Capture some interviews and excerpts into what it was like in Motown with these four videos, the site will continue until they reach FIFTY videos, lol:

http://www.freep.com/arti...s+50+years

Berry Gordy talks about Motown's legacy:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...-7RRguOJeQ

SMOKEY ROBINSON
Full Name: William Robinson, Jr.
Birth Date: January 19, 1940
Birth Place: Detroit, Michigan

As co-founder, lead singer and main writer/producer of The Miracles, Smokey Robinson already carried the contribution of co-composing and singing on Motown's first million-seller, a pioneering writer and producer, he also became one of the label's most important architects of its sound even after he left the Miracles in the early 1970s. His solo music gave way to the current urban adult contemporary R&B that has dominated adult R&B since the mid-1970s.

During his tenure with the Miracles, Robinson also served as co-writer and main producer to several Motown hits by artists such as Mary Wells ("You Beat Me to the Punch", "Two Lovers", "The One Who Really Loves You", "My Guy"), The Temptations ("The Way You Do the Things You Do", "Since I Lost My Baby", "My Girl", "Get Ready"), The Marvelettes ("Don't Mess with Bill", "My Baby Must Be a Magician", "Destination Anywhere"), the Supremes ("The Composer", "Floy Joy", "Automatically Sunshine"), the Four Tops ("Still Waters (Love)") and Marvin Gaye ("I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar"). After splitting from the Miracles in 1972, Robinson prompted retirement from show business while wanting to work more behind the scenes as one of the label's vice presidents.

However plans changed when Berry Gordy, Robinson's longtime friend and mentor convinced him to try a solo career which Robinson reluctantly agreed to do in 1973. The first post-Miracles solo single from Robinson was the Miracles tribute, "Sweet Harmony". Robinson hit the top forty in the end of the year with the ballad "Baby Come Close". Robinson's solo career didn't quite match up to his career as leader of the Miracles but it had great moments including the release of the landmark 1975 album, Quiet Storm, which featured the legendary title track and the hit "Baby That's Backatcha". However, Robinson's career flagged as the 1970s continued. Then in 1979, Robinson found inspiration in his newest single after hearing the Young Rascals' "Groovin'", Marvin Tarplin created the musical background a few years beforehand and together, the duo co-wrote "Cruisin'". Released late that year, the song hit the top ten becoming Robinson's first top ten solo smash. Two years later, Robinson hit the top of the charts with 1981's "Being With You", which also hit number-one in England. Robinson carried on with modest top 40 success with 1982's "Tell Me Tomorrow" and briefly recorded an album with Rick James as a co-producer. The musicians' duo, "Ebony Eyes", became another memorable ballad for both acts. However, this period would also spark a downward spiral in Robinson's personal life.

By 1984, Robinson was dealing with an expensive crack cocaine habit. It took another two years before Robinson quit his addiction after attending church on day in 1986. Robinson has since said he's been sober since that harrowing experience in the early 1980s. In 1987, Robinson made a spirited comeback with the hit "Just to See Her". Its parent album, One Heartbeat, also featured the title track as a hit. The same year, Robinson was solely inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame credited for his work as Miracles leader, solo artist and as a Motown songwriter and producer. Robinson has carried on a regular performing schedule and still records on occasion.

----
CHECK OUT SMOKEY'S BEST HERE:
http://www.imeem.com/arti..._robinson/

EDDIE KENDRICKS
Real Name: Edward James Kendrick
Birth Date: December 17, 1939
Birth Place: Union Springs, Alabama
Death Date: October 5, 1992 (lung cancer)
Death Place: Birmingham, Alabama

The founder of The Temptations, Eddie Kendricks had been in groups for 16 years when Kendricks abruptly left his famed group for a solo career in 1971. Kendricks released the album, All By Myself that year, finding cult status with the R&B hits "Can I?" and "It's So Hard for Me to Say Goodbye". His follow-up, 1972's People...Hold On, was more progressive soul. Its title track can be seen as an uplifting anthem in the black community partially due to the African-inspired percussive beats in the song and the almost hypnotic chants by the Young Senators, a local Washington D.C. singing group Kendricks had hired to back him up. It wouldn't be until 1973, however, when Kendricks gained ground as a solo artist. The proto-disco hit, "Keep on Truckin'", produced by Frank Wilson, became a hit quickly after its release reaching number-one in the fall of the year. Kendricks' other hits after that included 1974's "Boogie Down" and "Sunshine Boy", 1975's "Happy" and "Going Up in Smoke" and 1976's "He's a Friend of Mine". His 1977 single "Intimate Friends", one of his final Motown releases, would be later sampled by Sweet Sable and Alicia Keys for their own hit singles. In 1978, Kendricks left Motown and signed with Arista but his career never really recovered. By 1982, using his real last name (taking out the 's' in Kendrick), he reunited with the Temptations for a tour and album alongside David Ruffin. In 1985, the duo performed with Hall & Oates and three years after that, released a duet album. In 1989, shortly after the Temptations were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Kendrick, Ruffin and Dennis Edwards went out on the road as "The Former Lead Singers of the Temptations Revue". The tour stopped after Ruffin died of a drug overdose in 1991. Ruffin's death that year emotionally crushed Kendrick, who was real close with Ruffin following his split from the Temptations. That year, he was diagnosed with lung cancer due to his years of chain smoking and continued performing up until the summer of 1992. On October 5, 1992, Edward James Kendrick lost his life to lung cancer in Birmingham. He was only 52 years old. Kendrick will forever be remembered for his influential falsetto vocals and his sophisticated style of sense that helped to define the Temptations and later shaped up the sounds of modern dance and soul music.

----
THE BEST OF EDDIE HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

Michael Jackson

Full name: Michael Joe Jackson
Birthdate- August 29,1958
Birthplace- September 7, 1971
Motown tenure: 1969-1975

The son of a steel mill worker, Michael Jackson was the seventh of ten children born to Joesph and Katherine Jackson.To date, has released 13 solo albums and has sold an estimated 750 million records since his Motown debut at the age of 10. Jackson has gone from the energetic lead singer of The Jackson 5 to a highly successful vocalist, songwriter, producer, and all around entertainer.

Born in the summer of 1958,the seventh child of The Jackson family began his love for music and dance by watching stars such as James Brown, Jackie Wilson, The Miracles, and Joe Tex. In 1964 with his father as their manager, Jackson began performing at the age of 5 with his older brothers Sigmund, Toraino, Jermaine, and Marlon in various bars and talent shows around the midwest, resulting in a chance meeting with Gladys Knight, who tried to arrange a meeting for the group with the founder of Motown, which fell through. In 1968, after recording a series of songs for local label Steeltown, The Jackson 5 got another chance with Motown after Bobby Taylor got them an audition for Gordy and Suzanne De Passe, who signed them in the summer of 1968.

After a series of hit singles and albums along with a TV special and Saturday morning cartoon, Motown released Jackson's first solo single "Got To Be There" which peaked at #4 on both the Pop and R&B charts, followed by the 1972 album of the same name and three singles "Rockin' Robin", "I Wanna Be Where You Are", and "Ain't No Sunshine". 1972 also saw his second LP "Ben", spawning one single, the title track" which was his first #1 single. Michael released his third LP "Music And Me" which sold poorly, peaking at #92 on the pop album charts and spawned one single, "With A Child's Heart" which peaked at #50 on the pop charts and #14 on the R&B charts. After a planned collaboration album with Stevie Wonder was shelved, Motown released Jackson's last studio album for the label "Forever Michael" in 1975, releasing three singles "We're Almost There", "One Day In Your Life"(which did not chart in it's original release), and "Just A Little Bit Of You"

In late 1975, The Jacksons announced they would not be renewing their contract with Motown and would be signing with CBS/Epic Records, resulting in three successful albums from 1976 to 1978.

As a solo artist, Michael Jackson released his fifth and sixth solo albums in 1979 and 1982 titled "Off The Wall" and "Thriller", the latter being the best selling album of all time". In 1984, Motown dug into their vaults and released "Farewell My Summer Love", a collection of outtakes from 1973 during the "Music And Me" sessions. In 1986 after news of Jackson would be releasing his "Bad" album the following year, the label released another collection titled "Looking Back At Yesterday"

From 1987 to the present, Jackson has released a series of albums and compilations and has become the most successful black entertainer and one the most known people in the world, although scandals have been a major obstacle for the entertainer.

