the other day when I was on youtube. I guess because the Spinners was a non-descript group. No one member stood out too much from what I can recall...well, maybe Phillipe Wynn. I wouldn't recognize them if I saw a picture of them without their name being referenced.I had even forget that they were from Detroit.

People talk about the Temptations, The O'Jays, The Isley Brothers, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and even the Four Tops, but I rarely see anything about the Spinners.

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't realize that they sung It's A Shame.

Anyone want to jump in and share what they know about the Spinners?
[Edited 8/21/07 8:12am]

I grew up loving Games People Play. I used to think it was a woman who sang lead on that one. It wasn’t right? I loathed Working My Way Back...just something about it.

Did they also sing the song that went, “you’re the only one I love and you can’t change that”?

The Spinners are one of my favorite groups of all time, but I could not tell u but ONE member of the group (and that is Philipe). I really like the "Mighty Love" cd as well as the "Pick of the Litter". They are some of Thom Bell's best work.

The Spinners are the freakin bomb. I think they got started in the early 1960's (I wanna say '62). They had a couple of low charting hit's in the 60's fro Motown but it wasn't until It's a Shame hit in 1970 that they finally got noticed.

They moved on to Phily and the rest is history.

JackieBlue said:

Christ, Games People Play sounds so familiar. I bet I'd know it if I heard it.

I am not sure of the song that has the line that you posted. Sorry.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I just read on wikipedia that Stevie Wonder wrote It's A Shame. If it's true, I just learned something new.


Their success once they moved on to Philly is probably why they aren't mentioned too often in association with Motown.

PurpleCharm said:

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...9PxiVA--xo

JackieBlue said:

Ok, I know that song.

Thanks for posting.

It definitely sounds like there is a woman singing on the song.

smiling as she came
calling out my name

PurpleCharm said:

Yeah Stevie wrot It's a Shame in 70 for them. I think around that time the Spinners were swepping up someroom at Hitsville, and Stevie gave it to them, or something like that.

...




My favorite Spinners tunes:

One Of A Kind (Love Affair)

They Just Can't Stop It(Games People Play)[Evette Benson was the female vocal on this]

Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

How Could I Let You Get Away

Love Don't Love Nobody

I'll Be Around

Then Came You (with Dionne Warwick)

A Mighty Love

Just As Long As We Have Love (with Barbara Ingram)

Ghetto Child

Heaven On Earth (So Fine)

Sadie

Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind

Rubberband Man

It's A Shame

Toni My Love


...
[Edited 8/22/07 9:29am]

The Spinners' hit singles span lasted a long time - 23 years:

Here's a list of their HIT singles:

*1961: "That's What Girls Are Made For" (Pop #27; R&B #5)
*1965: "I'll Always Love You" (Pop #35; R&B #8; Canada #7)
*1966: "Truly Yours" (R&B #16)
*1970: "It's a Shame" (Pop #14; R&B #4; Canada #36; UK #20)
*1971: "We'll Have It Made" (R&B #20)
*1972: "How Could I Let You Get Away" (R&B #14)
*1972: "I'll Be Around" (Pop #3; R&B #1; Canada #6)
*1972: "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" (Pop #4; R&B #1; Canada #12; UK #11)
*1973: "One of a Kind Love Affair" (Pop #11; R&B #1; Canada #16)
*1973: "Ghetto Child" (Pop #29; R&B #4; UK #7)
*1974: "Mighty Love" (Pop #20; R&B #1; Canada #19)
*1974: "I'm Coming Home" (Pop #18; R&B #3; Canada #27)
*1974: "Then Came You" (with Dionne Warwick) (Pop #1; R&B #2; Canada #7; UK #29)
*1974: "Love Don't Love Nobody" (Pop #15; R&B #4; Canada #34)
*1975: "Sadie" (R&B #7)
*1975: "Games People Play" (Pop #5; R&B #1; Canada #21)
*1975: "Love or Leave" (Pop #36; R&B #8; Canada #29)
*1976: "Wake Up Susan" (R&B #11; UK #29)
*1976: "The Rubberband Man" (Pop #2; R&B #1; Canada #7; UK #16)
*1977: "You're Throwing a Good Love Away" (R&B #5)
*1977: "Me & My Music" (R&B #39)
*1977: "Heaven on Earth (So Fine)" (R&B #23)
*1978: "If You Wanna Do a Dance" (R&B #17)
*1979: "Are You Ready for Love" (R&B #25)
*1979: "Body Language" (R&B #25)
*1979: "Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me Girl" (Pop #2; R&B #6; Canada #5; UK #1)
*1980: "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time" (Pop #4; R&B #5; Canada #20; UK #4)
*1980: "Now That You're Mine Again" (R&B #25)
*1981: "Yesterday Once More/Nothing Remains the Same" (R&B #22)
*1981: "You Go Your Way (I'll Go Mine)" (R&B #39)
*1982: "Magic in the Moonlight" (R&B #30)
*1984: "Right or Wrong" (R&B #22)

Overall, the Spinners have had 29 Hot 100 pop singles between 1961 and 1982, 21 Top Forty hits on the Billboard Hot 100 - twelve top twenty hits, seven top ten hits, and a number one hit; had around 38 Hot 100 R&B hits, scored 32 Top Forty hits on the Billboard Hot R&B singles chart, twenty-two top twenty R&B hits, sixteen top ten R&B hits and six number one R&B singles. They also had fourteen top forty hits in Canada and eight top forty hits in the UK including a number one song in the UK.

In fact, the Spinners were SO popular that they were only the SECOND black vocal group - after the Mills Brothers - to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1976).

And the Spinners were chosen to perform in Africa in 1974 to gear up for the Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fight.

"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love"...Boy, that song just brings back a lot of memories (good ones) of growing up. That song always brings a smile to my face

The only member I could always pick out was Phillipe Wynn, because of his voice and his mustache.

JesseDezz said:

Don't it. When you hear that song and others like Sadie, It Takes Fool To Learn That Love Don't Love Nobody, Never Knew Love Before, Then Came You and Rubberbanman.

JesseDezz said:

True. You not only could distinguish him by his looks but his sound. This brotha was a member of P-Funk.
[
[Edited 8/24/07 11:25am]

JackieBlue said:

No that was Radio (Ray Parker JR)

MsLegs said:

He was actually an original member of Funkadelic, he left when Thom Bell or one of the Spinners spotted him performing. I think G.C. Cameron had left the group when Phillipe was spotted. Once things cooled between Phillipe and the Spinners, he left and rejoined Funkadelic. He was the guy wailing in the beginning and ending of "(Not Just) Knee Deep" and his wail has been sampled constantly SINCE!

banks said:

OMG, why did I ever think that was the Spinners?

JackieBlue said:

The sound is Spinners-esque though but you could tell it was Ray (and some other dude from Raydio) singing on that one...

Maybe the sound, beat and female background had you thinking it was the Spinners.

Loved that song too and "Jack & Jill" and "A Woman Needs Love"... Ray left immediately after "A Woman..." too.

paligap said:

A few of those song I am not familiar with. I am going to have to check them out.
[Edited 8/21/07 16:52pm]

Timmy84 said:

Wow! They really did have a lot of hits. Thanks for posting.

PurpleCharm said:

Ur welcome.

JackieBlue said:

The song features an uncredited female vocal throughout the song ("nowhere to go....we'll take it slow...guess I'll call it a day").In the liner notes to the box set,producer Thom Bell refuses to say who the woman is.He says it's someone who was popular at the time,but he also hints that he may have "altered" the vocal somewhat,because the lady didn't want to be identified


When the guys performed "Games People Play" on Soul Train,one of the guys in the group lip-synched the female vocal! LOL

SoulAlive said:

Okay, this must be why I had some vague memory of it being a man even though it clearly sounds like a woman!

Timmy84 said:

Oh I was thinking of the chorus, not the verses. The verses are the giveaway that it's not the Spinners but the chorus reminds me of them. Like you said, Spinners-esque.

JackieBlue said:

My theory is that it's Dionne Warwick singing that part,but Thom Bell sorta "altered" it so nobody would recognize her.After the Spinners/Warwick duet "Then Came You" went to Number One in the summer of 74,their record label wanted them to do an entire album together but Dionne refused,saying she didn't want to be known as a "Spinners groupie" So,I think she agreed to do one more song with them ("Games People Play"),but only if her vocal was altered slightly.

SoulAlive said:

I read that in the boxed set. The more I listen to it, the more it sounds like Sharon Paige (who sang on Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "I Hope That We Can Be Together Soon" and "You KNow How To Make Me Feel So Good". If it is her, it would make sense because Thom was working with Philly International artists at the time also.

SoulAlive said:

That's a good theory.

daPrettyman said:

you're right....it does sound like Sharon Page!!

...

According to Philly International guitarist and songwriter Bobby Eli, who worked on the Spinners sessions, The female voice on "Games People Play" was background singer Evette Benson, though I'm not sure; others claim it was Barbara Ingram...and they're both credited as background vocalists on the song...

Not sure about whether that's a real name, either, fake names seem to abound in the recording studio; Philly songwriter Vinnie Barrett was actually the pen name of Gwendolyn Woolfolk(everybody thought she was a guy, lol!)....









...
[Edited 8/22/07 9:49am]

paligap said:

That's good info. Thanx.