Marrk said:

I just had to mention it.

What has happened since Motown 25?

jthad1129 said:

The Boys, Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, Erykah Badu and India Irie.

I'd post their biographies tomorrow.

Marrk said:

i hope for a stevie wonder j5 produced album from the vaults , or anything by wonder

Great thread Timmy

Thanks again, guys!



BOYZ II MEN
Formed: 1988 (as Unique Attraction) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Important Members: Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris and Michael McCary[/b]

Formed in Philadelphia in 1988, Boyz II Men first came up as the quintet Unique Attraction featuring high school students Wanya Morris, Marc Nelson, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris and Michael McCary. Big fans of New Edition, in 1989, they renamed themselves Boyz II Men after one of their classic album tracks of the same name from the album, Heartbreak. After meeting the group backstage at one of their concerts, member Michael Bivins agreed to mentor the boys to a record deal after hearing the group sing. In 1990, Nelson suddenly left the group because of personality conflicts and the group remained a quartet for the next decade of Wanya, Shawn, Nathan and Michael.

In 1990, they signed a deal with Motown Records behind Bivins Biv 10 Productions and released their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony. Hits came in the form of the new jack swing anthem, "Motownphilly", the cover of the Motown classic, "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" and the sexy ballad, "Uhh Ahh". In 1992, the group scored their first number-one hit behind the Babyface-written and produced "End of the Road" staying at number-one for a whopping thirteen weeks becoming one of the most successful Motown singles to date. "End of the Road" was featured on the soundtrack to the Eddie Murphy vehicle, "Boomerang". In 1994, they released their second album, II, which featured the number-one hits "I'll Make Love to You" and "On Bended Knee" and the top ten hit "Water Runs Dry". A year later, they duetted with Mariah Carey on the #1 blockbuster, "One Sweet Day", which stayed at number-one for sixteen weeks. By 1997's Evolution, tension was rising between Boyz II Men and Motown over the direction of the album. After releasing a successful remix album and releasing "A Song for Mama", which became one of their last top ten hits, from the "Soul Food" soundtrack, Evolution was released and spawned a number-one hit "Four Seasons of Loneliness". After Motown merged with Universal in 1999, Boyz II Men put out their fourth album, Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya in 2000. The album underperformed compared to their three previous albums. Leaving Motown for Arista Records in 2002, the group released Full Circle, which featured "The Color of Love". Following a battle with scoliosis, McCary was allowed to leave Boyz II Men in 2003. Nathan, Shawn and Wanya have since carried on as a trio releasing the hit cover albums, Throwback, Vol. 1 in 2004 and 2007's Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville under the Decca Records label.

The group is currently working on a new album due out this year.

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FOR BOYZ II MEN CLASSICS, GO HERE:
http://www.imeem.com/tag/...oyz+II+Men

THE BOYS
Formed: 1984 in Venice Beach, California
Members: Khiry Abdulsamad, Hakim Abdulsamad, Tajh Abdulsamad and Bilal Abdulsamad

Bio from Wikipedia:
The Boys was an American R&B quartet composed of the four Abdulsamad brothers, Khiry (born in 1973), Hakim (born in 1975), Tajh (born in 1976), and Bilal (born in 1979). The group started out singing in Carson, California. The group had three #1 singles on the R&B charts but never had a mainstream pop #1. As the group featured four young male vocalists, it could be considered an early example of a boy band.

Early years
The Boys appeared to have a lot of talent and were encouraged by their parents to pursue their dreams. The group initially included only Khiry and Hakim, but Tajh and Bilal joined the group when they started to perform publicly. Together, they pushed their dreams further, performing to raise money for a Father's Day present. They began at the beach in Venice, California and quickly earned over 50 dollars. They started going to the beaches on a weekly basis in 1984. Through 16 shows, the kids made over $12,000.

Only allowed to perform over summer break, their earnings continued to grow as their parents tried to shape them into productive adults. In 1986, the boys moved their talents to try to make records. Their parents Jabari and Angela enrolled in a course in Entertaining Management at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and used their learnings to help their kids develop. The kids began working talent shows and performing private parties. It was at one such talent show where the group got their name. Nameless up until that point, the announcer asked Angela what the group's name was. She responded with "my boys" and then quickly changed her answer to "The Boys." The name stuck.

The group sent their demo tape to MCA, Motown, and Solar Records and were given offers by all of them. Jheryl Busby signed the group while he was employed at MCA Records. However, when MCA purchased Motown records, Busby made a move up the ladder and the boys found themselves under the Motown label. Working with The Boys, Busby sought to bring the group to Jackson Five fame.

Motown
As an act, the group was very self-sufficient, writing and producing their own music. The group befriended Babyface in 1985 when he was starting to become known for his work in the group The Deele. Together with L.A. Reid, the two men crafted the tracks "Lucky Charm," "A Little Romance," and "Dial My Heart." While The Boys weren't impressed with the songs, they changed their minds after seeing Babyface perform them. The public loved the songs as well as "Dial My Heart" reached #1 on the R&B charts in 1988.

The Boys released their debut album, Messages From The Boys during the same year and it performed very well. The album's second single, Babyface's "Lucky Charm," topped the R&B charts in 1989.

The Boys second album was their self-titled The Boys, which was released in 1990. The album featured a hit single with "Crazy" which reached #1 in the same year. For a time, the single was featured in Pepsi commercials, helping the group establish further.

Their TV appearances include Showtime at the Apollo (1988) and Fun House on Fox (1989); A Different World (1992); and Amen, and even co-headling the Jump Street '89 concert tour with New Kids on the Block. They also appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show. During their interview with Arsenio, Khiry revealed that Tajh (as an infant) portrayed the infant Kunta Kinte in the miniseries Roots.

In 1993, the group's deal with Motown expired and they were offered a new six-year contract. However, the group was upset over their treatment on the label, as Motown ignored the group's self-produced album Saga Continues... and the acts produced by The Boys such as Small Change. The group seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth and while everyone believed Motown had dropped them, they, in fact, dropped Motown.

The Suns of Light
As the 90s progressed, the members of the group moved to the Western African state of Gambia, where they set up a recording studio. Learning the native tongue, the group began to develop a new sound and became known as The Suns of Light. The group continues to produce uplifting and positive music and release albums on a regular basis.