Holding several records and achievements, Jackson is a 13 time Grammy Award winner, bestselling author and two time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee

Ben(Live on the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour)
http://www.youtube.com/wa...Sqo17o2a1w

Got To Be There (Live in Japan)
http://www.youtube.com/wa...GWEawH7G1c

One Day In Your Life (Soul Train performance)
http://www.youtube.com/wa...mGtceUEJgw

Music And Me (Live in Mexico)
http://www.youtube.com/wa...FCTWQXx0QI

bboy87 said:

There, I corrected some parts for you.
[Edited 1/12/09 18:41pm]

Now bringing in the rest of the family.



THE JACKSON 5
Formed: 1966 (as the Jackson Five) in Gary, Indiana
Important Members: Sigmund Esco (Jackie), Tariano Adaryll (Tito), Jermaine LuJuane, Marlon David and Michael Joseph Jackson

Brought to Motown by Bobby Taylor of the Vancouvers, the five brothers from the rust belt community of Gary, Indiana rose to international fame in the late sixties and early seventies and with a succession of hit albums, tours and other successes became what Motown CEO Berry Gordy called the last big group to come off the Hitsville assembly line of Motown.

Born in Gary, Indiana to steelworker Joe Jackson and homemaker Katherine Jackson, the five brothers were of ten siblings brought up in a two-room shack at 2300 Jackson St. In 1964, after a hasty audition brought on by a broken guitar string, the elder brothers Jackie, Tito and Jermaine formed the Jackson Brothers. Two unrelated youths were brought in to play background instruments as was Marlon and Michael who each played percussion. Michael at six began singing on stage when he was allowed to participate in a Christmas recital in 1964. Two years later, Michael was allowed to sing and dance for the group and soon became an important contributor to the developing sound of the group.

After winning a Citywide talent show in Gary in 1967, they changed their name to the Jackson Five thanks to a music teacher's advice. That year, they signed a local deal with Steeltown Records and became a professional act. Their first paying gigs were reportedly at strip clubs and in nightclubs where Joe managed and chaperoned them. In early 1968, the Jackson Five's first single, "Big Boy", became a big hit in the East coast and sold over 100,000 due to its distribution with Atco Records. After winning talent contests in the Regal and Apollo Theaters, the group gained a local following and soon acts like Gladys Knight, James Brown, Sam Moore of Sam & Dave and the Temptations were soon buzzing about the act. But it wasn't until Bobby Taylor, in 1968, that the group was introduced to the staff of Motown Records. After introducing themselves by song to Suzanne de Passe, the group auditioned for Motown at the famed Hitsville USA studios. Upon receiving tape of the audition, Motown CEO Berry Gordy agreed to sign the act and the group was given a one-year contractual deal on July 26, 1968.

The deal was troubled due to the group's continued contract on Steeltown Records. After further negotiations, on March 16, 1969, the Jackson 5 signed an exclusive seven-year contract with the company and began recording almost immediately in Detroit for four months. In July, Berry Gordy moved the brothers to Los Angeles where they finished work on the album Bobby Taylor was producing for them. To bring in press for the newest Motown signee, Gordy had Supremes lead singer Diana Ross positioned to take credit for the group's discovery. Ross' agreement to do this led to criticism in later years. Regardless, Motown titled their first album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, and their first single, "I Want You Back", was released in October of the year. In January of 1970, the single became the first of four consecutive number-one hits the group scored during their tenure in the label.

The other number-one hits included "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There". Throughout their six years in Motown, the Jackson 5 released a total of 13 albums, released 17 top 40 singles including "Mama's Pearl", "Sugar Daddy", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Maybe Tomorrow", "Looking Through the Windows", "Corner of the Sky", "Hallelujah Day", "Dancing Machine" and "I Am Love". Their b-sides - "Who's Loving You", "It's Great to Be Here", their cover of the Isleys' "It's Your Thing", "I Found That Girl", "Touch" and "All I Do Is Think of You" became as known as their hits. At one point, they had a cartoon show, did two TV specials and headlined Vegas for a time with the other Jackson family members. Like the Supremes before them, the group also ran commercials including two commercials for Alpha-Bits and were regarded as the first black teen idols to be marketed properly to teen girls of all ages raising their profile and Motown's as "the sound of young America". However by 1973, the Jackson brothers and father Joseph had grown restless of Motown's control on them. As Motown was moving into a more self-contained direction with Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder ditching Hitsville USA to create their concept albums, the Jackson 5 demanded the same to be done for them. When they were rebuffed, Joseph Jackson decided to take his sons out of Motown having them sign a deal with CBS Records.

The decision, made in May of 1975, was shocking to the Motown staff. At this point, both Michael and Jermaine Jackson had success as solo artists. Jermaine decided to stay in Motown partially due to his marriage to Hazel Gordy, Berry's daughter. Recruiting Randy as a full fledged member, the group was held from recording for a year as Motown and the Jacksons countersued each other. Finally it was decided that the group was to change its name. Deciding on the Jacksons, they signed with Gamble & Huff's Philly International and released their self-titled debut on the album. Their 1978 Destiny album, released on Epic, was the group's first self-produced album and finally garnered the group their own success with the top ten disco hit "Shake Your Body Down to the Ground". The group would do three albums afterwards in the next 11 years while Michael Jackson eventually left the group due to his successful post-Motown solo career.

The original Jackson 5 were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2001, all six members of the Jackson 5/Jacksons performed on MJ's 30th anniversary special.

----
JACKSON 5 MUSIC HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=
[Edited 1/12/09 18:42pm]

THE DEBARGE FAMILY:

SWITCH (BOBBY & TOMMY DeBARGE):
Formed: 1976 (as First Class) in Mansfield, Ohio
Disbanded: 1981 (Bobby & Tommy); 1984 (overall band)

DeBARGE:
Formed: 1979 (as The DeBarges) in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Disbanded: 1989
Important Members: Bunny DeBarge, Randy DeBarge, Marty DeBarge, El DeBarge, James DeBarge

CHICO DeBARGE:
Real Name: Jonathon Arthur DeBarge
Birth Date: June 23, 1966
Birth Place: Detroit, Michigan

EL DeBARGE:
Real Name: Eldra Patrick DeBarge
Birth Date: June 4, 1961
Birth Place: Detroit, Michigan

BOBBY DeBARGE:
Real Name: Robert Louis DeBarge, Jr.
Birth Date: March 5, 1956
Birth Place: Detroit, Michigan
Death Date: August 16, 1995 (complications from AIDS)
Death Place: Grand Rapids, Michigan

The DeBarge family were first reared in Motown's hometown of Detroit, Michigan and then after their mother divorced their father in the early 1970s, to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Two of the family's elder brothers Bobby and Tommy later went on to form the popular 1970s R&B group Switch, which signed to Motown in 1977 after auditioning for Jermaine Jackson, who later became their producer. In 1978, the group hit with the Bobby-penned "There'll Never Be". Other hits afterwards would include "I Wanna Be Closer", "The Best Beat in Town", "I Call Your Name", "Over and Over Again", "Don't Take Your Love Away" and "You & I", most of the hits featuring Bobby DeBarge's high-register falsetto which gave comparisons to earlier Motown falsetto heroes such as Smokey Robinson and Eddie Kendricks. Tommy is remembered for his clever bass playing in several of the group's tracks and often collaborated with his brother and member Phillip Ingram, himself a younger brother of James Ingram. Both Bobby and Tommy were heavily addicted to drugs upon their exit from Switch in 1982. Bobby dealt with a serious heroin problem at the time.

