Dave Moore

Induction Date: 01 November 2014 Category : Female Vocal Group When the film ‘Standing In The Shadows Of Motown’ hit the screens over a decade ago, it finally let the world in on what was one of the music industry’s best kept secrets. The group of musicians who had laid down the tracks to what became known as ‘The Sound Of Young America’, had been airbrushed out of most of the story of the rise of Detroit’s musical empire based at 2648 West Grand Boulevard but Alan Slutsky’s movie went some way to setting the record straight about the contribution to Berry Gordy’s success made by people who were kept behind the scenes. I say it went someway but there was still a trio of ladies who, although acknowledged, still hadn’t had the full splendor of their contribution highlighted as they deserved. Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow-Tate and Louvain Demps sang to soul fans on hundreds if not thousands of soul records. Their voices soared alongside every artist to grace the recording studio that became affectionately known as ‘The Snakepit’, including but by no means limited to, The Four Tops, Martha And The Vandellas, The Temptations, Kim Weston, Jimmy Ruffin, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells and The Miracles. Their work which, like the Funk Brothers, provided a cornerstone to Berry Gordy’s vibrant combination of Gospel orientated Rhythm n Blues and secular lyrics, was vital to Gordy’s worldwide success and the music industry, although lagging behind us, the fans, in appreciating them has since unearthed the contribution they made and heralded the ladies for what they were, simply the most successful studio backing singers of all time. Those ladies were of course…The Andantes! The story of The Andantes, is really the story of Detroit. The city’s musical explosion of the sixties engulfed many of the city’s aspiring musical youth and The Andantes were at the centre of it all. Jackie Coela Hicks, a native Detroiter, was born 4 November 1939 to Aaron and Clara, Aaron her father having been enticed Northwards from Alabama by the Ford Motor Company met Clara in Detroit after she had also moved there with her family from Georgia, Alabama. Surrounded by church music from an early age Jackie’s brother Aaron Jr sang with a number of choirs in the city, eventually became a music teacher and taught piano. Jackie met Judith Marlene Reid when, as five year olds, they began singing as members of The Hartford Memorial Baptist Church presently located just off the James Couzens Freeway and along with their friends Emily and Edith Phillips became something of a trio/quartet with Emily or Edith joining in with Jackie and Marlene. They impressed their musical director, Ms Mildred Hankins—Dobey so much that she christened them The Andantes. (Andante is a musical term relating to tempo and the beats per minute that a piece of music is to be played at). Judith, who was always known by her middle name, Marlene, is also a native of Detroit having been born on 25 September 1941 and was adopted as a three month old baby by Victor and Johnnie Reid. Both Marlene’s parents had also made the economic trek to the Motor city in search of job opportunities, her father Victor hailing originally from Mt Bayou, Mississippi and her mother from Hawkinsville, Georgia. Victor found work in the Dodge Main Motor Plant at Hamtrack, a position he held for 33 years. Victor also sang in an adult choir whilst Marlene’s mother was also a musician, who directed a youth choir and played piano and organ at the church (Hartford Memorial), close to their Stanford Street home. Jackie, Marlene and Edith sang together through their formative years and attended Northwestern High School (1) listening to the emerging rock n roll sound and were especially fond of groups like The Drifters and Jackie recalls that one of her favourite songs of the time was Gene Chandler’s ‘Duke Of Earl’, a song that the girls performed in a school talent show. (2) As the girls progressed through their teenage years, they broadened their musical influences as well as their skills with Marlene taking piano lessons and being taught to read music. Chaperoned by Jackie’s brother Emory, the girls were allowed to attend dances and other music events in and around the city as well as just over the Ambassador Bridge spanning the Detroit River border in Windsor, Ontario. As the girls prepared for graduation from Northwestern High, Berry Gordy was pitching his idea for a record label to the Gordy family for an $800 loan that would change all their lives, The Andantes included. In 1959, Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie, on leaving High School had set his own sights on a musical career, a gifted songwriter and piano player he had managed to book an audition for the new record company on West Grand Boulevard: Motown. With Motown especially looking for musicians/artists with original material, Popcorn was well placed and asked his friends, The Andantes to come along with him to assist him by singing the backing harmonies, which they had been doing in his basement for while anyway. Popcorn and the girls, (Jackie, Marlene and Emily), duly arrived at their appointment, performed their songs and both Popcorn and The Andantes instantly became Motowners! Emily and Edith Phillips however had plans outside music and with Emily already married and Edith about to be a new wife the sisters chose not take up Motown’s offer. The third piece of the vocal jigsaw that would create such harmonious magic over the next decade was already singing at ‘Hitsville’, in the form of a young lady who sang with a group of early Motowners known as: The Rayber Voices. (3) Louvain Demps was a native New Yorker, born in the Big Apple 7 April 1938. Her parents, Alfred Moor was a Philadelphian and Louvain Ameroux, after whom Louvain was named hailed from O’Fallon Missouri. They first met in New York but settled in Michigan, originally in Ann Arbour but later in Detroit where Alfred became a postman. The family settled in the Courville area of the city which was a predominantly Polish area back then and the young Louvain recalls attending Courville Elementary School on nearby St Aubin Street where by all accounts she was something of a little firebrand with a temper match! Her father was an opera buff who also loved classical music and both Louvain and her only sibling sister San Carmen were given violin lessons as children, a craft that neither of them pursued. From an early age though, Louvain loved music, films and was a great fan of Lucille Ball and Red Skelton. Louvain worked her way through Cleveland Elementary School and eventually attended the Sacred Heart Catholic School and she and her family became members of the local Holy Ghost Roman Catholic Church where Louvain and her two Godsisters, Marlene and Jackie Harper would join the choir under choirmaster Mr Oreal Taylor. As her teenage years dawned Louvain had already decided that a singing career was her goal. In junior high school she cut her first record on which she sang “Waiting For The Sunrise”, as a present for her mother. Originally wanting to be an athlete and even a police officer at one stage until discovering she was too short, the record hops of the late 50s were in full swing and Louvain was hearing all kinds of different music and developing an even more determined outlook on her ambition to be a singer. After graduation Louvain married Max Demps, who she met whilst he was visiting his cousin, an old school friend who lived on the same street as her. They married in June 1956 and set up home but staying on Arlington Street. Louvain’s introduction to Motown came via her best friend, Rhoda Collins who was songwriting and attempting to get her songs recorded. Via an ad she spotted in the local paper that stated for $100 they would record your song for you she subsequently met Raynoma Gordy. Louvain went along to the appointment to demo her friend's songs and ended up with an audition of her own. That audition took place at a building on Dexter and Louvain passed with flying colors! Testing her vocal range to its fullest led to her impressing her accompanying pianists Brian Holland, Berry Gordy and Marv Johnson so much that she was signed to the company and began singing as part of The Rayber Voices, a group that had moved to Motown when Gordy had absorbed the Anna logo and now sang backing vocals on many of the sessions at the time. The official line up of the group at the time was Robert Bateman, Raynoma Gordy, Brian Holland and Sonny Sanders. As Ms Ray’s duties at Motown became more time consuming, it was Louvain who made the female vocal contributions and she can be heard on a number of early timeless classics like Barrett Strong’s ‘Money’ and Eddie Holland’s ‘Because I Love Her’. Louvain was nineteen years old, married and had now started a family having been blessed with little Max her infant son. A singer she wanted to be…. And at last, with the support of her husband and family, a singer she was! It was now that Louvain discovered that there was work to be had outside of Motown and on responding to a newspaper ad placed by local entrepreneur Harry Balk, discovered that he was looking for singers, successfully auditioned and became a Dream Girl, alongside Bobbie Smith, (Elma Holman), her sister Sheena Carson (Genever Holman) and Kay Green. the fourth member of the quartet was Tina LaGora and it was during Tina's pregnancy that Louvain stepped in as the fourth voice. (4) She recorded a couple of outings in New York with the all female group, including the 1961 release, Bobbie Smith And The Dreamgirls — "Mr Fine b/w Wanted" — Bigtop 3085 and three months later, Bobbie Smith And The Dreamgirls — "Duchess Of Earl b/w Mine All Mine" — Bigtop 3100. By 1962, Louvain was appearing at record hops as a member of the group, whilst also undertaking vocal duties as a member of The Andantes having been introduced to Jackie and Marlene because The Rayber Voices were doing less and less studio singing as a unit. As The Rayber Voices faded from the studio scene, The Andantes took up the mantle of their successors and thus began a decade of Motown’s producers preferring them on their productions than anyone else. It may surprise people to discover that many of the female group releases feature The Andantes quite prominently including early Velvelettes and Supremes sessions and a number of Martha and The Vandellas tracks. As songs like, The Velvelettes - “Needle In A Haystack”, The Supremes - “Run Run Run” and Martha And The Vandellas — “Quicksand” hit record stores and provided a platform for ‘The Sound Of Young America’, there too, in the final mix, amongst the Funk Bros fabulous musicianship and the lead singers plaintive vocals are three metronome-like, pitch perfect, angelic voices, in choruses, in call and response lyrics, in the Oohs and Aaahs are Jackie, Marlene and Louvain, The Andantes. "When it came to producing the records, it's a fact that The Andantes recorded on everyone's product" - Micky Stevenson: Motown A&R Director As well as quickly becoming indispensable in the studio the girls would also perform on the road at times with the traveling live shows that the company deployed. Mickey Stevenson, the respected A&R Director, songwriter and producer recalls “When I took the Motown Revues out, they would sound the best and sound just like the records. I would take The Andantes and put them off stage with microphones, behind the curtains. I intentionally did that so we sounded great………. When it came to producing the records, it’s a fact that The Andantes recorded on everyone’s product, from the Four Tops to The Supremes; they did everything". As the studio got busier and busier so did the girls schedule. If all three couldn't make it to a session then others would become honorary Andantes for that session too. Two ladies of special note who sang on sessions as Andantes were Pat Lewis and Ann Bogan. Ms Lewis of course has an individual musical legacy of her own but it was when the girls were one voice short for a session that Pat first stepped in. The resulting, Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright) b/w Purple Raindrops" - Tamla 54124 went on to deliver a Billboard Hot 100 #3 slot so I guess everyone was happy with Pat's input! Ann Bogan's musical journey began when she was discovered by Harvey Fuqua singing in church in her home town of Cleveland Ohio and would eventually lead her to becoming a member of The Marvelettes. Before that however she was a member of The Challengers who recorded for Fuqua's Tri-Phi logo in Detroit. When Berry Gordy absorbed Fuqua's label it also took over control of it's A&R roster. Hence Ms Bogan found herself striving to make a name for herself in Gordy's ever growing stable of artists. This included standing in on backing vocal duties which she often did, with The Andantes and with others. Of course the ultimate goal of any singer is to be heard and despite Berry Gordy’s reluctance to allow his studio stalwarts like The Funk Brothers and The Andantes to spread their own musical wings to much the girls did in fact record under their own name. On the 6th February 1964 and suitably armed with two songs written by the red hot in-house production team of Holland — Dozier — Holland, the girls recorded a session constructed around presenting their own voices in center stage. Ann Bogan was given the role of lead vocal for the session and little could they suspect that on that crisp, mid winter’s day in that little studio on a suburban, tree lined street in Detroit, they would create one of soul music’s most sought after outings on wax. The Andantes — “Like A Nightmare b/w If You Were Mine” — VIP 25006. Despite the disc being something of placation for the girls’ constant pestering to record, Berry Gordy having probably already decided that any 45 by his studio stalwarts wasn’t worth risking, (putting one of your best assets into the shop window isn’t good business sense), the