Robbk

I would guess that he corroberated with someone else at Thelma to get the music written down. It probably wasn't Don Davis, because, I believe Davis had already left Thelma to concentrate on his Groovesville Music and record label, and to work with Ed Wingate's Golden World labels by the time the song was written. It must have been the arranger in Thelma's house band (and that band was probably Stribling's own band he also used for his local gigs). Unfortunately, unlike many record companies, Thelma didn't usually credit the arrangers on their records' labels. The only one I have listed is Floyd Jones. He was probably a musician in Thelma's house band (which was also Fish's gigging band). I wish we could find out which other musicians were in it. I know that James Jamerson was a musician there in 1961 and '62 (and possibly into early '63), before he started working exclusively for Motown. But, he most likely wouldn't have had time to moonlight at Thelma by 1965-66.

I have only The Royal Premiers and The Vandelettes, and I think I've seen an Unforgettables on Mellow Town. I've never seen a ZZZ record. I may have seen a Samone record, but never noticed that it had the same San Antonio address. The Royal Imperials were a San Antonio group, and definitely NOT Billy Butler and The Enchanters. I've seen another Mellow Town or two, but can't remember what they were. Maybe one of them was a second Royal Imperials. I would guess that "Bags & Beans" are the two producers and label owners: "Bags" Stewart and J. "Beans" Means.

Excellent!!! Thanks Graham. Keep 'em coming!!! It would be nice to have all of these on a single website, like Bob A.'s "Sitting in The Park". And it would be nice for all that you learned about Detroit Soul music (labels, artists. producers, arrangers, musicians, distributors, recording studios and engineers) in a mini encyclopedia of Detroit soul music, divided into several volumes. It would be nice if I'd write one, too. But I'm too old and tired to take on such a large project.

I knew he was a guitarist, and played on sessions, but I didn't know that he was the in-house band leader both at Thelma and Diamond Jim Riley's labels, and maybe even for a while at Check-Mate. I also didn't know he worked for Motown for a year. He said that Hazel Coleman got him in there. He worked with Marvin Gaye. That would have to have been just after he was at Thelma (Late 1965 and early 1966 - just before he started with Riley, or between Check-Mate (late 1962-early 1964) before joining Thelma. I wish I could hear those parts of the interview better. His bands played a lot of gigs as the venues' house band, backing up different appearing acts. I also hadn't known that. I wonder who else was in those bands of his.

Before Joey Kingfish (Joey King Fish) was a songwriter and later, producer, with Thelma, he was a recording artist with Billy Davis at Check-Mate Records. I'm really looking forward to listening to this interview. I'm curious to know with which other Detroit labels he worked. I DO remember seeing his name connected with at least a couple other labels on a few later records. But, I'm even more interested in his beginnings in the industry, given that he looked quite old in all the Thelma period photos I've seen of him.

Excellent! Nice to learn more about The Magictones' later period. I didn't buy their records in the 1970s.

I don't believe "Alone" would have stuck in his head more than the recorded and released song, given that he and the group would have had to sing the released song in practices, the recording session rehearsals, the session, gigs after the release, and rehearsals for them. I don't think that is even possible. Sorry, I meant The Peps OTHER Ge Ge record. It wouldn't make sense if "That's The Way Love Is" had been their 2nd release, given that Storm remembered it as their 1st. I have both records, plus Eddie Hill's 502. Apparently, this first Ge Ge issue should have been # 501, if they had decided on a numbering series before pressing it. I wonder what "Ge Ge" stands for, and if it was a partnership between The Colemans and either Armen Boladian or Norman Whitfield?

Thanks. Yes, I've read before that Parker produced Hughes' VJ/Exodus sessions in L.A. It seems though, that Parker was bouncing back and forth from L.A. to Chicago, because he was still running sessions in Chicago, too during that period (a few for VJ, and some as a free-lance producer).

I've never heard of any connection between these 2 singers. Al Hughes was from Detroit. I was told that Fred was from L.A., but, I believe that he was originally from Chicago, because he was signed by Chicago's VJ Records, and his songwriter and producer, Richard Parker was also from there. I've listened to both songs many times. I'm convinced they are NOT the same person, and that their unique tones are not similar enough to guess that they are brothers or cousins.

But Storm said in his interview that the first song he ever recorded was written for him by Whitfield, and it was titled "Alone". If he hadn't ever recorded it, I would guess that he'd have remembered that he and his Peps had recorded "This Love I Have For You" as his first recording. "That's The Way Love Is" was the flip of "I Love You" on Tom Storm and The Peps' other Ge Ge release.

So Tom Hester became "Tommy Stone", and then, "Tom Storm", who first sang "Alone", which must be the first recording to which Storm referred in his interview. And it seems it was soon re-written as "This Love I Have For You", and paired with "I Love You, Baby", and released on Thelma's subsidiary label, Ge Ge Records. So, the original recording of "Alone" may no longer exist. Davis may have taped over it, as they were no longer going to use it at all.

Great interview. Thanks! Nice to learn more about The Magictones.