In the meantime, Bobby and Tommy's younger siblings were steadily following their path. In 1979, four of them - Bunny, Randy, Marty and El - left for Los Angeles and were signed to Motown that year as The DeBarges. In 1981, their first album was released without much recognition. However, 1982's All This Love garnered the group - now including 18-year-old James - gold status thanks to the title track and "I Like It" becoming big R&B and crossover pop hits. The following year brought In a Special Way, which included the hits "Time Will Reveal" and its title track and two successful album tracks "Stay With Me" and "A Dream", both songs would later be sampled by hip-hop and R&B artists alike as "I Like It" and "All This Love" garnered similar attention. Their 1985 album, Rhythm of the Night, became their third consecutive gold album brought on by the top ten pop hit of the same name from the movie, "The Last Dragon". Tension and drug addiction also crept in and El and Bunny DeBarge soon left the group. While Bunny attempted a solo career, after her only album tanked, she retired from public life. El released two modestly successful albums for Motown before moving to different record labels in 1990. DeBarge left Motown in 1986 and released one failed album, Bad Boys before splitting up for good in 1989.

Chico DeBarge started his solo career in 1986 with Motown and released the pop hit "Talk to Me". However his career was interrupted by a crack cocaine trafficking offense, which also included eldest brother Bobby. Both brothers were later sentenced to six years in state prison. Upon his release, Chico went on to find success in the neo soul and hip-hop soul field with the 1997 album, Long Time No See, also released on Motown though follow-up albums failed to generate similar buzz.

Bobby DeBarge, upon his release, was revealed to have had AIDS due to his longtime battle with heroin. He died of complications from the illness in 1995 at 39. Brother El DeBarge has also struggled through his own drug problems. In 2008, El DeBarge was sentenced to two years to state prison for cocaine possession. In November, a special on the group, "Unsung: DeBarge" told of the family's struggling tale featuring Bunny, James and Randy.

----
SWITCH'S MUSIC HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

DeBARGE MUSIC HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

EL DeBARGE MUSIC HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

CHICO DeBARGE MUSIC HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

Timmy84 said:

stevie's birth name. however, his legal name (changed in 1961) is stevland morris.

RICK JAMES
Real Name: James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.
Birth Date: February 1, 1948
Birth Place: Buffalo, New York
Death Date: August 6, 2004 (cardiac arrest)
Death Place: Los Angeles, California

Funk-rock master Rick James had a prolific career even before his rise as the bad boy of Motown in the 1970s and 1980s with his band of punk-funk music. Born in Orchard Park, NY and raised in the ghettos of Buffalo, James Johnson lived his entire life rebelliously. Interested in music in an early age, after dropping out of high school to go to the Navy, he then left for Canada to escape the draft and formed the Mynah Birds and changed his name to Ricky James Matthews before shortening it to Rick James a decade later while there. In 1966, the group went to Detroit and auditioned for Motown Records where they were signed. Unfortunately, word about Rick's AWOL got around and the singer did a year in the brig in Buffalo. Moving back to Detroit, he and a reformed band, now with Neil Young, recorded an album with Motown but the album was permanently shelved after Neil left to join the Buffalo Springfield. For the next decade, Rick James recorded with bands for short tenures and became something of a journeyman musician.

In 1977, he passed a demo tape to Motown's Los Angeles offices and was signed to the label that year. A year later, he formed the Stone City Band and then released his debut album, Come Get It, which featured the hits "You & I" and "Mary Jane". James was primarily known only to R&B and dance audiences for his brand of funk music that had elements of Parliament-Funkadelic and Sly Stone. After working with Teena Marie and the Mary Jane Girls and his own Stone City Band on their own albums, James hit the mainstream with 1981's Street Songs, which included the funk classics "Super Freak" and "Give It to Me Baby". The album sold over three million copies and introduced a new genre: punk-funk. James' other hits included "Dance Wit Me", "Cold Blooded", collaborations with the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and Eddie Murphy on the hits "Standin' on the Top", "Ebony Eyes" and "Party All the Time" respectively and "17". He also produced the Mary Jane Girls' hits "All Night Long" and "In My House" and contributed to Teena Marie's landmark "Square Biz" single. James, considered a hard party animal was a harder drug addict. Addicted to cocaine since the early 1970s, the addiction took a toll on his well-being by the late 1980s. In 1986, James left Motown and recorded only sporadically afterwards.

James' life took an evil turn when James was accused in 1991 of holding a woman against her will and using assault with a crack pipe on her body, in 1992, he and his girlfriend at the time were accused of beating down another woman at their Los Angeles office. In 1993, James received six years for his offenses though he was cleared of a torture charge. Due to good behavior and sobriety, James left prison in 1995 after only serving two years. In later years, James gained notoriety for the slogan "I'm Rick James, Bitch" during a now-infamous skit on Dave Chappelle's "Chappelle's Show" where Eddie Murphy's brother Charlie talked about his infamous incidents with the volatile funk legend. James also participated in the skit.

That same year, 2004, Rick was finishing up an album and a biography. On August 6, 2004, Rick James succumbed to cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles. He was 56. James' last album, Deeper Still was later released in 2006. A new headstone on James' grave was put up in 2007. He's currently buried and interred in a grave site in Buffalo.

----
RICK JAMES' MUSIC HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

nightandday said:

Gotcha.

Am I inside some type of parallel universe?

This is beyond belief, like running across an oasis.

I’ll be feeding off this information for a week or more.

Simply put, if I were lost in Motown and needed directions and both you and Berry Gordy were walking up the sidewalk towards me, I’d stop you first.

Thanks for the excellent travel guide!

TEENA MARIE
Real Name: Mary Christine Brockert
Birth Date: March 5, 1956
Birth Place: Santa Monica, California

2004 bio from Musician Guide:

Long before Eminem and other white artists found success using African-American-dominated musical styles, there was Teena Marie, one of the true creative originals of the 1980s. A series of hit albums recorded for the Motown label beginning in 1979 made her the most successful white artist ever to record for that longtime institution of black American music. After a long period during which she was absent from radio airwaves but never from the hearts of concertgoers and fans, she reappeared in the ranks of top urban contemporary musicians in 2004.

Teena Marie was born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California, on March 5, 1956; Teena Marie was a childhood nickname formed by reversing and altering her two given names, and she used it professionally from the start. Her musical talent first showed itself at age two when she started singing "The Banana Boat Song" in the inappropriate surroundings of her parents' church. Her parents, a carpenter and a childcare worker, loved classical music and the virtuoso black vocal styles of Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, and Lena Horne, and they encouraged their daughter's vocal gift.

Teena and her five siblings grew up in Venice, California, a melting pot of musical influences in the 1960s that offered Latin sounds, the proto-funk of Sly and the Family Stone, rock, Motown pop, and more. "I absorbed it all and made it into my own little style," she told the Buffalo News. As an eight-year-old she made an appearance in a Los Angeles restaurant in front of a 36-piece orchestra, and soon she was singing on the soundtracks of television commercials. At age ten she sang "Ave Maria" at the wedding of the son of comedian Jerry Lewis, and she took a turn at comedy herself with an appearance on the television series The Beverly Hillbillies.

Bowled over when she heard the classic soul vocals of Al Green when she was in the tenth grade, Teena Marie became more and more interested in African-American music and culture. In multicultural Los Angeles this didn't raise as many eyebrows as it might have elsewhere, but some insults still came her way from white classmates. She enrolled at Santa Monica City College, studying English and writing poetry on the side, and a door into the musical world opened when she auditioned for a television show called Orphanage Children that was to be produced by Motown's television arm. The show was never greenlighted, but Teena Marie was signed to Motown's Gordy Records imprint.

At first, Motown didn't know quite what to do with its four-foot-eleven-inch new artist, who didn't seem to fit any of the patterns laid down by other successful artists on the label. Her career languished for some months, but one day singer and producer Rick James, one of the label's biggest stars, happened to hear her singing and playing the piano in a rehearsal studio. "I expected to see a writer-producer," James told People. "And instead I found this short, tiny white body sitting at the piano, singing like the gods had come into her spirit."

James took charge of Teena Marie's career, producing her debut album, Wild and Peaceful, in 1979. Like some albums by black performers marketed to white audiences in the 1960s, the LP's cover lacked a picture of the artist, showing a seascape instead. Wild and Peaceful mixed Rick James-style funk with vocally explosive ballads and the straight-ahead jazz of "Gonna Have My Cake and Eat It Too." The album did well, and Teena Marie's duet with James, "I'm a Sucker for Your Love," climbed into the R&B top ten. Radio programmers assumed that Teena Marie was black, an impression the singer neither encouraged nor dispelled. "It should make no difference; I don't see color," she told People.