Their CDs include the following titles: Sunshine - Suns of Light, Millennium Music - Suns of Light, Mission - Suns of Light, First Love - Hakim, Ancient Wayz - Tajh, Worlds Most Wanted - Tajh, http://www.myspace.com/tajhsmusic http://www.myspace.com/hakimsmusic

Hakim, who wrote and produced "Mama Africa," on Akon's Konvicted album will be out with a new album later this year, as well as his younger brothers Tajh and Bilal. Hakim is a producer on the New Kids on the Block 2008 album The Block.

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CHECK OUT THE BOYS MUSIC HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

JOHNNY GILL
Birth Date: May 23, 1966
Birth Place: Washington, D.C.

Much like his fellow D.C. neighbor, Marvin Gaye, Johnny Gill set the standard for romantic balladeers during the 1990s New Jack Swing era. A later member of the legendary New Edition, Gill used their success to create a career that also includes a short stint as member of the supergroup LSG.

Gill began singing at a very early age and in his teens, befriended fellow D.C. teen Stacy Lattisaw. Lattisaw helped to give Gill a deal with Atlantic Records in 1983 when he was sixteen. The singer released his debut album that same year. In 1984, he and Lattisaw released the Narada Michael Walden duet, "Perfect Combination", which hit the top five on the R&B chart. After releasing his second album, Chemistry, in 1985, Gill replaced Bobby Brown as member of the Boston-based New Edition. Gill made his debut with the group on the acclaimed 1988 album, Heartbreak. Gill had a co-lead in the hit songs "Can't You Stand the Rain" and "N.E. Heartbreak". In 1990, Gill released his third solo album after signing a deal with Motown Records. This time, Gill found crossover pop success with singles such as "Rub You the Right Way", "Fairweather Friend", "Wrap My Body Tight" and "My, My, My", the latter single becoming a romantic standard. Gill released two gold-certified follow-ups during his tenure with Motown including 1993's Provocative and 1996's Let's Get the Mood Right before reuniting with New Edition on their Home Again album.

In 1997, Gill formed the R&B supergroup LSG with Gerald LeVert and Keith Sweat. Their self-titled debut featured the pop hit "My Body". While Gill has remained a member of New Edition since then, he hasn't released any new solo album since 1996.

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CHECK OUT JOHNNY GILL'S BEST HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

ERYKAH BADU
Real Name: Erica Abi Wright
Birth Date: February 26, 1971
Birth Place: Dallas, Texas

Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971) better known by her stage name Erykah Badu, is a multiple Grammy-winner American soul singer and songwriter, whose work encompasses elements of R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical stylings and sense of fashion. She is known as the "First Lady of Neo-Soul". She is performing at Keyshia Cole's Just Like You Tour.

Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for wearing very large and colorful headwraps. For her musical sensibilities, she has often been compared to jazz great Billie Holiday. She was a core member of the Soulquarians, and is also an actress having appeared in a number of films playing a range of supporting roles in movies such as Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules, and House of D.

Biography

Early life

Erykah Badu was born Erica Abi Johnson in South Dallas, Texas, on February 26, 1971. Her mother raised her and her brother and sisters alone, since their father, William Wright, Jr., had left the family early in their lives. To provide for her family, the children's grandmother often helped in looking after them while Erykah's mother, Kollen Maria Gipson (Wright), performed as an actress in theatrical productions. Influenced by her mother, Erykah had her first taste of show business at the age of 4, singing and dancing with her mother at the Dallas Theatre Centre. By the age of 14, Erykah was free-styling for a local radio station alongside such talent as Roy Hargrove. In her early youth, she decided to change the spelling of her name from Erica to Erykah, as she firmly believed her original name to be her 'slave' name. The term 'kah' signifies the inner self, which, when translated from Arabic, means 'can do no wrong'. Badu is also an African name for the 10th born child used for the Ashanti people in Ghana. Additionally in a letter written to Erykah from her father, "Badu in Arabic means truth and light...good choice kid." Erykah Badu currently resides in Dallas, Texas.

Upon graduating from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Badu went on to study theater at the historically Black college Grambling State University. Concentrating on music full-time, she left the university in 1993 before graduating and took on several minimum wage jobs to support herself. She taught drama and dance to children at the South Dallas Cultural Center. Working and touring with her cousin, Robert "Free" Bradford, she recorded a 19-song demo, Country Cousins, which attracted the attention of Kedar Massenburg, who set Badu up to record a duet with D'Angelo, "Your Precious Love," and eventually signed her to a record deal with Universal Records.

Music career

Baduizm, Badu's highly acclaimed debut album, was released in early 1997 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts. Lead single "On & On" reached #12 on the singles charts in both the U.S. and UK. Badu received notice for her introspective lyrics and jazzy, bass-heavy sound, and was hailed as one of the leading lights of the burgeoning neo soul genre. Her sophisticated style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday. Baduizm eventually went triple platinum and, along with "On & On," won Grammy Awards at the 1998 ceremonies.

During that year, Badu became involved with rapper André 3000 of OutKast, with whom she had a child, Seven, who was born in 1997. Their relationship ended sometime in the late 90s. Badu recorded her first live album, Live, while pregnant with Seven, and the release of the recording coincided with the birth to her child. Live reached #4 on the Billboard charts, selling double platinum, and spawned another R&B hit single in "Tyrone," a song chiding a selfish, cheap, and inattentive boyfriend. Badu also collaborated with the Roots (who had previously handled production duties on a number of tracks on Baduizm) on their breakthrough 1999 release, Things Fall Apart. She was featured on the song "You Got Me," co-written by Jill Scott, which hit the top 40 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

After taking some time off to raise her child, Badu returned in 2000 with Mama's Gun, an album more organic in sound than her previous studio album, and primarily produced by the Soulquarians and noted bassist Pino Palladino. A remix of one of the album's songs, "Bag Lady," was issued as the first single and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The album was well-received, with the lyrical content winning notices from many publications who found some of her lyrics hard to decipher on her initial releases. Despite not charting as high as her first two albums, Mama's Gun was another platinum-selling success, and "Bag Lady" was nominated for a Grammy.

By 2000, Badu was in a romantic relationship with fellow Soulquarian Common, and "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" was released as a collaboration between the two on the Brown Sugar soundtrack. "Love of My Life" hit #9 on the pop charts, topped the R&B listings, and Badu was awarded her fourth Grammy for the song in 2003.

