, and poof it all was over. Chaka had received her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Those sweet days when she graced the cover of Soul Magazine seemed so long ago and it was just amazing to be there as a witness to see Chaka in all her glory. Attending the event include Chaka’s mother Sandra, her sister, family members, music mogul Benny Medina. If anyone was wondering where Chaka’s sister Taka Boom was, well she’s living in England in a house owned by Chaka and is still singing and performing. Taka Boom had a soul R and B hit with the group Undisputed Truth, remember “You+Me=Love”. So, what’s next for Chaka? Besides performing on the Prince tour, she will have a family get together at her mom’s house to celebrate her star on Hollywood Boulevard. I’m really telling; you something good.
Darling Forever ... Gladys Horton of The Marvelettes
By Manuel Esparza, Chicano Magazine www.chicano-magazine.com
“What was it like, to see my picture up there on the screen that paid tribute to one of the great legends of not only Motown but Rock and Roll history, well it felt terrific,” says Manuel Esparza aka Spookey. Spookey is talking about a picture of himself with Gladys and her son Sammy, that was included in the memorial presentation. “I almost stood up and said, That’s me.” Besides being one of the special friends of the Motown legend, that gave us such hits as Please Mr. Postman, Beechwood, Playboy, Strange I Know, my all time favorite Tie a String Around Your Finger, other special friends included three of the Original members of the famous Motown Tamla group, Katherine Anderson, Juanita Cowart, and Georgiana Dobbins. Wanda Rogers was unable to attend. Here’s a list of some of the Motown stars that attended, Motown songwriter Janie Bradford, who wrote many of the early recordings by the group, including Tie a String Around Your Singer. Motown star Claudette Robinson of the Miracles, Richard Street originally with the Monitors, and later the Temptations. Cornelius Grant, also attending was Scherrie Payne and Susaye Green of the Supremes. Betty Kelley of Martha and The Vandellas had special words to say about the lost of her dear friend. A letter from Carolyn Gill-Street of the Velvelettes was read, as we said Goodbye to Lady G.
Original Marvelettes say Goodbye to Gladys Horton
By Manuel “Spookey” Esparza
Three of the surviving Original members of the famed Motown girl group THE MARVELETTES gathered together in Hollywood Hills, to say goodbye to their lead singer GLADYS HORTON.
Motown originals Kathrine Anderson, Juanita Cowart, and Georgina Dobbins made it from Hitsville to Hollywood, for a special Memorial held for the world famous Motown singer.
Attending the Memorial for Gladys Horton, include such Motown stars as Betty Kelley of Martha & The Vandellas, Janie Bradford, Claudette Robinson of The Miracles, Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene of The Supremes along with Cornelius Grant and Richard Street formerly of the Temptations. The Velvelettes could not make the memorial but sent a letter of lovely words that was read by Gladys son Vaughn Thornton to the many family, friends and fans.
Missing from the Memorial was Marvelettes member Wanda Rogers but seeing the three “Original” Marvelettes together was a sight to witness; the real roots of Motown.
ORIGINAL MOTOWN SUPERSTAR GLADYS HORTON DIES !!
A Memorial service will be held for Gladys Horton, co-founder of Motown's Marvelettes
at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 6300 Forest Lawn, in Los Angeles
Diana Ross in New York
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - Diana Ross causes a chain reaction as she is followed through the streets of New York by a gaggle of paparazzi. The Motown legend was spotted leaving the Bryant Park Tent following a fashion show. Her over-zealous security tired to usher her into a hotel foyer whilst they found her car, but Miss Ross proved to be no diva, insisting on walking to her vehicle.
ARETHA COMING TO THE SILVER SCREEN !!
Actresses, including Denzel Washington and Terence Howard, for roles in the film based on her New York Times best-selling autobiography, 'Aretha: From These Roots," and she says she's in the midst of finalizing negotiations.
The 18-time Grammy Award-winning power belter tells BV Newswire, "These actors are enthusiastic about the project and have agreed to take on these roles subject to further negotiation."
Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry is Aretha's top pick to play her younger self. Berry previously won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for portraying famed actress Dorothy Dandridge in the made-for-television movie 'Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,'
Denzel Washington, whom the Detroit native visited during his Tony Award-winning run on Broadway in August Wilson's 'Fences,' told Franklin he's open to playing the role of Franklin's father, Rev. C.L. Franklin. 'Law and Order: Los Angeles' star and Oscar-nominated Terrence Howard agreed to portray her dear friend and former Miracles front man, Smokey Robinson. Nia Long is being asked to play the Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree's sister, Erma Franklin, and she wants heartthrob Blair Underwood on board to play her brother and longtime manager, Cecil Franklin.
It is fitting that Franklin would seek out the best in gospel music to take on the roles of members of the world-renowned gospel group, the Ward Singers. Karen Clark Sheard and LaShun Pace are being asked to portray the women who most influenced Franklin's career.
ROCK AND ROLL'S LEGENDARY VOICE: ARLENE SMITH
In the late 50's, every young girl wanted to sing and sound like Arlene Smith, the lead singer of the girl group THE CHANTELS. Arlene scored up the music charts and made music history with such classic all time hits as HE’S GONE, THE PLEA, and the unforgettable MAYBE.
You know that Miss Arlene Smith got down with those songs !! Arlene will throw in LOOK IN MY EYES Chantels style !! I LOVE YOU, ARLENE
Coming up next year in April, Memory Lane Concert Cruises will present an all star show and cruise to The Mexican Rivera, and Spookey isn’t talking about no Buick either.
The cruise begins April 10th through the 17th starring Miss Arlene Smith and the Chantels !! Other special guest include Trudy Williams and the Sixteens, who can forget “A Casual Look.” Also, the Olympics, The Pentagons, the 50’s male group The Elgins and others.
Don’t miss this event. More info: Visit www.miccruiseres.com 1.800.301.9673
RUDY CALVO PRODUCES SISTERS LOVE CD
You can order this soul collection at www.dustygrooves.com
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Singer Etta James is hospitalized for treatment of a serious infection, but her son said Friday he's more concerned with her Alzheimer's diagnosis.
James, 72, was diagnosed with MRSA -- a bacterial infection resistant to many antibiotics -- by doctors at a Los Angeles hospital where she was admitted for treatment last week, Donto James told CNN.
Life has been difficult for James, best known for her 1961 hit "At Last," since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a year ago, he said.
"Right now she is very confused," her son said.
He described his mother as "quite combative ... fighting, biting -- I'm talking way off the chart."
"I am going to end up losing my mother if it keeps going on like this," he said.
Donto James said he's hoping for more information about his mother's condition.
"There has to be another doctor out there who can tell me what is going on with my mother," he said.
Etta James' illness, he said, led her to the controversial comments at a concert a year ago where she suggested pop star Beyonce should be "whipped" for singing "At Last" for President Obama's inaugural ball.
"I can't stand Beyonce," she told a Seattle, Washington, audience. "She has no business up there, singing up there on a big old president day, gonna be singing my song that I've been singing forever."
She was upset about the inaugural, her son said, because "mother was supposed to be hired, but she wasn't well."
He said she was also suffering from "drug-induced dementia," a result of painkiller medications for a back injury. She has stopped taking the drugs, he said.
Her son, who plays in Etta James' band, said he's been frustrated because they've had to cancel several important shows -- including one last summer at the Hollywood Bowl.
"I want my mother back onstage again," he said. "I know it can happen."
Donto James said he was talking freely to CNN about his mother's medical problems because he's hoping someone can help him understand what is going on.
"It's 2010 and we should know something, should be able to diagnose," he said.
CNN's Brittany Kaplan contributed to this report.
Berry Gordy: Nearly 50 Years Later, Still Being Recognized
By Karu F. Daniels on Jan 11th 2008
As the countdown continues for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony on Feb.10, The BV Newswire has learned that Motown Records founder Berry Gordy will received a special honor from The Recording Academy at its annual GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons.
According to a spokesperson, the honor will be bestowed immediately following the live telecast of the Grammys during an exclusive reception, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
There, Gordy will be honored with the President's Merit Award to Industry Icons in recognition of his significant contributions to the music industry and the business of music. Past recipients of the award include Ahmet Ertegun, Mo Ostin, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss."Berry Gordy embodies that rare combination of creative genius, entrepreneurial excellence and fearless proponent of social change," said Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow. "By bringing the heart and soul of Motown to the world, he opened the ears of music fans and opened doors for music makers who have become the most revered and beloved artists of all time. We are honored to pay tribute to an icon who has shaped popular music with his artistry, drive, and unparalleled ability to identify and develop young talent."
In 1959, with an entrepreneurial spirit, Gordy – a former pugilist and car salesman -- took an $800 loan from his family and started a small record company in the Motor City of Detroit and called it Motown Records.
With the success of legendary music acts Diana Ross & The Supremes, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Brenda Holloway, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and The Jackson 5, The Commodores, Teena Marie, Rick James, among others, Gordy made history.
When he brought Motown to Los Angeles in 1972, his vision expanded into television and film. His first film, 'Lady Sings The Blues' starring Motown's resident diva Ross, earned four Academy Award nominations.
Gordy then made his directorial debut with his sophomore film, 'Mahogany.'
Last year, in a bold move the 77-year-old music industry veteran publicly took a stance and disassociated himself and his legacy from the movie adaptation of 'Dreamgirls,' which many believe was based on the story of Motown.
Tagged as: Berry Gordy Honored by The Recording Academy Grammy Awards 50th, BerryGordyHonoredByTheRecordingAcademyGrammyAwards50thAnniversar
Thousands mourn Teddy Pendergrass
By Alfred Lubrano
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass' funeral Saturday was the kind of soaring ceremony that punctuates the end of a larger-than-large life.
A 200-member gospel choir jubilated with high-decibel exhultation, while a band and a sternum-vibrating organ roused the estimated 4,000 people who filled mammoth Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Cheltenham Avenue, the biggest African American church in Philadelphia.
In turn, singers Melba Moore, Tyrese Gibson, Bunny Sigler, Gerald Austin, Lyfe Jennings, and Musiq performed songs by Pendergrass, a brawny, seductive baritone who leavened an incandescent sexuality with just enough sensitivity to stir arenas full of women and heat any room in which his music played.
"He sounded like hot fudge on cherry vanilla ice cream with all the toppings," remembered friend and neighbor Dyana Williams, a personality on WRNB-FM (107.9), in an interview last week. "He was delicious, an auditory and visual pleasure - the love man."
Pendergrass, 59, raised in North Philadelphia and a member of Enon, died Jan. 13 of a protracted illness that followed a diagnosis of colon cancer last year.
Since a 1982 car accident on Lincoln Drive paralyzed him from the neck down, he had to use a wheelchair. But that restraint, preached Enon's senior pastor, the Rev. Alyn Waller, could not encumber Pendergrass' spirit and life force.
"He kept on loving and smiling," Waller enthused during a kinetic eulogy that had him jumping, gesturing, and singing. He added with relish that at one time, Pendergrass himself was a minister.
Pendergrass is known for, among many other songs, "The Love I Lost," "Bad Luck," and "If You Don't Know Me by Now," all hits performed with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.
Pendergrass is renowned for having started as a drummer with that ensemble before discarding his drumsticks and stepping out front with a microphone.
Before today's ceremony, as his body lay in repose, Pendergrass' fortified music pulsed through the red-carpeted sanctuary, a familiar voice greeting saddened mourners who dabbed their eyes with clumps of tissues dispensed by white-gloved ushers.
Giant screens flashed photos of the singer, who was a star of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's world-famous Philadelphia International Records.
Gamble and Huff attended today, as did former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier; former Phillies centerfielder Garry Maddox; actor Ben Vereen; and singer Stephanie Mills (who recorded "Feel the Fire" with Pendergrass).
Photo after photo depicted Pendergrass' carefully crafted macho image - riding a horse, wearing cowboy hats, lying seductively on his side.
"He was the first to show it's good to be sexy and black," said McKinley Horton, a piano player with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes who sat in the audience. "He presented a certain kind of black manhood, with his dark beard and his big smile, that helped send out a strong R&B message."
Horton said men had envied Pendergrass, whom Melvin called "Rug" because of his thick hair.
During the ceremony, Pendergrass' manager David Markus said his client "rode Gamble and Huff songs like Ben-Hur at Circus Maximus." The image of a powerful man in full command of the muscular cadences of the distinctive Philly International sound drew smiles from the audience.
Close Pendergrass friends Williams, of WRNB, and Bill Jolly, Pendergrass' music director, choked up as they spoke yesterday. Jolly particularly had a hard time introducing a song that he and the band he led were going to do. It was one of the last that Pendergrass himself wrote, "I Am Who I Am."
"Please pray for us as we attempt to perform this," he said shakily.
In her talk, Williams said she and Pendergrass had been neighbors. Earlier in the week, she offered an amusingly mundane view of Pendergrass, who lived near her in Penn Valley.
Apparently along with the power to smolder and sell records, Pendergrass also knew a great deal about snow removal.
"He'd give me advice on which company to call to clear snow, and he helped me with ideas for landscaping," Williams said, laughing.
Yesterday's ceremony included statements from Pendergrass' relatives, read by others.
His mother, Ida, who sat in a white dress near the coffin, was quoted as saying Pendergrass was a "miracle" and "the joy of my life," born to her after six miscarriages.
Seated nearby was Pendergrass' second wife, Joan, described by Williams as an executive at the New Balance apparel and shoe company in Boston.
In her statement, she exhorted her husband to "sleep tenderly."
Also on hand was U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), who said he brought condolences from the Obamas.
After the funeral, mourners spoke with admiration of Pendergrass, whom they lauded as a fellow Philadelphian whose music enriched their lives.
Along with the sensual soundtrack Pendergrass' music provided, his choice to remain here allowed people to connect with him.
"It's important as a citizen of Philadelphia I come here to support my own," said Kelly Morris, 47, a SEPTA train operator from West Philadelphia.
"It's right to be here today. A big part of my appreciation is that Teddy stayed in town, didn't go out to the west coast."
"Oh, he didn't go Hollywood," agreed Dave Thompson, 64, a Blackwood record producer who worked with Pendergrass. "He loved this town."
Contact staff writer Alfred Lubrano at 215-854-4969 or alubrano@phillynews.com.
THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA LOSES ONE OF ITS MOST POWERFUL VOICES
KENNY GAMBLE AND LEON HUFF, LEGENDARY PRODUCERS AND ROCK & ROLL
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES, “DEEPLY SADDENED” BY DEATH OF “BEST FRIEND”
AND “ONE OF THE GREATEST”
PHILADELPHIA – TEDDY PENDERGRASS, one of the leading soul singers of all time and R&B’s reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and ‘80s, died last night following a prolonged illness.
The legendary, Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter, whose powerful vocals helped define The Sound of Philadelphia, first with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes before breaking out with an incendiary solo career, passed away at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia, where he had been hospitalized since August. He was 59.
The force of his masculine vocal prowess and sex appeal of his passionate love ballads forever linked Pendergrass to Philadelphia International Records like Marvin Gaye to Motown, Otis Redding to Stax/Volt and Sam Cooke to RCA.
Starting in 1972, Pendergrass propelled a string of hits with the Blue Notes such as "I Miss You," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody," and the two million seller "If You Don't Know Me By Now." In 1977, Pendergrass launched a solo career and continued the arsenal of hit singles that took him around the world with "Close the Door," "Turn Off the Lights," "I Don't Love You Anymore" “Love T.K.O.,” and many more, earning five Grammy nominations for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Together, his voice led a string of consecutive platinum records.
Pendergrass later became an inspirational figure to millions in the 28 years since he was left quadriplegic from a horrific 1982 car accident. He established the charitable Teddy Pendergrass Alliance (TPA) in 1987, and in 2007, formed a partnership with the National Spinal Cord Injury Association to help people with injuries during the early stages of recovery, which led to his recognition that year as one of the most influential SCI activists with his induction into the Spinal Cord Injury Association Hall of Fame.
In a joint statement, legendary producers and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who brought Philadelphia soul music ("The Sound of Philadelphia") to "people all over the world” said:
“Teddy Pendergrass was one of the greatest artists that the music industry has ever known, and there hasn’t been another one since. We’ve lost our voice and we’ve lost our best friend, but we’re thankful for what we had. It was beautiful. He was one of the best.”
Born in Kingstree, SC, and raised in Philadelphia, Theodore DeReese Pendergrass, Jr. dropped out of Overbrook High School in his junior year to pursue his musical dreams. In the late-’60s, he landed a gig as drummer with the great doo-wop group the Cadillacs. Around 1970, some of the members joined Harold Melvin in the Blue Notes. Teddy came along, but his strong vocal style – heavily influenced by Otis Redding and Marvin Junior of the Dells – soon got him promoted to lead singer. When Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes were signed to Philadelphia International in 1972, it was the beginning of a four-year string of hits, all showcasing Teddy’s dynamic vocals. They made their chart debut with, “I Miss You,” then their first #1 hit, “If You Don't Know Me By Now” and “The Love I Lost,” also #1, and their final #1, “Wake Up Everybody.” More Pendergrass-driven Blues Notes classics include “Bad Luck” (#4 R&B; #1 Dance) and “Don’t Leave Me This Way” and “Bad Luck.”
By 1976, Pendergrass’ star had risen into the stratosphere. He was a dominating, commanding figure for black America, and referred to at the time by Mr. Gamble as “the Black Elvis.” In fact, at the time of his accident, like Elvis, Pendergrass was readying to launch a Hollywood movie career, with Sidney Poitier set to mentor.
Pendergrass’ solo career began in spring 1977, with the solid R&B/pop crossover hit, “I Don’t Love You Anymore,” from his self-titled debut LP (also the source of his next crossover, “The Whole Town’s Laughing At Me”), instantly sending his sex symbol status into the stratosphere. Women from around the world, of all racial backgrounds, would attend his concerts and literally throw themselves and their clothes on stage, just to get Pendergrass’ attention, or attract a kiss while he sang to them. He drove women so wild on stage, that he became the first artist to establish “for women only” concerts.
His second album, 1978’s Life Is A Song Worth Singing, brought his Philadelphia International Records a #1 hit, “Close The Door,” and the follow-up, “Only You” (plus such memorable tracks as “When Somebody Loves You Back,” “Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose,” and the title tune). The next album, 1979’s Teddy, kicked off with the #2 smash, “Turn Off The Lights,” followed on the charts by “Come Go With Me,” and also including “I’ll Never See Heaven Again.” After a double-LP live album that Christmas, Pendergrass came back in the summer 1980 with TP, containing his signature #2 hit “Love T.K.O.” and a duet with Stephanie Mills, “Feel The Fire.” The hit streak continued in late-’81 with the album It’s Time For Love, and another signature tune, the #4 hit “You’re My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration,” along with the title tune and “Nine Times Out Of Ten.”
After recording his next album, Pendergrass suffered a life-altering automobile accident on March 18, 1982, that left him partially paralyzed from the waist down with a spinal cord injury. A prophetic single was issued in May, “This Gift of Life,” from the new album that followed in August, This One’s For You. A lengthy rehabilitation followed, culminating in the release of his final (eighth) album for PIR in 1984, Heaven Only Knows (with his final PIR chart single, “I Want My Baby Back”). Later that year, Teddy moved to Asylum Records and rallied back onto the charts with Love Language, and his first crossover hit in three years, “Hold Me,” a duet with Whitney Houston.
Pendergrass’ comeback was celebrated with his heroic performance at the Live Aid concert in his native Philadelphia on July 13, 1985. He went on to release four more albums through the ’90s on Asylum and its sister label Elektra, among them Joy (1988) and Truly Blessed (1991, which spun off the #1 R&B hit, “It Should’ve Been You”). Pendergrass continued on occasion to perform, most recently at the June 2007 Philadelphia concert, “Teddy 25 – A Celebration of Life, Hope and Possibilities,” and lead various philanthropic ventures.