Teena Marie's second album, 1980's Lady T, did include her picture on the cover. The album further developed her vocal virtuosity under the production leadership of Richard Rudolph, who had been the producer and husband of the late R&B diva Minnie Riperton. Irons in the Fire, released later that year, put Teena Marie back in the R&B top ten and cracked the pop top 40 with the single "I Need Your Lovin'."

The artist had her biggest success yet with the 1981 LP It Must Be Magic. The album was certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies, and a single, "Square Biz," rose into the R&B top five. Well before rap music was commonly heard on the radio, to say nothing of rap by white artists, Teena Marie included a lengthy rap sequence in "Square Biz," deftly alluding to her own previous recordings ("I'm wild and peaceful Lady T/I got to keep my irons in the fire, you see") and paying tribute to her creative forebears ("Shakespeare, Maya Angelou/Nikki Giovanni, just to name a few"). The rest of the album was no less creative, featuring the erotic, Brazilian-flavored "Portuguese Love" and the over-the-top jazz ballad "Yes Indeed," the latter with accompaniment by pianist Patrice Rushen.

Teena Marie had one more hit on Motown, an ultra-romantic duet with Rick James called "Fire and Desire," which was included on James's album Street Songs. The song fueled strong speculation that the two were romantically involved, a rumor they never completely confirmed. She remained close to James and his family in later years, even after James was imprisoned on assault charges. After "Fire and Desire," however, Teena Marie became one of a whole series of Motown artists whose relationship with the label dissolved in legal wrangling. She moved to the Epic label in 1983 and released Robbery, a collection of songs that seemed to refer to her disillusionment with Motown. It failed commercially, but the 1984 Starchild album spawned "Lovergirl," her first song to crack the pop top ten and her only release that did better in pop chart rankings than in R&B lists.

The ambitious, rock-inflected Emerald City (1986) had only moderate success, but Naked to the World (1988) featured Teena Marie's only R&B number one hit, "Ooh La La La." After the 1990 album Ivory, she was dropped by Epic and took a hiatus from recording for several years. She released an album, Passion Play, on her own Sarai label in 1994, and continued to perform in concert from time to time. Mostly, however, her time in the late 1990s was occupied by her daughter, Alia. "We're best friends," Teena Marie told the Buffalo News. "Her needs and her wants are a lot simpler than those of the music business."

A 1999 appearance on the VH-1 cable television channel's Where Are They Now? series testified to continuing audience interest in Teena Marie's music, and after several years of rumors that she was at work on a new album, she was signed to the New Orleans-based hip-hop label Cash Money in 2002. Although she had had little to do with hip-hop since its very early years, Teena Marie felt comfortable in her new creative environment. "I've always been edgy, and I've always listened to the sounds were that were coming up," she told the Detroit Free Press. Her new album La Dona was released in May of 2004. It reunited Teena Marie and Rick James on one track ("I Got You"), and featured contributions from fellow 1980s stalwart Gerald Levert and from hip-hop figures MC Lyte and Medusa. The album's leadoff single, "Still in Love," quickly rose on the R&B charts as if Teena Marie had never been away.

----
Music of Lady Tee here:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

Brendan said:

Thanks, Brendan!

LIONEL RICHIE
Full Name: Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr.
Birth Date: June 20, 1949
Birth Place: Tuskegee, Alabama

Lionel Richie was already an astute singer-songwriter, hit maker and prolific musician by the time he left the Commodores in 1982. That year, he issued his self-titled album, which included the hits "Truly" and "You Are". The follow-up, 1983's Can't Slow Down became a blockbuster album for Richie in terms of sales. Due to its crossover appeal mixing Lionel's usual pop-R&B with country, rock and calypso-styled beats and songs, the album would yield the hits "All Night Long", "Running with the Night", "Stuck Over You" and "Hello". The album went on to sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. and win Richie a succession of American Music Awards and Grammy Awards winning Album of the Year in the latter. In 1984, Richie performed at the closer to that year's Olympics in Los Angeles and in 1985, he and Michael Jackson composed the humanitarian anthem, "We Are the World", which became one of the most successful singles of all time. Between 1978 and 1986, Richie was responsible for recording, writing, and/or producing a hit in every one of those years. The streak stopped with Dancing on the Ceiling. In 1987, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Say You, Say Me". A year later, Richie's reputation as a balladeer tainted somewhat after his infidelity became public record following an incident with his wife at the time, Brenda Richie. Feeling overwhelmed by pressure, stress and voice problems (he later removed nodes from his vocal chords in the early nineties), Richie semi-retired from the business to take care of his dying father. After his dad's death and the finalizing of his divorce, Richie returned to public view in 1992 with the hits album, Back to Front, which turned out to be his final Motown album. Afterwards, he signed with Mercury Records for 1996's Louder than Words. He now currently records on the Island Records label. In 2004, Richie was inducted to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

----
Find the best of Lionel Richie's music here:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

THE ORIGINALS
Formed: 1966 in Detroit, Michigan
Disbanded: 1982
Important Members: Freddie Gorman, Ty Hunter, Henry Dixon and Walter Gaines

Biography from SoulTracks.com:

While spending most of their existence in the shadow of Motown's biggest acts, the Originals had a brief shining moment and a couple now-classic songs that will forever secure their place in Soul Music history.

At their prime consisting of bass singer/songwriter Freddie Gorman (most noted for his composition "Please Mr. Postman" for the Marvelettes), falsetto singer Tyrone Hunter, tenors C.P. Spencer and Hank Dixon, and baritone Walter Gaines, the group broke out in 1970 after several years as a 2nd tier Motown group. Their vehicle was an absolutely beautiful ballad written by labelmate Marvin Gaye, "Baby I'm For Real." The song's arrangement and the group's performance were both perfect, and it became an instant soul classic that quickly topped the Soul charts. Gaye helped the following year with a successful sequel, the similarly strong "The Bells." However, while similar help from Stevie Wonder ("It's a Shame") gave the Spinners the foundation for a sterling 20 year chart career, the Originals' star fell quickly after the two hits. Their visibility within Motown decreased when the label moved to Los Angeles and the Originals chose to stay in Detroit. Though they landed a couple more Soul top 20 hits in 1971 ("We Can Make It Baby" and "God Bless Whoever Sent You"), it would be a half decade and a move to the West coast before the Originals would again have a hit, as the group reemerged as a disco act in 1976 with the hit "Down to Love Town." They left Motown in the late 70s and signed with Fantasy Records, where they scored a minor dance hit with a remake of the 50's hit "Blue Moon."

The Originals ceased recording by 1981 and, after a brief comeback in Europe as part of Ian Levine's Motorcity Recordings project in 1982, broke up. Hunter died, but the remainder of the group reunited from time to time to play the oldies circuit, mostly in Europe. Gorman died on June 13, 2006 at age 67.

----
BABY I'M FOR REAL:
http://www.youtube.com/wa...re=related

THE BELLS:
http://www.youtube.com/wa...JjJsiKqkHs

CHECK MORE HERE:
http://www.imeem.com/arti...originals/

THE FUNK BROTHERS
Formed: 1959 in Detroit, Michigan
Disbanded: 1972

To Motown's stars, the four wooden steps leading down to Hitsville's basement were a bridge to a land of dreams. But to the studio musicians who shaped the Motown sound, the stairs were a gateway to a workplace, a cramped, smoke stained, dimly lit room they affectionately dubbed "The Snakepit."

For almost fourteen years on a daily and nightly basis, the musicians transformed that basement into a hit factory. They rolled masterpieces off the production line in an hour or less, trading friendly insults as they worked. Known as "Funk Brothers", they were utterly unknown.

Berry Gordy demanded assembly-line efficiency. Sessions started at 10 o'clock and were over in the afternoon. Most of the time they were three hour sessions. Since they could call for a session seven days a week the Funk Brothers were always on call. They were paid $10 a song until everything was right.

In some of those three hour sessions there might be two or three producers depending on the number of songs. The Union rule was that you could cut no more than four songs at a session. However because the Funk Brothers were an in-house band the Union was never around. So they cut whatever needed to be done.

When they weren't working at Studio A they could often times be found jamming at Millie's Chit Chat Lounge on 12th Street.