After the release of Mama's Gun and "Love of My Life," Badu went through a period of writer's block. She hit the road throughout 2002 and much of 2003 on what she dubbed the "Frustrated Artist Tour," in search of inspiration to write and perform new material. The conclusion of the tour saw Badu head back to the studio with new material, and in September of 2003, the Worldwide Underground album was released. More jam-oriented than any of her prior releases, Badu was quoted as saying that the release was designed to serve as one continuous groove. Worldwide Underground reached #3 on the Billboard charts and was certified gold not long after its release, and Badu received four further Grammy nominations for the album.

After almost four years and the birth of a daughter, Puma, it was revealed in 2007 that Badu had three albums in the works over the course of 2007 and 2008. Honey, a new single produced by 9th Wonder, was leaked online in November 2007, and the new album, titled New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), was released on February 26, 2008. Part two of the album is currently slated for February 2009 release. Erykah Badu is set to perform at the 10th annual Voodoo Experience in New Orleans the weekend before Halloween 2008.

On August 23, 2008, Badu joined the rock band My Morning Jacket on stage at their show in Dallas, Texas to perform her song "Tyrone". Her surprise appearance was met with an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.

The second installment of her New Amerykah series, Part Two, is due out sometime in the near future. While it was originally planned to be released sometime this year, her pregnancy has cast some doubt as to if this will actually happen.

Music style

Badu's lyrics are highly personal philosophies which throw emotional challenges in the face of the listener. She weaves unusual musical influences together creating a rich texture of sound. In many instances she references old school rappers and songs in her songs, adding a general Hip hop sensibility to her music.

Some music journalists have labeled her Nu soul or neo soul, often comparing her to Billie Holiday in lyrical delivery and grouping her with D'Angelo in musical genre. An eclectic collaborator, she has performed with artists from many different genres and backgrounds, among them roots reggae musician and singer Burning Spear.

Personal life

Badu has a son named Seven Sirius born in 1997 with ex-partner André 3000 of OutKast. On July 5, 2004, Badu gave birth to a daughter, Puma Rose, in her Dallas home. The father of her second child is West Coast rapper The D.O.C. who is originally from Dallas, Texas. She also dated rapper Common from 2000 to around 2002. She is currently expecting her third child with boyfriend of three years - rapper Jay Electronica.

Badu divides her time between Fort Greene, Brooklyn and Dallas, Texas.

She is a vegan.

Badu also serves as an activist in South Dallas where she grew up. Her charity organization, Beautiful Love Incorporated Non Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D.) provides community-driven development for inner-city youth through music, dance, theater and visual arts.

Acting career

Badu appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules, House of D, Before the Music Dies, and Dave Chappelle's Block Party. She also appeared in scenes of the music video of Miko Marks' 2006 recording 'Mama' and Common's video for "The Light" as well as making a special appearance on the sitcom Girlfriends.

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THE BEST OF ERYKAH HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=
[Edited 1/14/09 12:32pm]

INDIA.ARIE
Full Name: India Arie Simpson
Birth Date: October 3, 1975
Birth Place: Denver, Colorado

Bio from Wikipedia:

India.Arie (born India Arie Simpson on October 3, 1975) is an American soul, R&B, and neo soul singer-songwriter, record producer, guitarist, and flautist.

Early years

Arie was born in Denver, Colorado. She absorbed musical skills early in life as she was encouraged by both parents. Her mother Joyce is a former singer (she was signed to Motown as a teenager and opened for Stevie Wonder and Al Green) and is now her stylist. Her father is former ABA and NBA basketball player Ralph Simpson. She has an older brother named J'On. After her parents divorced, Arie's mother moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia when she was thirteen. Arie had taken up a succession of musical instruments throughout her schooling in Denver, but her interest in the guitar while attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, in Savannah, led to a personal revelation about songwriting and performing. "When I started tapping into my own sensitivity, I started to understand people better. It was a direct result of writing songs", she said at the press release of her debut album, Acoustic Soul.

Co-founding the Atlanta-based independent music collective Groovement EarthShare (Groovement was the collective artists' name and EarthShare was their independent label name), her one-song turn on a locally-released compilation led to a second-stage gig at the 1998 Lilith Fair. In 1999, a Universal/Motown music scout spotted her and made an introduction to former Motown CEO Kedar Massenberg.

Musical career

Acoustic Soul (2001)

Main article: Acoustic Soul

Acoustic Soul was released on March 27, 2001 and debuted at number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Within months, without the concentrated radio airplay that typically powers pop and rap albums, Acoustic Soul was certified double platinum, selling 2.18 million copies in the U.S. and 3 million worldwide. As a capstone to the album's success, Arie had the distinction of having the most total Grammy Award nominations of any single artist that year. Fans and peers alike were stunned when she was not awarded a Grammy Award in any of the nominated categories. Nonetheless, Arie stole the spotlight by closing the ceremony with a brave performance of her song "Video", accompanied only by herself on the guitar.

Voyage to India (2002)

Main article: Voyage to India

Arie followed the success of her debut in 2002 with the release of Voyage to India. Debuting at number six on the Billboard 200 and number one on the R&B chart, it eventually earned her two Grammy Awards in 2003—"Best R&B Album" and Best Urban/Alternative Performance" for the song "Little Things". Soon after its release, Voyage to India was certified platinum selling 1.4 million copies in the U.S. and 2.2 million worldwide.

Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship (2006)

Main article: Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship

Arie's third studio album, Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship, was released on June 27, 2006. It gave Arie her first number-one spot on the Billboard 200 and was her second chart-topper on the R&B chart. This album was also the first number-one album for Motown in twelve years since Boyz II Men' 1994 II. Its first-week sales of 161,000 copies are Arie's best sales week to date and was certified gold in August 2006, selling 730,000 in US and 1.3 million worldwide. "I Am Not My Hair" was the most successful release from Testimony: Vol. 1., reaching the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at #97 and the UK Singles Chart at #65.

Her acclaimed cover of Don Henley's "The Heart of the Matter" from this album has returned in 2008 as a feature in the trailers to the film Sex and the City: The Movie. Her highly anticipated next album, Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics will be released on Tuesday, February 10, 2009. The lead single, "Beautiful Flower", is now available on the iTunes Store.

Collaborations

* Arie performed a duet with rock singer-guitarist John Mellencamp on the song "Peaceful World" for his 2001 album Cuttin' Heads.