uptempo, pacy song, full of vibrant drum fills played by Lamont Dozier, staccato horn riffs, an inspired Mike Terry sax break midway and a whole slew of ‘Oohs and Aaahs’ from the girls in support of Ms Bogans high alto, almost strained lead works like a charm. It’s got Motown circa 1964 stamped all over it and had it been a Martha Reeves and The Vandellas release would quite possibly have delivered a Hot 100 hit. With no success with their 45 on the horizon the girls continued undertaking backing vocal duties both at Motown and beyond. Although Berry Gordy demanded exclusivity from his musicians and The Andantes both the girls and the Funk Brothers regularly sang and played for other producers and not just in Detroit. Companies in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia all made use of the hit making machine from The Motorcity. When Carl Davis needed an injection of ‘vibrancy’ for a Jackie Wilson session it was to Detroit’s premier combination of The Funks and The Andantes that that looked to. The whole “Higher and Higher” album (Brunswick LP #54130), was performed by them which irritated Gordy back at West Grand Boulevard to the point that he employed people to investigate whether they were ‘moonlighting’. It's also The Andantes backing Jackie Wilson on his much sought after picture sleeved 45, "A Lovely Way To Die". Of course without the security of a contact, the girls still had to earn a living, especially as they became young mothers with family responsibilities and if it was a slow week in The Snakepit, they looked for gigs elsewhere. But it was Motown and backing the glittering Motown stable of artists that would ensure the Andantes would leave a legacy to match (if not surpass), the acts they supported. Kim Weston recorded a number of songs with the girls that hit the spot with record buyers and quite a few would also go on to achieve success with Northern Soul fans. Apart from the atmospheric background support on the anthemic, Kim Weston — “I’m Still Loving You b/w Go Ahead And Laugh” — Tamla 54110 and Kim Weston — “Helpless b/w A Love Like Yours (Don’t Come Knocking Everyday)” — Gordy 7050, it’s the ladies beautiful soaring voices that echo Kim’s emotional ‘Thrill A Moment’ throughout, Kim Weston - "Thrill A Moment b/w I'll Never See My Love Again" - Gordy 7041 that is really the peak of their collaborations. The backing vocals become as important a component as the opening bongo intro, or the stirring string arrangement, or indeed Kim’s tone perfect, soulful tale of her precious love, incidentally written by her with input from stalwarts William Stevenson and Ivy Joe Hunter. When all the pieces of this musical jigsaw came together in March 1965, the end result was one of Motown’s all time masterpieces. With every single part of the hit making machine firing all its cylinders the inspired ballad takes on an impressive, wholly atmospheric, moodiness that fits the song itself like a musical hand in a calf-skin glove. The Funks, Kim Weston, The Andantes... perform like a well tuned musical Ferrari and a more perfect example of craftsmanship within the company’s catalogue would be hard to find. The Andantes at their very best! Another female artist that benefited from having the group behind her on some of her successful outings was Brenda Holloway. Once again it’s the subtle but nevertheless vital ‘Oohs and Aaahs’ as well as the call and response lyrics that the girls bring to the musical table on 45s like the 1965 release of Brenda Holloway — “When I’m Gone b/w “I’ve Been Good To You” — Tamla 54111, a song originally recorded and subsequently aborted as a 45 release by Mary Wells a few months earlier, (Motown #1061). It’s a song that was also recorded in California by that other Motown songbird Barbara McNair but Brenda and The Andantes really make it their own and in the process created a stone mint classic for the Northern Soul fans. Brenda’s breathy vocal is a perfect foil for the Smokey Robinson penned classic whilst once again it’s the soaring backing vocals by The Andantes that provide the extra, powerfully dramatic musical podium, from which Brenda launches her sultry goodbye to her cheating beau. Simply put, it’s another 45 that has enraptured soul fans from the day it came of the press, was slipped into a sleeve and dispatched to record shops. It provided Brenda with a Top 30 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 (#25) and peaked at #12 on its RnB equivalent. The Andantes were, by the mid sixties, an integral part of the Hitsville hit making machine often compared to the car producing assembly lines in the industrial plants the Motor City was equally famous for. They were there as Motown’s young aspiring singers became household names, they watched as the producers and songwriters hit the charts, providing the only real competition to The Brit Invasion. As The Miracles, The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye led the assault on the international music scene, The Andantes, alongside that other troupe of musical talent The Funk Brothers, remained in Detroit, at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, continually adding to Motown’s legacy, unseen but certainly not unheard! If you ever wondered who it was that nudged the fantastic horn riffs to one side every now and then on Stevie Wonder’s fantastic “Uptight (Everything’s Alright) (Tamla # 54124). Then wonder no more, it was indeed Jackie, Louvain and Marlene, the very same trio that lifted Tammi Terrell’s outings from the great category to the fantastic category! A couple of great performances really highlight the quality of the vocal input from ‘background singers' and their effect on the final sound. “Come On And See Me” (Motown #1095), sees the girls interloping with Tammi’s emotional plea for love with that soaring style that created an almost tangible atmosphere to the songs, whilst their contribution on Ms Terrell’s version of, “This Old Heart Of Mine” (Motown #1138) is nothing short of stupendous. Without them the song becomes a pale copycat of The Isley Bros hit but with the girls stamping their signature impression all over it, it becomes a superb combination of fantastic musicianship coupled with uptempo vocal gymnastics worthy of a musical gold medal! “You could put a good singer on a good track. You could then put The Andantes behind them…and you had a hit record!” - R Dean Taylor R Dean Taylor’s blue eyed dancers “Lets Go Somewhere” (VIP # 25027) and “There’s A Ghost In My House” (VIP #25042), were also given The Andantes treatment and Mr Taylor himself recalls: “You could put a good singer on a good track. You could then put The Andantes behind them…and you had a hit record!”, (5) something that just about every producer did as the Motown machine rumbled ever onwards! The fantastic, Liz Lands — “Midnight Johnny b/w Keep Me” — Gordy 7030 is yet another Northern soul favourite song that was transformed by the girls “Stay away, stay away” and “Midnight Johnny”. Martha Reeves of course already had supporting voices in the form of the original Vandellas, Annette Beard and Rosalind Ashford, (Ms Beard being replaced by Betty Kelly in 1964) but even their 45s contain vocal enhancements contributed by the girls as did many of the hits enjoyed by The Marvelettes. Martha and The Vandellas — “Jimmy Mack b/w Third Finger, Left Hand” — Gordy 7058 gave the group it’s second #1 RnB hit once paired with The Andantes by the Holland — Dozier — Holland triumvirate. Of course H-D-H became one of the most prolific record producing teams of all time with Lamont Dozier eventually claiming the crown of the most successful producer of all time having scored more #1US Chart hits than anyone else. The Generals of Motown’s assault on the Billboard Charts the trio absorbed The Andantes into their creative mix. The group became such a feature on the recording sessions that they were given their own office space in which o rest awaiting the call to perform. Their role in the success of The Four Tops rise to international stardom via a series of fantastic outings on 45, certainly needs to be more recognized. As vital to the whole finished song as Earl Van Dyke’s clattering piano, or Mike Terry’s low end baritone sax snippets, the ladies “Oohs and Aahs!” combine with their male counterparts to create a musical balance that H-D-H and Levi Stubbs make full use of and together they literally grab the songs by the throat and squeeze the very soul from each note. If you’re not sure about how much their contribution was to these fantastic outings, re-listen to Four Tops — “Something About You b/w Darling I Hum Our Song” — Motown 1084 on which the girls sing nothing but “Oooh ooh ooh!” and then imagine the song without them! Or check out the soaring background voices on, Four Tops — “Shake Me Wake Me (When It’s Over)” b/w Just As Long As You Need Me — Motown 1090, that’s not just Messrs Benson, Fakir and Payton, oh no indeed, it’s the Seven Tops, the real ‘Magnificent Seven’: The Four Tops and The Three Andantes! All three of The Andantes recall their sessions with the Four Tops and H-D-H as being fun filled sessions that produced some of their best work, and Louvain Demps especially liked working with the Four Tops and cites “Bernadette” (Motown #1104) as one of her favourite songs thus: “The Guys sounded great, we sounded great and the production was amazing. The playback was so exciting to hear that first time. After all of the elements were on the record, it was like WOW!” It’s also the one song that Marlene would pick if she had to place one in a treasure chest. The Andantes also have special memories of their work with Marvin Gaye. In addition to Louvain’s fondness for “Mr Sandman”, Jackie still gets s thrill out of hearing, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and in fact still has it as her ringtone! The duets Marvin recorded with Kim Weston also conjure up evocative memories for the trio and are amongst their proudest moments. Marvin and Kim’s outings were all enhanced by The Andantes contribution in the back ground and songs like, “What Good Am I Without You” and “I Want You Around” are fine examples of how sweet, unobtrusive vocals can play such a large part in the final sound. As Motown changed and H-D-H left, other songwriters and producers would take up the baton. Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Norman Whitfield, Pam Sawyer, Gloria Jones, Syreeta Wright, all recorded great music that would go on to achieve classic status and there, at the ever beating heart of it were The Andantes. When Marvin Gaye released his seminal album “What’s Going On” in 1971, it featured the girls as the backing vocalists and when it delivered 3 #1 RnB Hits as well as hitting the top spot as an album I guess it’s a lasting legacy to not just the girls but the musicians and Marvin himself. But even that kind of success couldn’t ensure more sessions and more work as Berry Gordy looked Westwards, his eyes firmly fixed on Hollywood. When, in 1972, Motown left its Detroit home for pastures new in California it appears to have done so with so many loose ends and a bucketful of unfinished business. Lives were left hanging and the three ladies of The Andantes found themselves picking up their last paychecks shortly after the move and having some serious decisions to make. With family responsibilities to meet it was the lure of a salary that drove them now, not the lure of the Snakepit and after almost 14 years of being a supporting pillar of ‘The Sound Of Young America’, it was all over.Jackie found herself working for the City of Detroit and now lives in Southfield, Michigan, Marlene took up a position working for the State, whilst Louvain made a new life for herself in Atlanta, Georgia initially working with disabled children but also kept up her singing on a number of projects including singing commercial jingles and singing backing vocals for artists appearing locally as well as studio sessions. All three have no regrets bar one. The one thing they would have loved to change about their legacy is they would have liked to have been annotated on the records they contributed so much to. Well, we can’t put the credits on the records but we can certainly give kudos, respect and our gratitude to the ladies for contributing so much to the music we love and so it’s with that gratitude front and foremost that we welcome the most successful backing singers of all time, The Andantes, to our Northern Soul Hall Of Fame. Lorraine Chandler & Dave Moore :16 November 2014 Notes and References: 1. Detroit’s Northwestern High School would provide fertile ground for Motown’s future international stars. Many of Motown’s ‘big hitters’ attended school there including, The Supremes, Mary Wells, Smoky Robinson, The Supremes and of course Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie and Motown bassist supremo, James Jameson. 2. Motown: From The Background, Vicki Wright (with The Andantes). Published by Bankhouse Books, 2007. ISNB 10:1-904408-29-X 3. The Rayber Voices were an amalgamation of the beginning of RAYnoma and BERry Gordy’s first names. 4. Harry Balk would later establish Impact and Inferno Records, Duke Browner becoming his most prolific producer on the labels. Harry was also the manager of Del Shannon who was discovered by Ollie McLaughlin and went on to head up Motown’s Creative Division in the early seventies. 5. Motown: From The Background, Vicki Wright (with The Andantes). Published by Bankhouse Books, 2007. ISNB 10:1-904408-29-X Acknowledgments: Andantes Red Poster courtesy of JD Humphreys www.invitationacrossthenation.com All the contributors to www.45cat.com Dave Rimmer’s site a www.soulfulkindamusic.net Discography: As with quite a few of our Hall Of Famers the discography of The Andantes would take up enough space to slow down the site! With most Motown mid 60s releases to their credit and the extra curricular releases running into hundreds of outings the four snippets below are simply an example of their talents.