Here are the names of those musicians, broken down into the three distinct periods of the Motown Sound.

1959-1962
The early Motown hits were blues based, a product of the uncluttered approach devised by the Motown staff songwriters and producers in tandem with local blues and R&B musicians. Most of the arrangements were done on the spot by the musicians, occasionally with a simple horns background added.

The earthly, down home piano playing of Joe Hunter, Motown's first bandleader, contributed a great deal to the success of hits like "Pride and Joy" and "Come Get These Memories." Although he left in 1964, Hunter's greatest achievement was bringing together the integral components of a world class studio band.

Keyboards - Joe Hunter, Earl Van Dyke, Popcorn Wylie
Guitars - Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, Larry Veeder, Dave Hamilton
Bass - James Jamerson, Clarence Isabell
Drums - Benny Benjamin, Richard "Pistol" Allen, George McGregor, Clifford Mack
Percussion - Jack Ashford, Eddie "Bongo" Brown
Vibes - Jack Ashford, Dave Hamilton, James Gittens
Trumpets - Herbie Williams, John "Little John" Wilson, Marcus Belgrave, Russell Conway, Johnny Trudell
Saxophones- Hank Crosby, Andrew "Mike" Toney, Norris Patterson, Thomas "Beans" Bowles, Teddy Buckner, Ronnie Wakefield, Lefty Edwards, Eli Fontaine, Ernie Rodgers
Trombone - Bob Cousar, George Bohanon, Paul Riser

1963-1967

Motown's resounding success was a powerful magnet to Detroit's local jazz and club players, who brought with them a musical sophistication missing in the earliest recordings. Robert White's and Eddie Willis' signature guitar licks, the backbeat cooked up by guitarist Joe Messina and percussionist Jack Ashford, the heart stopping rhythmic locks by drummer Benny Benjamin and virtuoso bassist James Jamerson, the deft direction by bandleader and keyboardist Earl Van Dyke, provided the unshakeable foundation for Motown's stars.

Keyboards - Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, Johnny Gittens, Ted Sheely
Guitars - Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, Marv Tarplin, Cornelius Grant
Bass -James Jamerson, Tony Newton
Drums -Benny Benjamin, Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones, Frederick Waites
Percussion - Jack Ashford, Eddie "Bongo" Brown
Vibes- Jack Ashford, Jack Brokensha
Trumpet - Johnny Trudel, Herbie Williams, Floyd Jones, Maurice Davis, Billy Horner, Jon "Little John" Wilson, Russell Conway, Marcus Belgrave, Don Slaughter.
Trombone - George Bohanon, Jimmy Wilkens, Bob Cousar, Paul Riser, Don White, Carl Raetz, Patrick Lanier, Bill Johnson
Saxophone - Hank Crosby, Andrew "Mike" Terry, Thomas Beans" Bowles, Kasuka Malia, Teddy Buckner, Lefty Edwards, Eugene BeeBee" Moore, William "Wild Bill" Moore, Angelo Carlisi, Ernie Rodgers, Dan Turner, Bernie Peacock, Larry Nozero
Flute - Dayna Hartwick
Strings - Gordon Staples (concertmaster) and the Detroit Symphony Strings.

1968-1972

During this era there was a new catalyst for change in the Motown sound. Producer Norman Whitfield's psychedelic soul revolution ushered in the arrival of guitarist Dennis Coffey and Wah Wah Watson. Motown's recording schedule increased bringing in other new players. The death of Benny Benjamin, along with James Jefferson's advancing alcoholism, pushed talents like Uriel Jones and Bob Babbitt to the front. Still at Motown's core was the classic band led by Earl Van Dyke.

After a decade of hit making the Funk Brothers performed like a championship team; they thought their dynasty would last forever. But as Motown began to seek new horizons in Los Angeles, the musicians sensed the coming of an end to an era. Digging deep into their lifeblood, the many strains of Detroit's rich musical traditions, they redefined the boundaries of pop music one last time with the historic Marvin Gaye What:s Going On sessions.

Within a year after the release of Gaye's album, Motown moved permanently to Los Angeles, and the most prolific studio band in recording history closed shop.

Keyboards - Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith
Guitars _ Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, Dennis Coffey, Wah Wah Watson
Bass - James Jamerson, Bob Babbit, Eddie Watkins
Drums - Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones, Andrew Smith
Percussion - Jack Ashford, Eddie "Bongo" Brown
Vibes - Jack Ashford, Jack Brokensha
Trumpet - John Trudell, Russell Conway, Herbie Williams, Floyd Jones, John "Little John" Wilson, Maurice Davis, Marcus Belgrave, Billy Horner, Don Slaughter, Eddie Jones
Trombone - Jimmy Wilkins, Bob Cousar, Paul Riser, Don White, Carl Raetz, Patricl Lanier, Paul Johnson
Saxophones - Hank Crosby, Kasuka Mafia,Teddy Buckner, Lefty Edwards, Bernie Peacock, Thomas "Beans" Bowles, Eugene "BeeBee" Mooore, William "Wild Bill" Moore, Angelo Carlisi, Ernie Rodgers, Dan Turner, Eli Fontaine, Larry Nozero, Lanny Austin
Flute - Dayna Hartwick
Strings - Gordon Staples (concertmaster) and the Detroit Symphony Strings

Arrangers and producers throughout the Detroit era - Paul Riser, Willie Shorter, Dave Van DePitte, Wade Marcus, Johnny Allen, Gil Askey, Ernie Wilkins, Jerry Long, Hank Crosby, Slide Hampton, H.B. Barnum

Motown's West Coast Studio Band.

During the mid-Sixties Motown augmented its overwhelming Detroit recording schedule with a few west Coast sessions. In addition to accommodate complex touring schedules the company often flew tapes between Los Angeles and Detroit. The majority of the hits were still being recorded in Detroit, but by the late 60s the Los Angeles operation played an increasingly important role. The Jackson 5 sessions, in fact, were recorded almost entirely in Los Angeles.

Keyboards - Mike Rubini, Joe Sample, Clarence McDonald, Don Randi, Larry Knechtel
Guitars - Arthur Wright, David T. Walker, Thomas Tedesco, Louie Shelton, Adolph Green, Weldon T. Parks
Bass - Wilson Felder, Carol Kaye, Bill Pitman, Ron Brown
Drums - Earl Palmer, Ed Greene, Gene Pello, Paul Humphreys
Percussion - Gary Coleman, Bobbye Porter, King Errisson, Joe Clayton, Sandra Crouch, Jerry Steinholtz, Emil Richards
Arrangers - Gene Page, James Carmichael, Arthur Wright, Gil Ashley

courtesy Allan (Dr. Licks) Slutsky

James Jamerson was inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000

----
BEST OF THE FUNK BROS HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

THE ANDANTES
Members: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow & Louvain Demps

Biography from the Vickie and Friends site:

Marlene Barrow, Louvain Demps, and Jackie Hicks, are The Andantes. Their voices are heard around the world everyday.

The Andantes are Motown's legendary in house session vocalists. From 1958-1973 they recorded over 20,000 songs. The Andantes sang harmonies and back up vocals on such hits as Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life", Mary Well's "My Guy", The Four Tops' "Bernadette" and "Baby I Need Your Lovin", Martha & The Vandella's "Jimmy Mack", The Supremes "Love Child" plus many more.

Other artists include:

Amos Milburn
Barrett Strong
Marv Johnson
The Isley Brothers.
Kim Weston
The Temptations
Brenda Holloway
Edwin Starr
Eddie Holland
Chuck Jackson
The Marvelettes
Tammi Terrell
Soupy Sales
The Funk Brothers
Jackie Wilson

The list of producers that The Andantes have worked with includes…

Marvin Gaye, Mickey Stevenson, Harvey Fuqua, Clay McMurray, Frank Wilson, Hank Crosby,"Ivy"Joe Hunter,"The Board", Berry Gordy, Sylvia Moy, Deak Edwards, Norman Whitfield, Shorty Long, Ron Miller, George Fowler, Smokey Robinson, Ashford and Simpson, William Witherspoon, James Dean, Johnnie Bristol, Holland-Dozier-Holland, and many others.

Arrangers they have worked with are as follows:

Paul Riser, Johnny Allen, Maurice King, Dave Van dePitt and many others.