* Arie performed a duet with jazz singer Cassandra Wilson on the song "Just Another Parade" for her 2002 album Belly of the Sun.

* On the September 12, 2005 premiere of The Tyra Banks Show, Arie performed "Just 4 2day", a song she wrote especially for Tyra's show. She also performed "What About the Child", a song that did not air but was made available as a one-dollar Internet download to support child victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

* Arie is also featured on Stevie Wonder's album A Time to Love, released on October 18, 2005. Arie and Wonder duet on the title track "A Time to Love", written by Arie, which was nominated for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Three years earlier, their rendition of Mel Tormé's 1944 classic "The Christmas Song", recorded for the holiday TV commercial for retailer Target, had been nominated for the same category, making it the first song created and financed exclusively for a commercial to be nominated for a Grammy Award.

* Arie performed a duet with Brazilian musician Sérgio Mendes on the title song "Timeless" for his 2006 album Timeless.

* Arie performed the vocals for "It Might Be You" on Dave Koz's 2007 album At the Movies.

* Arie collaborated with Akon for her song "I Am Not My Hair". On the April 16, 2007 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show entitled "After Imus: Now What?", Arie guest-starred as a panelist. She stated that she wasn't completely crazy about the duet partner, but the label suggested that it would make the album more commercial. Versions without Akon on the song are currently available on the iTunes Store.

* Arie performed the song "She Is" for Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, inspired by the PBS Independent Lens documentary Iron Ladies of Liberia.

* Arie performed a duet with singer Anthony David for his song "Words" for his 2008 album Acey Duecy.
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BEST OF INDIA.ARIE HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

does george clinton deserve a mention? he was on the writing staff briefly right?

motownlover said:

Maybe, but I'm only mentioning those who had a more heavier contribution to Motown. Mainly I'm adding in artists and other musicians. I may include GC in the writers-producers list, like list them one by one.

THE ISLEY BROTHERS
Formed: 1957 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Important Members: Ronald "Ronnie" Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph "Rudy" Isley

During the last fifty years of modern popular music, few groups have had the longevity and influence much as the Isley Brothers have. Following a succession of groups from Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Miracles and Little Anthony & the Imperials, the Isleys transitioned from their late fifties doo-wop sound to reflect sixties rock 'n' roll, settling into the Motown sound by mid-decade, and by the end, as a more grittier psychedelic soul outfit before emerging as one of the greatest funk and soul bands of the 1970s and 1980s.

The brothers' father, O'Kelly Sr., had told his wife that he wanted the eldest four of his sons to become the next Mills Brothers. In 1953, O'Kelly, Jr., Rudolph, Ronald and Vernon began singing in church and was accompanied for two years traveling around southeastern Ohio and northern Kentucky on the gospel circuit. In 1955, the group got in a snag after youngest brother, Vernon, Ronald's twin brother, died following a bicycle accident. The brothers struggled with Vernon's death and stopped singing for a time. In 1957, however, the Isleys' parents convinced them to give singing another try and allowed the former gospel quartet to become a secular doo-wop trio. As "The Isley Brothers", Rudy, Kelly and Ron left for New York where they began recording in a session of small labels in the area. In 1959, they opened for R&B star Jackie Wilson and during a performance, was noticed by a scout for RCA Records. The label signed the group and in September, the label issued their second single, "Shout!" The song became a landmark rock hit upon its release reaching #47 on the Hot 100. The song later was covered by acts such as Joey Dee and the Starlighters, Lulu and Otis Day & the Knights gaining a reputation as a frat rock, doo-wop, rhythm and blues and rock classic.

The group moved to Scepter Records in 1962 and released the top 40 hit, "Twist & Shout", a rock & roll cover of the calypso original recorded by The Topnotes. Two years later, their version would be covered by The Beatles. Other songs they recorded including "Respectable" and "Nobody But Me" also became hits for other rock-based recording acts. By 1964, the Isleys had moved to New Jersey settling in the Teaneck district. As a result, they formed T-Neck Records and went independent. They also hooked up with a Seattle-based guitarist named Jimmy James, who later went on to become the legendary Jimi Hendrix, and in 1964, released the local hit "Testify". Though it didn't become a national hit, the song was credited with being one of the forerunners of an upcoming musical movement called "funk music", a genre already spearheaded by Motown's The Funk Brothers, Memphis' Booker T and the MG's and, most importantly, James Brown. In 1965, the brothers shelved T-Neck and signed with Motown Records. Unlike most of the earlier Motown groups, the Isley Brothers scored with a hit their first time out - the Holland-Dozier-Holland produced "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the Isleys' biggest hit to date at the time. Other hits the group recorded while in Motown included "I Guess I'll Always Love You", "Take Some Time Out for Love", "Behind a Painted Smile" and "Put Yourself in My Place".

Despite modest success, the Isley Brothers soon complained of not being allowed to write and produce their own hits and often were annoyed that they weren't given better songs to record. In 1968, after headlining a successful UK tour, they asked to be let go of their Motown contract, which Berry Gordy granted that same year. In early 1969, they signed with Buddah and changed their sound to reflect the psychedelic soul period of that time already popularized by Sly & the Family Stone, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations. Their first hit under this style, "It's Your Thing", became a proto-funk anthem and their biggest hit to date, selling over two million copies and winning a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Upset over the release and how it became a hit, Gordy sued the Isley Brothers claiming they recorded "It's Your Thing" at Hitsville though it was proven the band had recorded it in New York. Eventually Gordy's suit was dropped and settled out of court.

The Isley Brothers continued to release modestly successful R&B charted singles including "I Turned You On" and "Black Berries" (1969), "Keep On Doin'" and "Freedom" (1970), the Stephen Stills cover of "Love the One You're With" (1971; a top ten recording), and 1972's "Lay-Away", "Pop That Thang" and "Work to Do", the latter singles from the Brother, Brother, Brother LP until they signed with CBS Records in 1973. Recruiting their two youngest brothers, guitarist Ernie Isley and bassist Marvin Isley and brother-in-law Chris Jasper, the reformed sextet released their acclaimed landmark, 3 + 3 mixing together the sounds of psychedelic rock, folk and soul with the hits "That Lady" and a hard rock/smooth soul cover of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze". The album sold over two million copies going platinum marking it one of the first times a black band had accomplished that feat. 1975's The Heat Is On hit number-one and went double platinum thanks to the top ten political funk hit "Fight the Power". By the releases of 1976's Harvest for the World and 1977's Go for Your Guns, the Isley Brothers had become soul superstars.