Just an update on the appearance of The Four Perfections at New Century Soul’s 11th Anniversary Allnighter on the 29th of his month. The Civic Hall in Radcliffe will witness history in the making, with the very first and probably only ever appearance of the group on a UK stage. Event appearance In preparation, the guys have been rehearsing their song-list in Philadelphia and have it nailed! Stone Foundation are currently on tour in Japan and are including the music for the show in their live gigs as we speak! An extra addition to the band is a baritone sax which will really put the icing on this particular musical cake! I can reveal that amongst the songs the group will be singing is an outing they wrote in the early seventies called “If You And I Had Never Met”. Yep, the very same song released by Magic Night on Roulette Records. There may well be a couple of other musical surprises on the night too. Commemorative 45 In order to mark this event for the collectors amongst us, Neil Rushton has commissioned a fully licensed, commemorative 45 of the groups Party Time classic “I’m Not Strong Enough” on a fantastic looking label designed to incorporate the original label’s look and the New Century Soul event. The New Century Soul commemorative 45s will only be available at this unique night and any profits will be donated to the group themselves. So... Saturday Night, the 29th November 2014 looks like being a fantastic night, the guys are well up for it, the band are well up for it and we’re all well up for it! See you there.... Dave

Date Of Induction : 01 November 2014 Category : Post Production The name Richard Popcorn Wylie has always been a legendary one in Northern Soul history , to see his name in the credits on a 45 is likely to quicken the heartbeat, knowing that the record you are about to hear will usually be very special, like a guarantee of quality. As older record collectors will testify, when young and still learning, if you saw the name R. Wylie on a 45 you bought it blind! You knew you wouldn’t be disappointed! Richard Wayne Wylie was born on 6th June 1939 in Detroit, his family was very musical and he was taught piano by his mother. By the time he was at Northwest High School he had formed his own band Popcorn And The Mohawks, with Popcorn appearing on stage in full Mohawk Indian head dress. After gaining a following around the teenage clubs and school hops in the Motor City, they recorded a 45 for Johnnie Mae Matthews's Northern label Popcorn And His Mohawks - "Pretty Girl b/w You’re The One" — Northern 4732, but when it was released in 1960 it attracted little local interest. (1) Released from their contract by Johnnie Mae, Popcorn and the rest of his group continued to play the clubs and during a set at the famous Twenty Grand Club, were spotted by Motown engineer Bob Bateman. They were subsequently signed to Berry Gordy’s Motown company and saw a 45 release in each of the next three years from 1960 onwards. The first of this trio, Popcorn Wylie - "Custers Last Man b/w Shimmy Gully” — Motown 1002, delivered disappointing sales, which isn’t surprising when you listen to it. It’s a strange tale of a soldier of the 7th Cavalry who appears to have been digging a hole since the Battle Of The Little Big Horn and who quotes song titles! The second outing fared no better as Gordy’s company raided its vaults for the song that had been their first real smash when they released it on Barrett Strong. Popcorn and The Mohawks — “Money (That’s What I Want) b/w I’ll Still Be Around” - Motown 1009, however bears little resemblance to Mr Strong’s outing with Popcorn battering the keyboards to create a raucus, boogie woogie styled rocker! Mr Wylie had actually played the piano on Strong’s original. The next year’s offering was the band’s last 45 on the logo for this stint at Motown, although Popcorn would return a decade later for a rerun with Gordy’s empire. Popcorn and The Mohawks — “Real Good Lovin’ b/w Have I The Right” — Motown 1019, was another up-tempo rock n rhythm performance that highlights the musicianship of the performers involved but once again didn’t connect with the record buying public. In addition to recording his own band Popcorn would also hit the road playing behind Gordy’s newly emerging soul stars, many of whose hits he had also played on in the studio, including The Miracles — Shop Around, The Marvelettes — Please Mr Postman and the fantastic outing by Mary Wells — Bye Bye Baby. After falling out with Berry Gordy, he left Motown in 1962 ,and was signed to Epic, a label on which he released four singles including a Goffin and King song, "Brand New Man", (which was issued in UK by Columbia). None of these records were successful, so Popcorn decided to stop performing and concentrate on writing and producing records. His first production was for a young female singer that would gain recognition from soul fans with her later Topper recordings Pricilla Page- My Letter b/w Dreaming - Rose G 500, a 45 that would albeit strangely, also see a release on the Alcor imprint with a different publishing credit, which was based in LA. The list of Popcorn’s mid sixties independent song-writing and production works, in and around the Detroit recording scene, reads like a who’s who of the city’s copious talents of the era, with names including, Theresa Lindsay, The Volumes, Yvonne Vernee, contributing to his impressively growing soul cv. Meanwhile, over at 3246 West Davison, Ed Wingate who had been recording his earlier releases in New York had decided to relocate his operation within his home town of Detroit and had purchased an old electrical store, employed legendary engineer Bob d’Órleans to refurbished it as a recording studio, thereby establishing Golden World Records. Wingate was on the hunt for local talent to utilise the new facility and offered Popcorn, along with a number of other emerging musical luminaries, an opportunity to write, perform, record and produce. (2) Popcorn would subsequently collaborate on a series of 45s with the likes of Ronnie Savoy, Joanne Bratton, Freddie Gorman and Sonny Sanders amongst others and although he would contribute to many of The Reflections releases on the label would also be involved in such classics as the lilting, Juanita Williams — “You Knew What You Was Getting” — Golden World 18, the crash, bang, wollop and pounding, Carl Carlton — “Nothing No Sweeter Than Love” — Golden World 23 and the smoother but equally uptempo, The Adorables — Oh Boy — Golden World — 25. Popcorn would see his name appear on over 20 sides for Ed Wingate’s iconic label but it was a chance meeting at Magic City Studios at 8916 Grand River, with another young up and coming song-writer and producer that would inextricably link the two forever in the eyes of soul fans. Enter into our story a certain Mr Tony Hester. When Popcorn and Tony Hestor became song-writing partners they proceeded to carve a niche into the psyche of Northern soul fans that would rival and indeed surpass many others. Their names would become as famed as the Mirwood team of Carmichael/Smith/Relf, the Brunwick soul royalty of Davis/Sims/Sanders and for some die hard Detroit soul fans the quality of their Northern Soul output would rival that of Motown Giants: Holland - Dozier - Holland. Just a cursory glance of their collaborations throws up classic after classic. Although both would continue to write solo and even in conjunction with others, it was the magical names of Wylie and Hester that became joined at the musical hip and encouraged soul fans to buy records bearing their name, whether they had already heard them or not. In the mid - 60's a group that had previously topped the US Billboard charts had seen their career stall somewhat as the musical styles developed. The doo wop, dreamy ballads they’d enjoyed such success with had now become the fare of yesteryear and they needed a shot in the arm so to speak. The Platters line-up had gone through a number of major changes over the years and in 1966 when they were signed to the Musicor label and produced by Luther Dixon comprised, David Lynch, Herb Reed, Sonny Turner, Nate Nelson and Sandra Dawn, It was his quintet that would see their balladeer repertoire updated, initially by Mr Dixon and then by Popcorn. The team of Dixon-Wylie-Hester would, between them, deliver a fistful of 45s that became sought after by soul collectors starting with, The Platters — ‘With This Ring b/w If I Had A Love’ — Musicor 1229, which it has been rumoured was a collaboration between Popcorn, Tony Hester and Luther Dixon’s wife Inez Foxx. It’s a fantastic song, built on a simple, romantic message, on which Sonny Turner solidifies his lead vocal role and the group’s harmonies are about as tight as they come. The second outing to come under the scrutiny of vinyl hungry soul fans was, The Platters - “Washed Ashore (On A Lonely Island In The Sea) b/w What Name Shall I Give You My Love” — Musicor 1251 which saw Popcorn take over the production reins completely on a song he and Tony Hestor had written. With a Sonny Sanders arrangement, Popcorn elicited one of the all time great performances from the group that once again stars Sonny Turner up front and centre but owes so much to the people around him. From its teasing piano intro, through the group’s angelic, ‘Ooooo’s and Aaaaaahs’, past the mid song break so favoured by Northern soul dancers, right to Sonny’s fading “Gone....Gone...Gone”, it’s a great example of how Popcorn’s talents could leave you wanting to play his songs again...and again....and again. The final production we highlight here from the group, The Platters — “Sweet Sweet Lovin’ b/w Sonata” — Musicor 1275, once again saw Popcorn and Sonny Sanders furnish the tools for the group to deliver a fantastic up-tempo, raucus dance record that became an instant classic with UK’s ardent soul fans and still gets nods of approval today. Popcorn’s involvement with The Platters left us with a fantastic set of songs that have that magical element that turns good records into great records... they make it all sounds so effortless. Musicor issued a couple of albums on The Platters featuring their collaborations with Dixon-Wylie-Hestor-Sanders and I’d wager their “Going Back To Detroit” — Musicor LP #2125 sits proudly on most collectors shelves. By 1967, Mr Wylie was in full flow. Constantly in demand his writing and productions skills would grace dozens of record labels and his name became synonymous with outstanding soul records, not only from his native Detroit but nationwide. One artist that benefitted from an injection of Mr Wylie’s ‘know how’ was Jamo Thomas. Popcorn and his some-time song-writing partner Herman Kelley had written a song themed on the en vogue espionage films and TV series popular at the time. Recorded by Chicago based singer Luther Ingram, it hit the shops in January 1966 as, Luther Ingram and The G-Men — “I Spy For The FBI b/w Foxy Devil” — Smash 2019, a great atmospheric dancer that unfortunately didn’t quite cut the mustard in terms of chart action. When fellow Chicago based singer Jamo Thomas recorded it and released it as Jamo Thomas And His Party Brother Orchestra — “I Spy For The FBI b/w Snake Hip Mama” — Thomas 303 (3), in April a few months later, it managed to slide unobtrusively into the lower reaches of The Billboard Hot 100. Picked up by Polydor for a UK release it made The Top 50 and became a club classic from then on. Mr Wylie had a UK Pop hit! On the back of that success, Popcorn Wylie also wrote Jamo Thomas’ follow up single, Jamo Thomas — Arrest Me b/w Jamo’s Soul — Thomas 304 and although these 45s were recorded in Chicago by legendary producers Monk Higgins and Boris Gardner, the pumping, driving relentless beat of Detroit’s ‘sound’ is ever present. Luther Ingram would of course become an icon on the Northern soul club circuit with yet another Wylie penned song that would reach classic status, Luther Ingram — “If It’s All The Same To You Babe b/w Exus Trek” — HIB 698 which saw both the vocal and the instrumental sides grace the turntables. Penned by Popcorn and recorded at Golden World Studios in a moonlighting session by The Funk Brothers, Neil Rushton, after a conversation with Robert Bateman says he (Bateman), took the tapes to Mercury studios in New York and overdubbed strings to create the 'orchestra' feel. Bateman says he sold about 5,000 copies, before achieving a distribution deal from Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records. He was trying to capture a similar sound to The Four Tops and in doing so, produced a stone classic of the Northern Soul scene with a record that still fills dance-floors even today. Popcorn was by now working alongside many of Detroit’s artists, writers and producers whose names at the time remained hidden from their own homeland’s public but who’s same names generated intense interest over the ocean in the darkened, all-night soul clubs of UK. Names like Solid Hitbound, Don Davis, Palmer Records, Dale Warren, Groovesville, Mike Terry, Groove City, LeBaron Taylor, Barney ‘Duke’ Browner etc along with a whole slew of others would reverberate in record bars around the country as Detroit’s golden era of soul leaked its secrets. One such luminary whose labels would bear Popcorn’s name was Ollie McLaughlin an Inkster based DJ who had started his own labels and would eventually achieve a mountain of success producing Barbara Lewis and Deon Jackson. (4) In addition to Popcorn's own solitary outing on Ollie’s Karen label, Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie — “Rosemary’s Baby b/w Instrumental” — Karen 1542, an eerily atmospheric dancer based on the movie of the same name, he was also responsible for a number of other 45s on McLaughlin's logos, including 45s by Jimmy Clark. The fantastic but often overlooked Jimmy ‘Soul’ Clark — “Tell Her b/w Hold Your Horses” — Moira 104 is a masterpiece of late 60s Detroit flavoured dance music whilst the slightly earlier release, Jimmy Soul Clark — “If I Only Knew Then b/w Do It Right Now” — Karen 1539 puts Mr Clark’s Popcorn penned outings on ‘two for two’, in terms of quality. Songs by Popcorn would also be recorded and released on Ollie’s labels by The Fabulous Counts, The Excels and Belita Woods. By early 1967 Popcorn had moved into the realms of record label ownership. Operating as an independent from his basement at 3044 Taylor and with his own songs now registered with his own publishing company A La King Music, (named after his mother Althea King), it would seem a prudent next move. He therefore established two labels, Pameline, (which he named after his three daughters) and Soulhawk. When these two logos came into existence it probably didn’t cause so much as a musical ripple in DTown but for soul-fans a few years later, it would be an event of thunderclap proportions. There followed over the next couple of years, a series of records released that, when viewed through the eyes and ears of devoted soul fans, equals any other individuals’ Northern soulful legacy in terms of quality. The early and mid seventies Northern soul DJs playlists were peppered with A La King songs performed by a plethora of differently styled artists. It’s impossible to highlight all of the records by Popcorn that made it to UK dance-floors but some of the highlights are, The Detroit Executives — ‘Cool Off b/w Sho Nuff Hot Pants’ — Pameline 2010, a real quality production built around a song based on teaching a girl the latest dance craze after which the song is titled. This was also the backing track to the release on Sammy Kaplans label, The Mighty Lovers — “The Mighty Lover b/w Soul Blues” — BooGaLoo 468 which itself was released as The Ideals with “Dancing In The USA” on the flip side BooGaLoo # 108. Nestled on the flip of the uptempo funky A side of, The Innocent Bystanders — “Crime Dosent Pay b/w Frantic Escape” — Pameline 302, sits a magnificent vibe laden, sax burping, piano tinkling almighty slab of music that is often held up as one of our man’s finest moments. It’s a veritable musical juggernaut! It must have been some studio experience as Popcorn counted the musicians in and then proceeded to batter his way through the animated Dave Hamilton produced vibes on his piano, until Mike Terry’s growling almost threatening, baritone sax came in support! There’s simply nowhere to hide from this outing, feet start tapping immediately as James Jamerson's Precision Fender and Robert Finch's drum lay down the metronome like bottom end, then whoooosh, you’re gone, dancefloor demands your presence, best to just surrender and get down to it! Although Popcorn is also associated with Jimmy Clark via his releases with Ollie McLaughlin, it’s really the Soulhawk outings that highlight just what a powerhouse of a team Popcorn and Tony Hester’s songs and Jimmy’s vocals were when combined. Add to this combo a Mike Terry arrangement, a bunch of Motown musicians quietly going about their business without Berry Gordy breathing down their necks and hey presto... a pair of classics in the making! Jimmy Clark — “Sweet Darlin’ b/w (Somebody) Stop That Girl” — Soulhawk 001 was the initial release for Popcorn’s new enterprise and he came out of the starting blocks with all musical guns blazing! With The Vibrations and The New Holidays, Popcorn had vehicles to push his boundaries and both groups would release quality 45s that would sit somewhat dormant for a number of years until revived by soul fans across the Atlantic and records like the New Holidays — "Maybe So Maybe No b/w If I Only Knew" — Soulhawk 1008 are seeing their time in the spotlight at last. No tribute to Popcorn could ever be considered complete without at least a tip of the hat to a number of 45s that are intrinsically linked to him. The 45, Larry Wright — “Sweet Sweet Kisses b/w It’s Okay With Me” — A Go Go 541 with its driving beat, handclaps, deep deep bass subtle sax interludes, guitar break and drum fills galore is, vintage mid sixties uptempo Detroit dance music and the flip is a gorgeous mid tempo affair, the evergreen, Stanley Mitchell — “Get It Baby b/w Quit Twisting My Arm” — Dynamo 111 sounds like it could easily have been recorded at the same session as The Innocent Bystanders. One of Popcorn and Tony Hester's most talked about and currently in-demand sides, is Margaret Little — Love Finds A Way b/w I Need Some Loving - Genebro . Quite who Ms Little was, had been the subject of some conjecture or indeed how she came to record for Popcorn, but that UK erstwhile soul detective Andy Rix finally located her and the detailed story of the daughter of Fortune recording group The Four Kings and the 'Gene' of Genebro Records can be found by using the soul source search facility. I guess the actual 45 in question is something of a 'marmite' outing but both sides are very good musically, with "Love Finds A Way" being a perfect foil for a Northern soul dance-floor in particular, despite Margaret's less than great vocals. The backing track is unbelievably good, bearing all the hallmarks of superb Detroit musicianship. The song is penned by Tony Hester and Popcorn and arranged by Mike Terry so it’s really only to be expected. In the mid seventies with the Northern Soul scene sustaining its momentum, the search for fresh, different and rare records became a huge money spinner for record dealers and collectors alike. Many people began to search the shops and warehouses across the USA and once the record stores were exhausted of stock, the next move was to contact the artists, producers and musicans themselves, to see what they had to offer. One such UK record dealer was John Anderson, the operator of Soul Bowl Records in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. He also had a record label Grapevine Records in partnership with Wigan Casino's greatest DJ Richard Searling. He had become close to Popcorn, and with Popcorn being very prolific in the studios, for every song that made it to wax, many more were left on master tape, forgotten about or had even been discarded . Mr Anderson obtained some outstanding tracks from the vaults off Popcorn by various artists lots of which were first aired at Wigan Casino via Richard Searling on acetates or dubbed from master tapes. One that particularly resonated at the time was by Betty Boo, the ex member of the Golden World femme group, The Adorables with, “Say It Isn’t So” which gained a UK release, eventually appearing on John Anderson’s RCA backed Grapevine logo. Of course the popularity of Popcorn’s work meant that UK collectors were beating a path to his door and after one such trip by UK DJs and collectors, Richard Gilbert (Gilly), Guy Hennigan and Chris King more unknown and unissued masters were unearthed by Popcorn and different versions of existing songs sat side by side with completely new songs being heard in UK for the first time and on the back of this visit came a number of performances in UK by the man himself starting with a night at the Top Of The World Allnighter where Popcorn performed a selection of his songs both that he'd recorded himself and written for other acts. Four years later Popcorn was back, John Buck putting together two live shows, one of which took place at the old Carousel building in Manchester that had housed allnighters in the seventies. John recalls picking Popcorn up in a gold coloured Rolls Royce and that Popcorn had a great time seeing the tourist sites of London as well as being able to hook up with Edwin Starr, then a UK resident and who hadn’t seen Popcorn since those heady Detroit days. Popcorn would return to UK shores in 2000 and appear at the Motown and Northern Soul Great Yarmouth Weekender alongside a number of other iconic soulsters whose stars shone brighter in UK than at home. When Motown left Detroit the writing team of Holland Dozier Holland had already severed their ties to the company and established their own companies in the city. This led to Popcorn’s involvement on the writing and production side on a number of the seventies anthems including, Laura Lee — “I Need It Just As Bad As You b/w If I’m Good Enough To Love, I’m Good Enough To Marry” — Invictus 1264 and what is arguably the most popular post Motown 45 by the HDH team, Eloise Laws — Love Factory b/w Stay With Me - Music Merchant 1013. Strangly enough Popcorn would enjoy his biggest hit on a subsidiary label owned by the Giant Motown company that he’d left a decade earlier when, in 1971 he scored with, Popcorn Wylie — “Funky Rubber Band b/w Instrumental” — Soul 35087 which was just after he’d co written with Edwin both sides of, Edwin Starr — “Time b/w Running Back And Forth” — Gordy 7097. Popcorn’s outings would continue to enthrall his fans and when surrounded by musicians like Dennis Coffey, James Jamerson, McKinley Jackson, Paul Riser, Gene Page etc it’s no surprise that the comment “He never made a bad ‘un”, is usually the departing comment when in conversation about his work. But there, right at the core of his musical legacy is his raw talent, an ability to create stirring music. Music that tuned a whole generation of soul music fans into the delights of Detroit soul outside of Motown. And he did that right up to his work on his Extrasensory Perception album (ABC # 834 ) . The last years of Richard Popcorn Wylie's life were creatively pretty quiet, but he fully deserved a rest after many years of producing ,writing and singing stunning Soul music .Many people from the Soul scene kept in touch with Popcorn and never let him forget how grateful we are for his huge contribution to our music. Popcorn sadly passed away September 7th 2008 but thankfully he had experienced the euphoria of realising his life’s work was treasured and revered by fans all over the world. And it surely is. And that’s why Richard Wayne Wylie aka ‘Popcorn’ is an inaugural Inductee to our Northern Soul Hall Of Fame. Eddie Hubbard & Dave Moore 01 November 2014 Notes and References: Johnnie Mae Mathews was instrumental in the early careers of a number of Detroit based acts including The Temptations. Known primarily for her mid 60s Big Hit logo. Her children would continue her musical legacy as Black Nasty (the group who recorded ‘Cut Your Motor Off’) Ed Wingate’s Golden World Studios would prove fertile ground for a number of aspiring songwriters and budding producers as it grew to rival Motown’s A&R. George Clinton, Mike Terry, Sidney Barnes, The Hamilton brothers etc would all interact there, which led to lifelong friendships and professional relationships being formed that would heavily influence the city’s soul output over the next decade or so. The Thomas label was owned by Eddie Thomas, the manager of both The Impressions and Curtis Mayfield. It’s his name that forms he ‘tom’ in Curtom Records, a label he and Curtis Mayfield established together. Ollie McLaughlin named his labels after his wife (Ruth) and daughters, Karen, Carla and Moira. He also had a son Ira who is also record producer. Acknowledgements 1 Grateful acknowledgement to “Groovesville USA” Book by Keith Rylatt: www.groovesvilleusa.com 2 Grateful acknowledgement to the following for their assistance: Richard Gilbert, Rob Moss, Mark Speakman, Dave Thorley, Karl White and www.soulfuldetroit.com Discography: Listed below is a sample of Popcorn's work covering all aspects of his involvement in music be it as a performer, a songwriter, a producer or label owner, often wearing more than one hat on many the 45s. It's by no means complete or even comprehensive but gives a flavour of his legacy. The youtube clips at the bottom highlight the quality of his contribution. Popcorn and The Mowhawks - Custers Last Man b/w Shimmy Gully - Motown 1002 Theresa Lindsey - Gotta Find A Way b/w Wonderful One - Correctone 5840 Yvonne Vernee - Does He Love Me Anymore b/w So Much In Love - Correctone 3178 The Adorables - OOH, Boy! b/w Devil In His Eyes - Golden World GW 75 Barbara Mercer - Nobody Loves You Like Me b/w Doin’ Things Together With Me - Golden World GW 28 Little Carl Carlton - Nothing No Sweeter Than Love b/w Love True Love - Golden World GW 23 Juanita Williams - You Knew What You Were Gettin ' b/w Baby Boy - Golden World GW 18 Jamo Thomas - I Spy (For The FBI) b/w Snake Hip Mama - Thomas 303 The Platters - With This Ring b/w If I Had A Love - Musicor 1229 The Detroit Executives - Cool Off b/w Sho -nuff Hot Pants - Pameline 2010 Luther Ingram - Exus Trek b/w If It's All The Same To You Babe - Hib 698 The Mighty Lovers - The Mighty Lover b/w Soul Blues - Boog Ga Loo 468 Jimmy (Soul) Clark — (Come On And Be My) Sweet Darlin b/w Stop That Girl - Soulhawk 001 New Holidays - My Baby Ain't No Plaything b/w Maybe So, Maybe No - Westbound 157 Innocent Bystanders - Frantic Escape b/w Crime (Dosen't Pay) - Pameline 302 / Atlantic 2766 The Peoples Choice - Savin' My Lovin' For You b/w Easy To Be True - Palmer 5020 The Four Voices - Your Love Is Getting Stronger b/w With A Lonely Heart - Voice 1112 Larry Wright - Sweet Sweet Kisses b/w It's Okay With Me - A Go Go 345 Richard Popcorn Wylie - Rosemary, What Happened b/w Instrumental - Karen 1542 Sam Ward - Sister Lee b/w Stone Broke - Groove City 205 Stanley Mitchell - Get It Baby b/w Quit Twistin' My Arm - Dynamo 111 Margaret Little - Love Finds A Way b/w I Need Some Loving - Genebro 230 Laura Lee - I Need It Just As Bad As You b/w If I'm Good Enough To Love - Invictus 1264 Edwin Starr - Running Back And Forth b/w Time - Gordy 7097 Popcorn Wylie - Extrasensory Perception LP - ABC 834

Induction Date : 01 November 2014 Category : Outstanding Contribution A living legend to some, where do you start to map out the life and achievements of someone that has been at the forefront of the Northern Soul scene for so long, surely he has soul music running through his veins? Promoter, DJ, Record Dealer and Head of Publishing at Kent/ Ace Records, it’s because of his unending quest for the sublime music that we cherish that his name deserves to be one of the inaugural inductees into the Northern Soul Hall Of Fame. Born in Sheffield in 1952, Ady started on his journey into the world of Rare and Northern Soul in 1967 at the Frollickin' Kneecap in Market Harborough, a regular soul night, his first all-nighter would be at the deserted Kelmarsh railway station in 1969 which had been converted into a pub with dancehall, in the middle of the Northants countryside, half a mile away from the next building. He continued as an enthusiastic punter for the next 5 years buying vinyl as and when he could and, after university he snagged a job on a barrow on Rupert St market in Soho that sold 1000s of old 45s, before becoming a full time record dealer in 1974 making trips to the States twice a year. Ady, with his good friend Randy Cozens, formed the 6Ts Rhythm and Soul Society in August of 1979, because Randy wanted somewhere to listen to great music. The first event being held in a function room called Henri's at the Bedford Head pub in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden in London's West End. After a couple of successful months there they had a solid following and with the help of one of the first club mailing lists they sent out slightly amusing newsletters before each event and got the crowd to follow them to their next venue. This was a pub in West Hampstead called the Railway that had an upstairs function room called the Starlight Room (they also had a downstairs one called the Moonlight). The Starlight had originally been a mod club in the 60s, called the Klooks Kleek (Zoot Money's Big Roll Band did a very good live LP from there, Zoot/ Live at Klook’s Kleek Repertoire REP 5034), while the Moonlight was a pioneering London Northern Soul club that Ady had gone to in the early 70s where Mick Smith and David Burton played all the current Northern monsters to about 30 hardcore punters. The 6Ts was up in the Starlight Room and it went from strength to strength over the next year. The DJs in this period were Randy, Mick Smith, Tony Rounce, Tony Ellis, Terry Davis, Ian Clark and Pete Widdison, you may notice that Ady wasn’t listed. The music was original mod soul classics and similarly sounding classy dance records. However, they finally got kicked out of there, after one particularly wild evening when, amongst other mayhem, Pete was seen swinging off the rafters by the club's management. They then moved around London a bit, holding one-off dances at the Notre Dame Hall (Leicester Square), the Horseshoe by the Dominion Theatre (Tottenham Court Road), the 101 Club (Clapham), before getting their first date at The 100 Club. The first nights were more your Friday night beer laden parties and more and more R&B was getting played. However, Randy had hankered after getting a night going at his beloved Last Chance Saloon mod soul club from the 60s and as all their weekends were booked they went for a Friday all-nighter from 3am to 10am, where Ady started his Djing career, and probably about the same time he was nicknamed Harboro Horace by Randy, a nickname that he used on the sleeve notes of the compilation LP’s he had a hand in. So when the 100 Club management started a regular Friday club night rather than leave the place entirely they decided to try a Saturday all-nighter after the jazz had finished. This started at some time in 1981 and has been going on ever since. In fact, this year the 6T’s Rhythm and Soul Club’s 35th Anniversary was celebrated! The longest running all-nighter venue in the world. To celebrate the 6Ts brand and ethos Ady, beginning on the 5th Anniversary Allnighter, has issued a celebratory 45 on each subsequent anniversary and, in a kind of ironic way, many of these 100 Club Annivesary discs have become sought after records in their own right. 6Ts now has a reputation for being at the forefront of Northern Soul music, the music policy is the best of Northern Soul rarities, recent discoveries, unissued acetates and master tapes, a bit of modern, the odd R&B track and a smattering of oldies when needed/demanded. Ady, not wanting to rest on his laurels, decided to try and run a weekender for the same reason that Randy and he had started the 6Ts; i.e. no one else was doing it. A booking agency called TAC from Southend had run three or four good Northern/Motown weekenders in Great Yarmouth, which he had attended as a DJ and punter. He’d helped them with their bookings and sorted out the choice of songs for Chuck Jackson and Ray Pollard, amongst others. The weekenders there, although great, only lasted a couple of years, the profit margin was low and attendances were only average, though enthusiastic. As a student he used to visit a Hi-De-Hi style holiday camp in Cleethorpes where his mate's uncle was the comedian. He vaguely remembered it as having a great old-fashioned 60s dancefloor and revisited it to find it a perfect contender for a weekender. After a year or two of persuasion, he eventually talked them in to giving them a chance and the first event got under way. The acts booked were Mary Love, Tony Middleton and Willie Tee and they got an impressive line-up of the best Northern and Modern DJs operating at that time. However bookings were slow and with a month to go they were facing bankruptcy, they had to make a decision whether to pull the event or keep their fingers crossed. Of course it didn't run smoothly even with late bookings and “walk on” attendances pushing up the numbers. Willie Tee pulled out the day before the event, so everyone was given a £5 refund on arrival. Despite that, it was such a great weekend that they were sure they'd have no trouble filling the place once word got out. So the next one was booked for April 1994, 6 months after the first one. The line-up was Barbara Lewis, Lou Courtney and Betty Lavette, stunning in anyone's book, but the event’s finances still needed to be subsidized by Ady. Not to be put off, he realized that every 6 months was too much and decided to leave it until later in 1995 and at this point the management came to the rescue by saying why didn't they have it in June before the school summer holidays. Because of the move the crowds were appreciably bigger and have grown every year since. The event is now a sell-out, months in advance, testament to his dedication as a promoter. Since then there have been many memorable weekenders where people have said they've been better than the previous one. Artists have included Doris Troy, Tommy Hunt, Maxine Brown, Al Wilson, Bobby Hutton, Little Ann, Hoagy Lands, Sidney Barnes, The Velvelettes, Dennis Coffey, Willie Tee, Dean Parrish, The Diplomats (The Skull Snaps), the Mirwood Revue, Carl Carlton, Spencer Wiggins, Melvin Davis, Mary Love, Tobi Lark, Bettye Swann, Darrow Fletcher and recently the Weekender hosted the fabulous husband and wife team of Edna Wright (Sandy Wynns) and Greg Perry. In addition to his promotions and DJ contributions in UK, 'Horace' has also gone on to DJ in Italy, Germany and Spain and has even occasionally lectured on he subject of Rare Northern Soul. Way back in 1982 Ady visited Ted Carroll’s Rock On record stall on Golborne Road in West London, Ted later took a stall on the newly founded Soho market near Chinatown, not far from where Ady had his barrow, and he used to buy the 60s soul singles that the old vinyl merchant had plundered from warehouses and old shop stock on his travels. This interest in a music that was not particularly cherished in London at that time led to Ted asking Ady to stick together 15 singles from Los Angeles’ Kent and Modern labels and come up with an LP that would satisfy all those young mods who pestered Ted for some “soul like what all the original mods used to listen to”. Pinching the title from a popular Popcorn single of the time by Moses David on Tollie, Ady came up with “For Dancers Only” Kent 001, a selection of Northern Soul stompers, girl group floaters, male vocal harmonies and low down Rhythm & Blues, this was the start of Kent/ Ace records. He was then asked to rattle off a follow-up, when his first attempt flew out of the shops, that was the imaginatively named “For Dancers Also” Kent 002, the discerning public were soon hooked. A deep soul LP came next, followed by a collection of 60s soul classics, an LP of pure Northern Soul dancers, 70s soul sounds and many more sides of soul music’s polyhedron. Thirty plus years on, he is still coming up with black music compilations from the 60s and 70s that soul fans continue to support and enjoy. His eventually getting access to all the major record labels has given us, the Northern/ Rare soul fraternity music from the Okeh, Chess, RCA, Atlantic and even the mighty Tamla Motown vaults. This has meant the supply of sounds from this golden era is virtually limitless. Hugely influential independent labels like Stax, Goldwax, Fame, Westbound, Carnival, Mirwood, King, Scepter/Wand and others have learned to trust his integrity and have thrown open their doors saying “go ahead tell it like it was”. Smaller Independent labels such as Sounds Of Memphis, Dave Hamilton’s Detroit productions and GWP have come up with sizeable vaults that have delivered superb soul music that had frequently been unheard since its creation. Then there are the series like Mod Jazz, Modern Masterpieces, Northern’s Classiest, New Breed R&B et al that just keep on coming. It has allowed the public access to solo CDs from acts as big as the Impressions, James Carr, Candi Staton and the Staples Singers all the way through runaway successes such as Doris Duke, Sam Dees, Spencer Wiggins, who were previously only known by the cognoscenti, on to O.C. Tolbert, Jackie Day, the Minits and Vernon Garrett who weren’t that well known on their own blocks. The continued penchant for vinyl has left the rare soul lover with a pile of LPs and a growing 45s discography that would be enough to fill a DJs play box, what a great set would be played from it too, especially with the legendary Pied Piper productions recently added. With 300 plus CD compilations to date, the influence of Ady’s discoveries for Kent/ Ace records is seen all over the planet with mod and soul clubs cropping up in far flung places eager to enjoy the music of the 60’s and 70’s that have been rescued from obscurity. I guess it’s a testament to Harboro’ Horaces standing within the soul fraternity in that of all the ‘non musical’ people that could have topped the list of inaugural inductees Mr Croasdell was up front and centre by a country mile. David Hogenson & Dave Moore 01 Nov2014 Notes and references 1. Acknowledgement to Dave Rimmer’s http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net for some background information. 2. Acknowledgement to the official 6T’s website, http://www.6ts.info for information. 3. Acknowledgement to realmodworld.com for excerpts from an interview with Ady. 4. Acknowledgement to acerecords.co.uk for background information Discography: Horace’s Records 001 - Melba Moore - The Magic Touch b/w Tommy Hunt - The Pretty Part Of You 002 - Roosevelt Grier - In My Tenement b/w Lavern Baker - Wrapped, Tied And Tangled 003 - Hector Rivera - Chance For Romance b/w Playing It Cool 004 - Eddie Daye & The 4 Bars - Guess Who Loves You b/w Jimmy Armstrong - Mystery 005 - Ray Pollard - This Time b/w The Cairos - Stop Overlooking Me 006 - Little Johnny Hamilton - Oh How I Love You b/w Entertainers IV - Getting Back Into Circulation 007 - Carla Thomas - I'll Never Stop Loving You b/w Barbara Lewis - The Stars Kent/ Ace Records https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4zvtS4j7Ts