At "Teddy 25," at which he announced “instead of being saddened by this milestone,” he was “deeply overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude to all the people who have helped me overcome the many fears and difficulties I would ultimately encounter as a disabled person." To celebrate his milestone, Philadelphia International Records released THE ESSENTIAL TEDDY PENDERGRASS. The double-disc set marked two anniversaries – 35 years since his first recordings as lead singer with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (starting in 1972, with “I Miss You” and the #1 “If You Don't Know Me By Now”), and 30 years since Pendergrass’ emergence as a solo artist in 1977 (“I Don’t Love You Anymore,” from his self-titled debut album that year).
Pendergarss’ songs have been sampled by numerous soul and R&B artists, and have used in a number of TV commercials and films around the world, including the "Nutty Professor, Old Navy and Chevrolet.
Gamble & Huff wrote over 3,000 songs within 35 years, including R&B #1 hits, pop #1 hits, gold and platinum records, Grammy winners and BMI songwriters' awards honorees. Featured prominently in television programs ("The Apprentice"), films ("The Nutty Professor") and advertising spots (Verizon, Old Navy, The Gap) for more than 30 years, Gamble and Huff's songs have entered the musical DNA of contemporary culture. In fact, one of their songs is played on the radio somewhere in the world every 13.5 minutes. With a stable core of artists led by the O'Jays, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Billy Paul, MFSB and the Three Degrees, Gamble and Huff co-founded Philadelphia International Records and created monster hits almost from the first day of its inception. Songs they have written and produced together, like "Back Stabbers," "Love Train," "For The Love Of Money," "If You Don't Know Me By Now," "Cowboys to Girls," "Don't Leave Me This Way," "Enjoy Yourself," "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," "Only the Strong Survive" and "TSOP," have received songwriters' awards from Broadcast Music International (BMI). All told, the Gamble-Huff/PIR music machine has generated over 100 Gold and Platinum records and over 70 #1 hits.
In 1999, four years after being inducted into the National Academy of Songwriters' Hall of Fame, Gamble & Huff were honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with the Trustees Award for their extensive body of work, both as producer and songwriter, and their contribution to the entire fabric of popular music. In 2008, Gamble & Huff were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gamble & Huff also have appeared on American Idol in a show devoted entirely to their music, and have been inducted twice into the Dance Music Hall of Fame and the R&B Hall of Fame.
Pendergrass is survived by his mother, Ida Pendergrass; his wife Joan; his children, Teddy Pendergrass II, Trisha Pendergrass and La Donna Pendergrass; daughters from his marriage to Joan, Sherilla Lestrade and Jessica Avila; and grandchildren Montaurius Driane, Desaray Drane, Teddy Pendergrass III, Alana Nida Sky Pendergrass, Gabriel Gomes, Jasmine Lestrade and Jeremiah Sanford. Additionally, Pendergrass is survived by his daughter-in-law, Felicia Pendergrass, as well as relatives Francine Pendergrass, Georger Mouzon and Neverland Dent.
The official public viewing will be held Friday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, 2800 West Cheltenham Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19150. The funeral will be held Saturday, Jan. 23 at 10 a.m., also at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church. Internment will follow at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, PA.
The family is asking that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to The Joan & Teddy Pendergrass Memorial, P.O. Box 382, Gladwyne, PA 19035.
More information on Teddy Pendergrass and all Philadelphia International Records artists at www.Gamble-Huffmusic.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Randy Alexander / Randex Communications
609-280-6140 / randex@randexpr.com
www.randexpr.com
SCHERRIE, LYNDA & SUSAYE: THE SUPREMES
From Goldmine Magazine
Nine ladies, in all, would wind up being Supremes. And while everybody knows of Diana Ross and Mary Wilson, many others contributed to a story that has to go down as one of the most fascinating and glamorous in all of pop-music history.
Three of those women, Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne and Susaye Green, were in the group when Motown had, for all intents and purposes, turned their back on The Supremes. Their stories add to the rich history of a group that was nothing less than absolute royalty.
Lynda Laurence, 1972-1973
The Supremes had an opening in 1972, due to Cindy Birdsong’s pregnancy, but Lynda Laurence wasn’t interested ... at first.
“I was very content singing backup with Stevie [Wonder, as a member of Wonderlove], because that was like going to school. He’s such a musical genius,” explains Laurence.
Part of her education involved singing backing vocals on Wonder’s smash 1970 hit “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.” She is easily heard above the song’s exuberant din.
“All those little yells and screams in the background, that’s me,” says Laurence. “And everybody thought that was Stevie. And so, when we went on the road, he would tell everybody, ‘That’s her. That’s not me (laughs).’”
Finding her work with Wonder incredibly rewarding, Laurence had no desire to leave Wonderlove. And when a pregnant Cindy Birdsong was about to leave The Supremes in 1972 to start a family with husband Charles Hewlett, she had no inkling she would eventually join perhaps the greatest girl group ever.
Early on, it became apparent the search for the next Supreme would home in on the girls of Wonderlove. Not only was Laurence was one of them, but so was her sister Sundray Tucker. Laurence figured Sundray was a lock to get the job.
“When Cindy left, she asked for my sister to audition, because they saw us working together in Washington at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre with Stevie,” says Laurence. “Well, [Cindy] and my sister looked more like sisters than she and I, than my sister and I. Everybody said that all of our lives. So my thing is, I’m telling everybody, ‘My sister’s going to be one of the Supremes! My sister’s going to be one of the Supremes!’ And I was so excited. I just knew that was going to happen.”
Even beyond the physical similarities, there was ample evidence to support Laurence’s conclusion, considering how far back the connection between Birdsong and Sundray went.
Originally, Birdsong was from Delaware, and Laurence and her sister called Philadelphia home. It was Birdsong who actually replaced Sundray in The Ordettes, the precursor to Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles.
“My sister was actually singing with a group that they were all in prior to them taking over [as] the Bluebelles,” says Laurence. “They were all in a group together that my father [Ira Tucker, the gospel songwriter, producer and lead singer of The Dixie Hummingbirds] used to rehearse in our living room in Philadelphia, and this consisted of Patti and Cindy and a couple other girls.”
Birdsong, in 1967, surprised The Bluebelles by agreeing to join The Supremes, taking the spot of Florence Ballard. Birdsong’s departure soured relations between her and LaBelle for years.
At this time, however, Sundray was with The Three Degrees, but her stay with them was brief, and when Birdsong moved on to The Supremes, Sundray returned to The Bluebelles.
When time came for Birdsong to leave The Supremes, Sundray was summoned to try out. But it wasn’t meant to be.
“When the auditions finished, they said they wanted to see the other sister, and that was me,” relates Laurence. “When they called me to do the audition, I wasn’t going to go, because my thought was, ‘If I don’t go, they’ll probably choose her.’”
It wasn’t that simple, as Laurence would find out, “ ... because I spoke with, at the time, Charlie Atkins, who was one of my biggest mentors in the business, said to me that even though I may not take this position, it is not in stone that they’re going to hire my sister,” says Laurence. “So I said, ‘Oh no. What should I do?’ He said, ‘You should audition.’”
Needless to say, Laurence was in a tough spot. So she went to see the one person whose opinion she valued perhaps above all others: Stevie Wonder.
“So I went to Steve — we all called him Steve — and I said, ‘What should I do?’ I said, ‘Listen, I don’t wanna do this.’ And he said, ‘Are you sure they’re going to hire your sister?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘Well, I’ll tell you what. With me, you’ll be a backup singer. But if you get the job with The Supremes, you’ll be one of The Supremes,’” says Laurence. “And he said, ‘I think that’s something worth trying for.’ I said, ‘OK.’ And so, because of Stevie Wonder, I’m in the group.”
Laurence didn’t remain with The Supremes for very long. Her tenure lasted just one year. Still, it was a dream come true for Laurence, who idolized The Supremes when she was young.
“Who didn’t?” she asked. “I mean, I went to see them when they were at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia. And oh my goodness, I remember sitting there, and they were singing ‘Buttered Popcorn’ and ‘Where Did Our Love Go?’ And oh, I was excited. I said, ‘Wow! Look at that.’ This is before the mega gowns, and before they actually came into their own, so to speak. But they still had on matching dresses and they were pretty and they sounded great. I just loved it.”
Once she was in, however, Laurence had work to do. She, Jean Terrell and Mary Wilson rehearsed diligently — on choreography and songs — for two and a half months to prepare for Laurence’s first show, “ ... because The Supremes’ book was massive. We did show tunes ... you know, we did everything.”
Laurence wanted to make sure she left no stone unturned. “I wanted to learn the whole book,” she said. “I didn’t want to learn just the basic show they were doing. I wanted to learn the whole book so that if someone called for something, I would know it.”
An admirable goal, but Laurence wasn’t prepared for what fate had in store.
“Two weeks before we were to open [at the H.I.C. Arena in Hawaii] ... Mary was extremely concerned because Jean Terrell had become ill and she wasn’t able to do it, and we had two weeks before the job,” says Laurence. “So it was too late to cancel. So I said to Mary, ‘Well, can you do it?’ And she said, ‘No. You’re going to have to do it.’ I said, ‘Do what?’ And she said, ‘You’re going to have to be the lead singer.’ I said, ‘No.’ (laughs).”
Wilson wouldn’t take “no” for an answer, and she expressed her faith in Laurence’s abilities to the new Supreme. So Laurence changed her focus and set about learning all of the lead vocals.
“The first thing I remember is someone saying, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, The Supremes,’” says Laurence. “The next thing I remember is Cindy saying to me, ‘Oh, that was fantastic! You did a great job. You were great,’ hugging me and lights going off, and the dressing room and flashes ... I was standing there going, ‘What happened?’ I was in fear. I’m not kidding. It’s as if I blanked.”
Laurence may never recapture those memories. “I went to the doctor, and she said, outside of someone hypnotising me, I would not be able to know. And so, to this day, I’ve seen photos, I’ve heard what I sang, and I was like, ‘I can’t believe I did that.’”
Laurence’s tenure in The Supremes wouldn’t last long. She stayed about a year. Though she appeared on the cover of the 1972 album Floy Joy, it was Birdsong who sang on the record. However, Laurence did record a Stevie Wonder-produced single “Bad Weather” with the group, plus the LP The Supremes Produced And Arranged By Jimmy Webb and the concert record Live In Japan.
Leaving The Supremes was somewhat difficult for Laurence, “ ... but it was a necessary thing. Things had gone a little south with Motown at that time, and The Supremes weren’t getting any — in my estimation — of the support they needed at the time. So it was a decision that I felt I needed to make. And it wasn’t an easy one, because I knew if I had stayed, I would have been lead singer.”
And wouldn’t you know it? Her replacement was none other than Cindy Birdsong.
Scherrie Payne, 1973-1977
The same year that Lynda Laurence exited The Supremes, Jean Terrell followed suit.
Motown’s waning interest in promoting the group had finally gotten the best of her. But her departure created an opening for Scherrie Payne.
Her boyfriend, Lamont Dozier, of the Holland-Dozier-Holland writing and production team behind many Motown hits, helped Payne land the job.
At a party, Mary Wilson, according to Payne, told Dozier that Terrell was leaving and that they were looking for a new lead singer. Tiny of stature, standing just 5'2", Payne was blessed with a powerful voice, and after she sent Wilson some of her recordings and photos, “ ... two days later, I was on a flight to California and that was it.”
But before all that, a much younger Payne had aspirations of being a Supreme, as many young girls did.
“Of course, being from Detroit, I watched them develop,” says Payne. “I loved The Supremes. I was very proud of them. They were very classy. That’s what I loved.”
When Diana Ross left The Supremes in 1970, there was someone else, besides Dozier, who thought Payne could fill her dazzling shoes: Payne’s own mother.
“I remember when Diana was leaving, my mother urged me to present myself, and I said, ‘Oh, no, no, no. I couldn’t ... Are you kidding? No, I couldn’t do that,’” remembers Payne. “We were at a banquet, I think, and she was sitting next to Esther Edwards, Berry’s [Gordy] sister, and of course, she had grown up with him in the same church, and they were talking and she started to tell Esther about me. And I was nudging her, like, ‘Shut up (laughs). Are you kidding? Don’t put me on the spot like that.’ So I was furious with her.”
Three years later though, the so-called “little lady with the big voice” did wind up with The Supremes, joining original member Mary Wilson and longtime Supremes veteran Cindy Birdsong.
Before getting called up to the Majors, so to speak, Payne was lead singer for Glass House. The group was on the Invictus Label, formed by Dozier and Eddie and Brian Holland following their exit from Motown. The label had a #1 hit with The Honey Cone’s “Want Ads,” which, coincidentally, was originally recorded by Glass House and featured Payne on lead vocals.
Glass House, who released two albums and nine singles between 1969 and 1972, did reach the Billboard Top 10 in 1969 with their biggest hit “Crumbs Off The Table,” featuring lead vocals by Payne. Whatever success they experienced, however, was dwarfed by The Supremes’ chart domination. So when it came time for Payne to go with The Supremes, understandably, she had cold feet.
“Oh, it was a tremendous difference. The Supremes were worldwide. Glass House was more or less a local group,” says Payne. “I mean, it was a giant leap for me. Not to try to put my other comrades down ... it was overwhelming. It really was. It was an overwhelming step. In fact, I panicked after I told Mary I was getting on the plane.
It was Payne’s mother who came to the rescue with a pep talk that convinced her she could, indeed, fit right in. And she did, immediately.
It was a whirlwind courtship for Payne.
“Right from the airport, Cindy Birdsong picked me up,” recalls Payne. “She had just returned to The Supremes herself, and we went straight to Mary’s house, suitcases and all. And we went right into rehearsal. That was on a Saturday, because we had a gig the following Friday or the following Saturday. I think it was in New Mexico at the state fair.”
Thrown right into the fire, those first rehearsals didn’t go smoothly for Payne. Payne had to memorize a lot in a short amount of time, “ ... steps, lyrics — mainly lyrics, because I didn’t have to do as many steps as Mary and Cindy, because I was doing a lot of the leads.”
Mary told her, though, “ ... if you can get through this, you’ve got the job.”
That first show, before a large audience, was a blur, says Payne. “It just went by so fast.” Despite everything, Payne pulled it off with aplomb. Backstage afterward, she found out she was hired.
And with the strong support of Wilson and Birdsong’s own vocals, Payne stepped out front and delivered, bringing to The Supremes a big, bold singing style infused with plenty of attitude. And that strength, that undeniable show of force she displayed, helped The Supremes transition to disco on The Supremes ’75.
The successor to 1972’s The Supremes Produced And Arranged By Jimmy Webb, The Supremes ’75 was a long time in coming for the newly configured group. Contract problems and the personnel shuffling had delayed new Supremes material. It wasn’t until August 1974 that they began recording, and Payne took center stage on “He’s My Man,” the first single and a #1 hit on the Billboard disco charts.
“Gregory Wright had written that song and Mary and I shared lead on that,” says Payne. “It’s a nice dance song, a good dance song.”
As for The Supremes ’75, Payne has only fond memories of the recording process.
Still, Payne, who was an accomplished songwriter before coming to The Supremes, does have one regret: She wishes she had written more material for the group. “I sort of put it to the side,” admits Payne, “and I shouldn’t have.”
Though she did help usher The Supremes into the disco age, Payne felt let down that Motown had, in essence, abandoned the group during her tenure.
Things could have been different. When asked if The Supremes could have recaptured their former glory if Motown had paid them more attention, Payne replied, “Absolutely. We could have done so much more, because we had the talent, the writers — everything was in place.”
When the end came in 1977, with a farewell concert in London, Payne, who would later write the song “One Night Only” for the play and movie “Dreamgirls,” based on The Supremes’ story, says, “I was devastated. I imagine I felt like Mary did when she found out Diana was going to leave.”
Susaye Greene, 1976-1977
The last to join, Susaye Greene, like Lynda Laurence, was with Wonderlove when she was approached about becoming a Supreme.
And while Stevie Wonder, who was working on his Songs In The Key Of Life LP at the time, gave his blessing to Laurence when she changed allegiances, Green’s imminent departure was greeted with less enthusiasm.
“Well, Stevie was very upset with me about leaving the group, because I had carte blanche, so to speak,” explains Greene. “I selected the material that I sang. I performed what I wanted to on his show. I had solo spots in his show, and ... it was a wonderful musical growth situation.”
But being in Wonderlove wasn’t the same as being one of The Supremes. And like Scherrie Payne, who would partner with Greene to record the underrated LP Partners after The Supremes were permanently put on ice in 1977, Greene had a little help from her mom.
Her mother was on the board of the Beverly Hills branch of the NAACP with Bob Jones, the head of publicity at Motown. Jones revealed to Greene’s mother that Birdsong was to leave the group and wanted to know if Susaye wanted to replace her.
When Greene was asked, “I said, ‘Well, it sounds intriguing. That’s something I’ve never done (laughs),’” says Greene.
At the time, The Supremes were out on the road. Greene met with Mary Wilson’s husband and manager, Pedro Ferrer, and they talked. Ferrer said they wanted someone who could sing lead. “He wanted everyone [in The Supremes] to be able to sing lead. And they were trying to regain — how shall we put it — within [Motown] a higher attention.”
Ferrer had done his homework on Greene, whose resumé was extensive. In addition to Wonderlove, Greene was a Raelette, the girl group that performed backing vocals for Ray Charles. In fact, Greene first encountered Mary Wilson and The Supremes while with The Raelettes.
“We had met when I was with Ray at the Carter Barron (Amphitheatre) in Washington, D.C.,” says Greene. “I believe Jean Terrell had been in the group a very short time, and they opened for Ray Charles. So all of us, the Raelettes, were stuck to the side of the stage trying to see what was going on. This was The Supremes after all ... they had all the wigs and the hair, the full regalia, the sparkles and delights — the fantasy of The Supremes — and they were marvelous.”
Later, backstage, Greene remembers “ ... talking with Ray and we were in there laughing and chuckling,’ when Wilson and Charles were sorting out who would get to use a reception area in Charles’ dressing room.
“When I went to meet her for The Supremes, she said (Greene’s voice excited), ‘Oh, you’re that little girl (laughs) who was there with Ray,’” relates Greene.
It could have been an awkward introduction, but Payne and Wilson welcomed her with open arms. “Oh, I’m sure there were some misgivings,” says Greene. “I’m sure they were disappointed that Cindy was leaving, but they showed none of that to me, because they are such lovely, gracious, professional ladies.”
As an aside, Greene was with Wilson in 1976 when she received the news that former Supreme Florence Ballard, her tragic story recounted many times over, had died.
“Oh, it was just heartbreaking,” says Greene. “Mary is a very emotional lady, very tender. And I could see she was just brokenhearted, because it represented the end of her dream in a way.”
In a sense, Greene’s arrival signaled a new beginning for The Supremes. Ferrer knew Greene had talent beyond her singing. After all, she had written the song “Free” that Deniece Williams took straight up to #1 in the U.K., and she had — and still does — written with Stevie Wonder (later, she would compose “I Can’t Help It” for Michael Jackson, a song that wound up on Off The Wall).
So, in negotiating Greene’s membership in The Supremes, promises were made. “I was told I would be able to write and possibly produce things for the group,” says Greene.
There were other benefits. Greene recalls that Wilson would often pick her up in a long, white Mercedes limousine, with black windows, that was once owned by George Harrison, and they would go shopping to get Greene ready to go on the road.
“We had a lot of appointments, trying on clothes, you know, a lot of beaded gowns ... oh, what a fantasy for a lady that is (laughs),” says Greene.
A size 3 at the time “ ... or something ridiculous (laughs),” adds Greene, “I was just a slip of a girl.” So she wore Diana’s gowns. “And this gown, I swear to you, weighed 35 pounds, and the bottom was weighted, so that once you put it on and it would fit, it kind of had a life of its own.”