AT THE MOTOWN VAULTS, SONGS LIVE FOREVER.

http://www.freep.com/arti...64/0/ENT04


NEW YORK -- It's a plain little room. The size of a small garage, maybe.


For Detroit, this is a very important 150 square feet. Housed here, on the fifth floor of an office building 500 miles from West Grand Boulevard, are the most valuable raw materials in the city's cultural history.

This is Universal Music's Motown vault, and these are Motown's original session tapes: the reels that rolled in the studio at West Grand, capturing what would become some of the most beloved sounds in popular music. These tapes are the sacred texts of Detroit music, and this is their sanctuary.

The little room is concealed behind secured doors deep in Universal's glossy Broadway headquarters. It's not a romantic-looking nook. Fluorescent lights, white walls, metal shelving.

But the contents are pure gold, and worth that much, too. Lining the shelves are hundreds of thin square boxes, many with crinkled, typewritten labels itemizing the songs inside. These reels have been on a lengthy journey -- from Detroit in the '60s to Los Angeles in the '70s to New Jersey in the '90s to Pennsylvania in the '00s to this little room in Manhattan today.

This vault is a way station for the tapes as Universal staffers do their work, creating digital archives, performing restoration work and -- most importantly -- extracting songs for an ever-churning array of Motown projects. When the reels aren't here, they're in heavily guarded, climate-controlled facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with Motown's full archive of 30,000 reels.

Half a century after Motown's inception, the music's staying power is unquestioned. Put it in perspective: Fifty years before 1959, America's leading popular music was ragtime. America wasn't still grooving to ragtime in 1959.

But America and the world are still grooving to Motown. Songs by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, the Four Tops continue to rack up radio play that rivals today's young hit-makers.

Founder Berry Gordy Jr. says Motown's 50th anniversary is "really about celebrating the unsung heroes as well as the ones everybody knows." Years ago, those unsung heroes were fearless salesmen, patient artist trainers and other offstage personnel. Today they're the core team of six people in this office, along with staffers across the country, doing the work that keeps Motown's music thriving.

"Universal is the caretaker of the legacy, and we take that role very seriously," says Harry Weinger, vice president of Universal's catalog division. "Motown is still alive. It's not some creaky museum piece. It's real."

Down the hall from Universal's New York vault is the mastering room, a mood-lit space with a pair of leather couches and a stately console at the center. Studio A, they call it, in a tribute to Hitsville back in Detroit. Two vintage tape machines, the size of card tables, sit against a wall. They're rare, expensive and meticulously maintained. The last thing anybody wants is to see a stream of Motown tape go twisting and shredding into a real piece of history.

This is where staffers take the work of Motown's greats, transferring the old tapes into computer files for mixing and mastering. When you buy a Motown reissue, a boxed set, even a karaoke disc, this is where it came from.

Scrutinizing the tape boxes brings little thrills. Each contains a track sheet from the original recording session, meticulously listing song titles, dates, personnel and the placement of instruments. Motown often cut several sessions on one reel. Pull a box off the shelf, and you might see "The Tears of a Clown" and "Standing in the Shadows of Love" side by side.

Today we view Motown's songs as timeless, as larger than life. The old hand-typed sheets pull them down to Earth. It hits you that this was somebody's afternoon task some random weekday: Somebody pecked out the letters "M-y G-i-r-l" before they achieved immortal status.

"We're following in someone's footsteps, and they've done beautiful work," says Weinger. "So sometimes you just want to touch the tape. You get the vibe of the session, the feel for it."

Motown Records, sold by Gordy 20 years ago, remains an active label -- people elsewhere in this building work with contemporary acts such as Erykah Badu. But nostalgia has been big business for the company since the 1980s, when oldies radio took off and Hollywood began to tap the catalog.

"I always knew it would become valuable," Gordy says. "We were locked into the baby boomers early, and they followed us right down to where we are now. And now their kids, their grandkids, are getting a taste of something they loved so much."

In L.A.: The masters' touch
In a Los Angeles coffee bar on a winter morning, a frisky beat kicks up on the overhead sound system, soon joined by a voice. "You just keep me hanging on..."

It's not the Supremes. Hot English producer Mark Ronson, whose work helped turn Amy Winehouse into last year's Grammy champ, is a Motown fanatic. This recent cut, "Stop Me," is like much of Ronson's work, bowing affectionately to the Detroit sound. Motown's influence is still everywhere, including this homage to the Supremes classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On."

It's a fitting prelude for a visit later that morning with the song's writers, Holland-Dozier-Holland. The famed production trio has agreed to assemble at an L.A. studio, coaxed into spending time with copies of their original multitracks, which have been transported from Universal in New York.

They haven't sat together like this at a studio board, digging through their Hitsville creations, in more than 40 years.

These three -- Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland -- cooked up many of Motown's biggest smashes, including hits for the Supremes, the Four Tops and the Temptations. Recently, for the first time since the '70s, they began writing together, composing songs for an upcoming Broadway production of "The First Wives Club."

All are in their late 60s, still radiating the sort of easy cool that comes from knowing you've been really, really good at something. The Hollands sport tinted glasses, Eddie with a trademark ponytail. Dozier is in all black, going at his chewing gum. They amble into the studio wisecracking and nudging elbows, and settle in for a round of listening.

Watching them at the studio board dissecting the Four Tops' "Bernadette" is a music nut's fantasy. Glimmers of recognition sweep across the aged faces as the song unfolds. They still hear this stuff in a way nobody else ever will, the sonic elements processed in their brains the way a painter discerns his own strokes.

Brian Holland's fingers begin to toy at the faders, old instincts kicking in. Midway through the song's second chorus, the instruments are muted, and all pause in awe as Levi Stubbs' vocal roars alone through the room, droplets of fire dripping from his voice. H-D-H created a lot of magic, but this force of nature isn't theirs.

"Yeah." Brian Holland nods. "Mmm-hmm."

Eddie Holland pipes up. He's the one who pushed Stubbs to sing so high. "See how he is? He's up at the peak. A lot of singers, when they hit their peak, they fade, they falter. He does not. He maintains, sustains, and the emotions just come pouring through. That's not just a good singer -- that's a great singer."

Another song is up: the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On."

The multitrack starts rolling, and the decades again vanish. A young girl -- Flo? Mary? -- clears her throat at the microphone. Brian Holland's count-in rings out: "One, two, one-two-three-FOUR!"

As the Funk Brothers swing into the flashy groove, the Hollands and Dozier recap the standard H-D-H process: Lamont and Brian conceived the music at a piano, often with unorthodox chording that puzzled Motown's band (and still prompts strangers to pester the trio for answers).

Eddie then crafted lyrics, seeking to capture "whatever that melody and track was saying." Lamont and Brian worked with Motown's band to flesh out arrangements, keying in on drummer Benny Benjamin and bassist James Jamerson and building from there.

"Did we know exactly what we were doing? I can't say," says Eddie. "But we knew exactly what we wanted."

"You Keep Me Hangin' On" was a relatively complex production. Diana Ross's vocals are double-tracked to create a crisp sizzle. A piano and organ are tucked subtly into the mix. The song's signature dee-dee-dee lick mimics a teletype machine.

"We didn't have synthesizers then," says Dozier. "So we had to be really on our toes in coming up with innovative stuff. Fun stuff."

The track finishes with an unfamiliar flourish: Ross croons a closing coda, and a strum of 12-string guitar brings it to a wrap.

Brian Holland lights up in recognition at the original finale. "I kind of liked that better," he says. "But you had Berry going, 'Nah, you gotta fade the thing out.' "

In New York: Music guardians
At a music industry function a few years back, Brian Holland spotted Harry Weinger and approached the Universal exec. The Motown legend dropped to one knee.

"I love what you're doing, man," Weinger recalls Holland saying. "I just want to thank you for keeping it alive."

At the New York office, Weinger's colleagues are an upbeat bunch of Motown devotees, each with key specialties: song mixers, vintage-gear technicians, walking Supremes encyclopedias. Stylish old Motown posters, gold records and framed album covers lend the department a bright but classy vibe.

"This is the single most important part of the organization," says Andy Skurow, Universal's Motown vault scholar. "These are the assets, the part that lasts forever."

He's not just hyping. Amid all the Internet-age turmoil, back catalog has remained the record industry's steadiest seller, comprising an ever-bigger slice of the pie as overall album sales sag. Catalog sales represented 55.2% of total U.S. album sales in 2008, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Skurow describes his job as treasure hunting: As he sifts through the tape reels, he keeps an ear out for deeper material. Motown recorded day and night during its Detroit years. Motown's 30,000 reels feature about 500,000 tracks, says Skurow, half of them recorded in Detroit. That includes songs never released and alternates of familiar classics. There are still thousands to be explored.

"The A-plus music is what got out there," says Weinger. "There's still a lot of A and A-minus waiting to be mined."

Bit by bit it's finding the light of day, issued as bonus tracks on CD reissues or on deluxe sets. The material helps "keep Motown going," says Weinger, by offering "something different that helps tell the story, or brings out a different element."

Longtime soul savant David Nathan runs SoulMusicStore.com, a leading outlet for vintage R&B. He applauds Universal's work, noting that the audio quality has vastly improved since the first Motown reissue CDs in the '80s.

In 2008, Motown products were 54% of his store's total sales -- "and we had a really good year," he says. Among Motown's hard-core fans, the release of Supremes obscurities, in particular, can incite a virtual stampede.

The diehards still hunger for more stuff deep from the vaults, and interest in Motown far exceeds that for R&B labels such as Stax and Philly International.

"It ranks up there in the same way there are ardent followers for the Beatles and Elvis," says Nathan. "In its own way, Motown has that."

Keeping the music alive feels like part duty, part blessing, says Weinger.

"I feel good about what we're doing. When I hear Motown on the radio, I know that, hey, Smokey did it, the Tempts did it, Diana did it, Stevie did it," he says. "Of course, they did it. But to keep it rolling is a wonderful gift."

Contact BRIAN McCOLLUM at 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com

YVONNE FAIR
Birth Date: June 3, 1942
Birth Place: Richmond, Virginia
Death Date: March 6, 1994
Death Place: Las Vegas, Nevada

A former member of a remodeled version of the landmark girl group the Chantels and as a member of the James Brown Revue, Richmond, Virginia native Yvonne Fair signed with Motown in 1972 after her work with Chuck Jackson was noticed by Motown staffers. Her first major Motown contribution was playing a bit role as a chanteuse in the Diana Ross vehicle, "Lady Sings the Blues". In 1975, she released her first and only album with Motown titled The Bitch is Black. The album yielded the Norman Whitfield-produced hits "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On" (which Edwin Starr originally recorded) which featured Marvin Gaye in the background, and her cover of the minor Gladys Knight hit, "It Should Have Been Me", which became a UK hit in 1976. Fair eventually left the label and later married Imperials/O'Jays singer Sammy Strain. Fair died unexpectedly in March of 1994. She was 51. Her rock version of The Temptations hit "Let Your Hair Down" was later sampled by Jay-Z.

----
CHECK OUT YVONNE FAIR'S MUSIC HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

EDWIN STARR
Real Name: Charles Edwin Hatcher
Birth Date: January 21, 1942
Birth Place: Nashville, Tennessee
Death Date: April 2, 2003
Death Place: Beeston, England

Bio from his UK fan site:
Edwin Starr was an integral part of the soul and dance floor scene since the mid-fifties and the formation of his first band The Future Tones in 1956. He was on the road right to the end.

Born Charles Edwin Hatcher on January 21st, 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee, Edwin was raised and educated in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1962, after completing two years of military service in the USA and Germany he moved to Detroit, the automobile city. By the middle of the decade he was a member of the artistes on the up-and-coming RicTic label under Ed Wingate. Together they released one immortal Northern Soul hymn after another. Songs like "Agent 00 Soul", S.O.S (Stop her On Sight)" and "Headline News" laid the foundations for Edwins' continuing world-wide fame.

In 1968 mogul Berry Gordy swallowed up the Ric Tic artistes and Edwin suddenly found himself on the great Motown record label. He got off to a good start with "I Am The Man For You Baby", but it was with "25 Miles" in 1969 that things really took off.

Edwin was somewhat unusual member of the Motown family, he co-wrote some of his numbers and stood out from the Motown programme with his rough soul shout. The visionary producer, Norman Whitfield (Temptations, Gladys Knight, Rose Royce) was looking for just this kind of voice. He chose Edwin to sing the re-recording of the song "War, huh, Whatizzit Good For, Absolutely Nothing" and the single marched all the way to number 1.

In the times that followed, more and more Motown artistes such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder directed their creative energy towards soul and social criticism. When Edwin parted company with Motown with the soundtrack "Hell Up In Harlem" - from which samples can be heard on Hip Hop records from Tone Loc to Ice T - the great Motown "Sound of Young America" was already drawing to a close.

One year later Edwin celebrated his regained freedom with the album "Free To Be Myself" and the "Afternoon Sunshine" LP. His disco-soul stompers "Happy Radio", "(Eye to Eye)Contact" and "Get Up Whirlpool" once and for all established him with an enormous audience at the end of the seventies.

Edwin has been twice nominated for a Grammy, once with "Agent 00 Soul", and "H.A.P.P.Y Radio" is in the Hall of Fame.

Edwin has appeared on several theatre tours, including THE RETURN OF THE GIANTS with the Four Tops and Temptations, and DANCING IN THE STREETS (first tour) with co-stars Martha Reeves and Mary Wilson.

Timeline
(1999-2003)

May 1999 Edwin attended a Bruce Springsteen concert at Birmingham's NEC and is asked to duet Edwin's "WAR" hit with the rock superstar.

Edwin makes the pop charts with his guest appearance on the Utah Saints' single Funky Music (Sho Nuff Turns Me On)" which was of course an original Edwin Starr hit and he also guested on the Three Amigos' single "25 Miles". TV appearances include TFI Friday with Chris Evans.

March 2000Edwin presents a three-part exploration of the link between soul music and the US civil rights movement for the BBC. The program, called "RESPECT - Soul and the Civil Rights Movement" featured Wilson Pickett, Martha Reeves, Mary Wilson, Jerry Butler and others telling how their songs played a part in calling for change in American society.

June 2001 Edwin performs at the Millenium Stadium for the Speedway Grand Prix.

Sept 2001 Edwin performs for Michael Jackson's anniversary party at the Tavern-on-the-Green in New York.

October 2001 Setting up of Edwin's web site.

Photo from WOMAD courtesy BBC 2001 November 2001 Edwin performs at the Canaries WOMAD festival The photo (right) will take you to a BBC review of the concert.

December 2001 Edwin takes part in his first Internet chat room discussion via Soul-Patrol. Fans and friends worldwide had the opportunity to send their best wishes and ask Edwin questions.

New Years Eve 2001 Edwin appears on Jules Hollands' Hootenanny on BBC2, opening the show with 25 Miles and reprising with War towards the end. Jules noted that Edwins' voice is so powerful he is the first singer on his show who did not make use of the monitors!

March 2002 Edwin works with Pop Star rejects Helen Farrar and Rachael Makins. Click here for more from the BBC.

March 2002 Edwin performs at Liza Minelli's and David Gest's wedding, without a doubt the ShowBiz wedding of the year. Edwin (a long-time friend of David's) enjoyed meeting and performing with many of his friends and peers at the wedding reception. The entertainment featured a 60-piece orchestra and other entertainers performing there included Paula Abdul, Ed Ames, Tony Bennett, Roberta Flack, Gloria Gaynor, Robert Goulet, the Pointer Sisters, Shaggy, Dionne Warwick, Billy Paul, Chuck Jackson, Ashford and Simpson, Michael McDonald, The Doobie Brothers, Michael Jackson, Freda Payne and Taj Mahal.

Joan Collins, Liz Taylor, Janet Leigh, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Douglas, and an old friend - Louis Gossett Jr. were among the hundreds of celebrities present. The whole event was closed by Edwin, who brought everyone to their feet, dancing and singing to Marvin Gaye's 'Grapevine. Edwin makes a very special mention and thanks to Joe Ma Lotti, the conductor/musical director for all of David Gest's productions. "Joe is a very, very good producer and a great guy".

April - June 2002
Edwin again joins Martha Reeves in a reprise of the Dancing In The Streets show, this time with special guest Freda Payne. An incredible 10-week stint of 50 dates around the UK.

September 10th 2002 Edwin records "Snowflake Boogie" with Jules Holland for Jules' Christmas album - the song was penned by Jules.

September 26th 2002 Edwin chats on GMTV with former Supreme Mary Wilson.

November 2nd 2002 Edwin spars with Jonathan Ross - Radio 2.

November 6th 2002 Edwin cooks Noisettine on UK Food TV.

November 22nd 2002 Edwin appears on BBC2s "Later" with Jules Holland singing "Snowflake Boogie" a song featured on Jool's album "More Friends". Edwin also sang a duet of "Drowning In My Own Tears" with Sam Moore (formerly of Sam & Dave) Listen to a preview of Edwin's "Snowflake Boogie" -

November 26th 2002 Edwin records in Pittsburgh for PBS American Soundtrack Concert Series
The concert - co-hosted by Aretha Franklin and Lou Rawls was seen by up to 400 million viewers and broadcast in March 2003.
spacer.gif - 1kb

New Years Eve 2002 Edwin sings Stop Her On Sight on Jonathan Ross.

January 20th 2003 Edwin tops Northern Soul Poll as "All-Time Favourite Artist" and "Best All-Time Live performer".
The poll - supported by leading soul mag Blues & Soul - was the result of 22,000 responses during 2002.

April 2nd 2003 Following a heart attack Edwin passes away at his Nottingham home.

Edwin's grave may be visited at the Southern Cemetary and Wilford Hill Crematorium, West Bridgford, Nottingham. The plot is H19-91, on the cemetary map it is roughly within grid refs J18 - H21.

His epitaph reads:
CHARLES EDWIN HATCHER...OUR AGENT 00 SOUL...EDWIN STARR.....KEEP THE FAITH.....ALWAYS LOVED, NEVER FORGOTTEN
----
Best of Edwin here:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

THE MONITORS
Formed: 1964 in Detroit, Michigan
Disbanded: 1968
Important Members: Richard Street, Sandra Fagin, John Fagin & Warren Harris

Bio from Wikipedia:
The Monitors were a minor Motown act from the 1960s. The group, which consisted of lead singer Richard Street, Sandra Fagin, John "Maurice" Fagin, and Warren Harris, had only one minor hit, a cover of the Valadiers' "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)", which reached number 21 on the Billboard R&B chart, and number 100 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)" explores the feelings felt by many young African American men, as they were drafted into the army to serve in the Vietnam War.

Their first release as The Majestics was to have been 'Hello Love' on Motown's VIP label in 1964, but release was cancelled. A year later, 'Say You' was released initially as The Majestics, but a name change to The Monitors was made after it was found there was another group already recording as The Majestics for another company. 'Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)' was their 3rd release and reached #100 on Billboards Pop Chart. Two more singles appeared on VIP 'Since I Lost You Girl'(November 1966) and 'Bring Back The Love' (January 1968). They were switched to Motown's SOUL label with 'Step by Step (Hand in Hand)' in the summer of 1968, but this was to be their final single with Motown.

Because of the Monitors' lack of success, its members held other positions within the Motown corporation to sustain income. Richard Street, for example, worked in Motown's Quality Control department, and later traveled with The Temptations as a stand-in for Paul Williams, who became increasingly ill during the late 1960s and early 1970s due to alcoholism and other health problems. When Williams was forced to leave the Temptations because of his failing health, Street took his place, and the Monitors were dissolved.

THE ELGINS
Formed: 1962 in Detroit, Michigan
Disbanded: 1967
Important Members: Sandra Edwards, Cleo Miller, Robert Fleming, Norbert McClean and Johnny Dawson

Bio from Soulwalking site:
The Elgins sang together during the late 1950's in the groups, The Sensations, The Five Emeralds and The Downbeats for the Motown Records imprint in 1959 and 1962 respectively.

The Downbeats also recorded tracks for the Lupine labels before signing to the Tamla label.

The group had ocassionally accompanied Marv Johnson.

In 1962, Sandra Edwards sang the song 'Camel Walk' / 'It's Going To Be Hard Times' for the Tamla label, backed by the Vandella's.

Saundra joined the group The Downbeats, which led to the formation of the Elgins, a name utilised by the Temptations after their enlistment to the Motown machinery.

It took three years before the group released their initial single release 'Darling Baby', a song penned by the Holland / Dozier / Holland team.

The song had been adapted from a Lamont Dozier's solo release entitled 'Dearest One' on Melody Records, June 1962.

The song made the Top Ten Stateside during 1966, hitting the number 4 spot on the R & B charts.

Perhaps the follow-up release became the groups finest moment in the form of 'Heaven Must Have Sent You', which was re-released in 1971, showcasing 'Put Yourself In My Place' on the flipside.

In 1967, the group seperated, following one further hit record.

The group later reformed for a U.K. tour, with Yvonne Vernee-Allen replacing Sandra.

By 1989, Ian Levine re-recorded 'Heaven Must Have Sent You', with the line-up comprising of Yvonne Allen, Johnny Dawson, Norman McLean and Jimmy Charles.

The group continued recording for the label with Sandra Edwards recording for the same label as a solo artist.

----
MUSIC ON THE MONITORS HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

MUSIC ON THE ELGINS HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

THELMA HOUSTON
Real Name: Thelma Jackson
Birth Date: May 7, 1946
Birth Place: Leland, Mississippi

Disco and soul diva Thelma Houston may have not be where she is had she remained hopeful that a dance cover of a Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes hit would become a hit despite the objections of Berry Gordy that it would. Soon enough Houston would join a long line of Motown musicians whose own beliefs were proven right.

Born Thelma Jackson in Leland, Mississippi on May 7, 1946, she was the daughter of a cotton picker. Later in her childhood, Thelma's family moved to Long Beach, California. After marrying a man changing her name to Thelma Houston, she joined the Art Reynolds Singers gospel group and later signed her first contract with Dunhill Records in 1968.

Three years later, she signed with Motown Records and prominently struggled for the first five years of her tenure in the Detroit-based company. In 1976, Houston released the album, Anyway You Like It, which featured a cover of the Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes hit, "Don't Leave Me This Way". Motown CEO Berry Gordy tried telling Houston that the song "wasn't a hit" and try something else. Houston wouldn't budge, she had feeling the song had a special place for her.

Despite its early slow movement, the song suddenly rose up in the winter of 1976 just as the disco movement was increasing momentum. By early 1977, it had topped the pop, R&B, dance and disco chart. The song had also hit the international charts successfully and won Houston a 1977 Grammy for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance. Thelma's career was now more in-demand, she recorded duet albums with Jerry Butler shortly thereafter and in 1979, she scored another hit with "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" before the disco backlash ended her momentum.

Despite this, Houston's career has continued to be prolific even after Houston left Motown in 1982. The singer still continues to perform mainly because of the success of the hit she had striven for.

----
CHECK OUT THELMA HOUSTON'S MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

I was over at www.soulfuldetroit.com checking out their Motown forum and been various other related forums, i have to say, this thread puts all theirs to shame.

Marrk said:

I'm a member over there, those threads usually don't bring a lot of replies, lol. But thanks again for bigging this thread. It was the best I could do.

Timmy84 said:

Oh!

I'm not, i lurk there. Every thread turns into a Diana thread, the worshippers vs the haters.

Bit like this forum and certain artists that to retain this thread's integrity, shall remain nameless!

Marrk said:

Yeah, Diana/the Supremes dominate over there. I'm "midnightman" over there.

Timmy84 said:

I'll keep a look out for your posts. What i love about that forum is they have ex and current employees posting, not artists, but you know, folks with inside knowledge. Producers and the like, people working on upcoming releases.

God i love Motown. the numbers are staggering, on 30,000 reels, 500,000 songs in the vaults, The Funk Brothers overall contribution, the amount of songs the Adantes put their vocals to (20,000!). that just blows my mind.


[Edited 1/13/09 11:25am]

Marrk said:

Not to mention the numerous hits they had in the '60s and '70s and the overall contributions of most of the acts who signed between 1959 and 2000, lol.

Timmy84 said:

Well Durrr!