After 1983's acclaimed Between the Sheets, Ernie, Marvin and Chris left the Isleys forming the short-lived Isley-Jasper-Isley group, which recorded the number-one R&B hit, "Caravan of Love" in 1985. That year, the original trio recorded Masterpiece. A year later, Kelly Isley died of cancer at 48. After two more albums, the Isley Brothers formally disbanded in 1989 with all surviving members engaging in solo careers. In 1992, after getting inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Ronald, Ernie and Marvin reformed the group releasing the album, Tracks of Life. In 1996, they released the gold hit, Mission to Please. After Marvin was forced out due to a battle with diabetes in 1998, Ronald and Ernie Isley recorded the three-times platinum album, Eternal, featuring the R. Kelly-produced "Contagious". Released in the summer of 2001, the single, which was one of the few to include Ronald's "Mr. Biggs" character, rose to number 19 on the pop chart. The Isleys' latest albums included 2006's Baby Making Music, which was technically more adult contemporary than other releases, and a 2007 Christmas album. The group is currently in hiatus following Ronald's conviction on tax evasion charges, he won't be released until April 2010.

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VIEW THE BEST OF THE ISLEY BROTHERS' MOTOWN HITS HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=
[Edited 1/14/09 16:33pm]

Detroit Spinners, GC Cameron, High Energy, Chris Clarke, (did you miss Gladys Knight and the Pips.)

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Gladys is on the third page. :p

I'm about to do the Satintones, lol...

I'm gonna cover High Inergy, Chris Clark and GC Cameron in the same post and the "Detroit" Spinners on their own.

There were TOO MANY artists on there, that shows you how PROLIFIC Motown was.

THE SATINTONES
Formed: 1957 in Detroit, Michigan
Members: Robert Bateman, Charles "Chico" Leverett, James Ellis, Sonny Sanders

Bio from Soulwalking:

The Satintones all came together in 1957 and can claim to fame that they were the first group to be signed to the Motown set-up.

Signed to one of Berry Gordy's labels, 'Going To The Hop' was issued on Tamla in 1959, followed by the first single on Motown Records, 'Sugar Daddy'.

After three further singles for Motown the group disbanded, with Robert Bateman becoming a producer for the label.

Robert worked on the Marvelettes' hit single 'Please Mr. Postman' in 1962, before leaving Motown and setting up as an independent producer in Detroit.



In 1967, Bateman produced the solo recordings by the former Supreme, Florence Ballad.

Sonny Sanders had the most impressive post Satintones career, working as an arranger, producer and bandleader in Detroit and later Chicago.

In Detroit, he arranged and produced several big hits for Ric Tic, notably Edwin Starr's 'Stop Her On Sight' and the Reflections' 'Just Like Romeo And Juliet'.

In Chicago, working under producer Carl Davis, he arranged such hits as Mary Wells's 'Dear Lover', the Artistics-I'm Gonna. Miss You', Barbara Acklin's 'Love Makes A Woman' (co writer additionally), and Gene Chandler's 'The Girl Don't Care'.

Sanders was one of the key backroom talents in the success of the Brunswick label during the late 60's and early 70's.

Sonny was, also, instrumental in the career of Sydney Joe Qualls, producing most of Sydneys 70's output.

In 1990, The Satintones recorded on Ian Levine's Motorcity imprint in the U.K.

The Satintones are known, not so much for their recordings, but for their early association with the famed Motown organization, and for producing future talents in the Detroit recording scene.

CHRIS CLARK
Birth Date: February 1, 1946
Birth Place: Santa Cruz, California

Bio from Wikipedia:
Chris Clark (born February 1, 1946 in Santa Cruz, California) is an American soul singer who recorded for Motown Records. Clark became famous in England as the "white Negress" (a nickname meant as a compliment), because the six-foot platinum blonde, blue-eyed soul singer toured with fellow Motown artists who were predominantly black.

Recording on the V.I.P. label, one of several Motown imprints, Chris Clark is still acknowledged by Northern Soul fans for songs such as 1965's "Do Right Baby Do Right" (by Berry Gordy, Jr.) and 1966's "Love's Gone Bad" (Holland-Dozier-Holland). Another of her notable songs was the 1967 single "I Want To Go Back There Again" (Berry Gordy, Jr).

The United States' answer to Dusty Springfield, Clark, who also dated Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., managed to have only one hit; ironically, it was on the R&B singles chart. "Love's Gone Bad" made #105 pop, and #41 R&B in 1966.

In 1967, Clark released an album called Soul Sounds on the Motown label. The LP's cover art showed the singer wearing a black dress against a black background, in striking contrast to her fair skin, blue eyes and blonde hair. The album featured twelve songs including a rare Motown ballad called "If You Should Walk Away" (Berry Gordy, Jr.) which was slated for release as a single, but never was. Clark recorded one more album for Motown on its newly created rock label Weed called C.C. Rides Again (1969), but the album failed commercially because it was not promoted by Motown[citation needed]. Today it is considered a rare collectable[citation needed]. It remains the only album ever released on the label.

A CD made in Belgium entitled Soul Sounds made from the original master tapes was issued, but the disc actually contains the songs from both her albums with Motown plus an unreleased single. A 2005 50-track double-CD compilation includes Soul Sounds, C.C. Rides Again, and many unreleased Motown recordings.

Clark co-wrote the screenplay for the 1972 Diana Ross vehicle Lady Sings the Blues, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. She later became an executive for Motown Productions' film and television division in Los Angeles.

In 1982 she married Academy Award-winning screenwriter and novelist Ernest Tidyman. He died of a perforated ulcer in 1984.

In recent years, Clark has become an art photographer and has exhibited her work mainly to art dealers and at a few galleries. She also performs on stage occasionally in clubs in the United States and in Europe. She currently lives in Santa Rosa, California.

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G.C. CAMERON
Full Name: George Curtis Cameron
Birth Date: September 21, 1945
Birth Place: Jackson, Mississippi

Bio from Wikipedia:
George Curtis "G.C." Cameron (born September 21, 1945. In Jackson, Mississippi) is an American soul and R&B singer. G.C. is credited with having "six different voices." He has, on occasion, sounded like Smokey Robinson, Edwin Starr, The Isley Brothers and his replacement in The Spinners, Phillipe Wynne.