Date Of Induction: 01 November 2014 Category : Mixed Group The Sapphires were a trio consisting of a girl and two guys. Their outings on Swan would consolidate a production team that would become legendary and whose names would transcend the Philadelphia city limits and indeed the borders of their home country and be regularly heard from the lips of rare Northern soul fans as far away as other continents. Discovered by fellow Philadelphian Jerry Ross, the group line-up of Carol Jackson, Joe Livingston and George Garner, when matched up with songs penned by Jerry Ross, Kenny Gamble and Joe Renzetti, arranged by the hand of Renzetti and under the production steering of Ross and Gamble, had everything that a brand new shiny 45 should need. In the case of The Sapphires they even had the advantage of having the musical tracks they were singing to played by Leon Huff, Thom Bell, Bobby Eli and Bobby Martin! Now that’s what you call a band! Their first outing on wax was the 1963 release of The Sapphires — “Where Is Johnny Now b/w Your True Love” — Swan 4143 which was recorded at Frank Virtue‘s Studios on Broad Street (1) and coupled an A side, skip along dancer with Carol Jackson, the songs author, lamenting the fact that her man doesn’t contact her, with a romantic ballad and the whole record creates a sound that certainly belies the fact that it’s the groups first outing and sounds ahead of its time insofar as it combines the future use of bass and drum and echo that would become so familiar in later productions. Although the 45didn’t manage a break out and only sold locally despite its obvious quality, the 45 did establish the group and its sound. Undeterred, Ross Associates and the group climbed the stairs of Virtue Studios again and this time exited with a little more success. The Sapphires — “Who Do You Love b/w Oh So Soon” — Swan 4162 would probably define the group outside of Northern soul circles as it delivered a chart position of #25 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1964 with its double dose of synchopated soul dance music written by Ross and Gamble. The same songs would also see a release a while later on the Philly based Itzy label (#5). With a top 30 hit under their belts the team enlisted that seminal early sixties group that seems to pepper many of that labels’ repertoires The Swans (2) and released the 1964 classic The Sapphires — “I Found Out Too Late b/w I’ve Got Mine” — Swan 4177. The 45 is a wonderful effort by all involved, from the pens once again of Gamble and Ross and arranged by Gamble and Renzetti who was surely guiding the young future record mogul, the A side is a floaty laid back dancer utilizing the extra female vocal input by The Swans to perfection. Ms Jackson is still front and centre and her voice is still the star of the show but this time supported by a light steely sounding guitar, a gossamer input from a Hammond B3 and even an almost hidden salvo from of all things…a trumpet. The sound of both The Sapphires and the production team was developing and I think this 45 was best from the group so far. It certainly provided an appetiser to the entrée that was to come. The final outing from the group on the Swan logo was The Sapphires - Gotta Be More Than Friends b/w Moulin Rouge — Swan 4184 which put the group in the studio alone having lost the Swans input. By now (1964), the group was in full flight with its songwriting team of Gamble and Ross creating their songs based on a deft touch of soul placed around quality, laid back sounding, backing tracks and this outing was no different. At this stage the group warranted an album release which was duly complied, consisting of all their 45s both A and B Sides but sadly, it would prove to be the only LP of their career. Jerry Ross, ever with an ear for a hit and an eye on the future decided to move with the times and, realizing the talent that was at the heart of The Sapphires, he secured a deal, in June of that very same year that would create some of the Northern soul scene’s most enduring group sounds of all time. This move meant a move to New York’s Bell Sound Studios for recording purposes but the writing and productions still seeped pure Philly. With the likes of the yet little known, Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Melba Moore brought in to enhance the sound with backing voices (3) and Kenny Gamble and Thom Bell also contributing to the vocal mix, the team’s first release for the major label which was also penned by Gamble and Ross, The Sapphires — “Let’s Break Up For a While b/w Hearts Are Made To Be Broken” — ABC — Paramount 10559 delivers an exceptionally haunting beat ballad that evokes the atmosphere of a late night walk in a deserted city, whilst the flip is a samba orientated slice of middle of the road dance music written by former member of Kenny Gambles group The Romeos and Cameo’s then session guitarist, Roland Chambers and, on which the angelic backing voices of the aforementioned luminaries can be clearly distinguished. Their follow up 45, The Sapphires — “Thank You For Loving Me b/w Our Love Is Everywhere” - ABC Paramount 10590 featured a song on the A Side written by that prolific songwriting team of Boyce-Hart-Farrell it’s a finger-clicking and guitar led mid paced outing that uses interspersed chimes to add a certain charm but it’s also the flip that grabs the listeners attention. Written by Gamble-Ross and Renzetti the style of the Sapphires music is beginning to develop strongly by now with Renzetti arranging the laid back backing track that uses sweetening vibes to great effect alongside the soaring almost angelic backing voices that support Ms Jacksons clearly top quality, singing voice. Neither of the group’s first two outings for ABC Paramount yielded a chart position of note. The association with the label did yield however the exposure of appearances at the Paramount Theatre in New York’s Times Square, where the group played to packed houses at the Easter ‘Good Guys Show” in April 1964 alongside Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson and Rufus Thomas amongst others. The next quartet of releases from the group, starting with a trio in 1965, are the ones that would elevate their status in terms of affection with rare Northern soul circles and create a legacy that would not only be part of Jerry Ross’ but would also exalt both the group’s and Joe Renzetti’s name into the bargain. The group’s sound was now full of that effortless vibrancy that Carl Jackson had always radiated but now it was symbiotic with arranger of this 45, Jimmy Wisner’s visionary arrangements and Ross’ deft hands, which controlled the mixing board. The end result was a masterpiece of sixties femme soul that still draws crowds of dancers to the dance-floors despite its 40 year tenure on DJs playlists. The opening middle ranged piano and vibraphone introduction to The Sapphires — “Gotta Have Your Love b/w Gee I’m Sorry Baby” — ABC — Paramount 10639 is nothing short of genius. In the age old tradition of sometimes “less is more” this short and simple portion of music has acted like an irresistible magnet the dancers of UK’s soul scene for over 4 decades. Carol Jackson’s sultry but equally sounding innocence as she lets her beau know how she feels in no uncertain terms, is a pure joy and the, now customary, groups angelic backing singers add just the right amount of atmosphere to the proceedings. With Wisner’s added horn riff midway preceding a short break before Carol and the other voices finish with a fade and repeating ‘Gotta Have Your Love” leaves the listener almost wishing to replace the needle back at the run in groove in order to enjoy that experience one more time. When describing music in a written form it’s difficult not over use descriptive terminology, especially when that music is the music you feel passionate about. But in the case of this particular 45 I’m going to use a word that you’ll rarely see drip from my musical quill as I save it for the very highest of accolades and in the case of this 45, for me at least, it’s use is wholly appropriate. This record is simply…magnificent. The next 45 from the group to grace the logo is another that has remained a firm favourite of both Northern soul fans and girl group sounds alike, written by another prolific and successful writing duo of Arthur Resnick and Kenny Young, (4) The Sapphires — “Evil One b/w How Can I Say Goodbye” — ABC Paramount 10693 is a little more uptempo than the previous outing but once again the use ‘echoey’ percussion and a layer of vibes create a perfect foil for singers to play against as Carol leads them in a tale of betrayal and hurt that’s resulted in her deciding that her ‘evil one’ must stay away. Another horn bridges midway this time arranged by Joe Renzetti, and a light tinkling piano as the sing fades highlights just how happy the team wee with the previous outing. Often described as Motownesque, the Sapphires ABC Paramount 45s are much more than that. They contain subtle but entirely different components that when all stitched together skillfully, create a big, all embracing almost Phil Spectorish sounding effect. Much of that was a team effort I’d wager as Renzetti and Ross guided different components together and literally built the sound they were after. Also, the use of Thom Bell and Kenny Gamble in the role of backing singers shouldn’t be understated. Although not the greatest solo singers in the world, both these future legends were accomplished tunesmiths and could hold a note. The third 45 of the year from the team brought us a version of a song that would also prove to be a hugely popular song by The Yum Yums, on the same label. The Sapphires — “Gonna be a Big Thing b/w You’ll Never Stop Me From Loving You” — ABC Paramount 10753 is a much pacier version than the Yum Yums outing though it starts off with a walking paced intro of bass guitar and tambourine which, shortly after the beginning, features a staccato baritone sax before a wild drum fill explodes and signifies that this certainly ain’t no pedestrian, lounge music affair. It fair motors along apace as Carol leads the group on a 100mph story of how hers and her man’s new love really is “gonna be a big thing’ against a breathless backing that seems like it contains just about every piece of an orchestra including a brilliant horn section. The Sapphires last vintage 45 delivered a sound that the group had nurtured and evolved but without much commercial success, The Sapphires — “The Slow Fizz b/w Our Love Is Everywhere” — ABC Paramount 10778. It’s once again full of the signature sound of Ross and Renzetti on this Pam Sawyer and Lori Burton penned classic. This 45 would see the end of The Sapphires as a recording group (although heir most popular Northern tracks saw a re-release on UK Probe label due to hat specific demand), but there was however, a track rediscovered when the vaults of record companies became targets for the collectable and oldies reissues market and “Baby You’ve Got Me” which proved to be a reworking of “The Slow Fizz” song gained a modern day release in the mid 90s on the UK Soul Series logo. It’s a slightly different guitar arrangement with a more prominent saxophone part but it still retains the signature sound of Ross, Renzetti and the Group with its upbeat, “echoey” big horn sound, stuffed full of vibrant beats and vocals. The Sapphires 45s are pure Philly musical gems that sparkle as brightly as anything the City Of Brotherly Love produced. A quick listen to the you tube videos attached lower in this tribute will no doubt testify as to why Joe, George and Carol worked their way into the hearts of soul fans and it’s a real pleasure to have them as inaugural Inductees in our Northern Soul Hall Of Fame. Kevin Horsewood & Dave Moore November 2014 Notes and References: There is a record by a group called the Sapphires on RCA from 1957 but his is a completely unconnected group. The Swans were utilized by many groups and artists for Swan Records but hey also released a number of their own outings on the label. Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Melba Moore were first put together by Jerry Ross and would become his ‘go to’ backing singers on a number of projects before making their names as solo artists and songwriters. Artie Resnick and Kenny Young are probably most famous for writing the classic “Under The Boardwalk”. Discography: Swan Records Where Is Johnny Now b/wYour True Love - 4143 Who Do You Love b/w Oh So Soon - Swan 4162 I Found Out Too Late b/w I’ve Got Mine You Better Get Yours - Swan 4177 Where Is Your Heart b/w Gotta Be More Than Friends - Swan 4184 ABC Records Let’s Break Up For A While b/wHearts Are Meant To Be Broken - 10559 Thank You For Loving Me b/w Our Love is Everywhere - 10590 Gotta Have Your Love b/w Gee I’m Sorry Baby - ABC 10639 Evil One b/w How Could I Say Goodbye - ABC 10693 Gonna Be A Big Thing b/w You’ll Never Stop Me From Loving You - ABC 10753 The Slow Fizz b/w Our Love Is Everywhere - ABC 10778

Induction Date 01 November 2014 Category: Male Vocalist Roy Hamilton, during his illustrious 15 year singing career, was known by many nicknames: Mr. Rock and Soul, The Gentle Giant, and, most notably, The Golden Boy of Song. But few of these nicknames fully encompass the majesty of his voice, the influence he had on the artists of his generation, or the legacy his music has left behind. He was idolized by Elvis Presley, emulated by Jackie Wilson and Brook Benton and covered by the Righteous Brothers. His voice and legacy have earned him a place in the annals of history for years to come, and also sees him honoured as an inaugural inductee in the Northern Soul Hall Of Fame. Born on April 16th 1929 in Leesburg, Georgia, Roy began his musical journey like many of his peers by singing in his local church choir and began performing there at the tender age of six. He continued developing his singing within the church and, at age 14 when his family moved to Jersey City, New Jersey he became a featured soloist in the Central Baptist Church Choir. In high school, Roy was committed to becoming a singer and concentrated his school efforts towards the performing arts. He was a talented artist but also took up the sport of boxing, amassing six victories as an amateur heavyweight before leaving his pugilistic aspirations behind having become disillusioned by the violence in the sport. In 1948, Roy’s deep, rich baritone voice could be heard singing in a gospel quartet called the Searchlight Singers, however it was as a soloist that his real aspirations lay and the lure of a single spotlight led him to begin performing alone in the local clubs and lounges throughout New Jersey and New York, during which time he won a Wednesday amateur talent night at the Apollo Theatre, New York with his dramatic rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the musical “Carousel” which later became his signature theme tune. He continued singing in local clubs over the next few years and it looked like his career may have stalled when, in 1953 he met his future manager, Bill Cook, a DJ who hosted a live radio program at the Caravan Club in Newark, New Jersey. Bill took Roy under his wing, and Roy was signed to the Epic label, a subsidiary of Columbia Records in December of that year, as his voice wasn’t thought R&B enough to join the ranks on the Okeh label. Within a month Roy Hamilton - “You’ll Never Walk Alone b/w I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry” Epic 9015 was released and became an instant smash, staying in the Pop Top Twenty for two months. In January 1954 Roy topped the bill at the Trianon Ballroom in Chicago, with a big show that also featured Jimmy Reed, Big Maybelle, The Spaniels, Counts and Flamingos, the next month the same performers hit the stage at the Symphony Hall in Boston for weekend shows (LaVern Baker, Della Reese and the Erskine Hawkins band joined them in April for dates throughout the Midwest), also in February he returned to the Apollo Theatre where it all began, but this time as a headliner, along with Ruth Brown. In March he appeared at Birdland in New York for a week, and by May his first record was number one in the R&B charts, the first number one for Epic records. In June Hamilton was performing in a big show at Soldier’s Field, Chicago alongside Nat “King” Cole, Sarah Vaughn and The Orioles. He signed up for the big “Rhythm & Blues Show” with the Gale Agency in the same month, which also starred The Drifters, Counts, Spaniels, Faye Adams, LaVern Baker, King Pleasure, Rusty Bryant and Erskine Hawkins. He starred in the WNJR 4th July picnic with The Orioles, Big Maybelle, Larry Darnell, Joe Liggins, Nappy Brown, Varetta Dillard and Bull Moose Jackson. In September a show called “Kahl Music Presents” presents Roy Hamilton, Sarah Vaughn, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Modern Jaz Quartet, Lester Young and The Drifters, this coincided with the release of Roy Hamilton - “Ebb Tide b/w Beware” Epic 9068 , a top five seller in the R&B charts and top 25 in the pop charts. Epic celebrated its first anniversary in November of 1954 and at their party was their biggest seller, Roy Hamilton. At the same time Roy Hamilton - “Hurt b/w Star Of Love” Epic 9086 was released, a song that would later be Timi Yuro’s first big hit. His version of the title song from the film ‘Unchained’, Roy Hamilton - “Unchained Melody b/w From Here To Eternity” Epic 9102 went head to head with Al Hibbler’s Decca version for top honours, selling more than a million copies and staying in the pop charts for over four months. A measure of the way that the recording industry embraced Roy’s dramatic vocal talent came when he was presented with the Downbeat Magazine’s Top Male Vocalist Of The Year Award in June 1955, and he was also lauded when ABC television personality Joe Franklin presented him with the Memory Lane Award for Best New Male Singer, later that same year. In mid-January 1956 Roy Hamilton headlined at the Apollo Theatre again, along with Ruth Brown, Charlie and Ray, and the Five Keys, subsequently signing on for a big travelling R&B show that toured the South for a couple of months. The bill included Bill Haley and his Comets, The Platters, Shirley and Lee, LaVern Baker, Joe Turner, Bo Diddley, The Turbans, Drifters and Five Keys. In late April Roy Hamilton was forced to cancel a few dates when he fell ill, later to be diagnosed as suffering from pneumonia and tuberculosis. On June 2nd 1956 he stunned the music world by announcing his retirement due to his illness and total exhaustion. A year after he announced his premature retirement he was back in the recording studio, he recorded Roy Hamilton - “The Aisle b/w That Old Feeling” Epic 9224, the same song that was recorded by The Five Satins and gained release as The Five Satins - “To The Aisle b/w Wish I Had My Baby” - Ember ( London# HL 8501). In July he makes his first public appearance since his return at an All Star Show in Atlanta. Helping to celebrate his return were LaVern Baker, Little Willie John, Nappy Brown, The Cardinals, and Burnie Peacock and his band. He soon followed this up with a short tour of Texas and Oklahoma with The Clovers, Buddy Johnson and his band with Ella Johnson, Johnny and Joe, Huey Smith, and The Spaniels. In October he appeared in a series of one-nighters in the South with The Clovers, Tune Weavers, Little Joe, Thurston Harris and Tally Ho Label owner Doc Bagby’s Combo, many of them join him at the State Theatre in Hartford Connecticut for a big show in November, hosted by George “Hound Dog” Lorenz. Roy’s live appearances were extremely successful and his shows were nearly always sell outs. At the end of 1957 he broke the box office records at the famous Howard Theatre in Washington D.C. Epic meanwhile kept the momentum of his recording career going by releaseing his newest recording Roy Hamilton - “Don’t Let Go b/w The Right To Love” Epic 9257, the first Rock and Roll record to be recorded in stereophonic sound which reached number 13 in the Hot 100 charts and stayed there for three months. He closed out the year appearing in DJ Paul Sherman’s show in New York with Al Savage and his band, Thurston Harris, JoAnn Campbell, The Dubs, Shells, Five Satins, and Deltairs. In January of 1958 Columbia Pictures releases “Let’s Rock”, a quickie film that featured many of the day’s music stars, Roy Hamilton, Danny and The Juniors, The Royal Teens, Paul Anka, Della Reese, and Julia La Rosa were all in the cast. This was followed by an appearance on legendary Radio DJ “Jocko” Henderson’s television show before the end of the month which led to a number of bookings throughout the country, including an appearance on the Dick Clark’s Saturday Night Beechnut Show, a forerunner of his nationwide American Bandstand success. In March, Roy signed on with Irwin Feld for ‘The Greatest Show Of Stars’ road tour which would last 80 days and starts with a tour of Canada. That same month he appears at the Paramount Theatre Los Angeles with Earl McDaniel. In November a Roy Hamilton Day benefit show at the Jersey City armoury is held to raise money for the Central Baptist Fund, Red Prysock, Joe Louis, Varetta Dillard and others appear in support. 1959 saw continued his hectic live show schedule appearing alongside such musical luminaries as Jerry Butler, The Spaniels, Pigmeat Markham, Maurie Leigh, The Madison Trio and The Rick Henderson Orchestra, Teddy Randazzo, The Poni-Tails, Connie Francis, Four Lads, and Clyde McPhatter. He stayed with the Epic logo for a decade, releasing more than 30 singles and EP’s on the imprint, but it’s his later MGM and RCA Victor recordings that led to the Rare Northern soul fraternity taking him to their hearts. In February 1964, whilst signed to the MGM label he delivered one of the seminal beat ballads of all time with, Roy Hamilton - “The Panic Is On b/w There She Is” - MGM K13217. Roy’s melodramatic vocal overtones could well have annulled the magnificent arrangement from Bert Keyes but right from the initial timpanic intro and following notes of a muted trumpet the song instantly becomes something special. When Roy’s vocal opens up with its passionate ebbs and flos, it proves to be the perfect foil for a beautifully crafted song. Roy’s clarity, his passionately strained, perfectly placed notes and his ability to make it all sound so seamless fit the song like a calf skin glove to a manicured hand. If you were to canvas fans and collectors alike as to what was their all time favourite beat ballad, there’s an odds on chance that this magnificent mid sixties outing would be up there in the higher echelons of any compiled list for sure. With “The Panic Is On” a hard act to follow Roy followed up six months later with, Roy Hamilton - “You Can Count On Me b/w She Make Me Wanna Dance” - MGM K13291, and whilst the song isn’t quite as strong as its predecessor, Roy tells his mournful tale of always being there for his girl over a great mid-tempo track that encompasses a fantastic set of female backing singers. A move to RCA Records in mid 1966, delivered a couple of 45s that would ensure that the musical legacy left by Mr Hamilton would be enshrined forever when he delivered up two 45s that went on to become iconic dance-floor fillers albeit 3000 miles from their place of birth in the RCA studios in New York. Sitting somewhat nonchalant on the flip side of the first one is the self penned classic, Roy Hamilton - “Walk Hand In Hand b/w Crackin’ Up Over You” RCA Victor 47-8960, from October 1966 and is a song that would become permanently glued to the name of Roy Hamilton, such was its impact. It's a fantastic, almost operatic performance by Roy as he relays the intensity of his love for his girl. The second of his RCA labelled stormers Roy Hamilton - “So High My Love b/w You Shook Me Up” RCA Victor 47-9171 from April 1967 is also a sleeping B Side and will probably need very little introduction to readers of this tribute with its powerful and vibrant backing track benefitting from an equally earthshaking vocal delivery from Mr Hamilton. In 1966 whilst in the middle of his tenure with RCA Roy also recorded a fantastic version of the Bacharach and David classic, “Let the Music Play” that lay dormant until those erstwhile soul detectives at Ace Kent in UK unearthed it and placed it on their 1997 Rare Collectable And Soulful CD ( Kend 141). Roy’s stirring performance once again fits the arrangement style of Bert Keyes with his use of a muted trumpet, timpani and this time embellished with subtle strings that add another tick in the musical box. For fans of Mr Hamilton’s dramatic RCA output there’s also a couple of other songs that are worth investigating, one of them nestling quietly away on his LP Roy Hamilton - "The Impossible Dream" — RCA LP3532. It’s a quality version of the Bacharach and David classic, “Reach Out For Me” which certainly rivals any other version of the song to have been committed to wax. The other one is a song that has adorned many a record room turntable over the years I’d wager and was actually his first outing on the RCA imprint, Roy Hamilton — “Heartache (Hurry On By) b/w Ain’t It The Truth” - RCA 8641. Although his rendition of the classic song on the B Side is also a great performance it’s the top side that really grabs you. A more soulful plaintive ballad would be hard to find and Roy’s emotional interpretation of a fantastic Bert Keyes arrangement delivers one of the truly great deep soul beat ballads. Unfortunately, Roy’s star was tragically extinguished when he suffered a stroke in New Rochelle, New York. Despite surgery, he passed away soon after on July 20th 1969, months after his 40th birthday, leaving behind his wife Myrna, and his two son’s Roy Hamilton Jnr. and Ray Hamilton. Roy Hamilton’s body of musical work was and still is enjoyed and admired by his peers, by industry insiders and by fans alike. Although he has made the shortlist for the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in Cincinatti, Ohio, his home country have yet to fully recognise his talents His induction as an inaugural Inductee into our Hall Of Fame is nothing short of fitting for a performer known as a ‘singers singer’. David Hogenson & Dave Moore 01 Nov 2014 Notes and References: 1. Acknowledgement to the official Roy Hamilton website: www.royhamilton.net for assistance. 2. Acknowledgement to http://home.earthlin...r/hamilton.html for background info. 3. Dave Rimmers www.soulfulkindamusic.net for assistance with Discography. DISCOGRAPHY Epic Records: Epic 9015 - You'll Never Walk Alone b/w I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You) Epic 9047 - So Let There Be Love bw If I Loved You Epic 9068 - Ebb Tide b/w Beware Epic 9086 - Hurt b/w Star Of Love Epic 9092 - I Believe b/w If You Are But A Dream Epic 9102 - Unchained Melody b/w From Here To Eternity Epic 9111 - Forgive This Fool b/w You Wanted To Change Me Epic ? - Fascination b/w Cacaquinho Epic 9118 - A Little Voice b/w All This Is Mine Epic 9125 - Without A Song b/w Cuban Love Song Epic 9132 - Everybody's Got A Home b/w Take Me With You Epic 9147 - There Goes My Heart b/w Walk Along With Kings Epic 9160 - Somebody, Somewhere b/w Since I Fell For You Epic 9180 - I Took My Grief To Him b/w Chained Epic 9203 - The Simple Prayer b/w A Mother's Love Epic 9212 - My Faith, My Hope, My Love b/w So Long Epic 9224 - The Aisle b/w That Old Feeling Epic 9232 - (All Of A Sudden) My Heart Sings b/w I'm Gonna Lock You In My Heart Epic 9257 - Don't Let Go b/w The Night To Love Epic 9268 - Crazy Feelin' b/w In A Dream Epic 9274 - Lips b/w Jungle Fever Epic 9282 - Wait For Me b/w Everything Epic 9294 - Pledging My Love b/w My One And Only Love Epic 9301 - It's Never Too Late b/w Somewhere Along The Way Epic 9307 - I Need Your Lovin' b/w Blue Prelude Epic 9323 - Time Marches On b/w Take It Easy, Joe Epic 9342 - Great Romance b/w On My Way Back Home Epic 9354 - The Ten Commandments b/w Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen Epic 9354 - The Ten Commandments / Down By The Riverside Epic 9372 - Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen b/w Down By The Riverside Epic 9373 - I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart b/w I Get The Blues When It Rains Epic 9374 - My Story b/w Please Send Me Someone To Love Epic 9375 - Something's Gotta Give b/w Cheek To Cheek (Unreleased as at Oct 2014)) Epic 9376 - Sing You Sinners b/w Blow, Gabriel, Blow Epic 9386 - Having Myself A Ball b/w Slowly Epic 9388 - Never Let Me Go b/w I Get The Blues When It Rains (Unreleased as at Oct 2014) Epic 9390 - The Clock b/w I Get The Blues When It Rains Epic 9398 - A Lover's Prayer b/w Never Let Me Go Epic 9407 - Lonely Hands b/w Your Love Epic 9434 - You Can Have Her b/w Abide With Me Epic 9443 - You're Gonna Need Magic b/w To The One I Love Epic 9449 - No Substitute For Love b/w Please Louise Epic 9460 - Excerpts From - You Can Have Her Epic 9461 - Excerpts From - You Can Have Her Epic 9462 - Excerpts From - You Can Have Her Epic 9463 - Excerpts From - You Can Have Her Epic 9464 - Excerpts From - You Can Have Her Epic 9466 - There We Were b/w If Epic 9492 - Don't Come Cryin' To Me b/w If Only I Had Known Epic 9520 - Climb Ev'ry Mountain b/w I'll Come Running Back To You Epic 9538 - Earthquake b/w I Am MGM Records MGM 13138 - Let Go b/w You Still Love Him MGM 13157 - Midnight Town - Daybreak City b/w Intermezzo MGM 13175 - Theme From "The V.I.P.'S" ( The Willow ) b/w The Sinner (El Pecador) MGM 13217 - The Panic Is On b/w There She Is MGM 13247 - Answer Me, My Love b/w Unchained Melody MGM 13291 - You Can Count On Me b/w She Makes Me Wanna Dance MGM 13315 - Sweet Violets b/w A Thousand Years Ago RCA Victor Records RCA Victor 47 - 8641 - Heartache b/w Ain't It The Truth RCA Victor 47 - 8705 - And I Love Her b/w Tore Up Over You RCA Victor 47 - 8813 - The Impossible Dream b/w She's Got A Heart RCA Victor 47 - 8960 - Crackin' Up Over You b/w Walk Hand In Hand RCA Victor 47 - 9061 - I Taught Her Everything She Knows b/w Lament RCA Victor 47 - 9171 - You Shook Me Up b/w So High My Love RCA Victor - Let The Music Play — Recorded 02 November1966 but unreleasd until issued on the 1997 Kent Cd - Rare Collectable And Soulful (Cdkend 141) Capitol Records Capitol 2057 - Let This World Be Free b/w Wait Until Dark AGP Records AGP 113 - The Dark End Of The Street b/w 100 Years AGP 116 - Angelica b/w Hang Ups AGP 25 - It's Only Make Believe b/w It's Only Make Believe (Only released as a promo copy) AGP 125 - It's Only Make Believe b/w 100 Years

Date Of Induction : 01 November 2014 Category : Post Production Most collectors of Northern Soul records will have the name of Weldon A McDougall III nestled in their 45s collection somewhere. A native of Philadelphia Weldon was born at the Mercy Douglas Hospital in West Philly and was raised by his mother Eleanor having been named after his father and Grandfather. His interest in music was sparked as a student at West Philadelphia High School where he first encountered George Tindley (Of The Dreams) and George Grant (Of The Castelles). As a schoolboy Weldon showed early signs of the entrepreneurship that would drive his ambitions throughout his life and could be found delivering the neighbourhoods newspapers on his trusty bike. One of his family customer’s son, Johnny Stiles later became a major influence in Weldon’s life when along with Luther Randolph, the trio established Harthon Records at 5994 Chestnut St in West Philly. Weldon’s early musical involvement came in the mid fifties when it seemed just about every high school student was in some kind of singing group. Weldon was no exception and he put together his own doo wop inspired quartet called The Larks. On graduation though in 1955, the call to serve Uncle Sam however interrupted the group’s progress and Weldon spent two years serving his country as United States Marine at Quantico Virginia. On discharge he returned to Philadelphia, reconnected with former Lark Pat White (who became Mrs Weldon McDougall), and set about finding a new lead singer. Approached by local singers Earl ‘Bill’ Oxendine and Jackie Marshall, Weldon and Pat on hearing them agreed that their new quartet was now complete. Mistakenly booked by Jocko Henderson, (the WDAS legendary DJ), for one of his Rocket Ship shows at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theatre (1) The newly formed quartet appeared on the same bill as Clyde McPhatter, Baby Washington and Shep And The Limelights. Despite not having even made a recording yet fellow Philly maestro, Bandstand announcer and record producer Jerry Ross recognised their potential and took the group into the Reco -Arts Studio. The resulting 45s would set the group off on a musical journey that would include releases on Ross’ own Sheryl label and further outings on Uptown and Tower, including of course the classic double-sider, The Four Larks — Groovin’ At The Go Go b/w I Still Love You” — Tower 402. (Pat White had left the group by this stage, split with Weldon and Vivian, Weldon’s second wife is the female lead on the 45). In tandem with his work with the Four Larks, Weldon also established Harthon Records who produced many classic Northern Soul 45s at Frank Virtue’s studio on Broad St. Amongst the lengthy legacy of The Harthon Trio of Weldon, Luther Randolph and Johnny Stiles are such outings as Larry Clinton — “She’s Wanted In Three States” — Dynamo 300, Herb Ward — “Strange Change” — Argo 3510 and The Cooperettes — “Shing A Ling” — Brunswick 553, as well as fantastic outings as diverse as Eddie Holman, The Victors, The Rotations, The Inspirations, Cliff Nobles and of course the hugely popular Shirley Turner — “World Of Happiness” . Of course the Harthon label itself gave us sought after discs by The Volcanos, The United Four, Bernard Williams, The Preludes and Lee Garrett. Whilst enjoying success with Harthon, Weldon also worked at Chips Distribution where he was instrumental in promoting soul re cords in particular. The gold stickers that became the trademark of Chips Distribution were an invention of Weldon’s. When the Harthon trio started enjoying notoriety from their Virtue Studio productions they formed Dyno-Dynamic Productions and along with Jimmy Bishop, the WDAS DJ and Harold Lipsius, the owner of Jamie Guyden established Arctic Records with Weldon’s discovery, The Tiffanies kicking off the labels output. The label’s most successful artist, Barbara Mason was also mentored by Weldon. Of course Dyno-Dynamic, via the Arctic label, (and it’s short lived sister: Frantic), produced many Northern Soul classics by Barbara, The Volcanos, Herb Johnson, and the Arctic label itself contributed a whole slew of Northern Soul classics from Honey and The Bees, The Temptones, Kenny Hamber etc. Undeterred by the Arctic deal turning sour and leaving the trio bereft of any control, (2) Weldon and the guys continued producing records that would hit the spot thousands of miles away in UK. From Marva Lee’s wonderful interpretation of the Gene Chandler classic and Nella Dodds’ version of the Supremes to the fantastic pounder by Irma and The Larks and he haunting Intentions 45, Weldon was at the heart of the mid sixties Philly Sound. So much so that as Gamble and Huff gained in stature they employed Weldon as their promo man and it is Weldon’s cartoon image that gave Philadelphia International Records part of its marque and later Berry Gordy would call upon him to do that very same job, (amongst others), for his Motown empire. Weldon was prolific photographer and was rarely seen without a camera within an arms length and his archive of photographs is legendary. Part of his photographic legacy led to him and Bill Dhal creating a book, recording his time at Motown during which he took thousands of distinctly personal and informal photographs of Berry Gordy’s superstars. Weldon had another endearing hobby too. Every Friday afternoon he would ‘disappear’. His love of the movies would never diminish and he went to the cinema every week in order to be transported to that cellular world of fantasy. To talk about movies with Weldon was to be enthralled, almost childlike, as he sang the praises of spending a few hours in what he often described as a separate, wonderful world. Always ready to help Philly bound soulfans, he became a friend to many, including your author and his ever present, big beaming smile was always a sight that I never tired of. Weldon sadly passed away in 2010, a raconteur, a man that could sell sand to the Arabs, he would be over the moon to be included in The Northern Soul Hall Of Fame. It’s an honour and privilege to have been part of his tribute as he is recognised in such a way and becomes a founding Inductee into the Soul Source Northern Soul Hall Of Fame. Dave Moore 01 Nov 2014 Notes and References: According to Weldon, Jocko thought he had booked Don Juan And The Meadowlarks! The Harthon trio were duped into thinking that Arctic Records was established as a vehicle for their own productions and that they were co owners. This turned out to no be the case. Discography : The following listof records are all records that Weldon was involved with in some way, either as artist, a producer or a label owner. It’s by no means complete or even near exhaustive but gives a good flavour/account of some of the Northern Soul 45s that he contributed too. Sheryl Records Four Larks - It's Unbelievable b/w II Can't Believe It - 334 Cleopatra - Heaven Only Knows b/w My Darling - 334 Four Larks - Let's Drink A Toast b/w There Is A Girl - 338 . Priority Records Irma and The Larks - Don't Cry b/w Without You Baby - 332. Fairmount Records Irma and The Larks - Don't Cry b/w Without You Baby - 1003 Scepter Records Irma & The Fascinators - Just A Feeling b/w Lost Love - 12100 Uptown Records The Four Larks - Tower 748 - That's All That Counts b/w You And Me — 748 The Four Larks — I’s Unbelievable b/w Keep Climbing Brothers - 761 Tower Records The Four Larks - Another Chance b/w Rain - 364 The Four Larks- I Still Love You (From The Bottom Of My Heart) b/w Groovin' At The Go-Go - 402 The Four Larks — I’ve Got Plenty b/w Can I Have Another Helping Please — 450 Argo Records Herb Ward - Strange Change b/w Why Do You Want To Leave Me - 3510 Arctic Records Tiffanys - Love Me b/w Happiest Girl In The World - 101 Barbara Mason - Come To Me b/w Girls Have Feelings Too - 102 Volcanos - Baby b/w Make Your Move - 103 Cindy Gibson - Step By Step b/w Whisper You Love Me Baby - 104 Barbara Mason - Yes I'm Ready b/w Keep Him - 105 Volcanos - Storm Warning b/w Baby - 106 Kenny Gamble And The Floaters - Down By The Seashore Part 1 b/w Part 2 - 107 Barbara Mason - Come To Me b/w Sad, Sad Girl - 108 Herb Johnson - Gloomy Day b/w Carfare Back - 109 Volcanos - Help Wanted b/w Make Your Move - 111 Barbara Mason - You Got What It Takes b/w If You Don't (Love Me,Tell Me So) - 112 Kenny Gamble & The Romeos - Ain't It Baby Part 1 b/w Part 2 - 113 Volcanos - (It's Against The) Laws Of Love b/w Inst - 115 Barbara Mason - Don't Ever Want To Lose Your Love b/w Is It Me - 116 Barbara Mason - I Need Love b/w Bobby Is My Baby - 120 Volcanos - Lady's Man b/w Help Wanted - 125 Barbara Mason - Poor Girl I'm In Trouble b/w Hello Baby - 126 Volcanos - Make Your Move b/w You're Number 1 - 128 Barbara Mason - You Can Depend On Me b/w Game Of Love - 134 Barbara Mason - Oh How It Hurts b/w Ain't Got Nobody - 137 Barbara Mason - Half A Love b/w Slipping Away - 142 Barbara Mason - Don't Ever Go Away b/w I'm So Good For You - 146 Barbara Mason - Take It Easy b/w You Never Loved Me - 148 Barbara Mason - You Better Stop It b/w Happy Girl — 154 Harthon Records Luther Randolph & Johnny Styles - Crossroads Part 1 b/w Crossroads Part 2 - 424 Luther Randolph & Johnny Styles - Talkin' 'Bout You Part 1 b/w Talkin' 'Bout You Part 2 - 426 Joann Jackson & The Dreams - Georgie Porgie b/w The Mob - 427 Luther Randolph & Johnny Styles - Criss Cross b/w I Fell Pretty - 429 The Twilights - It's Been So Long b/w She Put Me Down - 134 The Twilights - Shipwreck b/w For First Time - 135 Bernard Williams & The Blue Notes - Needless To Say b/w Focussed On You - 136 Lee Garrett - I Can't Break The Habit b/w Baby, Please Don't Go - 137 The Volcanos - Gotta Be A False Alarm b/w Movin' And Groovin' - 138 The United Four - She's Puttin' You On b/w Go On - 139 The Preludes - Deeper Than That b/w Shiggy Diggy - 140 Lee Garrett - I'm So Glad Part 1 b/w I’m So Glad Part 2 - 141 The United Four - Look At Her Now b/w One More Year - 142 The Volcanos - Take Me Back Again b/w Aw Shucks - 146 The Body Motions - False Alarm b/w Putting You On - 103074 Wand Records Nella Dodds - Come See About Me b/w You Don't Love Me Anymore - 167 Nella Dodds - Finders Keepers Losers Weepers b/w A Girl's Life - 171 Inspirations - Kiss And Make Up b/w Love Can Be So Wonderful - 182 Nella Dodds -Com Back Baby b/w Dream Boy - 187 Atco Records Marva Lee - If You Can't Be True b/w Too Bad Too Sad - 6367 The Sweet Delights - Baby Be Mine Paul's Midnight Ride - 6601 Philips Records Intentions - Don't Forget That I Love You b/w Night Rider - 40428 Victors - Hurt b/w Not Only A Girl Know - 40475