Roburt

As Duke Fakir saw it may well have been completely different to how BG saw it & it was BG who was making all the decisions..

In 1965 Berry Gordy decided the time was right to sign more acts to his labels. Playing a part in this decision was his desire to get his top acts into cabaret style clubs like the Copa in New York and into venues in Vegas and on Miami Beach. So some 'traditional' acts were signed up -- Billy Eckstine & Barbara McNair PLUS established soul acts like Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Isley Brothers, etc. He also would use the policy to eradicate some local rival labels (plundering Golden World's acts & the like). Looking at the time line for these artists it seems that Billy Eckstine was the first signing, his initial Motown 45 escaping in May 65. Barbara McNair's 1st 45 followed in November 65. No doubt they were signed 2 / 3 months before their 1st cuts made it onto a 45 in the shops. Tammi Terrell's 1st Motown 45 was also released in Nov 65. Berry was trying to get Gladys & the Isleys to sign from late 65. The Isleys weren't doing much via their Atlantic releases and so signed with Motown without much delay. Their 1st Motown 45 escaped in Jan 66. Gladys was fearful of becoming a '2nd line act' at Motown and so resisted Berry's advances for a few months. She eventually gave in and 45 via Motown came out in June 66. Edwin Starr was doing well with his Detroit based Ric Tic releases from summer 1965 thru 1966. These also did well overseas, especially in the UK. In fact Edwin left the US to undertake a UK tour in October 66. He left the US as a Ric Tic act and returned as a Motown (Soul) act. Other Golden World acts contracts were also bought out by Motown. The process BG followed in signing all these new acts has never really been explained and various theories behind say his buying out the Golden World acts contracts have been floated down the years ( BG eliminating his biggest local rivals / Golden World's owners wanting out of the record biz, etc.). The reason behind the signing of the other acts is a bit more obscure. IT SEEMS HOWEVER THAT ... lots of the acts signed were on touring package bills that included Motown acts ahead of those acts being approached to sign with Motown. Tammi Montgomery with Gladys Knight & the Pips were touring on a package with Martha & the Vandellas in March / April 65 ... not long afterwards both acts were asked to sign with Motown. No doubt Martha, her group and various Motown officials would have monitored the performances of Gladys & Tammi while involved with that tour. After being signed by Motown, both were out on similar package tours as Motown artists. In April 66, Edwin Starr was touring with the Miracles, Contours & Velvelettes. In June, Edwin was touring on a package with new Motown act Gladys Knight & Pips. Later in 66 he became a Motown act. June 66 saw Motown's Tammi T and the Contours touring in conjunction with J J Barnes & the Holidays (both GW acts). J J Barnes would also soon be a Motown act (though he never actually enjoyed any releases back then). BG was an astute businessman & so, no doubt, getting intelligence on acts he was thinking of signing would seem really sensible. He could find out if group members were fighting with each other or if one member was a diva or big head. He could also get reaction to the way they were accepted by audiences and if they were likely to bring praise to Motown if signed. Of course, I guess we'll never know the full facts behind these signings & the full SP on the mechanics behind the process.

The Chuck Jackson single was re-released due to a change of UK representation (from EMI to Pye). It was always a popular 45 with UK soul fans / mods but I don't believe that fan pressure had any role in the 2nd outing of this track.

Gene Chandler on Stateside in early June 65; then on Soul City on 5th April 68.

Charlie Pettican from Goole ... he's the one on the left ....

I saw him when he toured the UK in 1967 ... then again around 25 or so years ago when he played a 'Blues & Booze' festival in Wallingford, Oxon. Chatted to him the 2nd time; he was bitter about his time with Botanic & Red Sands (no payment of royalties, etc.).

We got Sam Cooke & Little Richard on one package tout here in the 60's ... back in the US they really knew how to assemble a good package of acts back then ...