After serving in the Vietnam War with the Marines, Cameron joined Motown act The Spinners as lead singer. He sang both lead parts on their first big hit, 1970's It's a Shame, co-written and produced by Stevie Wonder, and remained with Motown as a solo artist when The Spinners left Motown in 1971. Although Cameron was not a major-seller for the label, he did have a hit with "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday", the theme song of the 1975 film Cooley High, which was later covered by Boyz II Men.

Cameron left Motown after the 1970s, and toured as an independent artist. He recorded a critically-acclaimed album for Malaco Records in 1983 and his career was revived in 1989 by recordings for British record companies Ardent (owned at the time by Paul Mooney) and Motorcity (owned by Ian Levine). He returned to The Spinners from 2000 to 2002, and also recorded another solo album before he replaced Barrington "Bo" Henderson in 2003 as one of the lead singers of another Motown act, The Temptations. He was one of the voices on their album, "Reflections". Cameron sang lead on the album track "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" which was nominated for a Grammy in 2007. Cameron left the Temptations in June 2007 to focus on his group, The G.C. Cameron Review.

On Saturday May 17, 2008 Cameron made a special guest appearance at a benefit concert for Hold on to Education Foundation Inc. in South Jersey. [1] He received proclamations from New Jersey State Senator Diane Allen; and Mayor Jacqueline Jennings, with Councilman Eddie Campbell, Jr. of Willingboro NJ. Cherry Hill High School West A Cappella vocal group Men of Note paid tribute to Cameron in honor of his contribution to American Popular Music and his dedication to youth education. In late 2008, he appeared on the PBS special, "Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia," singing The Spinners' hit: The Rubberband Man.

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HIGH INERGY
Formed: 1976 in Los Angeles, California
Disbanded: 1984

Bio from Wikipedia:
High Inergy was an American R&B and soul girl group who found fame on Motown Records in the late 1970s. They are best known for their hit, "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)". The members of the group included Barbara Mitchell, Linda Howard, Michelle Rumph and Vernessa Mitchell.

Fashioned after Martha and the Vandellas and The Supremes (they were actually named after a 1970s Supremes album with just the 'e' changed to an 'i' in "energy"), the group was signed to Motown's Gordy subsidiary in 1977. They quickly found success with the R&B/pop hit, "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)," which reached R&B #2 and U.S. #12.

The group would score a total of nine R&B hits before disbanding for solo careers in 1984.

THE SPINNERS
Formed: 1954 (as the Domingoes) in Detroit, Michigan
Important Members: Bobbie Smith, Pervis Jackson, Henry Fambrough, Billy Henderson, C.P. Spencer, James Edwards, G.C. Cameron, Phillipe Wynne

Bio from SoulTracks:
Back in 1971, when the Spinners left Motown for Atlantic Records, it wasn't exactly an event that shook the music world. But why would it? The group had toiled in virtual obscurity for nearly a decade as one of Motown's "forgotten" groups. While Motown star groups like the Temptations and Four Tops were headlining shows around the world and were choosing from the top songs of Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield and Holland-Dozier-Holland, the Spinners were recording infrequently and charting even more rarely, working with Motown's second tier producers and catching opening act gigs where they could.

Many folks around Hitsville, USA knew that the quintet, consisting of Henry Fambrough, Billy Henderson, Bobby Smith, Pervis Jackson and G.C. Cameron, was a solid vocal group and an entertaining act. But they were in a stable full of prize winning horses, and getting the attention of the Motown brass was next to impossible. Without that attention, success appeared equally impossible. And that was the case until their good friend, Stevie Wonder, wrote a song for them that was so strong, even Motown's indifference couldn't stop it. In the summer of 1970, around the time the Spinners' Motown contract expired and almost a year after it was recorded, Wonder's "It's a Shame" became an international smash for the Spinners and gave the world a glimpse of a future supergroup.

Interestingly, while the Spinners had not garnered much commercial success during their Motown years, they had earned the interest of a young producer named Thom Bell, who felt that the Spinners tight harmonies and smooth delivery could be the perfect vehicle for his brand of sophisticated soul music. Along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Bell was the architect of the "Philadelphia Sound," a new style of orchestral soul music that borrowed as much from the big bands of the ‘40s and ‘50s as from the Motown sound of the ‘60s, all wrapped up in exquisite production that appealed to adults as much as to the teenagers that AM radio targeted. The success of that sound would ultimately pave the way for a new genre of music - Urban Adult Contemporary -- that would hit its peak over a decade later with artists such as Luther Vandross and Anita Baker.

With Bell's interest secured, the Spinners readied themselves for a fresh start on Atlantic Records. However, in a strange twist that would define the group for years to come, G.C. Cameron remained under contract with Motown and was forced to leave the group. So the Spinners recruited Cameron's friend, Philippe Wynne, to be their new lead singer. Wynne - a sly, talkative singer who preached, scatted and joked his way through material, turning every song into a dynamic story -- was a perfect contrast to the smooth, understated style of the rest of the group.

The result of the first Bell/Spinners collaboration was historic. "The Spinners," released in 1973, was not only a bold statement of a new beginning for the group, it became one of the most important soul albums ever. Boasting four top 10 hits, "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love," "One of a Kind" and "Ghetto Child," the disc immediately moved the Spinners to the upper echelon of soul music and established the Philadelphia Sound as the definitive sound of the early ‘70s. The Spinners, along with the Stylistics, the O'Jays and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, among others, shifted the soul music world's attention from Detroit to Philadelphia, and kept it there for most of the decade.

The Spinners/Bell train continued to roll for another seven albums, resulting in such classic songs as "Mighty Love," "Games People Play," "Sadie," "Then Came You" (with Dionne Warwick), and "I'm Coming Home." These were among the decade's finest discs, and the group became international stars. However, as the decade wore on, the hits slowed down and the relationship between Bell, the group and the mercurial Wynne began to deteriorate. Wynne ultimately left the group in 1977 to pursue a solo career, teaming with George Clinton and the Parliament/Funkadelic crew. Sadly, he died in 1984. The group then selected John Edwards as its new lead singer. If Wynne's style was that of a sly cat, Edwards was that of a tiger, devouring songs with a huge voice and multi-octave range. Edwards was clearly a talent, but one to whom Thom Bell had trouble adjusting his restrained production style. To further complicate things, Bell's work with the group was beginning to sound dated and somewhat formulaic, and new hotter beats were emerging on the airwaves. After the disappointing "From Here to Eternally," Bell felt that he had done all he could with the group, and the Spinners and Bell parted ways.

As 1979 arrived, the group found itself without a producer and three years removed from its last major hit. With the disco craze in full swing, the Spinners, with their more traditional sound, appeared anything but relevant. The group then surprised the music industry by putting its fate for the first post-Bell album in the hands of Michael Zager, a moderately successful dance producer whose style was as straightforward and blunt as Bell's was subtle and sophisticated. Their first Zager collaboration, the disappointing "Dancin' and Lovin'," stalled on the charts for several months until the album's second single, an unlikely dance remake of the Four Seasons' "Working My Way Back to You," hit the radio and zoomed to the top of the charts. This led to a smash remake of Sam Cooke's "Cupid" in 1980. While Zager was more workmanlike than dynamic on these songs, they were a success in large part because Edwards was able to unleash his monster voice, something that rarely happened under Bell's more stifling production. The group continued recording for Atlantic for another five years with multiple producers (and generally weaker songs), but never again scored a major hit. A couple of additional albums on minor labels in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s found the quintet in fine voice but working with uneven material. Throughout these latter years, the Spinners managed to make even mediocre material sound better than it deserved, and made good songs (such as 1989's sadly ignored "Memories of Allison") downright inspiring.

The Spinners have remained active, touring regularly and occasionally recording. Unfortunately, lead singer John Edwards became ill in 2002, leading the Spinners to go full circle, making an unexpected call to former lead G.C. Cameron after more than 30 years to fill in for Edwards. Former Delfonics member Frank Washington later filled the position and Cameron went on to join the Temptations. More recently, Billy Henderson left the group, replaced by Detroit singer/songwriter Harold Bonhart. Sadly, Henderson died of complications from diabetes on February 2, 2007. Pervis Jackson followed a year and a half later, dying on August 25, 2008.

The Spinners have left a legacy of wonderful music in their more than 40 years together. Their terrific harmonies and stage presence are a joy to experience now as much as ever, and have made them one of the Soul Music's greatest treasures.

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The best of the Spinners' Motown days here:
http://www.youtube.com/re...ry=0&page=

Timmy84 said:

I know, hell, it's still some major artist we all know that haven't been mentioned yet.

Billy Eckstine, Jerry Butler, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Jimmy Ruffin, Chuck Jackson, Miss Vanity (LOL) Rockwell, Another Badd Creation! Brian McKnight. And Timmy, we forgot one of our favorites, WILLIE HUTCH

LittleBLUECorvette said:

BINGO! I knew I was gonna cover dude already (Willie). I'm on it.

WILLIE HUTCH
Full Name: Willie McKinley Hutchinson
Birth Date: December 6, 1944
Birth Place: Los Angeles, California
Death Date: September 19, 2005
Death Place: Dallas, Texas

Bio from Soulwalking:
Willie Hutch grew up in Dallas where he sang with The Ambassadors.

He was a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas.

He first came to the attention of the music business in 1964 when his debut single 'Love Has Put Me Down' was released by the Soul City Records label.

His songs attracted the attention of The Fifth Dimension who recorded a number of them.

Willie himself recorded with Venture prior to two albums in the early 70's with RCA (including 'Let's Try It Over').

In 1970, he received a phone call from producer Hal Davis who urgently needed a song written to a backing track he had entitled 'I'll Be There'.

By 8 am the next morning, The Jackson 5 were in the studio recording it.

Willie later co-arranged vocals on 'Got To Be There' and 'Never Can Say Goodbye' for the group, impressing Berry Gordy who employed him at Motown on a more permanent basis.

Willie produced the first Smokey Robinson album without The Miracles, and when Sisters Love had a cameo role in 'The Mack', the group's manager suggested Willie record the soundtrack.

The result was 'The Mack', including 'Brother's Gonna Work It Out' and 'Slick', Willie's first album for Motown in 1973. (Willie also worked with Sisters Love on 'Mr Fix-it Man'.)

His other albums at the label included 'The Mark Of The Beast' (1975); 'Concert In Blues' (1976), including 'Party Down'; 'Color Her Sunshine' (1976), including 'I Like Everything About You', 'Havin' A House Party' and 'Fully Exposed' before he joined the Whitfield label for two albums, 'In Tune (1978), including 'Easy Does It', and 'Midnight Dancer'.

In 1982, he wrote 'Keep The Fire Burning' for Gwen McCrae and returned to Motown for three collaborations with Berry Gordy.

The first was a duet for The Four Tops and Aretha Franklin 'What Have We Got To Lose' (1983), the second a song / production for Sammy Davis Jnr, 'Hello Detroit' (1984), and the third a soundtrack album for Berry's film 'The Last Dragon' (1985).

This soundtrack included a Willie Hutch single 'The Glow'.

During this period at Motown he wrote/produced 'Sexy Ways' for The Four Tops and released two albums, 'In And Out' (1985) and 'Making A Game Of Love' (1985), including 'Keep On Jammin'.

Willie has also written and / or produced for The Miracles, The Main Ingredient ('California My Way'), Junior Walker, Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, among others.

Willie released two albums in the Nineties. 'From The Heart' and 'The Mack Is Back'.

Both sets were well received.

Willie Hutch, sadly passed away on the 19th of September 2005. He was 60.

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Obituary from The Guardian UK (2005):

Willie Hutch
Motown songwriter whose blaxploitation cuts inspired hip-hop

Willie Hutch, who has died aged 60, never gained great individual fame. Yet his musical abilities helped artists as different as Michael Jackson and the Chemical Brothers.

In 1970 Motown producer Hal Davis contacted him in the middle of the night to demand help in finishing a song. Motown boss Berry Gordy had told Davis he liked the title but not the song, and Davis needed it finished for a recording session that morning. Hutch stayed up working on the song and presented it to Gordy at 8 am. Gordy ordered Hutch into the studio to arrange the vocals. The song was I'll Be There, and the band was the Jackson 5 with a 12-year-old Michael Jackson on lead vocal. The song topped the US pop and r&b charts, made no 4 in the UK, and became, at the time, Motown's biggest selling single.

Hutch was hired as a Motown writer-producer and for the next 20 years would work with the likes of Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Junior Walker, the Four Tops and Aretha Franklin. "Writing lyrics and setting them to music was a freedom no one could take away from me," said Hutch on what inspired him to write songs. "Writing gave me a freedom to go everywhere I wanted to go."

Hutch was born Willie McKinley Hutchison in Los Angeles, shifting with his mother to Dallas as a small child, where he lived with his two brothers, one sister, grandmother and aunt. He loved gospel, jazz and rhythm and blues, and showed an aptitude for playing instruments and arranging while a student at Booker T Washington high school, Dallas. As a teenager he led his own doo-wop band, the Ambassadors, and began writing songs. He joined the Marines, serving a two-year tour of duty. After settling in Los Angeles, he began his forays into the music business.

Hutch released his debut single in 1964 and in 1965 met photographer Lamonte McLemore, who was forming a vocal quintet called the Versatiles based around two former winners of the Miss Bronze America contest. Signed by popular singer Johnny Rivers - who insisted they change their name to the Fifth Dimension - they cut Hutch's I'll Be Loving You Forever as their debut single. The Fifth Dimension went on to become one of America's most popular groups. Hutch penned several more tracks for the band and co-produced their 1967 album Up, Up And Away. In 1969 he signed to RCA where he released his first solo album, Soul Portrait. Another 16 followed.

Hutch's most enduring work may be the soundtracks he created for two films from the "blaxploitation" era. The Mack (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974) were violent, amoral, low-budget films that catered to black Americans' enthusiasm for ghetto heroes getting one over corrupt white cops and crime syndicates. The Mack's lyrical brutality has ensured its status as the hip-hop generation's favourite film: Hutch's soundtrack was sampled by Biggie Smalls, Lil' Kim, Moby and the Chemical Brothers, who sampled Brother's Gonna Work It Out - so creating a UK rave party anthem - and included the original track on their DJ mix album Brothers Gonna Work It Out. Hutch recently had another track from The Mack featured in Hustle & Flow (2005), a winning film at the Sundance festival.

He continued to work as a Motown producer into the 1990s, although he was never again to enjoy the huge success he found in the early 1970s. Moving back to Dallas in 1994, he continued to record and perform while living comfortably on royalties from old hits and new samples. His manager Anthony Voyce said of Hutch: "I've never met a more generous and caring person."

He is survived by six children.

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

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I was looking at the Soulful Detroit board and dude posted a lot of the pictures of Motown artists, staff and all of that, there were like a MILLION people posted!!!!!

THE RUFFIN BROTHERS (JIMMY & DAVID)



JIMMY RUFFIN
Birth Date: May 7, 1939
Birth Place: Collinsville, Mississippi

Bio from Wikipedia:
Jimmy Ruffin (born May 7, 1939 in Collinsville, Mississippi) is an American soul singer and elder brother of David Ruffin, one of the lead singers for The Temptations. Jimmy himself was offered a chance to sing with the Temptations, but he declined in favor of David.

His 1966 hit "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" was a major success and his most well-known song. The intended follow-up, "East Side West Side", was released only in Australia, however, due to an argument with Motown head Berry Gordy. The song was written by Ron Welser and Flamingos' member Terry "Buzzy" Johnson. With his brother David, Ruffin also released a popular cover version of "Stand By Me" (by Ben E. King), taken from the Ruffin Brothers' album, I Am My Brother's Keeper.

Ruffin's other hits include "I've Passed This Way Before", "Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got", "Don't You Miss Me A Little Bit Baby", "I'll Say Forever My Love", "It's Wonderful To Be Loved By You" and "Tell Me What You Want".

In 1980 he collaborated with the Bee Gees' musician Robin Gibb, who produced his album Sunrise. From it came the single which would be his last Top 10 UK and U.S. hit: "Hold On To My Love". In 1986 Ruffin collaborated with the British pop group Heaven 17, singing "A Foolish Thing To Do" and "My Sensitivity" on a 12" EP record.

In the 1980s, Ruffin moved to England, where he has his own talk show.[1]

He continues to tour and perform to this day. In addition to his brother David, he had three other siblings: Quincy, Rita Mae (deceased) and Rosa (deceased).

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DAVID RUFFIN
Birth Name: Davis Eli Ruffin
Birth Date: January 18, 1941
Birth Place: Whynot, Mississippi
Death Date: June 1, 1991 (drug overdose)
Death Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Bio from Wikipedia:
David Ruffin (Davis Eli Ruffin) (January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer most famous for his work as lead singer of The Temptations from 1964 to 1968.

Biography

Early years

As a young child, David, along with his other siblings (older brothers Quincy and Jimmy, sister Rita Mae, and younger brother Garfield "G" Fleming), traveled with their father and their stepmother as a family gospel group. Not much is known about Ruffin's childhood except that his father was abusive and his mother died when he was two-years-old. What is known is that David Ruffin left home at fourteen years old.

Ruffin spent time in Louisiana at a horse farm, in Memphis (where it was alleged he was in a talent contest with Elvis Presley), and in Arkansas. In the mid 1950s, Ruffin sang with The Dixie Nightingales. He eventually made his way to Detroit, Michigan, where his older brother Jimmy Ruffin was pursuing a career in music while working at the Ford Motor Company. Jimmy landed a deal with Miracle Records, one of several labels owned by Berry Gordy's Tamla (later Motown) Records. David performed at shows around Detroit, and even lived with Berry Gordy's parents for a brief period.

In the late 1950s, Ruffin sang with The Voice Masters, which included future Motown producer Lamont Dozier and members of the singing group The Originals. The act was featured on the Anna label, run by Berry Gordy's sister, Gwen Gordy Fuqua, and Ruffin sang lead on two songs: "I'm In Love" and "Action Speaks Louder Than Words". Though Ruffin's name is on the label, the Voice Masters provide backup. The Anna label was absorbed by Motown Records in 1961. After the Voice Masters broke up, Ruffin signed with Billy Davis' Checkmate Records in 1963. On Checkmate, Ruffin recorded the single "Mr. Bus Driver, Hurry", a minor local hit. During this period, he was also doing side gigs as a drummer for the Temptations. In January 1964, Ruffin became a member of The Temptations after founding member Elbridge "Al" