Dave Moore

Date Of Induction : 01 November 2014 Category: Pre Production Andrew Alexander Terry was born in Hempstead , Texas , in July 1940. By the time he was eight years old the family had moved permanently to Detroit, Michigan. After attending Elementary School , Terry attended Cass Technical High School on the downtown west side of the Motor City , where he studied music properly for the first time ."I took up the baritone sax , because no one else wanted to play it" he explained to Rob Moss in conversation during the 90's. He became so proficient playing the baritone, that by the age of 18 he was sitting in on recording sessions with Berry Gordy at United Sound Studios in Detroit, his first session being in the late 50's. He was soon recruited by Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie for his band Popcorn And The Mohawks, along with future ‘Funk Brothers’ Eddie Willis and James Jamerson, plus Lamont Dozier and Norman Whitfield, who would subsequently become legendary Motor Town producers of the future. One of the first releases to feature Mike, was Popcorn and the Mohawks - "Custers Last Man b/w Shimmy Gully” - Motown 1002 on the Motown imprint. Mike was retained by Motown after Popcorn departed West Grand Boulvard in 1961, and up until 1967 was to feature on thousands of Motown recordings with his trademark baritone sax teasing the listener until the ‘middle eight’ where it would break out in a uniquely trademark style. Great examples of his style can be found on cherished recordings such as, The Isley Brothers - "This Old Heart Of Mine ", The Supremes - "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart”, Kim Weston - "Helpless", The Four Tops "Something About You " and countless more. He also toured with Joe Hunter's band, backing Jackie Wilson and was a member of the first MotorTown Revue. His real musical heart though was happiest in the recording studio and by 1963 he was an integral member of the Berry Gordy’s Motown House band that we came to know and love as ‘The Funk Brothers’, often recording up to 25 songs a week. As is the case with many truly creative and talented people, Mike became frustrated with the constraints of just playing his baritone sax at Hitsville, tied by Berry Gordy's ‘single role’ rule that was imposed on most of the musicians there, where they weren't rarely, if at all, allowed to partake in writing, producing or arranging, so he enrolled at the Detroit Institute Of Performing Arts, to study music arrangement and, whilst ‘Moonlighting’ at other studios around Detroit, in common with the other Funk Brothers, helped to create many classic records that would become so beloved of the Northern Soul scene . By 1965, Terry had struck up a close friendship with fellow Funk Brother and Vibraphonist Jack Ashford and they began to make plans to write and produce records of their own, after playing together on sessions at Ed Wingate’s famed studios that brought forth the fantastic Ric Tic and Golden World outings, with recordings like The Parliaments - "Heart Trouble", Laura Lee — “To Win Your Heart", The Adorables - "Ooh Boy”, The Fantastic Four - "Can't Stop Looking For My Baby", all the big Edwin Starr classics and countless other standing out classics. It was whilst undertaking sessions for Wingate’s company that Mike became one third of the legendary Geo-Si-Mik team at Golden World, George Clinton and Sidney Barnes being the other members of this creative team that wrote, arranged and produced a series of classics that would form the foundation of Wingate’s emerging rival to Motown. By 1966, Mike and Jack Ashford had set up Pied Piper Productions, which was a musical meeting of the minds, with Terry producing while Ashford penned the songs, often accompanied by Lorraine Chandler. A huge body of quality danceable Soul music was to follow, it's legacy still being enjoyed today via Ace /Kent's issuing of previously unheard sides from the vaults of Pied Piper master tapes .Several tracks by September Jones - "Stuttering Sam", "Voodoo Mademoiselle", "Chink A Chank Baby" and "You Better Know Why", Nancy Wilcox’s fantastic driving, "Gamblers Blues" and "He'll Be Leaving You", Willie Kendrick's thunderous version of The Metros - "Time Changes Things", The Cavaliers - "We Go Together" have been aired at The 100 Club, the longest running soul club in the world to much acclaim. Separate deals were set up with various labels locally and nationally during its short life span to release Pied Piper product, RCA was the main benefactor, issuing classic sides like Willie Kendrick - "Change Your Ways", Micheal and Raymond - "Man Without A Woman", Lorraine Chandler with 3 superb releases "I Can't Hold On", "I Can't Change" and "What Can I Do", The Metros -"Since I Found My Baby" plus a great album "Sweetest One ", The Caveliers - "Hold To My Baby" and many more from the vaults tracks ,by Artists including Lorraine Chandler , The Metros ,Willie Kendrick , The Dynamics , etc . Other standout tracks bearing the Pied Piper name worth highlighting were the brilliant Karate imprint double headers, "Tony Hestor — “ Just Can't Leave You b/w Watch Yourself" — Karate 523 (Giant707) and Mikki Farrow — “Set My Heart At Ease b/w Could It Be — Karate 524. The Giant logo would also deliver, Mike and Ray — “If Only You Knew b/w Private World Of My Own” — Giant 706, all three of these became dance-floor favourites and the releases are still very much sought after. It wasn’t just the 45 format that Pied Piper excelled at, the company released a trio of iconic albums of soul music that are often held up as the best LPs of Northern soul you can enjoy. On the Kapp logo, The Hesitations - "Soul Superman " and Freddie Butler — “A Dab Of Soul"- and on the RCA logo The Metros”- Sweetest One (RCA) Between 1965 and 1967, when he finally left Motown for good and stopped playing his famed baritone sax, Mike was involved in a huge body of work , either playing on tracks , or using his arranging and producing skills to full effect , which would deservedly earn him legendary status. As well as playing on tracks in Detroit such as "Open The Door To Your Heart b/w Our Love Is In The Pocket" - Darrell Banks — Revilot 201, what is arguably the greatest instrumental track ever played at soul clubs, Doni Burdick "The Bari Track b/w I Have Faith In You" - Sound Impression 6807, the simply but effectively produced Patti Young - "Head And Shoulders b/w The Valiant Kind" - Ernstrat 495 , the driving Margaret Little - "Love Finds A Way b/w - Genebro, the dancefloor filling Betty Boo - "Say It Isn't So " —Unissued until the UK Grapevine release (#125) ,Marvin Jones’ impassioned Jack Montgomery — “ My Dear Beloved b/w/ Do You Believe It"- Scepter 15152 , the juggernaut-like Just Brothers — “Carlena b/w - She Broke His Heart” - Garrison 3003, and the stone classic double sider, The Capitols - "Cool Jerk b/w Hello Stranger” — Karen1524, the list is endless .....Mike was also gaining work further afield in Philadelphia and Chicago especially, either in a playing capacity, arranging or sometimes both. With Philly acts such as Moses Smith, he played baritone on the mega classic "Girl Across The Street b/w Hey Love I Wanna Thank You — Dionn 508, Yvonne Baker " I Can’t Change b/w Mend The Torn Pieces - Junior 1010, several Volcanos sides on Arctic including "The Laws Of Love" and "A Lady’s Man", it’s Mike’s saxophone that graced the million selling 45 that launched the early MFSB musical group to national prominence with Cliff Nobles - "Love Is Alright b/w The Horse” — Phil LA Of Soul 313 and whilst the label may say Philadelphia, the sound says Detroit on The Rotations — “Put A Dime On D-9 b/w Instrumental" — Frantic200, and two of Philly’s most iconic 45s bear the skills of Mr Terry. The Showstoppers " Ain't Nothing But A House Party b/w What Can A Man Do — Party Time 1002 and the archetypal Philly rarity, Larry Clinton- “She's Wanted In Three States b/w If I Knew" — Dynamo 300. In Chicago, Mike would also contribute heavily to that city's soul musical landscape that elevated the Windy City's status for worldwide soul fans, playing on records like Gene Chandler - "Mr Big Shot b/w I Hate To Be The One To Say" — Constellation 172 and The Fascinations - "Girls Are Out To Get You b/w You’ll Be Sorry"- Mayfield 7714. He would return to the Windy City later to team up with Jo Armstead and record some memorable sides on labels such as Revue and Giant , artists like Ruby Andrews "Just Loving You", Little Jimmy Scott "It Rained 40 Days And Nights b/w Do You Get The Message” - Giant 708 , Jo Armstead - "I Feel An Urge Coming On b/w I Who Love You So — Giant 701 , Garland Green - "Girl I Love You b/w It Rained 40 Days And Nights” — Gama 103 (Revue11001)] ,not forgetting a fabulous album on UNI " Jealous Kinda Fella " , plus Rhetta Hughes " Relight My Fire " set on Tetragramation , featuring some wonderful mid tempo sides , including the brilliant "Cry Myself To Sleep" . In December 1967 , Epic Records A & R Vice President Dave Kapralnik announced that Mike Terry had been signed as Staff Arranger and Producer .Classic sides from this period are The Little Foxes " Love Made To Order " [ Okeh ] which was the first time Mike had arranged strings .Other classics on Okeh by Johnny Robinson - "Gone But Not Forgotten" and Sandra Phillips - "I Wish I Had Known" soon followed. A great album from this period is the Maxine Brown "Out Of Sight" set on Epic, on which Mike collaborated which the highly talented Bridges /Knight / Eaton team, (otherwise known as The Brothers Of Soul). Essential tracks on this LP are "Don't Leave Me Baby" ," Just Give Me One Good Reason" and "Seems You've Forsaken My Love", which was also issued as a 45 . By now Mike Terry was in huge demand all over the USA travelling all over from New York to California to cut sessions .As he explained to Rob Moss " If I went to New York I would use Richard Tee ,in California I'd use Joe Sample and all the musicans there " .As the 60's ended he became Musical Director for a Broadway musical " Big Time Buck White " in New York , featuring Muhammed Ali , and Bill Cosby's 23 piece orchestra director during a stint in Las Vegas .Into the 70's and Mike found himself in Atlanta working with Dave Crawford on two Mighty Clouds Of Joy albums .This led to him re locating to Atlanta where he worked with Loleatta Holloway on her classic Aware albums, and Etta James .By 1976 Mike had moved again , to New Jersey , hooking up with Sylvia Robinson at All Platinum studios and cutting The Dells with their "No Way Back" set on Mercury ,which includes a personal fave "Life Is The Time". Mike continued to work in the music business until the late 70's , but then stepped out of the picture to spend more time with his family , becoming a lorry driver for a while during the 90's. My great friend Rob Moss hooked up with him during this time and took him back to the Motown studios in 1993, the first time he had returned, since he left in 1967. Mike eventually returned to live in Detroit for the remainder of his life, where he sadly passed away on 30th October 2008. Thankfully, before he passed away, Mike Terry did eventually realise that his life's work was revered by a whole world-full of soul fans and when looking round for people to consider for the inaugural Inductees to our Northern Soul Hall Of Fame Mike Terry came top of the list. Eddie Hubbard & Dave Moore : 01 November 2014. Notes and References: 1. Acknowledgment to Rob Moss article: Mike Terry, Sax God: Manifesto Magazine. 2. Acknowledgment to Keith Rylatt's book - Groovesville USA. 3. Acknowledgement to There's That Beat! www.theresthatbeat.com 4. Acknowledgement to soulfuldetroitforum Discography: Below are some key examples of Mike Terry Baritone sax performances featured on 45s produced by Berry Gordy's Motown stable of labels. The Velvelettes - Let Love Live The Four Tops - Something About You The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself The Four Tops - It's The Same Old Song The Originals - Suspicion Jnr Walker - Shotgun Jnr Walker - Roadrunner The Temptations - I Gotta Find A Way To Get You Back The Supremes - Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart The Supremes - Don't Let True Love Die The Isley Brothers - This Old Heart Of Mine Kim Weston - Helpless Marvin Gaye - Baby Don't You Do It Martha Reeves and Vandellas - Heatwave Jimmy Ruffin - He Who Picks A Rose Martha Reeves and Vandellas - In My Lonely Room The Supremes -[ I'm So Glad ] Heartaches Don't Last always Stevie Wonder - I Want My Baby Back The Four Tops - Something About You Below are some examples of records touched by the magic of Mike Terry, either playing his baritone sax, arranging, producing, sometimes all three.The list is in no way complete, new examples are coming to light all the time, such was the intensity of his workload and creativity . JJ Barnes - Sweet Sherry [ Stax ] Melvin Davis - I Must Love You [ Groovesville ] Lorraine Chandler - What Can I Do [ Giant / RCA ] Emanuel Lasky - I'm A Peace Loving Man [ Thelma ] Luther Ingram - Exus Trek / If It's All The Same To You Babe [ HIB ] Doni Burdick - The Bari Track [ Sound Impression ] Valentinos - Sweeter Than The Day Before [ Chess ] Edwin Starr - You're My Mellow / My Kind Of Woman [ Ric Tic ] The Fantastic Four - Gonna Live Up To What She Thinks [ Ric Tic ] Thelma Lindsey - I'll Bet You [ Golden World ] The Chalfontes - He Loves Me [ Mercury ] Patti Young - Head And Shoulders [ Ernstrat ] Deon Jackson - Thats What You Do To Me [ Carla ] Deon Jackson - I Need A Love Like Yours [ Carla ] Barbara Lewis - The Many Grooves Of ....[ Stax / Enterprise ] Cody Black - It's Our Time To Fall In Love [ Gig ] Sonny Allen - Your Love Was So Wonderful [ Hit Pack ] Yvonne Vernee - Does He Love Me Anymore [ Correctone ] The Volcanos - Laws Of Love [ Arctic ] The Rotations - [ Put A Dime On ] D- 9 [ Frantic ] Gene Chandler - Mr Big Shot [ Constellation ] Darrow Fletcher - What Good Am I Without You [ Jacklyn ]

Date Of Induction: 01 November 2014 Category: Male Vocalist Edwin Starr’s name will always reverberate wherever soul music is discussed. His story is a typical one of talent v circumstance and although he made a good living from his vocal skills he will always be remembered in his homeland for the one song that, in 1970, pushed him into the national spotlight, Edwin Starr — “War b/w He Who Picks A Rose” — Gordy 7101. But as any self respecting fan can tell you, there was so much more to the man’s career than this one song. Edwin Starr was born in Nashville, as Charles Edwin Hatcher on 21 January in 1942. His father, a serviceman, was constantly on the move, but the family finally settled in Cleveland, Ohio when Charles was three years old which is where the young future soul icon first developed his interest in music. Having attended Cunard Junior High School it was as a student at the city’s East Tech High School, that Charles became a member of his first group, The Futuretones. As Philadelphia cornered the market in the 'bird' group names, so it seems that Cleveland groups had a penchant for the 'tones'' in their names and The Futuretones group name being derived from an existing local group. The Metronomes that had already established itself and looked like it may gain national recognition when they secured a recording contract with the Reserve label owned by local entrepreneurs Sandy Beck and Henry George. Unfortunately The Metronomes would struggle to get past a couple of releases but their lead vocalist was a certain Mr Sonny Turner, who of course went on to become the voice of The Platters on their Popcorn Wylie-Tony Hester penned classics. Another 'tones' group of the day that was blazing a musical trail from Cleveland was the multiracial outfit, Dave and The Sharptones. The Futuretones set about rehearsing and eventually put an act together that gained them winners trophies in local competitions leading to employment on the local Cleveland club circuit. The group were self sufficient in hat many of the groups of the day were harmonisers whereas The Futuretones comprised their own musical team consisting of Russell Evans (guitar), Gus Hawkins (sax), Pinhead (trumpet), Julius Robertson (bass), and Brownie (drummer). (1) The group improved with every performance, winning a number of competitions against their rivals and once they had High School graduation behind them in 1956, were keen to develop their musical careers playing all the local hotspots of the day with such fantastic sounding names as The Chatterbox, The Lucky Strike and The Majestic Hotel, which was the location that future Temptations, Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams would develop their friendship alongside that other future Northern Soul icon, Kell Osborne. Having won numerous talent competitions and gained something of a following, the young aspiring group were invited to perform on the area’s premier TV talent show, The Gene Carroll Talent Show that aired on WEWS on Sundays and would eventually reach the milestone of 25 years of continuous shows. The group secured a recording deal around the same time and a solitary single, The Futuretones — “Roll On b/w I Know” — Tress TR1 is the groups only vinyl legacy. The top side is a rock n roll outing with the customary guitar solos and to be honest sounds like a hundred other songs from the same time. The flip however is a doo wop inspired ballad on which the young Charles and the rest of the group get a chance to highlight their combined vocal talents. Uncle Sam now required Charles to do his duty and for the next two years Charles untilised his singing ability to entertain his fellow troops, both at home and in Europe where he US military still deployed a large military force in what was then West Germany. In his discharge in 1962 looked to resume his singing aspirations with The Futuretones but on realising the impetus had dwindled, cut his losses and accepted a position with Bill Doggett’s show band, a position he stuck with for the next couple of years. Eventually feeling that he needed to kickstart his solo career he moved on but not before being advised by Don Briggs, Bill Dogett’s manager that he should undergo a name change. Briggs was convinced he young vocalist had it in him to become a star and suggested a play on that theme. With Charles utilising his middle name his alter ego of Mr Edwin Starr was born. His introduction to Ed Wingate, the Detroit businessman who also owned Golden World studios came via one of his last appearances with Bill Dogget’s outfit, an appearance at the legendary 20 Grand in Detroit. In the audience that night was Lebaron Taylor, local DJ and musical impresario who was struck by the vocalists and arranged a session at Golden World. Whilst singing with Doggett’s band, Mr Hatcher had laid the foundations of a song that took advantage of the popular spy themes of the era and it was this song that they selected to be his first solo release on Wingate’s Ric-Tic label. Little did they realise that the song would capture the imagination of a group of fans in UK and become one of the 45s that started a whole musical movement known as.... Northern Soul. The opening salvo of Edwin Starr — “Agent 00 Soul b/w Instrumental” — Ric Tic 103, delivered by Motown’s moonlighting Funk Brothers is nothing short of monumental. The deep rich bass sets the beat whilst the horns and vibes draw you in. The backing voices atmospheric, single phrased sentence, “Agent Double O Soul”, paves the way for a tinkling piano to introduce the man himself who, once he's let you know that he, “digs rock n roll music”, delivers one of the all time great soul performances of Detroit’s mid sixties golden era. Co-written by LeBaron Taylor under his nom de plume of B Sharpley, it’s a great example of the sound that Taylor would eventually develop alongside his musical partner Don Davis with their Solid Hitbound Productions. The release became an instant local smash and eventually climbed the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #21 whilst it nestled at a very respectable #8 on the RnB equivalent. All this despite having to be reissued as ‘Double-0-Soul’ due to some DJs not being able to work out the correct pronunciation of the title! Following this initial success, Ric Tic, Taylor and Edwin Starr seduced the record buying public with a series of releases that helped Wingate’s company develop enough chart action for Berry Gordy to look over his shoulder with a certain amount of trepidation. The next release, Edwin Starr — “Backstreet b/w Instrumental” — Ric Tic 107 continued the developing Solid Hitbound sound with another Starr/Taylor penned uptempo outing full of crashing drum fills, angelic backing singers, burping sax interlopes and, right in the centre, is Mr Hatcher’s unique impassioned, expressive vocal, displaying what made him what he was as he chastises the staid folks who live on Main Street and his preference for the more fun loving folks on the backstreet! Although not matching the success of the first outing, it nevertheless just missed out on a Top 30 RnB slot, stalling at #33. If proof were needed that Starr, (and Wingate’s Ric Tic logo), were here to stay, it came with the next release. Edwin Starr — “Stop Her On Sight, (SOS) b/w I Have Faith In You” — Ric Tic 109, it could be argued is the pinnacle of his Ric Tic period. All his releases feature a fanastic hook be it the embedded in the music or in the lyrics and this performance probably highlights that characteristic more than any other with its distinctive piano riff mimicking the emergency mayday morse-code of Save Our Souls. As fantastic as this top of the range dancer is with its uptempo, heavy drum and bass line, wonderfully aggressive sax and atmospheric backing of ‘doo doo doo do dos’ accompanying Edwin’s magnificently hot blooded presentation of his lament over his losing his ‘baby’ is, for many the flip is actually Edwin’s all time greatest performance. In fact, it’s a product of the amalgamation of the era's premier music makers and each one of them proving to be, at that moment in time, right at the top of their game. From the menacing, rumbling piano , that diminishes as the powerful drum and string combo announce the opening “I Have Faith In You Baby” which is delivered by a note perfect angelic set of backing singers, the song simply oozes quality right out of its musical starting blocks. Edwin’s story of blind devotion to his girl, despite the warnings from those around him, is told in just about as an impassioned, heartfelt way as it ever could be. Although a second version of the song appeared a little later on the flip of Doni Burdick — “Bari Track b/w I Have Faith In You” — Sound Impression Records 6808 and even accepting that Mr Burdick did indeed do it credible justice, it pales against the maestros original. When fans of Detroit’s soulful musical landscape gather together, inevitably the songs that get the heads nodding in appreciation are songs like this. Timeless, great musicianship, great production, fantastic song sung by a fantastic singer. The attribute of real musical excellence is when it all sounds so effortless... never has the adage, 'form is temporary but class is permanent', been so pertinent than when appreciating the performance on his particular 45. The ‘SOS’ side dragged Edwin back into the Hot 100, delivering a Top 50 spot (#48) alongside a #9 on the RnB chart. Probably more significant to UK fans is that it put him on the Top 40 radio playlists when it peaked at #35. Mr Starr had a 1966 hit in UK and he headed there to make the most of it. Back in Detroit though you could hear Edwin's vocal tribute to local WKNR radio DJ, Scott Regan "Scotts on Swingers, on the Radio, Scotts on Swingers, on the Radio!" a version he'd recorded over the SOS backing track. Regan was an influential radio broadcaster who would later host 'Motown Mondays' at a local night hot spot :The Roostertail and I guess a little mutual backscratching wouldn't go amiss eh? As well as touring UK that year, Edwin Starr enjoyed a significant boost back home too, having been involved in three other successful chart breaking singles. In March that year a white group from Livonia Michigan, under the guidance of John Rhys-Eddins, (co writer of Tobi Legends — “Time Will Pass You By” — Mala 591), had recorded and released one of Edwin’s songs and The Shades Of Blue — Oh How Happy b/w Little Orphan Boy - Impact 1007 and had rocketed up the Hot 100 to #12. Mr Starr now had a smash a songwriter too. In addition to this, Ric Tic released his next single, Edwin Starr — “Headline News b/w Harlem” - Ric Tic 114, which also saw him Hot 100 chart-bound, albeit a lowly #84 and #35 RnB. To round of a cool hat-trick of 1966 hits, Golden World released a song by a Detroit group named The Holidays that Edwin had overdubbed vocal on, and The Holidays — I’ll Be Loving You Forever b/w Making Up Time — GW 36, hit the #63 Pop spot whilst climbing to very respectable #7 RnB, delivering Edwin’s highest RnB success to date. The end of 1966 saw the release of Edwin Starr — “Girls Are Getting Prettier b/w It’s My Turn Now” — Ric Tic 118 and, two catalogue numbers later, as 1967 dawned his fantastic, and much sought after double sider, Edwin Starr — “My Kind Of Woman b/w You’re My Mellow” - Ric Tic 120, was made available. Edwin’s Starr’s own star was on the rise, a successful singer and songwriter with a developing fan base and part of a record label hat was helping establish Detroit as he go to place for soul music. As he returned to the US and took up an engagement at New York’s famed Apollo Theatre little could he have suspected that that success was about to snatch the rug from under him. Berry Gordy’s house band that were responsible for laying down the tracks that formed his company’s “The Sound Of Young America” were undertaking covert sessions outside of Motown on West Grand Boulevard and that included the majority of the output eminating from Golden World studios. Gordy’s decision to stifle any competition meant that when he made an offer, which was accepted, to Ed Wingate, his biggest rival, Golden World, its masters and artist roster as well as the studio were transferred to Motown. For the next couple of years Edwin’s wrangles with Motown would stifle his contribution o his output somewhat. A victim of Gordy’s existing A&R stable, Edwin found himself having to compete with the established and chart topping act and in the melee was seen simply another singer. I guess in a way Edwin could have been luckier than some even despite this as none of the artists that were absorbed by Motown from Golden World except Edwin had any real success. Although unhappy at being shunted to a rival company, Edwin set out his musical stall, relying on his strongest asset, his deep rich and soulful voice. His first releases for his new label Gordy, saw him teamed with different producers including Norman Whitfield who had Edwin record a couple of his own penned songs that gained a release back to back with Edwin Starr — “I Want My Baby Back b/w Gonna Keep On Trying ‘Til I Win Your Love” — Gordy 7066. In 1967 however, with the company’s promotion efforts concentrated on their Big Five (Temptations, Four Tops, Supremes, Mavin Gaye and Stevie Wonder), Edwin’s outings kinda got lost in the musical shuffle resulting in his next couple of releases also missing out on any chart success. 1968 looked like it may well be just as bleak in terms of he Hot 100 as, Edwin Starr — “I’m The Man For You Baby b/w My Weakness Is You” — Gordy 7071, also failed to obtain any national sales. That didn’t stop fans a continent away from discovering the fantastic Whitfield produced dancer on the flip though, a great uptempo tale of unbridled love set over the Funk Brothers metronome like track that put Edwin and The Motown Sound in real harmony for the first time. His Soul Master LP (Gordy #931), a mix of his old Ric Tic outings sprinkled with a few Motown recorded songs appeared on record store shelves but that too could impact any chart of note. Despite Edwin’s poor showing chart wise, (his next outing, an up-tempo raucus version of Smokey’s classic, “Way Over There”, also bombed), he needed have worried. Just round the corner was a chance to display his raw talent and well as his song-writing skills. Observed by the folks at Motown performing a self penned song on the TV show broadcast from the famed 20 Grand lounge, they asked him to record it. Paired with Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol, the production duo recommended a slight change to the intro to the song which, much to Edwin’s chagrin, of course gave them a co-writers credit. Edwin Starr — “25 Miles b/w Love Is The Destination” — Gordy 7083, put Edwin right back in the spotlight via a #6 placing on both the Hot 100 and the Billboard RnB chart. It also hit the Top 40 playlists in UK when it was released on the Tamla Motown label. A somewhat funkier style to Edwin’s earlier waxings, it highlights his evolving sound that would set him up as an individualistic performer at last within the Motown empire. His later single Edwin Starr — “Time b/w Running Back and Forth” — Gordy 7097, would consolidate his reputation once more with Northern Soul fans, the A side delivering an up-tempo dancer that rammed dance-floors in the mid seventies whilst the flip, a wonderfully haunting mid tempo performance sat unannounced for more than a decade or so until ‘rediscovered’ by the DJ masses. Looming over the horizon now was the song that would propel him into international recognition. Nestled on the Norman Whitfield produced Temptations LP “ Psychedelic Shack” (Gordy LP # 947), was a song that became a counter culture anthem of the times once Mr Starr had grabbed it by its musical horns, wrestled it to ground, beat it to death and breathed an incredible new zest of life into it. The 1970 release of Edwin Starr — “War b/w He Who Picks A Rose” — Gordy 7101, saw Edwin dominate the proceedings with a series of commanding ‘War...Uh!’ and powerful “Good God Y’all!”s as he poured soulful scorn on the futility of war. Powerful stuff indeed and rumour has it, that due to the US involvement in Vietnam the song was seen as too controversial to risk it as a single with The Temptations and so The Temptations loss was Edwin and ours’ gain and in addition to topping the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart he went on to win a Gammy Award for his outstanding performance. Edwin continued his career at Motown throughout the early 70s and his releases regularly skirted the lower echelons of the charts but without repeating his earlier success and despite a move to Gordy’s sister labels and the obvious quality of outings like the flip to, Edwin Starr — “You’ve Got My Soul On Fire b/w Love, The Lonely People’s Prayer” - Motown 1276, he felt his future lay away from Detroit. Reported to have given up any claims to royalty debts owed to him in order to leave the company, he looked around for new opportunities. As his loyal fan base was over 3000 miles away in UK, he made the decision to trek to England and try his luck there. Detroit’s loss was UK’s gain and Edwin Starr continued a love affair with his UK fans that stretched back to the sixties when he’d appeared at fledgling Northern Soul clubs like The Twisted Wheel in Manchester. Although he had some further recording success with “Contact” and “Happy Radio” being picked up for plays on the Northern circuit, his real forte was in bringing the 60s sound of Detroit via his Ric Tic and Gordy Records to life on stage. He made regular live appearances throughout UK, both as a soloist and often teaming up with other past Motown or soul stars to create he heady days of 60s soul. A consummate professional, his stage presence was a great asset to him in UK and his humble off-stage personality and fan friendly demeanour man that he became a much loved and essential part of what became one of the most enduring music genres of all time. Fully embraced as, ‘one of our own’, Charles Edwin Hatcher sadly passed away 2nd April 2003 having suffered a sudden heart attack in his adopted town of Bramcote in Nottinghamshire. From Detroit’s Solid Hitbound legend to UK Northern soul boy, Edwin Starr’s soulful journey began in Ohio, passed through the Motor City and came to rest in Nottinghamshire, England. His legacy is one of atmospheric, superbly delivered performances that have stood the test of time and still remain on lists of peoples all time favourite records and so, we ar proud to have Mr Charles Edwin Hatcher aka Edwin Starr as an inaugural Inductee in our Northern Soul Hall Of Fame. Pete Swift & Dave Moore 01 November 2014 Notes and References: (1) John Smith’s bio of Edwin Starr www.edwinstarr.info Discography: The Futuretones I Know b/w Roll On — Tress 1-2 Edwin Starr Agent Double 00 Soul b/w Instrumental — Ric Tic 103 Backstreet b/w Instrumental — Ric Tic 107 Stop Her On Sight (SOS) b/w I Have Faith In You — Ric Tic 109 Scotts On Swingers b/w Same Tic Tic 109X (Promo Only) Headline News b/w Harlem — Ric Tic 114 It’s My Turn Now b/w Girls Are Getting Prettier — Ric Tic 118 You're My Mellow b/w/ My Kind Of Woman Ric Tic 120 Gonna Keep On Tryin' Til I Win Your Love b/w I Want My Baby Back — Gordy 7066 I Am The Man For You Baby b/w My Weakness Is You — Gordy 7071 Way Over There b/w If My Heart Could Tell The Story — Gordy 7078 Twenty-Five Miles b/w Love Is The Destination — Gordy 7083 I'm Still A Struggling Man / Pretty Little Angel — Gordy 7087 Time b/w Running Back And Forth — Gordy 7097 War b/w He Who Picks A Rose — Gordy 7101 Stop The War Now b/w Gonna Keep On Tryin' Til I Win Your Love — Gordy 7104 Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On b/w Cloud Nine — Gordy 7107 Take Me Clear From Here b/w Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) — Soul 35096 Who Is The Leader Of The People b/w Don't Tell Me I'm Crazy — Soul 35100 There You Go (Vocal) b/w/ There You Go (Instrumental) — Soul 35103 You've Got My Soul On Fire b/w Love (The Lonely People's Prayer) — Motown 1276 Ain't It Hell Up In Harlem b/w Don't It Feel Good To Be Free — Motown 1284 Big Papa b/w Like We Used To Do — Motown 1300 Who's Right Or Wrong b/w Lonely Rainy Days In San Diego — Motown 1326 The Holidays I'll Love You Forever b/w Makin' Up Time — Golden World 36 Edwin Starr & Blinky Oh How Happy b/w/ Ooh Baby Baby — Gordy 7090

Date Of Induction: 01 November 2014 Category: Male Group The Precisions singing group are enmeshed in Detroit’s golden era of soul music having actually had a record label established in the Motor City, specifically as a vehicle just for them. When high school friends Paul Merritt, Michal Morgan Willie Norris and Fred Shockley established the group in the early sixties little could they have imagined that the name of The Precisions would appear, (albeit a different line up), as a headline act on a different continent almost 50 years later, performing songs that had been tumultuously received by a legion of loyal fans! After establishing the group, Fred Shockley decided to seek his fortune elsewhere and left the group which left a void that was ably filled by Arthur Ashford and it was this quartet that ventured into the recording studio having secured a tentative deal with Mike Hanks’ D-Town Records. The subsequent two 45s that Mike released sank without a trace insofar as sales and chart recognition was concerned but would, a few years later, become sought after outings by UK collectors with an insatiable thirst for Detroit mid-sixties soul. The first of these 45s, a 1964 release, The Precisions — “I Wanna Tell My Baby b/w My Lover Come Back” — D Town 1033 features two great mid-tempo, sweetish group sounds full of tight harmonies that have gained sporadic plays over the years and is extremely hard to find in any kind of decent playing condition which means it’s probably their most sought after collectors piece. Hanks followed it up with, The Precisions — “Mexican Love Song b/w You’re Sweet” — D Town 1055 which is a similar sound to their initial outing albeit a little more refined as Hanks developed his production and engineering skills. Neither of the 45s made any real impact (or money) and the group fell silent for a while as Mike Hanks developed his labels. A move from D-Town to John Powers’ Sidra set up was facilitated by legendary producer Dale Warren in 1967 and it was soon after that that Dennis Gilmore arrived to take over from Paul Merritt who had decided to call it a day. Mr Merritt though had taken part in the initial recording session for their new label and was the original lead vocal on a song that would later come to identify the group’ sound so well. That particular cut wouldn’t make it to vinyl for another 40 years but more of that later. Shortly after Merritt’s departure, Willie Norris also looked to seek pastures new and was replaced by Ron Davis. The quartet now chose to add a fifth member, Mr Billy Prince, who was a former school mate of Dennis Gilmore’s and it is this line up of Michael Morgan, Arthur Ashford, Dennis Gilmore, Ron Davis and Billy Prince that would lay down the vocals that resulted in the five quintessential Detroit soul sides that were released on the Drew label that had been established specifically for them. With another legendary producer George McGregor now at the Drew production helm and fellow inaugural Inductee and equally legendary arranger Mike Terry also on duty the group set about creating their signature sound. Straight out of the starting blocks the team launched a veritable monster! With Dennis Gilmore’s desperately pleading vocal leading the group, The Precisions — “A Lover’s Plea b/w Such Misery”— Drew 1001, combined the A side, a pleasant enough mid-tempo affair that gave the group an opportunity to harmonise to great effect but it was the flip that would blow people away over 3000 miles away on the UK’s Northern Soul scene. A full blown leviathan of a record it strings together all the fantastic signature components of the best of Detroit sixties soul scene when competing with Berry Gordy’s bourgeoning musical empire. A metronome inspired drum beat, a simple but highly effective rhythm guitar riff and horn section as tight as a duck’s chuff! Shove a few musical peaks and troughs in amongst the fantastic vocal mastery and hey presto...a classic in the making. The second scheduled 45 for the group created one of Detroit’s most sought after 45s. Once recorded, The Precisions — “Sugar Ain’t Sweet b/w Why Girl” — Drew 1002 arrived back at Sidra having been manufactured off centre! A disaster in the making? Well not quite, as George McGregor had already made the decision to place Billy Prince’s distinctive vocal at the centre of the group supported by the rest of the guys’ voices in order to develop what became their signature ‘sound’. (1) He subsequently turned the potential drama into an opportunity to do just that and undertook another session resulting in The Precisions — “Why Girl b/w What I Want” — Drew 1002 replacing the damaged disc as Sidra’s second 45. As is usual in these cases a small number of the defective 1002 disc escaped the junk skip and have surfaced over the years revealing that “Sugar Ain’t Sweet” is in fact a great Northern Soul dance song and so it became something of a holy grail for Detroit collectors. The A side of the actual official 1002 release delivers another dancer that did solidify their ‘sound’ as required with signature drum fills, the chanking guitar and the odd break thrown in for good measure. The flip is a Dale Warren produced dancer that sounds a little weird to be honest and seems out of place with its darker overtones. It does however sound like it’s related to that other outing by Mr Warren, Ronnie and Robyn — “As Long As You Love Me” — Sidra 9011 and it wouldn’t surprise me to find out that it was recorded by the very same musicians and maybe even at the same session as the two labels were intertwined. ‘Why Girl’ slid into the Billboard RnB chart finally resting at #28 and made a respectable #39 on Cashbox’s equivalent. Buoyed by the early success of the group, they solicited three of Motown’s songwriters and were subsequently furnished the song that would come to define their careers as far as many Northern Soul fans are concerned. The opening string arrangement to The Precisions — “If This Is Love (I’d Rather be Lonely)” b/w You’ll Soon Be Gone” — Drew 1003, that the group recorded at United Sound Systems studio on 5840 Second Avenue, is as poignant and mournful as just about any vocal you’ll hear. Instantly recognisable it became an anthemic intro to what became a huge ‘hit’ with UK soul dance-floors. It became the group’s biggest selling 45 reaching #60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and delivered the group a Top 30 RnB hit peaking at #28. Billy Prince’s vocal on the song, which weaves a tale of love’s betrayal in amongst the spiralling “Aahs” from the guys and the swirling string and piano combinations played by some of Detroit’s finest, creates some of soul’s finest moments. Billy Prince was a student of Chadsey High School on the West Side of Detroit, (the same school as Spyder Turner who was a school friend). (2) A fan of Ike and Tina Turner and Little Richard as a youngster, he came from a musical home, his father being a church organist/pianist who played at home a lot. Detroit’s Swing Time and eventually American Bandstand brought pop music into the Princes' home and influenced the young aspiring singer. All these influences come to fruition on his particular song, so much so that when Billy and the guys rehearsed the song on stage at The Prestatyn weekender in 2008 they blew folks away. The lead by Mr Prince and the vocal support from Dennis and Michael was indeed soul personified. (Michael had unfortunately had to miss the previous visit by the group). The flip of this iconic 45 is also worth investigating by those that file their 45s without checking flips. (We’ve all done it!). A moody, atmospheric mid-tempo dancer with just a hint of the funkier side of black music of the day. As a matter of interest, "If This Is Love" received a contemporaneous issue in UK too as a 45, on the Track label (#604014) and also appeared on the LP the company issued of that included Al Kent's, "You Got to Pay The Price". In addition, the backing tracks to a couple of The Precisions outings also surface elsewhere, so the songs must have made an impact on people. A Jamaican born singer based in Canada used Bay Studios in Toronto to put his vocal onto “If This Is Love”, which saw a release as a B Side on the Canadian Arc label as, Eddie Spencer — “You’re So Good To Me b/w If This Is Love” — Arc 1206, which also picked up plays in UK resulting in a reissue on the Power Exchange label (#207) but with a different flip entitled “Power Of Love”, a song penned by Mr Spencer himself that had previously seen a release in its own right in Canada on the GoodGroove imprint (#5006). He'd maybe heard the song via the release on the Canadian Stone logo? Meanwhile, in a Dallas, Texas studio named Sunset Studios, the co-owner of the largest black club in the US, Sam Coplin, was attempting to establish an entertainment empire around his artist management company and his Karma record label. Within his label’s A&R roster were Stemmons Express, a white group whose name was derived from the local Stemmons Expressway a major thoroughfare in the city. In a similar fashion to Eddie Spencer the group simply placed their vocals over an existing Precisions track, this time utilising, “Such Misery” but with different lyrics. The resulting 45, Stemmons Express — “Woman Love Thief b/w Love Power” — Karma 201 was a hugely popular dance-floor filler in the soul clubs of mid seventies UK. It was also re-released on Florence Greenberg’s Wand logo, (#1198) so it must have gained enough sales to garner some interest. Just how Such Misery came to the attention of Coplin I’m not 100% sure but he had lots of fingers in lots of musical pies and he was the main distributor for Detroit based Tri City Records whose head of promotion was none other than Choker Campbell. Up next, release wise came two further dancers but this time as a quartet because they were without Ron Davis, who had decided to quit as he struggled with the now more concentrated Huey Fluke choreographed dance steps that the group were perfecting for their stage show. (3) The Precisions — “Instant Heartbreak (Just Add Tears) b/w Dream Girl” — Drew 1004, which was written by the group members, scraped only the bottom rung of the Hot 100 despite its obvious quality and failed to make the most of the success garnered by “If This Is Love”. The final outing on Drew that bore the group’s name was The Precisions — “A Place b/w Never Let Her Go” — Drew 1005 and drew on the combined talents of three of the city’s musical royalty the Fred Bridges, Bobby and Richard Eaton aka The Brothers Of Soul. With a female spoken intro and its cleaner, fresher presentation, it’s a departure for the group but one that remains true to the group’s vocal strength which lay squarely steeped in harmonising around the one lead. The flip is fantastic. Once again a Bridges-Knight-Eaton penned song but this time the trio concentrated their efforts on a ballad, subsequently delivering a beautifully crafted slice of Motortown crossover as you’re likely to hear. The group had resisted a move of label when Capitol had come a-knocking on the back of their success with, “If This Is Love” but with Laurie now distributing their records when Doug Morris, Laurie’s conduit to the group left for Atlantic Records the group moved with him. After two Jerry Williams, (Swampdog) produced 1969 releases on the Atco subsidiary failed, the group were let go and the guys, as a group at least, faded from the scene. That wasn’t quite the end of the group’s vinyl output though as just prior to their first appearance at the Prestatyn Weekender in UK in 2006, JoeBoy Records struck a deal John Powers and issued an EP on the group which not only included a number of their already issued Sidra sides but included much lauded “Sugar Ain’t Sweet”. For their second appearance at the same event a couple of years later, JoeBoy again released Precisions material as an EP but his time also included the original studio cut of "Such Misery", with the lead vocal recorded by Paul Merritt. In addition JoeBoy released an album simultaneously which contained the whole catalogue of The Precisions Drew recordings. The template of the musical story of The Precisions could probably be placed over a huge number of groups that saw their well produced but weakly promoted and distributed records flounder in the mass of weekly releases that swamped the US 45 market in the mid sixties but I wonder how many could compete, pound for pound with the quality of the groups outings? The Precisions delivered on all counts, from fantastic dancers to beautifully harmonised ballads and we are proud to have them as inaugural Inductees in our Northern Soul Hall Of Fame. Dave Moore November 2014. Notes and References: Sleeve notes by Neil Rushton : The Precisions — Why Girl - Joeboy/Inferno EP 2008 Colton Thomas Interview with Billy Prince http://www.blogtalkradio.com/soul-fm/2009/11/20/billy-prince-of-the-precisions-1 Groovesville USA: by Keih Hylatt, Page 234. Dated 2010. Discography: My Lover Come Back b/w/ I Wanna Tell My Baby - D Town 1033 Mexican Love Song b/w You're Sweet — D Town 1055 Such Misery b/w A Lovers Plea — Drew 1001 Sugar Ain't Sweet / What I Want — Drew 1002 Why Girl / What I Want — Drew 1002 If This Is Love (I'd Rather Be Lonely) b/w You'll Soon Be Gone — Drew 1003 Instant Heartbreak (Just Add Tears) b/w Dream Girl — Drew 1004 A Place b/w Never Let Her Go — Drew 1000 Into My Life b/w Don't Double With Trouble — Atco 6634 New York City b/w You're The Best (That Ever Did It) — Atco 6669

The Soul Source Northern Soul Hall Of Fame will fling open its doors on Monday 3rd November. The first 10 Inductees will have their awards posted within the Hall Of Fame Forum and site members will be able to read the stories of their musical lives, listen to examples of their work, post comments and add to each page as they wish. The inaugural Inductees were selected from a shortlist of nominations from the membership of Soul Source and so as such, is a reflection of us, the members and fans of Northern soul As our heroes and heroines are inducted it’s hoped that we can encourage the ones that are still with us to visit their award page and interact with us, which should be fantastic. This new and exciting feature will be ongoing, developing every week as 2 more of our heroes are inducted every Monday during the month of December. The results of the first round of nominations led to the following people being selected for our first inductions: Linda Jones Maxine Brown Edwin Starr Roy Hamilton Andantes Marvelettes Masqueraders Precisions Exciters Sapphires Mike Terry Van McCoy Popcorn Wylie Weldon A McDougall III Ady Croasdell Bob Abrahamian 10 of these Inductees Awards will go ‘live’ on Monday. Which 10? Well I guess you’ll have to pop along and join us to find out. Hopefully, see a few of you over there..... Dave