Roburt

Anyone know who toured backing up Marvin Gaye or other hot acts who cut for the label (Martha & V's, etc). .... ALSO .... did 'signed-in established acts such as Gladys & the Pips, Isley Bros ever get assigned Motown backing bands to tour with OR did they just keep the people that had always toured with them ?? I know the likes of Ray Parker Jnr (& others who made it big in the 70's / 80's) started out as musicians backing Motown acts. Did many Motown related musicians join up with H-D-H's new Invictus / Hot Wax set-up (the likes of Melvin Davis & McKinley Jackson come to mind). I know EVD toured the UK in the 70's as lead musician backing up Freda Payne and the Tops had ex Motown related guys in their touring entourage long after they had quit Motown.

Motown was always a very professional company, it did things the right way much of the time. This even applied to the Motown touring bands that were sent out on the road with the company's acts. A quick run-down of the guys involved on Motown tours is as follows:- The Joe Hunter Band (Hank Cosby, James Jamerson, Benny Benjamin, Mike Terry, etc -- basically the Funk Brothers) had gone out on tour behind Jackie Wilson for some of the summer of 1961 and they also toured behind Motown acts back then (the likes of the Miracles I guess). Popcorn Wylie & the Mohawks were also going out touring with Motown acts in 1961 and this seemed to go on at least till the end of that year if not into 1962. Popcorn Wylie had signed to Epic as a solo artist in summer 62 and had 2 x 45's out for the label (the 1st in October 62 with the 2nd following in Feb 63). He did eventually return to Motown in the early 70's but no doubt he wasn't involved with Motown tours after 1961. The Choker Campbell Band had taken over on Motown tours by summer 1962 and that outfit was still providing support to Motown review tours through to November 65. For a while an outfit went out on tour that was billed as the Motown Recording Band or just the Motortown Band but I have no real idea who led them & who made up their number. Hamilton Bohannan had taken over the Motown touring band leading duties by 1967 and he seemed to stay in this position until 1972. Bohannon had started touring in 65 as drummer behind Stevie Wonder but had been promoted to lead the Motown Sound Band by 67. Of course, some acts (Tempts, Miracles, 4 Tops) had their resident touring musician/s that went just about everywhere with them. Top acts were also granted special privileges, so at times in the late 60's, Earl Van Dyke & some of his guys would play on live shows backing the likes of Diana Ross (solo & with the Supremes). But most of the time, EVD & the Funk Bros were too busy in the studio to be allowed out on tour. Anyone fill in the gaps in the above info. I know that the bands featured on Motown Live recordings are detailed on the LP's released but there is still much missing data. No doubt some of it has been detailed in books written by Motown artists (I seem to recall Mary Wilson writing a bit in her book about the guys in the tour bands that backed up the Supremes & other acts). The Temptations (in the US) were Motown's top live act for many, many years and they had a regular line-up who played as 'the Temptations Big Big Band'. Who were the guys in this line-up ? Edwin Starr, when he had his first hits, sourced many of his backing band members from his old stomping ground, Cleveland. Even when he was signed to Motown he used Cleveland guys but eventually he set on the band to back him up on live shows that evolved into Rose Royce. Of course, some outfits were self contained (Jnr Walker & All Stars and many 70's groups signed to the label such as the Commodores) and so didn't need a backing band. But the backing musicians played a major part in how Motown acts sounded, both in the studio & on tour, so just who did what & when ?

A show in Laughlin, Nevada in 2000 where Sonny & his group got away with being billed as the Platters ....

The blurb on the book's cover .............

It seems to be more of a photo book about the lowrider scene with some stories that are music connected.

Sonny Turner still performs on a regular basis and next week he's undertaking 2 shows in Florida (his base for many years has been Las Vegas). He's on next Wednesday a few miles up the coast from our winter home here in Coral Springs ..... only trouble is as he's doing his final show rehearsal next Wednesday for this show, we'll be waiting to board our flight from MIA back to Heathrow ...... DOOHH !! A recent pic of Sonny ...............

It seems that Eddie Spencer's 45 wasn't recorded as a solo effort but with the group he was fronting back then ...... Wonder why the bands name was dropped from the 45 when it was released ?

Her Recona track "It Could Be Sweet Again" was released in May 64 and this cut was originally the B side of the single. It seems to have been I.P.G. related (weren't some early Motown linked tracks put out by this outfit ?) ..........

BTW, the publicity for her 1972 show (shown on WWAY TV in Wilmington) stated that she had started (!?!?!) recording. I guess she didn't want the people interviewing her to know she had actually been recording for 17 years even back then.

Ruth cut "Darling Listen To The Words Of This Song” (Old Town45 n 1956: see above) with a group called the Supremes and I believe she also recorded with the Moonglows in that period. I believe she also cut for Apt and Recona. "It Could Be Sweet Again" was recorded in New York. When she was signed to Duke / Peacock, her 45’s escaped on Sure Shot ("Do It up Right", "I'll Cry"). . Bobby Eli recalls working on her Huff Puff / Gamble sides. He said that Ruth was the artist involved on the very first series of sessions Gamble / Huff ran at Sigma, in August of 1968 when she cut “Rover, Rover”. The studio version of her later Gamble outing “Ghetto Woman” ran over 6 minutes in length. She always played lots of benefit shows due to personal family reasons. She did a bit of TV as well, appearing on the 'Merv Griffin Show' & lots of televised benefits. She did a big televised show in New Jersey in 1969 and another in Wilmington, NC in March 72. She was still performing (though only locally in the NY area) in 2004. Not sure of her current status / whereabouts.

Did a search on here & it seems that little (or nothing) has been posted about this lady on the site. She was heavily involved in the music biz for around 20 years so this seems strange to me. She cut for a number of good labels; Old Town, Capitol, Duke / Peacock, Huff Puff, Gamble, etc. and her early studio work is loved by doo-wop fans as she was backed up on her sessions by outfits such as the Harptones & Royaltones (both in 1955). She then went on the cut for Capitol ("Stop Playing That Song") and by the late 60's was cutting in Philly with Gamble & Huff. She played many high profile live shows right through to the 70's and stayed with Gamble & Huff for at least 4 years ("Ghetto Woman" escaping in 1972). Anyone here know much more about her life / career ?? ...........

Kegsy, I have mine done differently ..... I have a Brazilian undertaken on the top of my head (as Mr. Searling has done for years) .... that bloody tape hurts though when they rip it off. Trust you are keeping well sir (& making a bit on the side from vinyl sales). What's it like in Bradford today, it's only gonna reach 70 degrees here @ Deerfield Beach, much colder than recent days here. They've been shooting the new film version of BAYWATCH down @ Deerfield Beach all this week .... bet there's a few 'jellytots' on display today with these colder temperatures.

Guess it's still almost impossible to buy vinyl from there (Brazil) then.

A related question ...... I used to buy from Sth American countries such as Brazil, Argentina (& Mexico). In Brazil for instance, their 33 rpm 7" releases many times feature 4 tracks with 2 being LP only in the US. BUT a while back a rule was introduced that you had to pay from a Brazilian bank account !! Even though the £ is weak against the US $ at the moment, it is strong against currencies in countries such as Brazil (& Canada) coz theirs have sunk even more than our £ has. Anyone know if this Brazilian rule is still in place or can you now buy normally from over there ?

I spend up to 10 weeks in the US each year BUT our lass has banned me from buying any more vinyl. So I haven't been making use of my time over this side of the pond for over 18 months. Could just try & have them smuggled in but she caught me many times in the past so it ain't really worth it anymore. She has a point though; some of the 45's / 12" & LP's I have haven't found their way onto a turntable in many years (size of collection & my change in taste down the years being the reasons PLUS being away from the things for about a fifth of each year). Current exchange rate still gets me though. Changed £500 before we left the UK & got $1.48 per £, now it's nowhere near that.

I put info on Bobby Wade on the recent 'Power Exchange Records' thread .......... Some more Way Out Records info ........... anyone got a Canadian Way Out related 45 ??? .......

RE: Way Out 45 numbering & other related info ......... Prior to the deal with MGM, some Way Out 45's were distributed by Atlantic (seem to recall Springers 45 getting Atlantic distribution). Post MGM deal, Way Out was very short of money to press up copies of their 45's & had no real distribution outside Ohio area, hence rarity of series numbered in 2000's. The label had it's own studio, so acts were always in there cutting tracks (Lou Ragland being producer / engineer on many sessions). Loads of unissued tracks from that period (and the decaying mastertapes still exist). The studio was kept busy, people always coming & going, that way it wasn't suspicious if the place was used as a front for non-legal uses (say numbers running for instance). Sub label Big Jim funded by ex Cleveland Brown's football player Jim Brown. Other sub labels started up in 1970's to refresh labels image with local record buyers. Other Way Out recordings licensed out to other bigger labels to make some money for the label. Bobby Wade stuff escaping on Deluxe and a couple of things being licensed to De-lite a few years after original Way Out release dates.

I like Bobby Wade's version COZ he's a mate of mine !!! BTW, the Volcanic Eruption were another of Lou Ragland's outfits.

Some info off the net on the SOS Band's Mary Davis ............ In 1980, "Take Your Time (Do It Right)," written for the band by Sigidi Abdullah and recorded in one take, sold two million copies and went platinum, reaching number one on the pop and R&B charts. Their eponymous debut album would go on to sell 800,000 copies. The timing was right for Davis, back in 1977, after seeking fame and fortune in the Big Apple, she came back home to Georgia. She began performing at Milton Lamar's legendary Regal Room in Atlanta. It was there that time and fate were on her side. At the same time, accomplished keyboard player Jason TC Bryant had just moved from Japan to Atlanta, and in just weeks, their two musical worlds collided. Regal owner Milton Lamar told the two promising musicians to combine their talents and form a group. What came from that was the original S.O.S. Band, originally named Santa Monica. The lineup would include Willie "Sonny" Killebrew (saxophone), the late Billy Ellis (flute), Bruno Speight (guitar), John Simpson (bass), James Earl Jones III (drums), Bryant, and Davis. The band's manager Bunnie Jackson-Ransom, a successful local Atlanta business woman who would go onto manage SOS and then Cameo, sent a demo to Tabu Records owner Clarence Avant and the rest was history, not only for the band, but for David as a female bandleader. Davis had to earn the respect of the fledgling band and its male members. There was no template at the time which produced many female-led groups. The scene was dominated by the likes of male groups such as Parliament-Funkadelic, Brothers Johnson, Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire, and many more. The key for Davis was her versatility and talent. "It was a combination of both [being a singer and songwriter]," she acknowledges. "I was the only singer in the group for a while, so they had to come over to that [having her as a leader]. We were able to talk about it, and make it happen." And, as much as her rise-and-fall-and-rise-again success has come via her singing, it has been her unwavering dedication to her faith stepped in Southern gospel that has sustained her -- that and a tireless passion for living the rest of her musical dream. So if she had spent around 8/9 years in New York trying to make it in the music biz there, she could be the lady who cut for Conclave. She has just re-joined the SOS Band & they have gone back on the road. If she is the 'Conclave woman' then should must have been born in the early 50's (making her around 18 yrs old in 69 when that 45 was issued). She would now be around 65 years old !! So I still think she's actually too young to have cut "Danger (Playboy At Work)".

The guys associated with the label would usually take part of the writing credits (& hence royalties) as part of the deal to release their artists records. Even the likes of Berry Gordy would take part credits on songs that he only got them to change 2/3 words on. BTW, didn't realise this till a short while back BUT Big Maybelle was performing on the road as far back as the 40's -- back then she was featured singer with Gene Popes Genial Gentlemen !! After all those years of hardship on the road, it's no wonder she had some bad habits by the late 60's.

The B & B version as it was released in the UK back in the day & that is the version I heard first (& danced to first).

Conclave was based in New York & were actively trying to sign outside productions to the label in spring / summer 69, so it could be that the Ohio lady signed with them as an outlet for her recordings ..............

I don't believe so. The SOS Band Mary Davis was from Savannah, Georgia. There were a few females named Mary Davis who were involved with the US music biz going back to the 40's. One Ohio based lady by that name was cutting stuff up in Ohio back in 69 ....

Fill ya boots, Eli !!!

Some on Homer's old work ..........