As Greene says, it was ideal for doing “the dip-and-swoop, which was a Supremes thing.” And she would first do “Supremes things” as part of the group on an episode of the TV show “Soul Train.”
“I remember not knowing any of the choreography,” says Greene. “And that made me feel a bit insecure, so you just kind of keep smiling and (laughs) moving those arms around and singing those songs, singing the words.”
Unfortunately, Greene, blessed with a voice that could range over multiple octaves, didn’t get to fully display all of her prodigious talent with The Supremes. She did appear, however, on the last two Supremes albums, including 1976’s High Energy. Greene remembers the recording of that LP being a “nerve-wracking experience, because it was all new to me, that particular style of recording. First of all, we did very little recording at the same time. We did a whole lot of piece work where the tracks were done. You weren’t involved in that part and that was killing me.”
She compliments the Holland brothers for pulling together a cohesive album, but for Greene, who had experience producing and was able to notice things in the studio that could be improved upon, recording High Energy was a frustrating experience, especially in light of the latitude she was given while working with Stevie Wonder.
“Basically, you show up, look cute and hit the spot,” says Greene.
To her dissatisfaction, Greene was never allowed to write or produce for The Supremes. Still, she harbors no bitterness about her days with The Supremes.
Enjoy this excerpt from the book Chicken Soup For The Soul: The Story Behind The Song, available now !!
“WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO”
BY LAMONT DOZIER
Written by Holland-Dozier-Holland ... Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland, Brian Holland Recorded by the Supremes
I originally cut this track with the Marvelettes in mind. In fact, I cut it in Gladys Horton’s key, the lead singer, which was much lower than Diana Ross’. At that time, at Motown, the policy was that the songwriters had to pay for the tracks we cut if it didn’t get recorded by one of their artists. It never entered my mind that the Marvelettes wouldn’t like the song. I had the chorus and went to the office to talk with Gladys and played it for her. She said, “Oh, honey, we don’t do stuff like that. And it’s the worst thing I ever heard.” She was adamant about it. I was shocked.
I knew I was in deep trouble if I didn’t hurry and get someone to do the song because I wasn’t about to pay for the track. I went through the Motown artist roster and went all the way to the bottom of the list and there were the Supremes, better known in those days as the “no hit Supremes.” I told them it was tailor made for them, knowing that they had nothing going on at the time and needed a song. Much to my surprise, they said no. Gladys (Horton of the Marvelettes) told them I was looking for someone to record it. I wasn’t giving up. Brian (Holland), Eddie (Holland) and I finally persuaded them to do it, convincing them that it was their saving grace and they couldn’t refuse it. We had already had Top 40 hits with Martha and the Vandellas but they hadn’t had recordings of any significance yet.
They were so annoyed that they agreed to do it that, in the studio, they had a really bad attitude. Diana (Ross) said it was in the wrong key, that it was too low. (Of course it was – I wrote it in Gladys’ key.) Since the track was already cut, she had to sing it in that key and she’d never sung that low before. It turned out that her bad attitude and the low key were exactly what the song needed! I’d worked out intricate background vocals but the girls refused to learn them. Finally I said, “Just sing `Baby, baby, baby’.” It worked to their advantage and worked perfectly.
They didn’t necessarily agree. Diana and I were throwing obscenities back and forth and she went running to Berry (Gordy, Jr.) and told him I said something off color about him. He came down to the studio to see what was wrong and while he was there, he asked to hear the song. He thought it was really good, but said that he didn’t know if it was a hit, but that he thought it would be Top 10.
The song was released and flew up the charts to #1. From then on, one hit followed another. It was the first of 13 consecutive #1s we did on the Supremes. The next time the Hollands and I saw the girls was at the airport. They were getting off a plane with their Yorkshire terriers, in mink stoles. We started laughing. It was so funny to see them turn into stars overnight.
LADY SUPREME BECOMES A GRAMA !!
RHONDA ROSS SPEAKS FOR THE FIRST TIME
On whether or not grandma Diana Ross has babysat:
This is my mother’s first grandchild and, suffice to say, she is having a BALL! She was by my side throughout the entire pregnancy and birth and now, though she still travels and tours, she spends all of her free time with her new grandson! We’ve done all the “firsts” together…first diaper change, first feedings, first bath. It’s been so amazing!
On whether or not Diana Ross sings to Raif:
Not only does my mother sing to Raif, but she wrote a gorgeous song for him! It will probably be on her next record. When she sang it to me, I cried.
THE SOUND OF DIANA ROSS TOUCHING FANS !!
TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING/TO THE BABY NOW OUT ON CD
Info from Hip-O site:
Disc 1
1. Touch Me In The Morning
2. All Of My Life
3. We Need You
4. Leave A Little Room
5. I Won’t Last A Day Without You
6. Little Girl Blue
7. My Baby (My Baby My Own)
8. Imagine
9. Medley: Brown Baby/Save The Children
10. Touch Me In The Morning (Alternate Version #1)
11. All Of My Life (Alternate Mix)
12. We Need You (Alternate Mix)
13. Leave A Little Room (Alternate Mix)
14. Touch Me In The Morning (Alternate Version #2)
Disc 2
1. Part Of You
2. A Wonderful Guest
3. Young Mothers (Alternate Version)
4. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
5. Got To Be There
6. To The Baby
7. Brown Baby (Alternate Version)
8. My Baby (My Baby, My Own) (Alternate Version)
9. Turn Around (Alternate Version)
10. Imagine/Save The Children (Original Edit/Alternate Version)
11. Kewpie Doll
12. When We Grow Up (From Free To Be... You And Me)
In 1973, Diana Ross was coming off an Oscar® nomination for her searing portrayal of Billie Holiday in the feature film Lady Sings The Blues, a No. 1 album for its soundtrack, and questions about what she might do next.
Next was Touch Me In The Morning, a critical and commercial success that featured the No. 1 title track, a blazing return to “pop” form. The songs on Touch Me were reflective of the time: ballads about love lost and found, and classy covers of songs by the Carpenters, Marvin Gaye and John Lennon. The album was a smash, hitting No. 5 Pop and No. 1 on the Soul LP charts.
As with so many classic albums, there was more to the story: Touch Me includes songs from other simultaneously recorded projects, as you’ll discover on this new, lovingly produced 2-CD Expanded Edition.
When sessions for Touch Me began, Diana Ross had been working on two other albums at the same time: one, Blue, was to be a continuation of the jazz-inflected recordings she inhabited for the Lady Sings projects; the other was To The Baby, a collection of songs honoring her newborn daughter Rhonda.
Touch Me In The Morning: Expanded Edition includes a newly remastered version of the original album plus previously unreleased mixes, and a pair of alternate versions of “Touch Me In The Morning” demonstrating Ross’s versatility in the studio.
Disc 2 of the Expanded Edition contains the entire To The Baby album, which includes previously unreleased covers of Michael Jackson’s “Got To Be There” and Roberta Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” as well as the original title tune, written by Diana’s brother Arthur “T-Boy” Ross. Also newly discovered is the original medley, “Imagine/Save The Children,” two songs that were split for Touch Me, plus alternate original mixes of songs intended for To The Baby that ended up on Touch Me In The Morning, and an alternate mix of “Young Mothers,” which previously had been issued in 1983 on Ross’ Anthology.
That’s not all. We’ve added, as an extra special bonus, two songs recorded during the same timeline: “Kewpie Doll,” written and co-produced by Smokey Robinson, and “When We Grow Up,” from Marlo Thomas’ 1972 album Free To Be… You And Me.
(In another classic Motown coincidence, this reissue arrives just months after Rhonda, the “baby” for whom the album was originally written, had her first child.)
Touch Me In The Morning: Expanded Edition includes a booklet with rare photos and memorabilia, the story behind both albums, and quotes from Ross’s manager Shelley Berger, producer Deke Richards, and from Miss Ross herself.
NEDRA ROSS OF THE RONETTES NOT SO GOOD
Chicano Magazine Exclusive
From: "Scott Ross" (Nedra's husband)
Nedra Ross heart situation
Hey guys, sorry the previous e-mails were not clear. Here’s the latest complete update on Nedra
Nedra had a very bad night with severe angina pain in her heart Sunday night; her nitro pills had no effect in alleviating the pain.
I had to take her to Chesapeake General Hospital yesterday for tests, as per her cardiologist’s instructions.
They inserted a heart catheter this morning, and discovered that one of the arteries repaired in her open heart surgery in 2004 has collapsed and she’s probably going to have to undergo another open heart surgery. Her cardiologist says it is risky due to the previous scar tissue and the location of this artery. The surgery would take place either later today or tomorrow.
As we speak Nedra is the ambulance en route to Norfolk General Heart Clinic; where she will be examined by two other heart surgeons
Thanks for your prayer.
Scott
* Nedra is the cvousin of Rock & Roll Bad Girl Ronnie Spector, together with Ronnie's sister Estelle Bennett, who passed away recently scored with several hits including; you know them !!
MARY WELLS ALBUM 'IN AND OUT OF LOVE' TO BE OUT ON CD
Dusty Groove is listing "In And Out Of Love" by Mary as an upcoming release, with bonus tracks, scheduled for 2/16/10. I've been waiting a long time to see this album reissued on CD.
From DustyGroove: Mary Wells -- In & Out Of Love (with bonus tracks) . . . CD
Around February 16, 2010
Mary's come a long way from Motown here -- in a great way, one that has her working through some hip modern soul tracks that show a whole new side of her talents! Greg Perry and McKinley Jackson handled some of the arrangements, and they give the album a similar smooth feel to some of Lamont Dozier ...
http://www.dustygroove.com/upc oming.php?cat=11
Motown comes home for its 50th birthday
Jerry S. Mendoza / Associated Press
Kid Rock and Stevie Wonder join forces for a duet during Motown Records' 50th anniversary gala in Detroit on Saturday
By JEFF KAROUB
Associated Press
DETROIT -- Black ties and gowns filled a ballroom Saturday in a big-bucks salute to Detroit-style royalty -- the King of Motown, the Queen of Soul and the Kid of Rock.
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, along with Aretha Franklin, Kid Rock and Motown's original kid, Stevie Wonder, came to Motown's original hometown for the Motown 50 Golden Gala. The 50th-anniversary event, which fetched $350 and up for a ticket, was a fundraiser for the Motown Historical Museum. The museum was the original home of Motown Records Corp., which Gordy started with an $800 loan.
The event drew about 750 people and many of the big names and behind-the-scenes people from the label, which moved to Los Angeles in 1972.
Detroit's output included scores of hits, including "My Girl" by The Temptations, "The Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye.
"The pleasure is mine to be here," Gordy said during a pre-concert reception. "I'm thrilled I got the nurturing and all of the things Detroit had to offer me. Motown could not have made it in any other city."
Gordy was joined on the red carpet earlier in the evening by local and national celebrities and dignitaries, including Otis Williams of the Temptations, which was on the bill; Claudette Robinson of the Miracles; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; comedian Sinbad, the event's host; and Detroit Mayor and former Detroit Pistons all-star Dave Bing.
The musical mingling of classic Motown artists such as Wonder and The Temptations with non-Motown hometown heroes Franklin and Rock reveals the reverence for and relevance of the label.
Kid Rock performed with Wonder on the Motown great's songs "Living For The City" and "Superstition," bringing many of the people in the crowd to their feet.
The pair called up others for the finale -- a funky, extended version of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours."
Before taking the stage, Kid Rock called it a "career milestone."
He said his mother, who was out of state, sent him a text message: "Who would have thought when we were partying in our barn, playing all those Motown records when you were a kid that you'd be playing the 50th gala?"
The gala is a regular event for the museum, but it took a higher profile this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the label's founding.
Museum CEO Audley Smith said the facility wants to expand to hold thousands of artifacts and memorabilia that can't be displayed because of space, but he stressed the museum will maintain the integrity of the well-known Hitsville USA house on West Grand Boulevard.
The gala also included special tributes to Motown alumni who have died, including Michael Jackson. Gordy, at Jackson's memorial service in July, talked about the 10-year-old prodigy he signed, calling him "the greatest entertainer that ever lived."
Homecomings are rare these days for Gordy, who lives in California, but bonds remain: His sister, Esther Gordy Edwards, founded the museum now overseen by his great-niece, Robin Terry. He's also a premier sponsor of the gala.
President Barack Obama sent well wishes via videotape. He said Gordy's "music made history" and his record company "captured a truly American sound."
Franklin sang a customized birthday ode to Gordy, who turns 80 on Nov. 28. "Detroit, we've waited long enough -- Berry's come home at last," she sang.
Afterward, Franklin ushered Gordy to the stage, saying "he absolutely revolutionized the music industry, single-handedly." He was presented a crystal plaque, a large cake and a mass serenade of "Happy Birthday."
Gordy told the crowd he was inspired by his time spent on a Detroit auto factory floor to make a music company that was like "an assembly line" of talent. "That dream came true."
Wonder told The Associated Press after the concert that being a part of Gordy's vision has been a blessing.
"I'm just very, very happy (for) that dream Berry had -- him meeting me, hearing me, seeing me, that he saw fit for me to be a part of that dream that became reality."
Associated Press Writer Mike Householder contributed to this report.
Posted by Celebrity Buzz at November 21, 2009 11:40 PM
NEW BRENDA HOLLOWAY CD FROM HER EARLY DAYS !!
Although Brenda Holloway was aged just 17 when Tamla Records issued her Every Little Bit Hurts in 1964, she had been releasing 45s in Los Angeles for over two years by then. The set includes solo sides, duets, singles made by Brenda as a member of a girl group known variously as the Watesians and the 4Js and the ultra-rare Do The Del Viking by her younger sister Patrice, which features Brenda on back-ups. Some of these were issued on familiar labels like Donna, Era and 4J, while others were pressed on impossibly obscure logos such as Minasa, Snap, Catch, Taste and Brevit and others are previously unissued; what might otherwise have been a rather brief CD is bolstered by the inclusion of tracks from the vaults of Class Records and producer Kent Harris.
TRACKLIST
1. CONSTANT LOVE
2. SUDDENLY
3. GAME OF LOVE
4. HEY FOOL
5. I NEVER KNEW YOU LOOKED SO GOOD UNTIL I QUIT YOU - Brenda Holloway & Jess Harris
6. I WANT A BOYFRIEND (GIRLFRIEND) - The Soul-Mates
7. ILL GIVE MY LIFE
8. I AINT GONNA TAKE YOU BACK - Brenda Holloway & The Carrolls
9. GONNA MAKE YOU MINE - Brenda Holloway & Jess Harris
10. UNLESS I HAVE YOU - Hal & Brenda
11. CANDY
12. ECHO
13. I GET A FEELING - The Soul-Mates
14. ITS YOU - Hal & Brenda
15. HES GONE
16. THE NURSERY - The Four Js
17. WILL YOU BE MY LOVE - The Four Js
18. I TOLD YOU BABY - The Watesians
19. ILL FIND MYSELF A GUY - The Watesians
20. DO THE DEL VIKING (PART 1) - Patrice Holloway
21. YOURE MY ONLY LOVE - Brenda Holloway & The Carrolls
22. EVERY LITTLE BIT HURTS
SHIRELLES STORY COMES TO LIFE
Florence Greenberg steals the show in Baby It’s You
Review by Manuel Esparza/www.chicano-magazine.com
Great music from 60’s girl group THE SHIRELLES, spice it up with some laughter and drama and you’ve got the next big hit since DREAMGIRLS in the fresh BABY IT’S YOU, the musical story of Florence Greenberg, who started her own record label in the late 50’s, just to showcase a group of young girls she discovered who became THE SHIRELLES.
Unlike Dreamgirls, Baby It’s You brings the behind-the-scene story of Florence Greenberg, who in the musical steals the spotlight away from the girls who made those big hits like SOLIDER BOY, TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT, MAMA SAID, DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE. Although the music of The Shirelles make up the better half of this production theirs more to the story in Baby It’s You with such characters as those of Maxine Brown, Chuck Jackson, and Dionne Warwick, there are no bad guys or trying to make anyone look bad in Baby It’s You. This musical has class all the way as Dreamgirls made Berry Gordy and Diana Ross seem like the bad guys which was such a shame as Gordy and Ross created the Motown Sound.
Baby It’s You is entertaining and my hope is that it becomes a TV special or that this production is available on DVD. The musical drama makes its stop at the Pasadena Playhouse where you can catch it now through December 13. You can call 626.356.7529.
I was invited on opening night by Patty Onagan of the Pasadena Playhouse, she was sweet and lovely. The people who attended seemed excited and couldn’t wait for Baby It’s You and believe me, it was exciting, the music of Scepter Records, all the characters including Luther Dixon made it all so real. Don’t miss this if you are a music fan and if you are a 60’s girl group fan, you are know this is a must see!!
SPECTER/WAND RECORDS: Produced several hits including by The Shirelles, Dionne Warwick, Maxine Brown, Chuck Jackson, The Kingsmen, also signed to the label were Tammy Montgomery (later signed to Motown as Tammi Terrell), and Brenton Wood made his early sides on Wand Records with “Hide-Away.”
BABY IT'S YOU
Written by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux
Directed by Floyd Mutrux
November 6 – December 13, 2009
A world premiere musical !!
Wrapped in the sensational songs of the 60s, BABY IT'S YOU! is the new musical about the groundbreaking girl group, The Shirelles and Florence Greenberg, the New Jersey housewife who discovered them. With the help of African-American songwriter, producer Luther Dixon, Florence took on a male dominated industry and revolutionized pop music. Her company, Scepter Records, created the most important songs in the golden era of rock 'n roll, from artists including The Isley Brothers, The Kingsmen, Chuck Jackson and Dionne Warwick.
Nov 10
RONNIE'S HANGIN' WITH A BAD CROWD
The wait is over... Ronnie Spector's first full length domestic release in over 20 years, The Last of the Rock Stars, will be in stores today November 11th and available at Ronniespector.com.
Just in time for the holidays featuring the newly minted Christmas classic "It's Christmas Once Again".
Stocked full of attitude and passion. This is Ronnie at her very best.Featuring contributions from Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Patti Smith, Patrick Keeler from the Raconteurs, Jack Lawrence from The Dead Weather and Keith Richards.
NOV 8
Diana Ross: ‘Beyond Thrilled’ to Be First-Time Grandma
"I've been blessed to have that kind of mother," Rhonda says of Diana (above). "A mother who wanted the best for me."
You can’t hurry grandkids, as Diana Ross learned this year.
But now that the pop legend has finally got one, she’s tickled pink.
So reports her daughter, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, whose dad is Motown Records founder Berry Gordy.
Interviewed tonight on Timothy Hodge, Rhonda chats about giving birth to her son, Raif-Henok Emmanuel Kendrick, on Aug. 7, and how her mom has reacted to the bundle of joy.
“This is the first grandchild. It took us a long time—I mean, you know—but what are you gonna do?” Rhonda, who has been married to jazz pianist Rodney Kendrick since 1996, tells host Timothy Hodge.
“So my mom is thrilled. She is beyond thrilled. And it’s been so amazing because my mother—some people know, some people don’t—my mother is and was a very, very hands-on mother.
“From my birth, it didn’t matter what performances she had at night, she was always up for breakfast in the morning, she got us ready for school, she was there if we were sick.
"There's nothing I wouldn't do for this little person to have what he needs to achieve in his life," Rhonda (above, with Rodney) tells us of three-month-old Raif.
“And that continued with my two younger brothers [Evan Ross and Ross Arne Naess], who are now just 21 and 22. I got to witness her really be hands-on with them,” Rhonda, 38, adds of Diana, 65.
“Now she gets a chance to be that kind of a hands- on grandmother. She’s so good with my son, it’s amazing.
“Throughout my pregnancy, she was able to be here on the East Coast with me. She came to every doctor’s appointment with me. She really was so hands-on and so supportive and so encouraging of me,” adds Rhonda, who played Toni Burrell on Another World.
“And because I have that relationship with her, and I’m doing my best to emulate that relationship with my son, I feel so excited.”
On Nov. 12, Rhonda will host It’s A Love Thing! an annual fundraising gala that benefits Hearts of Gold, a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the lives of New York City’s homeless mothers and their children. Also scheduled to appear at the NYC event will be Hearts of Gold board members Vanessa Williams, Marcia Gay Harden and Soledad O’Brien.
MOTOWN 50 CELRBATES WITH QUEEN OF SOUL ARETHA FRANKLIN
Singers Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder are among the musicians expected to perform at a Motown gala to mark the record label's 50th anniversary.
The Detroit event on 21 November will also feature tributes to Michael Jackson and Four Tops star Levi Stubbs, who died last October.
Wonder will perform a tribute to the label's founder Berry Gordy Jr.
Proceeds from the gala will go to the Motown Historical Museum, located in the label's original headquarters.
Motown connection
Otis Williams and The Temptations are also on the bill for the fundraiser, while original Motown musicians including Smokey Robinson will be honoured.
The black tie concert will form part of a weekend of events in the US city to mark the record label's half-century.
Franklin, was offered a contract with Motown but signed to Columbia Records in 1960.
But the "Queen of Soul", who sang at President Obama's inauguration ceremony earlier this year, has long been connected to Motown artists and record executives.
The label helped launch the careers of a number of musicians, including Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.
Motor City Hits
Businessman and Motown uber-fan Herb Strather is promoting a Nov. 14 concert at the Motor City Casino, "Motor City Hits," emceed by Mary Wilson of the Supremes and featuring the Four Tops, the Miracles, the Original Vandellas, the Contours with Joe Billingslea, Freda Payne, and special guests, the Dramatics.
"This is commemorating the individual artists, like the Four Tops, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award this year from the Grammys," said Wilson by phone from Las Vegas. "Motown is not just a name or a symbol; it represents all of the artists. And individually, the artists represent Motown."
Wilson plans to invite Barbara Martin, the fourth member of the Primettes and the Supremes, and she also is seeking any news of another early Supreme, Betty McGlowan.
Freda Payne is just back from England where she took part in a show by and about David Gest, a longtime friend of the Jackson 5 and other Motown acts.
"I saw Tito (Jackson), he came to see our show, he was over there performing with Gladys Knight and Dionne Warwick," Payne reports. "It's amazing how the planet, the world has responded to Michael's passing."
Payne will sing her hits "Band of Gold" and "Bring the Boys Back Home," which were on Invictus, Holland-Dozier-Holland's breakaway label.
A CD "Motor City Hits," featuring the classic artists, will be on sale in the casino merchandise stores, and Strather says Michigan Lottery tickets featuring some classic Motown acts will be on sale next April.
BERRY GORDY TO WRITE INTO FOR JACKSON MEMOIR
Motown founder Berry Gordy will write the introduction to a reissue of Michael Jackson’s memoir, “Moonwalk.” A statement released by publisher Harmony Books says Gordy, whose label also featured superstars such as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, will offer memories of Jackson as a child star and of the group formed with his brothers, the Jackson 5.
The Jackson 5 broke through 40 years ago with the No. 1 smash “I Want You Back,” and had several other hits before fading in the mid-1970s. Michael Jackson, who died June 25, eventually left Motown and made his record-breaking “Thriller” album for Sony. Jackson’s memoir, originally published in 1988, comes out again in October.
Pictured: Motown Records founder Berry Gordy attends the ceremony honoring musical group The Miracles with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 20, 2009 in Hollywood, California. The event was attened by Mr. Gordy, Motown's Janie Bradford, Freda Payne, Stevie Wonder, Mary Wilson and Scherrie Payne of The Supremes.
IS IT STILL GOOD TO YA?
Nick and Val Fire Up their Hot Buttered Soul
By Manuel Esparza/www.chicano-magazine.com
Motown royalty as Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson took the stage Sunday evening performing a few 15 miles away from the bright lights of Hollywood and made their Canyon Club debut and even their first L.A. area appearance in sometime now.
It was a hell of a wait but well worth it as the famous Motown duo Ashford and Simpson performed all their greatest hits with so much energy and soul the fans agreed that, Yes, it is so, so good !!
Nothing has changed about Ashford and Simpson. Nick still dresses sharp and looks great. Valerie, a tiny dynamite dances, as is ever so beautiful. They both are sexy as ever as they fire up their hot buttered soul and these two put on a show that takes you back. Valerie gets down and Nick does his business and together they socked-it-us. I know I cried a tear hearing them together; ain’t no shame in my game. Send It was off the wall.
The duo performed many of their all time big hits including Solid, Is It Still Good To Ya, and my all time favorite Send It and they surely did open up that window to send all their love to all their fans. The club almost ate them alive as they went into Your Precious Love, Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing, along with Valerie singing The Boss, as well as I’m Every Women. They closed with their classic Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
Yes, we wanted more by them and what we got was surely enough for the magic of Ashford and Simpson will always be in our heart and soul. Yes, wanted to hear my favorite song Silly Wasn’t I, a tune heard on the radio 1580 –KDAY and KGFJ, when I was 12 years old; walking myself to Junior High School with my radio (acting all bad) One day please Miss Valerie sing it !!
Thanks for everything. The moment after the show was something I will treasure forever. Thanks for remembering me, like OUR song REMEMBER ME.
Ashford and Simpson’s The Real Thing is out on CD and DVD. The cd contains 14 hot jams that they perform on their show and the DVD showcases them live on stage. Visit them at www.myspace.ashfordandsimpson.com.
Fans can catch up them them again ... ASHFORD AND SIMPSON November 3 - 15
The Real Thing: Motown Legends are Solid As A Rock
The RRAZZ Room at Hotel Nikkosf 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, cA 941002 866.468.3399
SHARON DAVIS OF BLUES AND SOUL TALKES WITH A SUPREME !!
By Sharon Davis
It’s not been easy tracking down this lady because with her group The Former Ladies of the Supremes, she’s been touring extensively in Monte Carlo, Italy, Dubai, Australia, and other far away places, before popping by London next month to celebrate Motown’s 50th anniversary with us.
The Former Ladies, also comprising Scherrie Payne and Joyce Vincent, are joining other Motown gals - Brenda Holloway, Chris Clark, Mable John and Thelma Houston - with Jack Ashford’s Funk Brothers, for a gala celebration on 13 November at the HMV Apollo, where Motown fans are planning to gather together to pay homage and join in the party – Motown-style! Anyway, lucky for us, Lynda took time out of her schedule to relax awhile and chat.
When I spoke to Scherrie just recently, I asked her feelings about the “Return To Love” tour with Diana Ross in 2000 and, in the light of another book being published about The Supremes which does little to show Diana in a good light,
I asked Lynda whether she deserved to be ‘got at’ again. She immediately responded with – “what I relate to, and commiserate with Diana on, is the fact that she is vilified because she thinks for herself, she says ‘no’ when she thinks it is necessary, and she is her own boss! She runs her own show. I’ve never heard of her trying to run some one else's, simply her own show. And why not? Don't the men in this business do the same thing? And they are praised for it. Well...in my group, I too am vilified. For the very same reasons. So many times I have heard that people don't like me and they even don't know me! So unfortunately, this will go on and on. Another reason is, in my estimation, simply...jealousy.”
Before we go any further, let me tell you about my pal. She was born Lynda Tucker in Philadelphia in February 1949, the youngest daughter of Louise and the late Ira Tucker, leader of The Dixie Hummingbirds. Her sister is Sundray, her brother Ira Jr. (Sundray was a one time member of The Former Ladies) Lynda’s singing career embraced The Pendelles, before she worked her way into the Stevie Wonder group, Third Generation, later known as Wonderlove, during 1969. As a member of Third Generation, Lynda worked with Sundray (known as Cindy Scott) and cousin Terri Hendricks, and she fondly recalls working with Stevie to promote “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” which features her on support vocals. From Stevie, Lynda became a Supreme with Jean Terrell and Mary Wilson, replacing a heavily pregnant Cindy Birdsong.
The “Floy Joy” album had just been released in 1972 instead of the scheduled “Promises Kept” package. You can see Lynda on the album sleeve, although at the time, her presence wasn’t acknowledged. With the Andantes as support vocals, Mary had several leads on this album, and vocally interacted with Jean on the album’s title and the glorious “Automatically Sunshine” which, incidentally, was the trio’s last top ten UK hit. (The Stevie Wonder produced “Bad Weather”, complete with whistles, was the final hit at number 37 in 1973). Lynda wasn’t allowed to sing lead while with The Supremes except, I’m told, for one verse on the unreleased “Soft Days”, although she did sing lead on stage.
Then, in 1973, the pregnant Lynda was replaced by, you got it, Cindy Birdsong. Jean Terrell then quit and Scherrie Payne stepped in. With the demise of The Supremes, Lynda was a much in-demand session singer, and to this end she worked with Stevie on his “Songs In The Key Of Life” album, and with Aretha Franklin on “Love All The Hurt Away”, and for Jean Terrell on her “I Had To Fall In Love” lp. Lynda also recorded as a soloist and, I’ve always said, if you want to hear an explosive emotional song listen to her “Living With A Married Man” released on Ian Levine’s Motorcity label. I suggested to her that a lot of good came from the UK based company, but Ian also attracted a huge amount of criticism. One signed artist once said he tried to do too much too quickly; Lynda agreed, adding – “It took Motown years to build its roster of talented artists. Ian had a great idea but the execution of it was a bit dodgy.”
Motorcity not only released product by The Former Ladies..but added them to the nationwide Motorcity Tour with other signed acts – The Elgins, Syreeta, Marv Johnson, Carolyn Crawford, Edwin Starr and Kim Weston. It was a great feeling seeing them all together – memories of the Motown Revues came to mind, especially when the shows finished because all acts returned to the stage for one huge finale number.
When I went on to ask Lynda what she felt was her best period in her career, the best times, there was no doubt about it – “Joining The Supremes was truly monumental in my life. But...to sing with Stevie Wonder, and to have stepped out on parts in the back up of one of his most prolific songs, ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ is, and always will be, one of the high points in my life! This year marks the 40th anniversary of that song.” And that kinda led to Michael Jackson and his recent passing in July which, without doubt, shocked the world, and to a certain extent, we’re still in the throes of the grieving process. I wondered if Lynda had chanced to work with him? “No, I didn’t. However, I met him when he was still quite young. His Mother and I are friends and attend the same Kingdom Hall. It has affected me to see her go through this excruciating turn of events. We were all looking forward to seeing the tour. To say the least, I was devastated. I suppose if you are in this business you can't help but be influenced by him. So Scherrie and I are incorporating a medley dedicated to him in our act. He was simply...the Best! “ Michael left three young children behind and, although they’re with his family, no-one will take the place of their dad.
Like myself, Lynda has young children in her family and we can’t help but worry about their future. Is she preparing them for their life ahead? ”At the moment I have a niece who has a great singing voice. However, she is shy and doesn't open up as much as I would like to see. She lacks the confidence that’s sorely needed in this business. So I suppose, I will tell my grandson and his sister that they have to believe in themselves to do whatever it is they want to do. Because if you don't believe what you are doing... how will any one else? Self confidence is very important. Not arrogance, confidence.” Lynda then went on to acknowledge her father as her guiding light and greatest influence during her formative years. I visualised the smile in her voice as she said – “I listened to my Incredible father Ira Tucker sing from the time I was born I suppose. The man could really sing. But...really it was my mother that truly encouraged me to sing. It was my mother that made sure I had my head on straight. It was my mother that made sure I learned to play an instrument. It was also, my mother who helped me to understand education is key as well as how to be a lady. So my mother, Louise Tucker really influenced me. I think the best thing my parents taught me is to be honest and to always hone my craft because there is always someone waiting in the wings.”
In all the conversations and exchange of emails we’ve had during the years, Lynda’s always been open and frank, and not easily fazed. And this has been the case throughout this interview, even when talking about her personal life. When I asked whether there was anything she’d like to change in her life, she replied - “I suppose I would not have been married three times. And professionally, I would have stayed in The Supremes a little while longer to become the official lead singer” Lynda has also courted tragedy this year. Her beloved father died, and she lost everything she owned in a house fire – and she coped. . “The only way I am sane is through my faith. I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses for the past 33 years now. It is my strong Faith in Jehovah God that has not only pulled me through but has given me a large measure of peace that permeates my life. I have found that in a crisis (i.e. 9/11 - another story) it has always been Jehovah God's Holy Spirit that lifts me up and gets me through it. Also, the three ‘F's’ Friends, Family & Fans that care about you can make you feel very loved and supported. Although I lost everything in the fire...really, I lost nothing!” And during any spare time that she may have, does she relax? Does she hell.. “I enjoy speaking with people about the Bible. It’s very rewarding and satisfying. And I love being with my grandchildren. They are my joy”
It’s this spirit love and determination that’s authentically kept The Supremes’ legend alive. And, after far too long, we’ll see that for ourselves when the ladies hit the London stage at both The Jazz Caf and the HMV Apollo. Lynda’s also clearly pleased with the prospect – “I am so honoured to be a part of the Motown Family. And I’m so pleased to announce that Joyce Vincent, of Tony Orlando and Dawn fame, who is a native Detroit-er has joined Scherrie and I. We’re looking forward to our performances in the UK, where I know the fans will welcome her with open arms. She is a true asset to our group. By the way...Scherrie and I have been together for the past 23 1/2 years!!!”
Meantime, the ladies have recorded and released a new single “Good Intentions” which is available via iTunes, and are currently working on an album – when touring permits of course! Lynda’s son Trevor Lawrence Jr produced the single, and his wife, Alicia, penned it. This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase – keeping it in the family! See you soon!
FREDDIE POOLE LEAVES THE FORMER LADIES OF THE SUPREMES
By Manuel "Spookey" Esparza
Singer FREDDIE POOLE was not what you called an “official” member of the Motown super group THE SUPREMES but she did put in more than a decade of singing leads and background with ex-Supremes’ Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence has left the Former Ladies of The Supremes and has been replaced by Joy Vincent of Dawn as in Tony Orlando and Dawn.
Miss Poole is a great vocalist and with the Flos, Poole gave it her best shot but the supreme magic was not there as fans turned on Poole for more reasons than one.
The fans of The Supremes can be mean and cruel; they make you or break you, and the Flos know it but look how long it took them to realize that Poole was not wise choice. It wasn’t that she wasn’t talented because she is. These Supremes fans are just as crazy as this writer; now that Poole is out of the supreme drama; she can make it as a soloist for she is a great entertainer who came from Los Angeles. Poole started her career in the 60’s, with the soulful girl group THE DELICATES, who released the 1960’s soul hit entitled I WANT TO GET MARRIED that has become an all-time classic for Chicano’s and music lovers and one of my own personal favorite records !!
Diana Ross sent a Letter that Smokey Robinson read at the start
of the Michael Jackson Memorial at Staple Center
“I am trying to find closure, I want you to know, even though I am not there at the Staples Center, I am there in my heart. I've decided to pause and be silent. This feels right for me."
"Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life, and the way that I can't seem to find words to express. Michael wanted me to be there for his children, and I will be there if they ever need me. “
"I hope today brings closure for all those who loved him. Thank you, Katherine and Joe, for sharing your son with the world and with me. I send my love and condolences to the Jackson family."
DIANA ROSS
One of the Greats of Girl Group 60's Dies !!
REMEBERING ELLIE GREENWICH
By Kevin Goins/Milwaukee R&B Music Examiner
On Wednesday, August 26th the music world lost a legend of song & voice when composer/session singer extraordinaire Ellie Greenwich died of heart failure in NYC - weeks after she suffered a massive stroke. Ellie was 68 years old.
Ellen Louise Greenwich was a multiple threat - songwriter, studio musician, record producer/label executive, commercial jingle creator, entrepreneur, Broadway stage star and a stauch supporter of music education. A trailblazer in her own way, Ellie did so thanks in part to the massive song catalog she created - both on her own and with partners such as composer Tony Powers, producer Bob Crewe as well as Jeff Barry - the latter was also her husband during the early 1960s.
Ellie's life & accomplishments should serve as a "how-to" for
anyone who wants to pursue a career in the music biz, no matter if one desires to be a singer, songwriter and have a personal life at he same time. Ellie seemed to almost do it all.
1) HAVE A DREAM AND START EARLY - Ellie started writing songs in her early teens and studied the accordion. While in high school,she formed a "girl group" called the Jivettes & performed her
original songs at events ranging from talent shows to charity events.
2) RALLY SUPPORT FROM FAMILY - Mom & Dad Greenwich footed the bill for the accordion lessons as well as transported the teenaged Ellie to gigs.
3) GET AN EDUCATION - When Ellie met Archie Bleyer, the founder of Cadence Records (the early home of the Everly Brothers), he advised her to stick with the songwriting - and go to college. Ellie did just that - starting out at Queens College, then transferring to Hofstra University. She earned a BA in English and graduated with honors from Hofstra.
4) GO FOR IT..ONE THING AT A TIME - While in college, Ellie recorded her first single, "Silly Isn't It", for RCA Victor under the name "Ellie Gaye". After graduation, Ellie taught high school English. Three weeks into the teaching stint, she was hired by the team of Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller as a songwriter for their publishing company. Then came the hit tunes, session work, producing, etc.
5) MARRIAGE & CAREER, YOU CAN DO BOTH - Ellie met songwriter Jeff Barry while she was still in college. After dating then marriage, Jeff & Ellie became a songwriting/production force. The hits say it all - "Be My Baby", "Chapel Of Love", "Leader Of The Pack", "He's The Kind Of Boy You Can't Forget", "Hanky Panky", "River Deep - Mountain High".
6) IF IT DON'T WORK OUT - They were a successful team musically but the marriage didn't last - Jeff & Ellie divorced by the mid 1960s. They still worked together on songs and producing artists such as Neil Diamond long after they split up as husband & wife.
7) KEEP THE DAY JOB - Ellie continued with the session work - cutting background vocals on recordings produced by Bob Crewe (who called her the "creme de la creme" of studio singers) and working with the Sweet Inspirations on Aretha Franklin's "Chain Of Fools" (Ellie re-arranged the vocal parts). Ellie would eventually become one of the top (if not THE top) studio/demo singers of the recording industry.
8) EXPAND THE HORIZONS - In 1967, Ellie formed Pineywood Music with fellow composer/producer Mike Rashkow and over a period of three years they created music for Dusty Springfield, the Hardy Boys cartoon series and Ellie herself. In addition to composing & records, Ellie was a "first-call" jingle singer for radio & TV commercials. As a result of this work, she formed Jingle Habitat with Steve Tudanger & Steve Feldman to write/produce jingles. Ellie's work earned her nominations for several Clio Awards and resulted in her induction into the Clio Hall of Fame. Her vocals graced many commercials for Cheerios, Clairol and the Ford Mustang.
9) CASH IN ON YOUR WORK - After a stint at the Bottom Line, the musical "Leader Of The Pack" debuted on Broadway in 1985 starring Ellie, Darlene Love and Patrick Cassidy. Not only did the show earn a Tony & Grammy nomination, it was a great way for Ellie to collect some serious royalties from her songs - and having fun doing so!!!
10) GIVE BACK & PASS IT ON - The old school teacher in Ellie wasn't placed on the shelf. Ellie not only encouraged elementary & high schools to produce "Leader Of The Pack" for their respective communities, she made herself & the songs readily available for music teachers as well as students via her website.
The best way to remember Ellie Greenwich? Next time you hear the opening beat of the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" or see Darlene Love perform "Christmas Please Come Home" on David Letterman's show at holiday time, turn up the volume and make it loud enough for the heavens to hear.
Thank you, Ellie - for the great music you created
Just a sampling of Ellie's songs (and some of the artists who recorded them):
DARLENE LOVE
(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry
Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home
A Fine, Fine Boy
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
THE CRYSTALS
Da Doo Ron Ron
Then He Kissed Me
All Grown Up
Little Boy
THE RONETTES
Be My Baby
Baby I Love You
I Can Hear Music
BOB B. SOXX & THE BLUE JEANS
Why Do Lovers Break Each Others' Hearts
Not Too Young to Get Married
THE EXCITERS
He's Got the Power
Do Wah Diddy
THE DIXIE CUPS
Chapel of Love
People Say
Gee the Moon is Shining Bright
Girls Can Tell
Little Bell
You Should Have Seen the Way He Looked at Me
THE SHANGRI-LAS
Leader of the Pack
Out in the Streets
THE JELLY BEANS
I Wanna Love Him So Bad
Baby Be Mine
THE BUTTERFLYS
Goodnight Baby
I Wonder
Gee Baby Gee
THE AD LIBS
He Ain't No Angel
TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELS
Hanky Panky
THE RAINDROPS
What a Guy
The Kind of Boy You Can't Forget
LESLEY GORE
Look of Love
Maybe I Know
IKE & TINA TURNER
River Deep - Mountain High
I'll Never Need More Than This
Hold On Baby
THE CHIFFONS
I Have a Boyfriend
COMPILED BY ARJAYVEE
BY SLAV KANDYBA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On the eve of his new album’s release, Motown legend Smokey Robinson visited the GRAMMY Museum Aug. 24 to discuss his five decades in the music business and share anecdotes about working with legends such as Berry Gordy, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson.
Following a conversation with the museum’s director and taking questions from the audience, the writer of such hits as “My Girl” and “Tears of a Clown” performed a number of songs with a full band, including “Don’t Know Why,” the first single from his new album, “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun.”
From the moment Robinson walked on to the stage, dressed in a gray pinstripe suit and a silk T-shirt, the audience of some 200 fans applauded loudly and laughed at nearly every joke. Robinson himself appeared in a great mood, as evidenced by his ear-to-ear smile and hearty laugh.
“I’m living way beyond my wildest dreams,” he said, sitting in a director’s chair opposite of the GRAMMY Museum’s executive director, Robert Santelli. “I dreamed to be either a singer or a cowboy — and I liked cowboys who sang, like Gene Autry.”
Growing up in “the ’hood” of Detroit, Robinson lived mere blocks from Aretha Franklin, whose brother was one of Robinson’s closest friends. One day he heard her sing through a window, walked in and saw that she was playing the piano. She was 5.
Robinson himself began writing when he was 6 years old, penning a school play.
“I think creativity is a gift from God,” Robinson said.
Describing the Motown family as almost like a real family that hung with each other socially as well as in the studio making hit after hit, Robinson called the late Marvin Gaye his “brother brother” and added “What’s Going On” was his favorite album of all time. Michael Jackson, at 10 years old, was “a bundle of talent” that possessed all the star qualities that the world would get to know later, Robinson said. The Supremes’ Diana Ross lived “four doors down from me,” Robinson said.
Motown was rightfully compared to Detroit’s automobile assembly line, Robinson told Santelli.
“My car was my writing place,” he said, crediting Berry Gordy, a one-time assembly line worker, for pursuing a dream and starting Motown with an $800 loan from family.
“What’s special for us in Detroit is we had Berry Gordy,” Robinson said, adding that Gordy was “a songwriter at heart” and competed for song placements with his writers, including the famed Holland-Dozier-Holland team.
“The Motown sound was the people,” he said. “People were coming from all over the world to record in Detroit because they thought there was something in the air.”
Although Motown cranked out pop hit after pop hit, the record label was in tune when The Beatles emerged and “took the world by storm,” as Robinson put it.
“I loved them because they were the first white act at the top of the music industry who gave credit to the black music,” he said.
To this day, Robinson is still amazed at how music transcends languages and nationalities. He calls “My Girl,” a song he penned for The Temptations, his “international anthem,” because when he performs it overseas in non-English speaking countries, fans know the melody and the words.
Robinson has discovered new talent overseas as well. He’s working with a popular Australian band called Human Nature, which recorded Motown covers all the way to the top of the charts. Robinson was sold when they performed his hit “Ooh Baby Baby” for him a capella, “and never got off pitch,” he said.
Robinson’s new album features original material — with one exception.
The single, “Don’t Know Why,” was originally written for and performed by Grammy-winner Norah Jones. Robinson’s album features guest vocalists Joss Stone and India Arie.
THE SUPREMES & 4 TOPS: TRULY THE MAGNIFICENT 7
review by: Rick Bueche/Soulful Detroit
The year 1970 was a pivotal year for Motown. The Jackson 5 burst onto the scene with red-hot record sales, the Temptations found new success with their psychedelic soul, Edwin Starr became world-famous with his opposition to “War” and the queen of Motown, Diana Ross, launched a slow-but-sure solo career under the production helm of Ashford and Simpson.
This left the Supremes and 4 Tops in the shadows of Ross and the Temps. Replacing Ross with Jean Terrell gave the group renewed, if limited, success. Likewise, under the guidance of Frank Wilson, both groups scored impressive comebacks that year with hits like Up The Ladder To The Roof, Still Water (Love), and Stoned Love. As had been done in the 60s when Motown teamed Diana Ross and the Supremes with the Temptations, Motown deduced that a teaming of the revamped Supremes with the veteran Tops would spark magic again.
The first duet lp was The Magnificent 7, twelve tracks of mostly cover songs produced by some of Motown’s finest music makers including Ashford & Simpson and Clay McMurray.
Initially the lp was dismissed as a knock-off of the previous duet lps. Then Motown edited and re-mixed River Deep-Mountain High. That single took off on the heals of Stoned Love and by Christmas time the new Supremes had two hit records in the Top 20. This single complimented the Tops hugely successful “Still Waters Run Deep” album. So, going into 1971, both groups were hot again.
This first album only had a modest chart showing for an album with a hit single. Several months later Motown tried to re-ignite the pairing with “The Return Of The Magnificent Seven.” A failed single, “You Gotta Have Love In Your Heart” did little to help the lagging sales of this album. Finally toward the end of 1971, a third album entitled “Dynamite” limped along at the bottom of the charts.
Despite the less than stellar reception, the group worked off of each other very well. Jean Terrell’s lilting soprano complimented the late, great Levi Stubbs’ gruff, macho baritone quite well. The second album featured more original material so one would have assumed Motown would have gotten behind this great album. Several potential hits were missed here, including If You Could See Me Now, Let’s Make Love Now and What Do You Have To Do (To Stay On The Right Side Of Love). By the time the third lp was issued it was known inside Motown circles that the Tops were leaving. Perhaps this is the reason so singles were issued for that album but they truly missed the boat on “Hello Stranger” which would surely have been a Top 40 entry for the duets.
Univeral has issued these three albums, gorgeously remastered in the new collection “Magnificent: The Complete Studio Duets.” For added entertainment, package producer Andy Skurow has thrown in 11 unreleased tracks that could have made for yet a fourth album. Among those tracks are remakes of I Had A Dream, It’s Your Thing, and a rare rock remaking of Joy To The World. The groups were equally impressive with the standard Poinciana. For added measure, Mr. Skurow had the two singles remixed and extended for this collection. Jean Terrell is particularly outstanding on You Gotta Have Love In Your Heart, where the mix is allowed to run an extra minute or so, allowing Terrell to ad-lib and show off her vocal range. River Deep-Mountain High is included on the second disk in what appears to be a production similar to Ross’s Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
The package is annotated by Mark Bego with help from Skurow and veteran Supremes enthusiast George Solomon. Missing are rare photos of the two groups together. When looking at the recording notes to the songs it is no surprise that they took so few photos together; they rarely WERE in the same place at the same time. It is testimony to the talents of the seven singers and Motown’s mixing geniuses that the sound appears to have them all collected when in fact vocals for each song were usually laid on different dates. Despite this handicap, Levi and Jean could still convince the listener of their love for one another in the typical three minute Motown opus. It was formula, but it worked.
This collection is now available at http://www.hiposelect.com
Miracles star was Sweet Harmony on Hollywood Boulevard
By Manuel Esparza/Chicano Magazine
The Motown stars were in full action as Mary Wilson of The Supremes joined Eddie Holland, Betty Kelly of Martha and The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Scherrie Payne of The Supremes, Brian Holland, Janie Bradford and Berry Gordy for the ceremony of The Miracles onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea, near the sidewalk stars of The Supremes and The Temptations. Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Smokey also have their own stars but today it was time for the 1st Lady of Motown, Claudette Rogers Robinson along with members of The Miracles, Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, the late Ronnie White, and lead singer Smokey Robinson along with Billy Griffin, who replaced Smokey, was honored. Hundreds of fans turned out for the event (March 20th), as music by The Miracles was being played before the event took place. Limos were park along side of the street as the Motown stars arrived and left for the celebration party that took place after the star ceremony.
It was Sweet Harmony on the Hollywood Boulevard as Smokey Robinson and The Miracles took center. Berry Gordy started the event talking on he first met and signed the group then it was up to the ever lovely Claudette Robinson who thanked the fans leaving time for Stevie Wonder to say some words about The Miracles, fans were waiting to hear words by Mary Wilson of The Supremes as she got wild screams from die-hard fans.
Early Motown star Mable John loses son in Los Angeles
By Manuel Esparza, Chicano Magazine
Singer Mable John, one of the first artists signed to the Motown label by Berry Gordy, recorded several sides for Motown Tamla Records and later left Gordy to join Stax Records where she recorded the soul “Sweet Devil.”
Mable John is the sister to fantastic ‘R’ and ‘B’ soul legend Little Willie John, who’s “Talk To Me,” and “Fever,” became classics.
Miss John lost her son John Taylor this week; cause of death is unknown at press time. Taylor, 65 was a pastor in Los Angeles; he passed away at the Veterans Memorial Hospital in West Los Angeles, on Friday, February 20, 2009 at 11:55 AM.
The Services will be held at the Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church (see below info) on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 11:00 AM. Information, please call (323) 731-9315.
John E. Carter, Distinctive Dells Singer, Dies
Date: Monday, August 24, 2009
By: EURweb.com
John E. Carter, the distinctive falsetto/tenor voice of R&B group The Dells, died Friday (Aug. 21) after losing a battle with lung cancer, according to a spokeswoman for Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Carter's hometown of Harvey, Illinois. He was 75.
Carter first rose to fame with The Flamingos before leaving in 1960 to sing with The Dells, who were best known for their hit "Oh What A Night." The 1954 breakout hit sold more than a million records when it was reissued in 1969 with Carter on falsetto lead. The Dells were also famous for "Stay in My Corner," one of the first R&B hits to run more than six minutes.
The band toured with Dinah Washington and Ray Charles in their heyday, and later worked with famed producer Quincy Jones.
In 1991, The Dells were recruited to work as technical advisers for "The Five Heartbeats," a movie loosely based on their career.
Carter, who was the last surviving member of The Flamingos, remains one of the few artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with two acts. He is survived by five daughters and several grandchildren.
Hits from the Dells Include, "Stay In My Corner" "Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation."
Lunch with the FT: Martha Reeves
By John Reed in Detroit
Published: February 27 2009 17:45 | Last updated: February 27 2009 17:45
In one corner of my rich inner fantasy world, I get to sing and dance in the street with Martha and the Vandellas. The legendary Motown girl group topped the charts in the early 1960s with a string of bouncy hits, including “(Love is Like a) Heat Wave” (1963),“Nowhere to Run” (1965) and “Dancing in the Street” (1964), which has become one of the most played singles of all time.
My favourite photo, from a 1965 television appearance, shows them singing and snapping their fingers while perched on the back of a Mustang at a Ford assembly plant.
But when my dream finally comes true and I meet Martha Reeves, the group’s lead singer, we are, rather less glamorously, walking briskly through an office building, having a policy-wonkish discussion about public finance and the credit crunch.
Since 2005, Reeves has been a Detroit city councilwoman and we are heading to her favourite Italian restaurant, located in the sprawling 1970s-built Renaissance Center complex, which also houses General Motors’ headquarters.
Annie Leibovitz photographed Reeves last year for Vanity Fair for a piece on Motown. In that photo, Reeves is sporting a fur coat and windswept hair, dancing on a Detroit street. Today she is dressed in a tailored red cardigan, a black leather skirt, and stern black-rimmed glasses.
She has just come from a closed council meeting – Standard & Poor’s, the rating agency, has downgraded Detroit’s credit rating to sub-investment-grade or “junk” status, and the meeting was to examine options. She insists that “it’s not a bad time for Detroit – we’re business as usual. We made some bad decisions and there’s an economic crisis around the world.”
As we walk, Reeves is recognised by many Detroiters, either from politics or her glory years at Berry Gordy’s recording studio. The Motown label nurtured some of pop’s most prodigious talents, including the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Michael Jackson. It also broke racial barriers by introducing millions of white Americans to black music.
“Happy 50th!” a maintenance man shouts at Reeves. She laughs and stops to talk. Reeves is 67 but Motown is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Gordy starting (with an $800 loan) what was to become one of America’s biggest black-owned businesses.
We arrive at Andiamo restaurant, an upscale Italian that serves GM executives and other well-heeled Detroiters. Reeves seems annoyed when our waitress does not recognise her. She asks her to seat us in a booth rather than her usual windowside table overlooking the frozen Detroit river so, she says, she can concentrate on our conversation.
Our talk turns to Barack Obama (his image is plastered on magazine covers and photos, including one taken with Reeves, posted on an easel in her office). After praising the new president’s intelligence and lucidity, she turns rather more informal: “Plus, he’s good-looking – he reminds me of Marvin Gaye.” I realise I am having lunch with someone who has met them both.
SOUL SURVIVORS
Ludovic Hunter-Tilney on Motown’s ‘family’ reunions
Members of the Motown “family”, as the record label’s performers like to call themselves, are reuniting this summer to celebrate Motown’s 50th anniversary. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas feature with the likes of the Commodores and Mary Wilson of the Supremes in the line-up – though the Vandellas on stage will not be the originals.
Reeve’s current backing singers are her sisters Lois and Delphine, replacements for the childhood friends she recruited in 1962, Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard. The changing personnel underlines Reeves’ iron grip on the group. Unlike the Supremes, who shared lead vocals until Motown supremo Berry Gordy insisted Diana Ross act as main vocalist, Martha and the Vandellas were unquestionably led by Reeves. In 1967, her identity was stamped even more forcibly on the group with its renaming as “Martha Reeves and the Vandellas”.
In her youth the tall, slim singer towered over her backing singers. That was no longer the case when I saw her play with Lois and Delphine in London in 2007, though Reeves, like an ageing soul Cleopatra, presented a picture of defiant glamour in a figure-hugging gold dress and gold stilettos. She maintained her ownership of classics such as “Dancing in the Street” and “(Love is Like a) Heat Wave” with evident pride and a sharp voice that glinted like a sabre, although the track for which she seemed to reserve most vigour was the obscure “Watch Your Back” from a widely ignored solo album released in 2004.
“Watch Your Back” – the sentiment could function as Reeves’ Motown epitaph. As the 1960s progressed the company’s energies increasingly went into promoting the Supremes as its chief girl group, relegating the Vandellas to the status of also-rans. Gordy’s pragmatic reasoning was that the smoother-sounding Supremes were more likely to appeal to white audiences but Reeves felt betrayed. The Vandellas broke up in 1972, the year Motown moved to Los Angeles, and Reeves parted ways with the company soon after.
Motown’s abandonment of Detroit lays bare the unsentimental business philosophy at its heart. Motown’s musicians were family in that they shared similar backgrounds in Detroit’s black neighbourhoods but their autocratic boss Gordy treated them as employees. “Family” ultimately played second-fiddle to sales. No wonder Reeves, one of Motown’s least pliable stars, chooses to sing with real blood relations nowadays.
The Legends of Motown tour begins in the UK on June 23
Ludovic Hunter-Tilney is the FT’s pop critic
We order a plate of mixed appetisers to share, some pasta and two glasses of Riesling. The day before our meeting Reeves had returned from a concert in Berlin – her city council job is full-time but she fits in musical gigs during holiday recesses. She digs about in her bag and brings out an article from USA Today that she read on the flight from Germany. It mentions and quotes her, among other artists, but the accompanying picture is of Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Some Motown historians suggest that Gordy’s decision to devote writers and resources to the Supremes was a sore point with Reeves. I seize the moment to ask her whether she was jealous of the Supremes getting all that attention. “I’m not jealous of anything or anybody – we hold our own,” she says firmly.
“They were jealous of us, and they took our writers,” she says. “Then they had 10 number ones in a row, so I guess they showed us!” She laughs.
Reeves says the reports of rivalry were sparked by the 2006 film of the musical Dreamgirls. This was a fictionalised account of a Supremes-type group, and it angered many Motown veterans, including Gordy, for taking big liberties with their story. Reeves describes the film as “a farce”.
The wine arrives and we clink glasses to toast Motown’s 50th. She tells me that on early Motown tours, she shared hotel rooms with the Supremes’ Mary Wilson. “That’s why she and I are so tight today,” she says. Gordy split up the groups in the hotels to encourage cohesion among the label’s artists. “Our competition was the Crystals, the Ronettes, the Shangri-Las, the Angels ... ” she says, naming groups from other labels.
Reeves was born in 1941 in Eufaula, Alabama, the third of 11 children, and was brought as a baby to Detroit. Like many of their generation, Reeves’ parents fled the south in search of a better life. She began her public singing career aged three, with a gospel song in a talent contest at her grandfather’s church.
As a teenager, she won a talent contest and was asked by William “Mickey” Stevenson, a producer and songwriter for Hitsville USA, as Motown’s studio was known, to audition.
Reeves showed up the next morning – the wrong day for an audition – but Stevenson asked her to mind his office while he was out. Reeves, who had taken secretarial courses in school, made herself useful by answering the phone and taking dictation for the songwriters who were crammed into a small residential house on West Grand Boulevard where creative talents clashed and tensions sometimes flared.
“I kind of took over because I had to,” she says. “There was an emergency – people were threatening to fight, to shoot.” A large appetiser plate arrives and Reeves says a few words of grace before we eat. In the 1960s, she drifted away from religion but re-embraced it in 1977 while living in Los Angeles. (“I was just another unemployed entertainer,” she says. “The town is full of them.”)
Reeves came to Gordy’s attention when singing back-up with a group called the Del-Phis for Marvin Gaye and other artists. She was asked to do a demo record. “I didn’t just sing it, I put my heart into it,” she says, helping herself to calamari.
Gordy gave the group a contract and Reeves, as lead singer, had 15 minutes to make up a name. Reeves, who lived near Van Dyke street on Detroit’s east side and worshipped the singer Della Reese, came up with the Vandellas.
The group had their first million-seller in “Heat Wave,” which climbed the charts thanks to a TV broadcaster who introduced the weather forecast with it.
The atmosphere in Hitsville USA, Reeves recalls, was a mixture of creative chaos and strict discipline imposed by Gordy’s blueprint for nurturing artists. “It was a beehive of talented people making wonderful music,” she says.
As the 1960s ended, however, the Vandellas were eclipsed by other Motown groups and in 1972 Gordy decided to move the label to Los Angeles. There was anger in Detroit over Motown’s move to the coast. “It took them time to get over it,” Reeves says. “The city was in an uproar when they decided to leave.”
Reeves, who had a four-month-old son at the time, says she wasn’t even told they were moving until the office had packed up. “I wasn’t asked to go,” she says flatly. “My contract expired.”
Instead, she recorded as a solo act before reuniting with the original Vandellas in 1989. Reeves has cycled through several versions of the group since and today is backed up by her sisters Lois and Delphine. So you sing with them? I ask. “They sing with me,” Reeves corrects.
I ask which contemporary musicians she likes. “It’s hard to say,” she says. A tense silence follows before I ask whether she likes Beyoncé. “Who?” she asks archly. She grimaces when I mention Eminem, another Detroiter. “You have little girls around now who are dancing with their bellies, with a lot of suggestive lyrics Motown would never have,” she says. “It seems to sell.” At Motown, she says, “we had a quality control department, and our lyrics were under scrutiny. Berry would say, ‘I don’t like that, go change it’.”
Her grandson has filled her iPod with new music, she says. “I rejected the ones that don’t have any musicians in them – they just have beatboxes and some noises.” She says she likes Mahalia Jackson and other gospel singers.
She sweetly offers me half of the last prawn on the plate we are sharing, which she cuts in half. I am feeling very full already and the house speciality of pasta with seafood is still to come.
As two enormous plates arrive, Reeves tells me about her 38-year-old son, who works for Chrysler, the Detroit carmaker that is now surviving on a $4bn emergency government loan.
We are back to discussing Detroit’s dire current state, so I raise a delicate point: Reeves is a senior official in one of America’s worst-run cities. Its former mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, the erstwhile “hip-hop mayor”, has recently served a 120-day jail term for lying to police investigating his administration’s abuse of power. Reeves was elected to city council after some of the worst cases of reported government malfeasance but before Kilpatrick resigned.
When I mentioned I was interviewing Reeves to Detroiters less besotted than myself with Motown music, several were scathing about city government. Some were rude about her. I ask about the ratings downgrade. “If you don’t have trouble and problems, what would you need a city council for?” she asks in return.
She tells me about some of her work as councillor, including one tale of intervening in a dispute at a high school where Arab-American and black children were fighting.
Fewer than half of Detroit’s high-school students graduate, and some schools lack light bulbs and toilet paper. I ask Reeves why they are so bad.
“It’s a social thing – the broader culture,” Reeves says, returning to a theme touched on in our talk about music. “It’s a mess, not only in Detroit,” she says. “Parents have to teach their kids respect.”
Will having a new, more inspiring, president make Americans change?
“I know we will because we’ll have someone to look up to,” Reeves says. “He’s got to help the middle class and the poor people – make a little more of an even distribution in our economy.”
Our pasta unfinished, we both skip dessert. Reeves asks for take-away containers.
Reeves’s favourite waiter approaches and the talk turns to lighter fare such as cosmetic surgery, including one older R&B diva who, she says laughingly, “can’t stop smiling”. I get up, feeling uplifted to have met Reeves but heavier from the large meal, and walk the councillor back to her office.
.................................
Andiamo Riverfront
400 Renaissance Center,Suite A-403, Detroit, Michigan
Fried calamari x1 $8.95
Grilled portobello
mushrooms x1 $8.95
Shrimp appetiser x1 $12.95
Seafood with angel hair pasta x2 $65.90
San Pellegrino x1 $4.95
Karl Erbes Riesling x2 $24.00
Total (inc. service) $153.24
Special Exhibition: Meet the Velvelettes
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
Saturday, February 14, 2009, to Sunday, September 27, 2009
Every day
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
230 North Rose Street
Kalamazoo MI 49009
The Velvelettes is a “girl group” from Kalamazoo and Flint whose talent paved their way to being part of the most innovative recording company in America – Motown. Their talent rivaled the likes of the Shirelles, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Supremes. Their biggest hit, Needle in a Haystack, reached no. 45 on the Billboard charts in mid-1964. This exhibit reveals how they got their foot in the door at Motown; performed with the likes of Smokey Robinson and Miracles, the Supremes, and Battle Creek’s Junior Walker and the All Stars; then made a dynamic comeback in the 1980s. Featured are original performance costumes, music, and video about their careers. Come and see this fun and eye-popping tribute to the women of the Velvelettes and their contribution to the “girl group” phenomenon.
Meet the Velvelettes is organized by the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.
MOTOWN SONGWRITER MORRIS BROADNAX DEAD AT 78
MAA NEWS - Motown songwriter Morris Ervin Broadnax, "Nax" as some called him, died Tuesday, February 18, at his Detroit home of congestive heart failure, he was 78 years old.
Morris was with Motown in the earlier years, and teamed up with producer/ songwriter Clarence Paul and Motown icon Stevie Wonder to develop history making music for some of Motown's greats. Most of his Motown days evolved around writing for Stevie Wonder, but throughout the years he did write with other notable and less known songwriters of the day; he collaborated with writers such as RICHARD MORRIS, RONALD MCNEIR, LAWRENCE PAYTON, CHAKA KHAN, MAJOR REYNOLDS, EDDIE WINGATE, LEON WARE, FORTE ANTHONY, ROBERT MC CARTHER, SERGE AINSBOURG, PAUL HUSTON, DAVID, JOLICOEUR, VINCENT, MASON, KELVIN MERCER,
DORIS MC NEIL, BILLY DAVENPORT, KEVIN GILLIAM, LEROY HAGGARD JR., KWAME HOLLAND, MAIDEN TONY, WADE MARCUS. and MICHAEL CRUMP.
Morris co-wrote the smash song "All I Do Is Think About You", with Wonder and Paul; it was originally recorded by Brenda Holloway, and later became a major Stevie Wonder hit.
Morris' body of work landed him a multitude of songs throughout his life time. He gleamed with pride over songs such as "Just A Little Misunderstanding" (The Contours), Until You Come Back To Me (Aretha Franklin), "Hey Love" (Stevie Wonder), and "All I Do Is Think About You" (Stevie Wonder) all of which being his treasured diamonds in the rough.
Broadnax did have one other distinction. He was the first person to attempt to develop a Motown Alumni Association. In 1989, Broadnax tried to organize his own version of the MAA, and ran into resistance along the way. "Nax was frustrated and gave up because nobody was really interested in being a part of the organization at that time" said Billy Wilson, president of the current Motown Alumni Association. "I started this organization in 1995, and found out he existed; I proceeded to contacted Nax to find out why he discontinued the effort... He was disappointed that nobody wanted to participate... he said, good luck and told me to take a bullet proof armored shield along the way... you're gonna need it"!
Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God & Christ
19190 Schaefer Hwy , Detroit, MI 48235
(On the corner of Schaefer and 7 mile)
Church #: (313) 864-7170
Funeral Service: 11:00am. - Thursday Feb 26, 2009
Family Hour: 10:00am.
Ronettes Singer Estelle Bennett Dies At 67
Estelle Bennett, one of the Ronettes, the singing trio whose 1963 hit "Be My Baby" epitomized the famed "wall of sound" technique of its producer, Phil Spector, has died at her home in Englewood, N.J. She was 67.
Bennett's brother-in-law, Jonathan Greenfield, said police found her dead in her apartment on Wednesday after relatives had been unable to contact her. The time and cause of death have not yet been determined. Greenfield is the manager and husband of Bennett's sister, Ronettes lead singer Ronnie Spector.
The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007; its Web site hails the group as "the premier act of the girl group era." Among their admirers were the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; their exotic hairstyles and makeup are aped by Amy Winehouse.
The Ronettes — sisters Veronica "Ronnie" and Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley — signed with Spector's Philles Records in 1963.
Their recording of "Be My Baby" hit No. 2 on Billboard magazine's pop music chart that year. Among their other hits were "Walkin' in the Rain" and "Baby I Love You."
They also did a memorable version of "Sleigh Ride" that appeared on Spector's "A Christmas Gift for You" album. Their last Philles single was " I Can Hear Music" in 1966.
The songs feature Spector's elaborate arrangements that blend many instruments into a smooth, pulsating "wall."
"They could sing all their way right through a wall of sound," Keith Richards of the Stones said as the Ronettes were inducted into the rock hall. "They didn't need anything. They touched my heart right there and then and they touch it still."
But their string of hits had tailed off by the time they split around 1967.
Ronnie Bennett had married Spector in 1968 but they divorced six years later.
Greenfield said Ronnie Spector was devastated over her sister's death.
"Estelle was Ronnie's sidekick in the Ronettes," Greenfield, of Newbury, Conn., said Thursday from New York. "She was very much into fashion and worked with Ronnie on the whole look and style of the Ronettes."
After the group's breakup, Bennett rarely made public appearances.
For nearly 15 years, the women waged a lengthy, and ultimately unsuccessful, court battle with Spector over royalties.
They sued Spector in the late 1980s, saying he had cheated them out of royalties by using their music in ways not authorized by the their recording contract. For example, "Be My Baby" was played in the opening credits of the smash 1987 movie "Dirty Dancing."
A trial was held in 1998, and in 2000, the judge ordered Spector to pay $2.6 million in past royalties and interest for the use of Ronettes songs as background music in movies, videocassette recordings, and advertising.
But New York State's highest court threw out that ruling on appeal in 2002. The judges noted that the contract did not actually mention secondary rights to the use of music, so-called "synchronization rights," which are a more modern phenomenon in the entertainment industry. But under New York state contract law, the court said, the singers did not control those rights unless their contract specifically said they did.
At the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2007, Ronnie Spector did not mention her ex-husband, but he sent a note that was read at the ceremony saying, "I wish them all the happiness and good fortune the world has to offer."
In recent years, Phil Spector has been battling criminal charges in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.
Bennett was born in 1941, her sister in 1943 and Talley in 1945, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Web site.
According to the book " He's a Rebel," a biography of Phil Spector by Mark Ribowsky, the Ronettes first began performing as the Darling Sisters and later worked as dancers at New York's Peppermint Lounge, the epicenter of the early 1960s dance craze, the Twist.
Their first recording contract, with Colpix, went nowhere, but then they were signed by Spector.
In addition to her sister, Bennett is survived by a daughter, Toyin Hunter of Santa Monica, Calif., and three grandsons.
(Source: Billboard Magazine)
Motown singer Blinky ready to make comeback
By Manuel Esparza, Chicano Magazine
INGLEWOOD – Soul singer Blinky Williams is working behind the scenes as producer of the Gospel, drama, comedy Jesus Is Coming To Town instead of taking a starring role since the singer is a legendary Motown artist from the 60’s, who recorded the Motown classic “I Wouldn’t Change The Man He Is,” this writer enjoyed watching Blinky working behind the scenes as she brought the play to life as producer and also musical director. The soulful and sexy singer is ready for a musical comeback herself these days as her manager William Powell told Chicano Magazine, that Blinky is making a big comeback to the stage with a concert show in the works starring some other female artists that once recorded for Motown Records, may be Brenda Holloway and others.
Fans of Blinky have wrote and emailed Motown Records to released her un-issued recordings from the vault and have even protested as to FREE BLINKY. Only one album has been released, the late 60’s album We Two, a duet prodject Blinky recorded with fellow Motown star Edwin Starr featuring the hit “Oh, How Happy,” along with a great version of Smokey Robinson’s “Ooh Baby, Baby.”
It would be great to see Blinky star in a musical revue; a take off to Lady Sings The Blues, where fans can hear Blinky sing “T’ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do,” along with other LSTB classics but as for now we can only hope that Blinky keeps her promise as her fans can’t wait to see her !!
Hollywood insiders … His love for Martha Reeves was ‘Like a Heat Wave,” says Austin Williams, brother of Blinky Williams, who traveled with his famous sister during the late 60’s, on many Motown Revues, that had him falling for Motown superstar Martha Reeves. Austin, who is running for City Council in Los Angeles, might be following Martha’s tracks as she is Councilwomen in Detroit was feeling that ‘Heat Wave,’ back then and today just smiles about it. Austin, we are cheering you on; win because you’ve got our vote !!
Motown legend Blinky stars in Jesus To Coming to Town
By Manuel Esparza, Chicano Magazine
Motown star Blinky is performing this week Friday February 20 & Saturday 21, at
True Vine Baptist Church 1437 West Centinela Avenue, in Inglewood.
Motown fans will be thrilled when they capture Blinky in Jesus Is Coming to Town, a Gospel, drama, comedy starring the soul star that gave us the late 60’s Motown soul classic “I Wouldn’t Change The Man He Is,” a tune written and produced for Blinky by Motown’s top producers Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, who at the time were producing hit records on Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, The Marvelettes, and Blinky.
Movie fans will recall Diana Ross singing “T’aint Nobody’s Buisness If I Do,” from the motion picture Lady Sing’s The Blues, the song Diana was singing too was not the Billie Holiday original but a version recorded for the film by Blinky Williams.
The songstress also released a Motown duet album with Edwin Starr featuring the now classic “Ooh Baby, Baby.”
Aside from Blinky becoming a Motown legend, she started out in the early 60’s, in Los Angeles singing with Frankie Karl "Don't Be Afraid Do As I Say, Baby", Edna Wright, who became lead singer of The Honey Cone, and soul star Gloria Jones "Tainted Love," to name a few. Blinky was also friends with Brenda and Patrice Holloway before they signed with Motown. Like the Holloway sisters, Blinky and later Gloria Jones became part of the Motown family and Motown history.
Motown Records released an unissued track by Blinky, it was a take on The Marvelettes, “The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game,” the song was pure funk and soul and there is word Motown will be releasing a collection by the artist.
For more info on Blinky Williams contact: William Powell 323.519.6042
The Life and Times of Mary Wells
By Manuel Esparza, Chicano Magazine
Mary Wells. She put the ‘M’ in Motown. Mary’s loyal fans will be delighted to know that a book is being written on the Queen of Motown. The writer is Peter Benjaminson, who recently wrote and released The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard, who with Diana Ross and Mary Wilson made Motown history.
Longtime devoted fans like Randy Russi told Chicano Magazine, he was writing a book on Miss Wells but found it to be a huge project and was contacted by Benjaminson to help write the Mary Wells Story. As Chicano Magazine fans and readers know, this writer was Mary Wells Official Fan Club President. I am looking forward on publishing my own book on Mary and the hundreds of the photographs I’ve taken of one of my all time favorite Motown stars. Mary Wells is and was a big favorite of Chicanos.
"To My beloved sister, Rest in peace, You deserve it.
I Love You,"
Ronnie 2/11/09 www.ronniespector.com
GREATEST HITS BY THE RONETTES
BE MY BABY, SO YOUNG, WALKING IN THE RAIN, BABY I LOVE YOU
I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS, DO I LOVE YOU
THE BEST PART OF BREAKING UP
ALL PRODUCED BY PHIL SPECTOR
Estelle Bennett, member of The Ronettes, dies
By POLLY ANDERSON
NEW YORK (AP) — Estelle Bennett, one of the Ronettes, the singing trio whose 1963 hit "Be My Baby" epitomized the famed "wall of sound" technique of its producer, Phil Spector, has died at her home in Englewood, N.J. She was 67.
Bennett's brother-in-law, Jonathan Greenfield, said police found her dead in her apartment on Wednesday after relatives had been unable to contact her. The time and cause of death have not yet been determined. Greenfield is the manager and husband of Bennett's sister, Ronettes lead singer Ronnie Spector.
The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007; its Web site hails the group as "the premier act of the girl group era." Among their admirers were the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; their exotic hairstyles and makeup are aped by Amy Winehouse.
The Ronettes — sisters Veronica "Ronnie" and Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley — signed with Spector's Philles Records in 1963.
Their recording of "Be My Baby" hit No. 2 on Billboard magazine's pop music chart that year. Among their other hits were "Walkin' in the Rain" and "Baby I Love You."
They also did a memorable version of "Sleigh Ride" that appeared on Spector's "A Christmas Gift for You" album. Their last Philles single was "I Can Hear Music" in 1966.
The songs feature Spector's elaborate arrangements that blend many instruments into a smooth, pulsating "wall."
"They could sing all their way right through a wall of sound," Keith Richards of the Stones said as the Ronettes were inducted into the rock hall. "They didn't need anything. They touched my heart right there and then and they touch it still."
But their string of hits had tailed off by the time they split around 1967.
Ronnie Bennett had married Spector in 1968 but they divorced six years later.
Greenfield said Ronnie Spector was devastated over her sister's death.
"Estelle was Ronnie's sidekick in the Ronettes," Greenfield, of Newbury, Conn., said Thursday from New York. "She was very much into fashion and worked with Ronnie on the whole look and style of the Ronettes."
After the group's breakup, Bennett rarely made public appearances.
For nearly 15 years, the women waged a lengthy, and ultimately unsuccessful, court battle with Spector over royalties.
They sued Spector in the late 1980s, saying he had cheated them out of royalties by using their music in ways not authorized by the their recording contract. For example, "Be My Baby" was played in the opening credits of the smash 1987 movie "Dirty Dancing."
A trial was held in 1998, and in 2000, the judge ordered Spector to pay $2.6 million in past royalties and interest for the use of Ronettes songs as background music in movies, videocassette recordings, and advertising.
But New York State's highest court threw out that ruling on appeal in 2002. The judges noted that the contract did not actually mention secondary rights to the use of music, so-called "synchronization rights," which are a more modern phenomenon in the entertainment industry. But under New York state contract law, the court said, the singers did not control those rights unless their contract specifically said they did.
At the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2007, Ronnie Spector did not mention her ex-husband, but he sent a note that was read at the ceremony saying, "I wish them all the happiness and good fortune the world has to offer."
In recent years, Phil Spector has been battling criminal charges in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.
Bennett was born in 1941, her sister in 1943 and Talley in 1945, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Web site.
According to the book "He's a Rebel," a biography of Phil Spector by Mark Ribowsky, the Ronettes first began performing as the Darling Sisters and later worked as dancers at New York's Peppermint Lounge, the epicenter of the early 1960s dance craze, the Twist.
Their first recording contract, with Colpix, went nowhere, but then they were signed by Spector.
In addition to her sister, Bennett is survived by a daughter, Toyin Hunter of Santa Monica, Calif., and three grandsons.
Associated Press writers Bill Newill in Trenton, N.J., and Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles contributed to this report
Etta James says she was kidding about Knowles
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- Etta James says she was joking when she said she "can't stand Beyoncé" and would "whip" the singer for performing James' hit "At Last" at an inaugural ball for President Barack Obama.
The 71-year-old singer told the (New York) Daily News she "didn't really mean anything" by her remarks at a recent concert in Seattle.
James said: "Even as a little child, I've always had that comedian kind of attitude. ... That's probably what went into it."
Even so, James says it stung that she wasn't asked to sing her most famous song on the historic night.
James says she liked Beyoncé Knowles' version but thinks she could have done a better job. She says it's "a shame to say that."
Beyoncé portrayed James -- and sang the 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren -- in the film "Cadillac Records" last year.
Beyoncé's spokeswoman did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
CHICANO ROCK
Mark and The Escorts Reunion
Personal email from Original lead singer Mark Guerrero
Manuel,
Here's what I know at this time. The event is what they might call a
garage rock blow out that they've had every year for a few years. There
will be about 14 bands from the era of the mid-60s playing. Mark & the
Escorts were going to be the only Chicano/East L.A. band until I helped get
Thee Ambertones to reunite for it. So we'll have two East L.A. Chicano
bands of the era at the show. Mark & the Escorts will be one of the
headliners. The show starts around 4:30 or 5 p.m and will go until 1 a.m.
or so. We'll go on in a prime spot around 11 pm. Thee Ambertones will
probably play right before us. We'll only do songs that we played in the
era, 1964-66, including the A sides of our records, "Get Your Baby" and
"Dance with Me." We'll also do a couple other Eastside Sound songs of the
era by other bands who were friends of ours and often played on the bill
with us. We'll play around 1/2 hour as will Thee Ambertones. The venue is
the Elk's Lodge Van Nuys near the corner of Victory and Van Nuys Blvd. The
address is 14440 Friar St. in Van Nuys. The date of the event is Feb. 21,
2009. I have five of the original members performing. Mark & the Escorts
haven't played together since 1966.
Best,
Mark
LOVE TRAIN: THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA
By JOHN WIRT , Music critic
Detroit’s Motown Records put a pop-radio-friendly sheen on rhythm-and-blues, thereby becoming the first great soul-music label.
Among the African-American labels that followed, ’70s powerhouse Philadelphia International Records stood especially tall. PIR’s productions simultaneously embraced beautiful melody, gospel-touched rhythm and soul, sleek orchestral arrangements and infectious funk.
Classic songs and occasional instrumentals produced by Philadelphia International founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff (and their collaborators) are gathered in Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia. This epic, 71-song box set runs from 1967’s “Expressway (To Your Heart)” by Soul Survivors through Jerry Butler’s 1969 soul anthem, “Only the Strong Survive,” multiple hits by the O’Jays (including their elegant 1973 plea for brotherhood, “Love Train”), B-sides and album tracks plus pre-Philadelphia International productions by Gamble and Huff.
All of which makes this latest Gamble-and-Huff collection a wide-angle view of their brilliant careers
CULTURE CLASH TO PERFORM IN RIVERSIDE
Comic masters Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, and Herbert Siguenza have tweaked American cultural icons for 25 years with their site-specific theatre earning them the reputation as the most prominent Latino/Chicano performance troupe in America. Culture Clash has perfected the art of “performance collage” which blends together history, geography, “urban excavation,” and storytelling in a contemporary moveable theatre narrative
with a Chicano point of view. The characters from their many memorable comedic sketches like “Culture Clash in AmeriCCa,” are based on real interviews and reflect communities in flux across the US. The explosion of brilliant ideas bursts forth in every direction with scenes that are political, social, satirical, ethnic, fearless, often moving and always hysterical.
Estella Acuña
Chicano Student Programs
University of California, Riverside
145 Costo Hall , Riverside, CA 92521
Phone: (951) 827-3821
Fax: (951) 827-2189
Email: estella.acuna@ucr.edu
Website: cspraza.ucr.edu
STAX RECORDS MAKES COMEBACK
LITTLE ROCK, AR and CHARLESTON, SC - Former Stax Records owner and Motown president Al Bell, a legend in the evolution of American music, has announced the launch of a new company, Al Bell Presents, LLC. The centerpiece of this new venture is a full-service website and the first of several Internet music channels, Al Bell Presents American Soul Music, both of which were built by Charleston, SC-based American Media Services-Interactive.
Mr. Bell notes that both the website and online radio station were launched as works in progress so that the consumer, the recorded music industry, entertainment industry, and businesses in general would know what he is doing. Bell insists that, during these changing times, he wishes to create an entity that can be “of service" to many.
The Al Bell Presents website is designed to function as an interactive Internet portal that offers users a variety of elements designed to “entertain, engage, excite, inform and educate." Within these parameters it serves as a fully integrated online experience that will be scalable and constantly updated in order to provide its audience the most up-to-date content possible.
Similarly, Al Bell Presents American Soul Music features musical selections hand-picked and programmed by Mr. Bell, including over two thousand classic tracks from Stax, Motown, Philadelphia International, and other record labels' catalogs. Mr. Bell has committed his expert ear and sense of radio formatics to develop this channel into the quintessential online listening experience for all fans of Soul, R&B, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, Neo-Hip-Hop, Neo-Rap, and Neo-Soul.
In addition to the music, the channel will feature Al Bell's personal observations about the artists, the emotions, the history, and the heritage.
Both the online channel and the website can be experienced at www.AlBellPresents.Com
“It is my desire to provide a music experience that has not been enjoyed before," commented Al Bell, chairman and chief executive officer of Al Bell Presents. “It is my desire through this diverse mixture of music to provide a connection to the past and a life line into the future. I ask all who will listen to help me. Please give me your comments and recommend the music we should be playing. Make this your our radio station. Email me at al.bell@albellpresents.com."
“Mr. Bell came to our offices in Charleston to sit down with me and learn what our capabilities were," recalls Edward F. Seeger, chairman of American Media Services. “I showed him what we had done thus far with TheRadio.Com and our 'Stax Trax' channel, which featured the artists he worked with and the label he ran in Memphis. He then shared with me his vision of the future for music, programming, and sales, and it was a perfect fit with mine, so we came to the conclusion to make it work together. AMSI is proud to work with Mr. Al Bell, an icon of the music industry, and to take this concept into the digital realm. The site is outstanding with its streaming 24 hour music format and the plans for more and more features will make this a must-visit site for anyone who appreciates Soul music.
There is a profound change coming no, it's already here and quickly growing from analog to digital. The venture between American Media Services-Interactive and Mr. Al Bell will be a front-runner in this new music era."
MARTHA REEVES INTERVIEW
reported by: thisisnottingham.co.uk
EVIDENTLY, Martha Reeves is a morning person. Speaking to me from her home in Detroit, the 67-year-old Motown legend was already on her fourth interview of the day – and it was still only 8.45 in the morning.
As an elected, full-time city councillor – a position she has held for the past three years – Martha had to be at work in 45 minutes' time. In the meantime, she was more than happy to talk about her five decades in the music business, and about next year's "Once In A Lifetime – Motown Legends Live" package tour.
Martha's introduction to Motown's "hit factory" was unorthodox, to say the least. One fateful Sunday evening in the early 60s, the aspiring singer was handed a card by the label's A&R man, William "Mickey" Stevenson, and invited for an audition. Somewhat recklessly, she quit her dry-cleaning job the following morning, and showed up at the front door of "Hitsville USA".
As it turned out, the legendary building was little more than a regular house on a regular street.
"When I saw the front door with a hand-painted sign saying "Hitsville", I started to turn around, and I said: oh my God, what have I done!"
Matters went from bad to worse when Martha discovered that no auditions were being held that day. Instead, a busy Stevenson asked her to field an incoming phone call.
"I answered the phone – "Martha Reeves, A&R secretary" – and I sort of spoke my way into the position. He was gone mostly all of the day, preparing a session for this drummer named Marvin Gaye. When he got back, I had practically taken over. I was issuing cheques and assigning the piano, as there were 17 writers in that office. It was just a little cubbyhole of a place."
Although hired as a secretary rather than as a singer, it didn't take long for Martha's musical talent to be recognised.
"I left the job to three girls from secretarial college, and boarded my first Motown revue. All of us got on the bus, with our shoeboxes full of home-made pound cake and fried chicken, tied with a string. We rode for 94 one-nighters, until we arrived at Hitsville again with hit records. Everyone's records charted after that tour."
Recognition in the UK was quick to follow.
"Luckily, Dusty Springfield had a BBC special that she did every week, and she and [her manager] Vicki Wickham invited the Motown revue to England. I think the Temptations came over for the first time, and the Miracles. Heatwave was our record at the time, but I think the Supremes had no hits in the UK. However, they were discovered and we were all embraced."
As an early champion of the Motown sound, Dusty Springfield often included Martha and the Vandellas' signature hit Dancing In The Street in her live set. On her BBC show, the two acts collaborated on a version of Wishing And Hoping. However, when it came to exposure on the live stage, the Vandellas already had a head start on their label mates.
"We had already performed prior to that with Georgie Fame, when Yeh Yeh was a big hit. He let us do 40 one-nighters with him, and so we were already familiar with England. When we came over with the Motown revue, it was just a welcoming home by the Tamla Motown Appreciation Society!"
As for my rash suggestion that Martha left the label in the early 70s, it was swiftly and crisply corrected.
"Wait a minute: Motown left me. I stayed in Detroit, and they moved to California. There's a difference!" (Laughter) "I had a young baby, and I wasn't able to travel. And I didn't know that they were moving, actually. I was not informed. There was no baby planned in the contract, and I was away recuperating. In that short distance of time, they made plans to move. The only thing left of the company, when I went to report for my next assignment, were a few computers that were being put on a truck to leave the city."
Needless to say, the move to Los Angeles fundamentally changed the character of the label.
"It ended the Motown saga. There were no real successes, other than maybe a discovery of disco with the likes of Rick James and Teena Marie – but the Motown sound stopped at that point."
The label's trademark sound may have come to an end more than 35 years ago, but the unique Motown "family spirit" endures to this day – as evidenced by the gathering of the clans which occurred at last month's funeral for Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops. Martha spoke at the service, describing Stubbs as "my Pavarotti".
"It was a very difficult time to say goodbye to Levi. He had been ill for seven years. We all hoped that he would recover and sing to us again. However, it never happened. On his 60th birthday, they had a celebration. Aretha Franklin joined the Tops and the Tempts at a concert, where he did sing a little bit – and then that was the last time that his voice was heard."
"It's unreal. You don't think they're gone. You say, how can they take Levi? And the realisation is that we're all going, eventually. I just have his music now, to remember him by. Just Ask The Lonely still tugs at my heart. That was one of my favourite songs that he sang, and he will always be my Pavarotti."
Perhaps it's at sad occasions like these that the old family spirit feels at its strongest.
"We never stopped being family, no matter what. We don't work together as often as we would like, because we have our own music and do our own shows."
For next year's Once In A Lifetime tour, Martha and the Vandellas will be sharing the bill with The Miracles, The Commodores, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, and the late Junior Walker's All-Stars: a line-up which evokes memories of those old Motown revues.
"This reunion is a very well-thought-out tour, and one that I'm anticipating, because there's a strong, good feeling when everybody performs. The competition starts then."
These days, the Vandellas are strictly a family affair. Martha's sister Lois ("my longest standing Vandella") started with the group in 1968, and her other sister Delphine started in 1980. ("That makes her a senior citizen too", she laughs.) Back in the 60s, their chief rivals in the girl group stakes were The Supremes, but Martha is quite clear on the difference between the two acts. "You can classify our music as soul, and you can classify theirs as pop", she states.
As for her biggest hit of all, Dancing In The Street, much has been made of its adoption as an anthem for the civil rights movement during the troubled years of the mid-to-late 1960s. However, the song started its life quite differently
"I'd heard Marvin Gaye sing it, and it was a love song to a girl. He sort of crooned it, and then he said: man, give this to Martha, let her try it. So when I tried it, I called to mind New Orleans, and Rio De Janeiro where I had been at carnival time. Actually, I had seen people get in the street and dance.
"This song was used to quench a lot of the evil feelings that were out in the streets, because of the riots that happened in every major city. And the words were simple: 'Calling out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat'. Not the hate that everybody was feeling, but the happiness that it brings.
"And we've changed a lot of ordinances with our song. Now, some cities allow you to block off the street and actually have dance parties.
"So it didn't start a riot; it quenched one."
Once In A Lifetime – Motown Legends Live comes to the Trent FM Arena on Wednesday June 24, 2009. For tickets call 08444 124 624
Motown Royalty Turns Out For Stubbs Funeral The Four Tops
KIM WESTON, MARTHA REEVES, CLAUDETTE & SMOKEY ROBINSON, BERRY GORDY
Four Tops Vocalist Levi Stubbs Dies At 72
Four Tops' Fakir Salutes Levi Stubbs
October 27, 2008 , 3:40 PM ET
Gary Graff, Detroit
A full complement of the Motown family -- including company founder Berry Gordy, Jr., and stars such as Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves and Dennis Edwards -- turned out today (Oct. 27) in Detroit to pay tribute to the late Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs, Jr.
The 72-year-old Stubbs -- who died Oct. 17 at his home in Detroit following years of illness -- was celebrated with a funeral ceremony fit for a head of state at Greater Grace Temple. Gordy, who received a standing ovation from the couple thousand mourners at the church, said Stubbs, who was nicknamed "the Captain," "was greater than soul... He not only sang the song; he was the song."
Robinson recalled battling, and usually losing to, the Four Aims (as they were originally known) in talent contests during the '50s and said that the Tops were "the group of groups." Robinson's ex-wife and Miracles group mate Claudette Robinson delivered Stubbs' obituary.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson ordered the crowd to give Stubbs one last standing ovation and "scream like you're at the Apollo (Theater) for the first time, or (Detroit's famous) Twenty Grand!" He also noted that the singer "resisted the temptation to become Levi and the Three Tops" -- though in his references to Motown artists who had passed away he mistakenly mentioned Otis Williams, who remains the only original Temptations member still alive.
Abdul "Duke" Fakir, the sole surviving founding Four Top, gave emotional remarks in which he thanked anyone who'd done anything to support the group and concluded that "there will always be, through eternity, the four of us."
Minister Nazim Fakir, Fakir's oldest son and Stubbs' godson, delivered a eulogy stating that "the last 72 years we've experienced the gospel according to Levi Stubbs" and saluting all four of the Tops for providing "a shining example of what real manhood was all about." Current Four Tops lead singer (and former Temptation) Theo Peoples read a piece he had written entitled "Levi's Poem," while another former Temptation, Ali Ollie Woodson, and Jean Carne sang during the ceremony.
Stubbs' own voice was heard via a video of a televised performance of "I Believe in You and Me" from a Black Gold Awards celebration.
Reeves, who's now a Detroit city councilwoman, sang snippets of several Four Tops hits during her remembrance and called all of the Motown alumni in the church to stand together for a moment in front of Stubbs' coffin, which was flanked by floral arrangements and a portrait of the Four Tops.
Among those attending were songwriter/producers Eddie and Brian Holland, Kim Weston, Rosalind Ashford of The Vandellas, Ron Bank of the Dramatics, members of the Spinners, Contours, Andantes, Velvelettes, Funk Brothers drummer Uriel Jones, Geno Washington, Ronnie McNair, Sir Mack Rice, Motown etiquette coach Maxine Powell, longtime Four Tops attorney Judy Tint and Harry Weinger, who oversees Motown archival releases for the Universal Music Group. Aretha Franklin, a close friend of Stubbs, was in New York appearing on "The View" Monday but was among those who sent flowers for the funeral.
Proclamations were announced by the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and the State of Michigan, while several from the City of Detroit included one naming June 6, his birthday, as Levi Stubbs Day.
Stubbs was buried at nearby Woodlawn Ceremony, while the Motowners gathered at the St. Regis hotel in downtown Detroit for a wake following the interment.
Shirley Reeves, left, and Beverly Lee appear on stage at Passaic High School, where The Shirelles once performed as students. On Sunday, Passaic will rename a street after the widely acclaimed singing group. (Elizabeth Lara/Photographer)
Passaic shows love for Shirelles on Sunday
By MEREDITH MANDELL
Shirley Reeves, left, and Beverly Lee appear on stage at Passaic High School, where The Shirelles once performed as students. On Sunday, Passaic will rename a street after the widely acclaimed singing group.
(Elizabeth Lara/Staff Photographer)
Passaic shows its love for legendary Shirelles on Sunday
PASSAIC — A lot has changed since the '60s girl group The Shirelles rocked the stage at Passaic High School 51 years ago.
Since the group's premiere, baggy pants and bandanas have replaced saddle shoes and poodle skirts. Now teens rush home to play video games — not watch "American Bandstand" on a black-and-white television set. And if you ask most 16-year-olds at the high school, "Who are The Shirelles?" you're likely to receive a blank stare in response.
"I heard they are going to be naming the street after them," said Qa-Mar Finley, 16, dressed in ripped jeans and a white bandana wrapped around his head, as he fiddled with an iPod while waiting for his after-school rideThursday.
"It's like country music and stuff, right?" he asked.
At least Finley was partially right.
On Sunday, the city will hold a special ceremony at 2:30 p.m. to name a portion of Paulison Avenue after the vocal quartet.
The two surviving members of the group, Shirley Reeves and Beverly Lee, will be in attendance.
Organizers hope that the event will bridge the generational gap between young and old, affording those who grew up with the rhythm-and-blues group an afternoon to reminisce, and those, who haven't the faintest clue about who they are, a valuable music history lesson.
The group's storied rise to fame began when the teenage girls were baby-sitting after school together on Aspen Place making up songs to pass the time. Lee, Reeves, Doris Coley and Addie "Micki" Harris were all members of the classes of 1958 and 1959.
They first performed for a high school talent show, calling themselves, The Poquellos and sung "I Met Him on a Sunday." The song would later climb the Top 50 charts in 1958. The group went on to perform at proms and school dances, becoming a household name among Passaic's so-called bobby socks set.
The mother of one of their classmates, Florence Greenberg, heard about the girls' popularity, and asked them to audition for her small record label.
So impressed with the group's talent, Greenberg volunteered to manage them and changed their moniker by melding lead singer Shirley's name with the name of the Chantels, a girl group of the day.
They would record such chart-topping hits as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" "Dedicated to the One I Love" and "Soldier Boy."
And while most high school teens shrugged their shoulders at the mention of the group's name on Thursday, the faces of many teachers and staffers at the high school just beamed land, in fact, some started singing and dancing across the hallway.
"Well, when their song ‘Soldier Boy' came out, I was just like, amazed," said Minnie Hiller Cousins, 53, a guidance counselor, who grew up in Passaic. Cousins recalled being 10 years old and watching the group perform the song.
She joined the National Guard in 1978 and recalled that the song always held a soft spot in her heart.
"I remember when I was in Iraq and ‘Soldier Boy' came on a tape. That was playing, and that meant the world to us," Hiller Cousins said. "Just the words, ‘I'll be true to you soldier boy,' you listen to the words and know, they really had a feeling for what the soldiers were doing for them."
Joseph Cisar, 61, a special education supervisor who grew up on Passaic's Eastside, close to where The Shirelles lived on Aspen Place, recalled how he and his friends crooned the group's signature songs walking home from school.
"We were just proud because they went to all the same schools we did," Cisar said.
Athletic Director Greg Komeshock, who graduated with Cisar in 1965, recalled feeling proud every time he heard their songs on the radio.
"At that time, all the music stations were on AM, on WABC and WMCA," he said. "Every time you heard the announcer say that they were from Passaic, New Jersey, that was exciting."
For Cisar, The Shirelles represented a time when Passaic seemed more innocent, a time when you didn't see the ethnic and racial divisions in the town, he said, that you see today.
"They (The Shirelles) performed at the beginning of really turbulent times, and we didn't see that," Cisar said. "They were a young black group. There were no racial problems at all. We all lived together like one big family. We were just all crazy about them."
Part of the music magic of The Shirelles, Schools Superintendent Robert Holster said, was that people identified with the group.
"Everybody in Passaic felt like they were a fifth Shirelle," he said.
On Sunday, Holster said, his message will be a play on the group's song "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?"
"Yes, we will love you tomorrow, and the next day," Holster said. "We will always love you in Passaic."
Reach Meredith Mandell |at 973-569-7107 |or mandell@northjersey.com.
Soul Revolt: Remembering Norman Whitfield
At the root of Motown's success in the 1960s was a stable of youthful and innovative producers and songwriters. Though figures like William "Smokey" Robinson and the trio of Brian Holland, Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier are legendary for their roles in Motown's rise as the "Sound of Young America," Norman Whitfield, the fiery Harlem born producer, is often given short shrift. Whitfield, who died on September 16th of complications related to diabetes, was arguably the most important of those first generation of Motown producers as he adeptly adapted the Motown sound, in the late 1960s, to fit the tenor of one of the most tumultuous political and cultural moments in American society. In the process, Whitfield put a lasting stamp, not just on Soul music, but pop music for years to come.
Norman Whitfield was, like most young Black Americans in the early 1960s, smitten by the sounds that emanated from Detroit's Hitsville Studio, home to Motown Records. During that era Whitfield, then in his early twenties, could be found hanging around Hitsville and stalking Motown personnel, trying to gain entry into a world that was beginning to define what Andre Harrell would later term "High Negro Style." Motown founder and President Berry Gordy made ample use of discerning youth listeners to test records slated for release. Norman Whitfield's first chance at Motown came as one of those testers and after getting some experience producing local Detroit acts, he was finally given the chance to produce some of Motown's lower tier artists such as the Marvelettes ("Too Many Fish in the Sea") and the Velvelettes ("Needle in a Haystack"). After earning Gordy's trust on tracks like Marvin Gaye's "Pride and Joy," Whitfield was given the chance to produce The Temptations, the group he really wanted to work with.
"Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" from 1964 is one of Whitfield's early successes with the Temptation, but his opportunity to really craft a signature sound for the them came courtesy of the spirit of competition that pervaded Motown during its peak years. Because Gordy was committed to the financial bottom line, above all else, Motown functioned as a true meritocracy--at least for its flagship acts.
At the foundation of that meritocracy was the label's quality control unit, where Gordy's most trusted ears would literally vote on the label's releases. Though Smokey Robinson has a major impact on the Temptations development as a cross-over pop act, beginning with their breakthrough recording "The Way You Do the Things You Do" and including the groups most recognizable song, "My Girl" (1964), he found himself in open competition with Whitfield to take the group to the next level.
Whitfield was promised by Gordy that if his "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" outperformed Robinson's "Get Ready" on the pop charts he would become the group's primary producer. Though "Get Ready" was a major hit on the black charts, it was "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" that scored for pop audiences. As Nelson George notes in Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound, The Temptations had become one of the cornerstones of Gordy's crossover ambitions. Though some black audiences had grown lukewarm towards Motown product, preferring the sounds wafting from Stax and later Muscle Shoals, Whitfield seemed to have a pulse on the changing dynamics of Soul music and pop music in general. And Whitfield delivered for Gordy with subsequent hits like "Beauty's Only Skin Deep," "I Know I'm Losing You," "You're My Everything" and "I Wish It Would Rain," marking the highpoint of the classic Temptations' formation that featured David Ruffin on lead vocals. During this period Whitfield also produced "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," which was the first major hit for Gladys Knight & the Pips.
With the subsequent departure of Ruffin from the Temptations and the import of Dennis Edwards as the new lead singer, Whitfield pushed the group into a new direction in 1968. Several factors influenced Whitfield's move towards what some called Psychedelic Soul including the escalation of the Vietnam War, the murders of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy within months of each other, racial violence in many of the nation's major cities and the fractious Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In this period Motown's sweet harmonies were decidedly out of sync with the energy coming from the streets. Musically that energy could be heard in the songs of groups like Jefferson Airplane and within the genre of Soul, the emergent sounds of Sly & the Family Stone and the revamped Stax label, led by the innovative production of the late Isaac Hayes.
With the Temptations and Dennis Edwards serving as his muses Whitfield, quite frankly, thought he could do it better. At the very least with the superior market reach of Motown, Whitfield was easily positioned to become the most visible purveyor of the new sound and such was the case when Whitfield went into the studio with the Temptations to record "Cloud Nine." Though much has been made about the song's meaning--Whitfield's longtime partner Barrett Strong penned the lyrics--as Motown coyly denied that the song celebrated drug use, it was Whitfield's production that was the most striking feature. "Cloud Nine" earned The Temptations their first Grammy Award and with the departure of Holland-Dozier-Holland from the fold, Whitfield had free reign to craft Motown's sound as it pushed boldly into the future.
That same year, Whitfield revamped "I Heard Through the Grapevine" for Marvin Gaye, producing a track that was more sinister than Gladys Knight and the Pips' frenzied church version. The song would become one of the label's best selling singles. Whitfield also followed with "Psychedelic Shack" and "Ball of Confusion" with the Temptations and the influence of Whitfield could be heard in the work on Motown producers like Fonce Mizell, Freddie Perren and Frank Wilson.
Whitfield found success, in part, because he never gave up on the classic Motown hooks, despite all of the psychedelic cacophony that accompanied his post 1968 Motown productions. Whitfield also was deft and nuanced in the ways he borrowed from his completion. One great example is Edwin Starr's "War." The song begins with a rolling drum, not unlike that which opens Sly and The Family Stone's signature recording "Stand" but whereas the lyrics to Stone's track offers innocuous platitudes, Starr's "War," courtesy of Strong's lyric with its anti-war theme, identifies a clear cut issue to stand for.
Despite Whitfield's success, several acts grated against his production sensibilities. Marvin Gaye famously almost came to blows with Whitfield when the latter pushed him to sing in a higher register. The Temptations had long felt the uniqueness of their harmonic style was secondary to Whitfield's production, a fact borne out in the number of Motown acts that did multiple versions of Whitfield songs. As the battles became more contentious, Whitfield provided the group with one last homage to the glory of their early years with "Just My Imagination," which ironically remains one of Whitfield's most memorable productions. Perhaps in response to the tensions with The Temptations, Whitfield helped assemble the group Undisputed Truth, whose sessions became a repository for Whitfield's most experimental music. The group's only major hit was "Smiling Faces," (1971) released a year before Whitfield and the Temptations collaborated for one of the group's most memorable performances, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."
After Whitfield split from Motown in 1973 he formed Whitfield Records taking Undisputed Truth and Rose Royce with him. The latter group initially served as the backing band for Edwin Starr, but ultimately became Whitfield's last great success largely on the strength of their work on the soundtrack recording for the film Car Wash which included signature tracks like "I Wanna Get Next to You," "I'm Going Down" and the title track.
Whitfield and writing partner Barrett Strong were inducted into The Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.
MAA Contact Information: Motown Alumni Association, Inc.
621 Orleans # 65, Detroit, Michigan 48207
(734) 972-7582
MotownAlumni.com
Billy_j_Wilson@Yahoo.com
FAREWELL TO 70's SOUL LEGEND ... BLACK MOSES
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Isaac Hayes, the baldheaded, baritone-voiced soul crooner who laid the groundwork for disco and whose "Theme From Shaft" won both Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday afternoon after he collapsed near a treadmill, authorities said. He was 65.
Hayes was pronounced dead at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis an hour after he was found by a family member, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. The cause of death was not immediately known.
With his muscular build, shiny head and sunglasses, Hayes cut a striking figure at a time when most of his contemporaries were sporting Afros. His music, which came to be known as urban-contemporary, paved the way for disco as well as romantic crooners like Barry White.
And in his spoken-word introductions and interludes, Hayes was essentially rapping before there was rap. His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."
"Isaac Hayes embodies everything that's soul music," Collin Stanback, an A&R executive at Stax, told The Associated Press on Sunday. "When you think of soul music you think of Isaac Hayes — the expression ... the sound and the creativity that goes along with it."
Hayes was about to begin work on a new album for Stax, the soul record label he helped build to legendary status. And he had recently finished work on a movie called "Soul Men" in which he played himself, starring Samuel Jackson and Bernie Mac, who died on Saturday.
Steve Shular, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, said authorities received a 911 call after Hayes' wife and young son and his wife's cousin returned home from the grocery store and found him collapsed in a downstairs bedroom. A sheriff's deputy administered CPR until paramedics arrived.
"The treadmill was running but he was unresponsive lying on the floor," Shular said.
The album "Hot Buttered Soul" made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.
"Hot Buttered Soul" was groundbreaking in several ways: He sang in a "cool" style unlike the usual histrionics of big-time soul singers. He prefaced the song with "raps," and the numbers ran longer than three minutes with lush arrangements.
"Jocks would play it at night," Hayes recalled in a 1999 Associated Press interview. "They could go to the bathroom, they could get a sandwich, or whatever."
Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit in 1971 from the film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree.
"That was like the shot heard round the world," Hayes said in the 1999 interview.
At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.
"The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence," he said. "And they'll tell you if you ask."
Hayes was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
"I knew nothing about the business, or trends and things like that," he said. "I think it was a matter of timing. I didn't know what was unfolding."
A self-taught musician, he was hired in 1964 by Stax Records of Memphis as a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.
He began writing songs, establishing a songwriting partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote such hits for Sam and Dave as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man."
All this led to his recording contract.
In 1972, he won another Grammy for his album "Black Moses" and earned a nickname he reluctantly embraced. Hayes composed film scores for "Tough Guys" and "Truck Turner" besides "Shaft." He also did the song "Two Cool Guys" on the "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" movie soundtrack in 1996. Additionally, he was the voice of Nickelodeon's "Nick at Nite" and had radio shows in New York City (1996 to 2002) and then in Memphis.
He was in several movies, including "It Could Happen to You" with Nicolas Cage, "Ninth Street" with Martin Sheen, "Reindeer Games" starring Ben Affleck and the blaxploitation parody "I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka."
In the 1999 interview, Hayes described the South Park cook as "a person that speaks his mind; he's sensitive enough to care for children; he's wise enough to not be put into the 'wack' category like everybody else in town — and he l-o-o-o-o-ves the ladies."
But Hayes angrily quit the show in 2006 after an episode mocked his Scientology religion.
"There is a place in this world for satire," he said. "but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs of others begins."
Co-creator creators Matt Stone responded that Hayes "has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians." A subsequent episode of the show seemingly killed off the Chef character.
Hayes was born in 1942 in a tin shack in Covington, Tenn., about 40 miles north of Memphis. He was raised by his maternal grandparents after his mother died and his father took off when he was 1 1/2. The family moved to Memphis when he was 6.
Hayes wanted to be a doctor, but got redirected when he won a talent contest in ninth grade by singing Nat King Cole's "Looking Back."
He held down various low-paying jobs, including shining shoes on the legendary Beale Street in Memphis. He also played gigs in rural Southern juke joints where at times he had to hit the floor because someone began shooting.
___
AP writers Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Ky., and Nekesa Moody in New York contributed to this story.
AUGUST 2008
"A World Legacy" theme to celebrate 50 years of historical moments !!
Beverly Hills, CA (Billboard Publicity Wire/PRWEB ) July 18, 2008 -- The Funk Brothers, Motown's original house band, have been named the recipients of the prestigious 2008 Heroes and Legends Legacy Award. The current active members will be honored at the 19th Annual Heroes and Legends (HAL) Awards on Sunday, September 28th, 2008 at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Other honorees include Ernie Hudson (TV and Film Star), Allen Toussaint (legendary songwriter, recording artist, and producer), Harold Lilly (Platinum songwriter/producer), Dr. Samella Lewis (artist, educator and author), Thomas Cain (BMI/Nashville), Frank Wilson (Platinum songwriter/producer) and world renowned recording artist, Martha Reeves (complete list of awards below). This years presenters will include Freda Payne, Marla Gibbs, Gloria Jones, Claudette Robinson, Eddie Holland and many more.
The Legacy Award is one of 9 awards bestowed upon individuals who have made positive accomplishments and achievements for at least 15 years. Founder Janie Bradford explains: "The Funk Brothers carved a niche in music history by playing an integral part of the "Motown Sound." Over the years, even though the members continued to change, it seemed that each replacing "Funkster" constituently kept the same feeling and emotion in the music, thereby, keeping that unique, special packaged "Detroit Sound" alive and strong. Now as well known all over the world as the artist that they played behind, Eddie Willis, Uriel Jones and Bob Babbitt are all still riding the wave of "fame" from the identify of that special sound created in the late 50's throughout the 60's. Amazing."
The 2008 HAL Awards continues its reputation for excellence and bringing out the best Hollywood has to offer with another star-studded event honoring a select group of individuals who have brought honor and dignity to the arts. JoMarie Payton returns as the Mistress of Ceremonies.
An additional highlight will be the awarding of scholarships to deserving students from the Southern California area. The HAL Awards are the brainchild of famed songwriter and Motown Alumna, Janie Bradford. Bradford has written such classic hits as Marvin Gaye's "Too Busy Thinkin' About My Baby," Barrett Strong's "Money. That's What I Want" and countless others.
In addition to the gala black tie awards ceremony, The HAL Awards will host a full weekend of award-related activities:
Welcome Reception - The Tower, Beverly Hills
Friday, September 26th 8:00p - 11:00p
Celebrity Signings & Breakfast - The Tower, Beverly Hills
Saturday, September 27th 10:30a - 12:30p
Award-Winning Author Ian Wright is scheduled to sign his book, "On The Brink of Fame"
Legends of Soul Concert - The Standard, West Hollywood, CA
With performances by Mable John, Brenda Holloway, and more.
The 19th Annual HAL Awards Honorees
Harold Lilly ... Legends of Tomorrow Award
Dr. Samella Lewis ... Leadership Awards
Ernie Hudson ... TV/Film Award
Thomas Cain ... Cornerstone Award
Frank Wilson ... Achievement in Music Award
Allen Toussaint ... Pioneer Award
Martha Reeves ... Innovator Award
For more information on the HAL Awards, please visit our website: halawards.com or call 310.274.1609.
For media credentials and interview opportunities for all of the HAL Awards events, including Red Carpet Arrivals, please contact Debra @ halawards.com
PHIL SPECTOR TRIAL
A murder retrial for music producer Phil Spector can go ahead in October despite defence attempts to stop it, an appeals court in California has ruled.
The court rejected a call for a stay of the trial so the defence could appeal on the grounds of double jeopardy.
Also dismissed was an assurance that prosecutors would not ask jurors to convict Spector of lesser offences.
Mr Spector is charged with killing actress Lana Clarkson. The jury in the first trial failed to reach a verdict.
The trial collapsed at the end of September 2007 after 12 days of deliberation.
A decision on a second trial has taken until now due to the commitments of the last member of his legal team.
Christopher Plourd has been involved in two death penalty cases.
Most of Mr Spector's legal team resigned or were dispensed with after the mistrial was declared, with only Mr Plourd remaining in place.
The music producer, 68, denies murdering actress Lana Clarkson at his Los Angeles mansion.
The actress was found with a gunshot wound in her mouth after a night out. During the four-month trial, defence lawyers argued it was suicide.
Mr Spector, 68, was charged with second degree murder. It falls between first degree murder - which requires proof of pre-meditation - and manslaughter.
Forensic evidence
Ms Clarkson, 40, had been working as a hostess at the House of Blues venue in Los Angeles, where she met Mr Spector on the night of her death.
The actress accompanied the producer to his mansion in the early hours of the morning but was later found in his foyer.
Lana Clarkson was said to have been depressed about her career
A holster matching the snub-nosed Colt Cobra revolver that killed Ms Clarkson was found in a drawer in the foyer.
Ms Clarkson had been working at the nightclub after struggling to find acting roles, and the trial had heard how she was despondent about her career in the months before her death.
One of the crucial questions was whether the forensic evidence proved Mr Spector was close enough to the victim to have been able to shoot her in the mouth.
Mr Spector's lawyer Linda Kenney-Baden told jurors the absence of gunshot residue and blood from his sleeves showed he had not fired the fatal shot.
The producer never took to the stand but told Esquire magazine in 2003 that Ms Clarkson had committed suicide and he had "no idea why".
Mr Spector has worked with some of the biggest names in the music business, including The Beatles, and is famous for pioneering the "Wall of Sound" recording technique in the 1960s.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
Singer Frankie Kahrl passed away this week in Los Angeles
His going home service will be held at:
True Vine Baptist Church
1437 Centinela Ave. , Inglewood, Ca.
Thursday August 7, 2008 at 11 AM
While his tremendous musical background has it’s roots steeped in the gospel arena, he was also lauded in the secular and stage as well. He has performed and recorded with luminaries to the likes of the late organist and composer Billy Preston, Pastors Andrae & Sandra Crouch, Sondra “Blinky” Williams, Edna Wright and Gloria Jones. Together, the aforementioned formed the gospel group, “The COGICS” and were the first to record ‘THE BLOOD” written by Andrae.
Influenced by artist from the hallowed halls of Rock and Roll, while serving his country in the USAF. Frankie and Herbert Holmes formed “The Chevrons” which included (Kenneth Calvert/St. Louis, Mo. Herbert wrote “You Should Of Held On” & “The Boy Next Door”. Upon his discharge from the military, Frankie returned to L.A. and formed “The Tripps” aka “Frankie Karl & The Dreams” and recorded, “Don’t Be Afraid, (Do As I Say, Baby)”.
This recording ultimately became a hit on the R&B charts. The success of this project garnered Frankie the opportunity to work with the legendary Gladys Knight & The Pips, Aretha Franklin, Lola Falana, The Jackson 5, The Commodores, Brenda Holloway, Minnie Ripperton, The Shirelles, The Coasters, Tavares, The Famous Clara Ward Singers, Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations and the late Mahalia Jackson.
(Message edited by brother love on August 02, 2008)
Frankie C. Kahrl-Springs
June 25, 1945 - July 31, 2008
Friends and family gathered yesterday at True Vine Baptist Church to pay their final respect for Frankie C. Kahrl-Springs. Frankie's going home service was beautiful tribute to a great man and a great artist. There were some very moving music selections from Mel Carter, Ricky Grundy, Madeline Thompson & the Clara Ward Singer and the Cogics with Edna Wright, Blinky Williams and Andrae & Sandra Crouch with a little help on vocals from Darlene Love and Jessica Smith of Hodges, James & Smith. Also in attendance were Brenda Holloway, Merry Clayton and Vermettya Royster formerly of Sisters Love.
Hello All,
As you know I have been interwined with the Motown family for quite some time, first doing Tammi Terrell's biography and then The Andantes..
Some sad news has come from 70's Supremes' Scherrie Payne...
Fellow 70's Supreme member Lynda Laurence recently lost her home and everything she owned in a house fire, then 2 days later her father died...They have put out word to the Motown community for contributions and I figured if I could help, I would like to extend to my own personal family and friends to help Lynda.......Lynda and her sister Sundray were childhood friends of our Tammi Terrell and in paying it forward, I just wanted to say, if the Supremes' music means anything to you and you feel a little pang in your heart that you would donate anything - please send any contributions to this addresss....
Lynda Laurence
P.O. Box 5256
North Hollywood, CA
91616
She lost all of her memorbilia of being a Supreme in additon to losing everything in her home..Any donations are appreciated, towels, sheets, monetary, kitchen items, gift certificates or other...
Lynda is a member of The 70's Supremes and is one of The Supremes who went out with Ms. Diana Ross during The Return to Love Tour... I know times are tough for a lot of people and I know with all the friends I have in this business, some are out of work and with pending strikes I understand its a rough time right now...I figure if you can even donate $5.00 that would help her, I have thousands of addresses from doing this Motown work so even if you give minimal, it will add up for Ms. Lynda.....I sent emails to thousands of people hoping for whatever they can give to help her...
Thank you for reading this...
Vickie Wright
JUNE 2008
DIANA ROSS NEWS
Diana Ross' New Manhattan/EMI Music Marketing Album, I Love You, is Week's Highest Debut on Billboard's Top 200 Chart at #32
Wednesday January 24, 1:55 pm ET
First Week Sales of More Than 21,000 Provide Ross' Highest Chart Debut and Strongest Sales Week in the SoundScan Era
I Love You Available Now on CD, Deluxe Edition CD/DVD and Digitally
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- With its debut at #32, Diana Ross' new Manhattan/EMI Music Marketing album, I Love You, is the highest new entry on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart this week. The #32 debut with first-week sales totaling 21,222 marks Ms. Ross' highest chart debut and strongest sales week in the SoundScan era. I Love You also peaked at #3 on iTunes Top 100 R&B chart and at #47 on iTunes Overall Top 100 chart, and at Amazon.com, the album reached the #41 position in overall popular music sales during its debut week.
DECEMBER 30
DIANA ROSS NEW STUDIO ALBUM
Diana Ross' first new studio album in more than seven years, "I Love You," will arrive Jan. 16 in the United States via Manhattan/EMI. The 15-track set is already available abroad; it will also be sold domestically in a CD/DVD edition featuring behind-the-scenes studio footage and a photo gallery.
Ross worked with collaborators such as producers Marylata E. Jacob, Peter Asher and Steve Tyrell on "I Love You," which opens and closes with Harry Nilsson's "Remember." Says Ross, "These songs, these singers, these musicians and all my fans are a gift of love to me."
The track list also includes the Marvin Gaye-popularized "I Want You" (which was co-written by Ross' brother T-Boy), the Bacharach-David staple "The Look of Love," the Beatles' "I Will" and Bill Withers' "Lovely Day." One new song, "I Love You (That's All That Really Matters)," was penned by longtime Ross backing vocalist Fred White.
Here is the track list for "I Love You":
"Remember"
"More Today Than Yesterday"
"I Want You"
"I Love You (That's All That Really Matters)"
"What About Love"
"The Look of Love"
"Lovely Day"
"Take My Breath Away"
"Only You"
"To Be Loved"
"I Will"
"Magic Moment"
"You Are So Beautiful"
"Always and Forever"
"Remember" reprise
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, I CARRY ON
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