At least we know that Harry Gates sang lead. The voices on Toy Soldier, its flip, The Caravelles' 2 sides and The Lee Gates 2 sides match. I think it's possible that he was lead singer on "Someone To Call My Own" by The Equadors, as well. But the voice on that one doesn't seem to be as close as the others, so it is still in doubt.

That doesn't sound to me like Harry/Lee Gates' voice. Is it listed on the Pied Piper CD as being sung by Harry or Lee Gates?

Emanuel Lasky, too!!! Great news!!! It's such a shame that we had so many posts by people from The Detroit Music business back in the 60s on Soulful Detroit Forum, telling us about the main characters, and their own stories; but most of them got lost in the transfer from platform to platform. There were also links to interviews that we lost, as well. It's also a shame that I didn't tape conversations I had with people back in the day. But, I didn't want to bother them with such formalities, and I might have heard a lot less. I didn't want to come across as a "fanboy", or a reporter, or invade people's privacy. There are fewer of those elderly music makers of the 60s left. We should hear what they've got to say before it's too late.

It's great to get different people's takes on Berry Gordy, Robert West, Sax Kari, Ed Wingate, Wilbur Golden, Don Davis, Dave Hamilton, Hazel & Robert Coleman, Diamond Jim Riley, Joe Battle, Johnnie Mae Matthews, Carmen Murphy, Rev. James Hendrix, Harry Balk, Devora & Jack Brown, Armen Boladian, Lou Beatty, Sam Motley, Joe Hunter, Fred Brown, Popcorn Wylie, etc. It would be nice if we could have a repository of Detroit music industry personality interviews as extensive as Bob A. had for Chicago.

The Melvin Davis interview is fantastic to hear! Thank goodness people are saving these!

Yes! My senile old memory DIDN'T fail me THIS time! Walter and his new Admerations stated on their Sitting In The Park interview with Bob Abrahamian that the first Admirations group, with One-derful Records, kicked Walter out of their group. Ted Daniel, their manager wanted to continue managing Walter, who wanted to form a new Admirations group. Daniel told him that if he insisted upon calling his new group, "The Admirations", he'd have to change its spelling, for legal reasons. So, they changed it to "AdmErations". It was ironic, because The old Admirations broke up only a few months after La Cindy's "Man Oh Man" came out. So a second La Cindy release could use the Walter and The "Admirations" spelling. The first (One-derful) Admirations were from Walter's Cabrini-Green housing project on The Near North Side (from where Curtis Mayfield, Jerry & Billy Butler, Major Lance, Otis Leavill, and VJ's (Chicago's) Falcons came. Whereas, Walter's 2nd Admirations/Admerations group came from The South Side, between 56th and 61st Streets, and they attended Tilden High School. Everyone but Walter lived within about 5-6 blocks of my father's store. What a small World! I probably walked past them several times! They were called The Four Gents before they were joined by Walter. In addition to Walter Smith, they consisted of Cliff Frazier, Brad, Keith, and David Donaldson.

Thanks. I seem to recall that one of the group members mentioned that they changed it in their interview with Bob A. I'll have to go back and listen to it again.

I'm pretty sure I read that one of the group members said that in an interview. Maybe it was just a false rumour?

Why is The Martineques on ME-O listed on a Chicago collection? That was Detroit's Martiniques recorded by Romeo Taylor either totally in Detroit, or partly in Detroit and finished in L.A. One of the group members' sons claims it was recorded totally in Detroit. But it was released on an L.A. label. I never heard of any Chicago connection, even a slight or tenuous one. And Walter and The Admirations is spelt incorrectly. It should read: "Admerations". And, as I recall, that was NOT a typo. They named the group that way to be "different".

Very nice interview, and great to see all the rare 45s. I had never seen that M&M 331, that didn't even have the artist name (Freddy Butler) in Big letters, so it could be seen, and had Gwen Gordy's and Harvey Fuqua's Birdsong Music (Harvey/Tri-Phi's in-House publishing Co.) as publisher for "One Night". Thanks. I look forward to more interviews. Sam Motley produced a LOT of rare 45s in Detroit during the mid 1960s.

Thanks. Upon further listening, I hear several of Gino's mannerisms. His voice was a little rough in a few spots. But THIS recording is much clearer than the one I downloaded and to which I first listened. It clearly sounds like Gino, and his style of singing, and music of his band. Do we know when it was recorded? It sounds like somewhere between 1968 and 1971.

This sounds more like GIno Washington (Detroit), rather than The Ramjam Band's Geno. And it also sounds more like Gino's 1970s music. But, really, the voice doesn't sound like either of them to me after several back-to-back plays.

It turns out that I had Invictus 1000, "I Stand Accused"/"Boogaloo News" all along. I bought it in 1967 or so in Chicago. Yes, the producer was Larry Levy. And I remember having found and played Champion's XMas song at that same shop, but not liking it enough to pay the $1.00 for it, and so passing it up. I don't remember seeing "Don't Panic Baby". So, I don't have to feel like I missed out on a really valuable record I could have traded today for a slew of rare Detroit records!