Billy Preston was backing Little Richard on the above UK tour. Not long afterwards, he hooked up with Ray Charles and had his own section of the show ... he did some good covers at the time ... and also played some on TV when he was in the house band for a show or two ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCt-C2hwiJA

DURING THIS TOUR ... Billy Preston first met the Beatles. It happened on Sunday October 28th in Liverpool when he was in Little Richard's backing band ....

A newspaper review of the show staged @ the Granada Theatre, Woolwich on 13th October ...

A comment on the tour from the old Stones manager ... Andrew Loog Oldham; I first witnessed Sam Cooke in October 1962. I was a young press agent making my way in the pop world, translating my wages into suits similar to those worn by Tony Curtis’ Sidney Falco in “The Sweet Smell of Success.” The legendary promoter, Don Arden, father to the equally legendary Sharon Osborne, had hired me to PR his U.K. tour headlined by the infamous rocker Little Richard, with Cooke and six string bass maven Jet Harris (former bass player for Cliff Richard) supporting. It was not a Sam Cooke audience, it was odd but astute casting on the part of Mr. Arden, who was also known as the Godfather of Pop. The audience was basically a Teddy Boy gathering. Teds were the first British youth movement, working class and defined by their love of raucous American rock ‘n’ roll, loathing of the upcoming Mod movement and adoption of the Edwardian Dandy style of dress, a Brit version of the American Zoot Suit look, and in “Peaky Blinders” mode the Teds had nothing against violence. Sam arrived late, he missed the first show in Doncaster, but stepped smoothly on stage for the second show backed by guitarist Cliff White and drummer Al Gardner augmenting a British backing band, Sounds Incorporated, a C version of the soon-to-be Dave Clark Five. A 15-year-old Billy Preston accompanied Little Richard. The tour ran all of October, no days off, sometimes two shows a night, ending Oct. 28 at the Liverpool Empire, a city where a local band named the Beatles had just had their first single, “Love Me Do,” released on the Parlophone label. The Beatles would also join the Little Richard/Sam Cooke tour as support on two of the northern dates, in Wallasey and the final Liverpool gig. I was witnessing history, and I got to witness Sam Cooke on his only U.K. tour. ------------------------------------------------ The guys backing Sam on his UK tour were 2 musicians who toured with him all the time back then; guitarist Cliff White & drummer Al Gardner ... BTW, that's not the Detroit based singer or the guy who worked down south with Sam Dees ... it's the NOla based drummer who recorded as Gentleman June Gardner (using this name on records to avoid any confusion) ... ALSO ... Billy Preston on keyboards backed up Little Richard on that tour. They did 2 shows a night back then; one around 6.30 & one around 8.30, so they worked hard. After each night's 2nd show, it was straight onto a coach & off to the next town / city.

There are a few decent soul music memorabilia sites on the net. One of the US based ones sells lots of copies of old concert posters & the attached poster is one of their best sellers .... .... only trouble is this one is a fake. Otis Redding never played a concert in Doncaster (my old home town) in 1962 or at any other time. There was a concert staged @ the Gaumont on October 8th 1962 and it should have featured Sam Cooke & Little Richard, but Otis was never on that tour. The Donny show was the first show of the tour & Sam was delayed getting to Donny -- so he actually missed that show. Actual posters for that tour are also attached.

An italian made machine sold in the UK back in the day; marketed in the US as the RECORD EATER ...

Both documentaries made by Wise Owl Films of Leeds ...

Lots of the advertised acts at the 1970 Central Park (NY) Schaefer's Music Festival ...

Brooklyn (Albany & Baltimore) based brewers Schaefer ran a musical talent hunt from 1968 through into the 1970's. They ask thousands of singers / groups to submit tapes each January and from these a top ten acts would be selected. These ten would then cut two different versions of the (then) popular Schaefer's jingle and these would be used on US radio stations as ads for their beer. Quite a few good soul acts entered; Ann Duquesnay, the Popular Five, Sharon Redd, Tommy Brown, the Three Degrees, Carl Hall, Main Ingredient, Bettye LaVette, etc. The Top 10 acts each year got a decent amount of publicity out of the process (all those listed above were among those top tens). From late May, the jingles made by each of every year's top 10 acts would be used and were broadcast on radio stns over a 14 state area. Schaefer also sponsored a big music festival, staged in New York each summer and lots of the successful jingle acts would get to appear (as an unadvertised support act) on one of those shows. Similar shows were also put on in Boston. Kevin Kiley (& Bettye) have been searching for copies of the two different styled jingles she cut for a good few years (she cut hers in soul and swing band styles). She used to have an acetate of her versions but that went missing. All the winning jingles would be pressed up on compilation LP discs but it seems the 12" that features Bettye's efforts has not (so far) been tracked down. Anyone here have any idea of who has a copy of the LP containing Bettye's two jingles ?

Her 45 was released in January 1963 but didn't make the Baltimore radio stn's chart till April ... so it must have been a 'slow burner' with regard to its radio plays (at least over on the east coast). Her 45 must have been popular in the area at the time as she was added to the bill for a big show on Carr's Beach at the beginning of May ...

We lost a real soul fanatic when we lost Bob ... He was so knowledgeable & loved passing on what he knew ... R.I.P. ... . . . . thinking of you on your birthday..

Cut at Omega Recording Studios for Omega Rec Services. From 1968 to 85 this was @ 10518 Connecticut Ave. Kensington, MD 20795. Lots of top DC funk & soul acts cut there;- Trouble Funk, Billy Brady (an engineer @ the studio), Plunky & Oneness of JuJu, Fania All-Stars, the 3 Pieces, Butch Dayo, Crosswind (Al Johnson was involved with them), Impact, Phil Flowers, East Coast Offering, Kokomos, Expression and many more. Frank Hooker (of Young Senators & Frank Hooker & Positive People) produced some stuff at the studio.

The Topics toured the UK back in the day (1968 /69) as the Original / Fabulous Impressions (also securing additional bookings when they returned to the UK -- many under their own name on their 2nd visit).

I have the book 'The Rise & Fall of EMI Records' that deals with the full history of EMI -- but only their main acts & the main events thru the company's history. No mention at all in this of their art department, no mention of the Stateside label (earlier Motown outings) or the Tamla-Motown label. Berry Gordy gets a couple of mentions, as does EMI's purchase of Jobete Music in the mid 1990's (this really boosted EMI's share price at the time & led to a revival in profits for a short while).

In more modern times, NFL player Ed 'Too Tall' Jones cut records .... https://www.discogs.com/artist/1686139-Ed-Too-Tall-Jones Big Jim Records was funded by NFL legend Jim Brown & he was also a group manager (Friends of Distinction & more). He was also an actor & had a record released about his role in the movie 'Slaughter's Big Rip Off'. Lots more too but can't recall them off the top of my head.

In 1963 two fanatical R&B fans from Bexleyheath set out to bring the Sound of Motown to the attention of Britain’s teenagers, after discovering the label a couple of years earlier. At the time the Detroit record company was hardly known outside of the United States and only a handful of their releases had been issued in the UK on import labels, their records were largely ignored by the music press and vinyl sales were modest due to a lack of publicity. Dave Godin, assisted by Clive Stone began by setting up the UK’s first ever Tamla-Motown Appreciation Society from Godin’s suburban Kent bedroom. Godin then contacted Motown’s Berry Gordy, who was excited by this initial interest from England in his fledgling label and invited Godin to Detroit for talks .... So Dave Godin was using the term as early as 1963 & using the term when talking with BG.

WHILE NOT HELPING WITH ID'ING WHO ACTUALLY DESIGNED THE UK TAMLA MOTOWN 7" SLEEVE ... Early this year I wrote an article for SOUL UP NORTH on Dobie Gray's "In Crowd" ... In the article I touched on events occurring on the UK record scene in early to mid 1965 which add to the 'background info' on the start of the T/M label in the UK .... here's a couple of relevant bits from the article ... As 1965 opened, some soul 45's were selling well here in the UK. February saw the likes of Jimmy Radcliffe, Betty Everett and Doris Troy all featuring on the British pop charts. The last Motown tracks to escape on EMI's Stateside label were from the Contours (# SS381), Martha & the Vandellas (# SS383), Carolyn Crawford (# SS384) and the Velvelettes with “He Was Really Saying Something” (# SS387) being issued on 19th February (all of them being late 1964 releases in the US). As all the arrangements for the proposed UK Motown tour had been put in place by then and the launch of the dedicated Tamla Motown label was imminent (to tie in with the tour), all the rest of Berry Gordy's product was held back to enable a 'big bang' lift off to take place a few weeks later. That day dawned on 19th March when 6 x 45's plus 6 x EP's were released on the new Tamla Motown label. The six singles were from the Supremes (# TMG 501 – issued 8th February in US), Martha & the Vandellas (# TMG 502 – issued 5th February in US), the Miracles (# TMG 503 – issued 5th March in US), the Temptations (# TMG 504 – issued 18th March in US), Stevie Wonder (# TMG 505 – issued 26th March in US) and Earl Van Dyke (# TMG 506 – no US release). The touring Motown acts arrived in London on 16th March, taped the RSG special (which unfortunately wasn't broadcast till April 28th) and then undertook their opening show at the Finsbury Park Astoria, London on April 20th. Twenty further venues hosted the review, with the last show occurring in Portsmouth on 12th April ..... With the Motown singles being held back (after 19th February) from British release, there was a distinct lack of soul dance 45's issued here in the second half of February. Decca had earlier teamed up with Crusader / Charger for the pop releases by Terry Stafford and so it was natural for the rights to Dobie's 45 to come to them. They had top soul fan Tony Hall as one of their main promotion men and no doubt, he relished working on “The In Crowd” (London # HL9953). Ahead of this though, an American had cut a UK group on a cover version. Shel Talmy had relocated to the UK in 1962 after working in LA studios. He kept one eye on what was happening back in LA and noticed the success that Dobie Gray's cut was enjoying there. He had already cut First Gear on a cover of Ernie K Doe's “A Certain Girl” and took them back into the studio in early January to cut “The In Crowd” for Pye. It formed the plug side of their second single, being released on 22nd January ( Pye # 7N 15763). At the same time, Record Mirror magazine listed Dobie's version as being one of the fastest climbers on the US charts. UK mods were seeking out soul tracks that would form the soundtrack to their club and home lives. Club spins plus what the pirate radio stations were broadcasting assisted them in this task. But at the start of 1965 they had not happened on a song that could become their anthem. The pirates immediately play listed the First Gear's pop version of “The In Crowd” and it entered Radio London's chart (at # 37) on 24th January. Seeing this, Decca sourced import copies of Dobie's version and sent these on to the pirates. By 7th February Radio London had the song listed as by both artists standing at their # 31. A week later they held down the # 29 position before peaking on 21st February at # 21 .... Decca put Dobie's version of “The In Crowd” out on 19th February (London # HL 9953). The company can't have had too much faith in it as their 'planned adverts' which promoted a number of their brand new single releases (& which were put together a couple of weeks ahead of them appearing in the music mags) didn't include Dobie's release among the 45's getting a push. It received good reviews in those same publications (being described as very commercial and a top 50 tip), and within 7 days of the record hitting UK shops, it entered the pop charts here. Decca immediately designed individual ads to promote the single and quickly placed these in relevant magazines. February 24th saw Dobie's 45 enter the NME top 30 pop chart at # 27 and just three days later it was also on Record Mirror's chart (at # 41). It wasn't long before it was also on Melody Maker's Pop 50 chart. A week later it had only climbed one place on the NME's chart With EMI holding back all the US Motown 45's for simultaneous release here on March 19th, it meant any other soul dance tempo 45's released in late Feb / early March had the market very much to themselves. So, the launch of the UK Tamla Motown label, in a small way, helped Dobie's "The In Crowd" become a UK pop hit.

A good documentary but the title's a little misleading. It's really all about Bobby Brooks, with not a lot of info on Jackie himself (apart from details of his association with Bobby's mum).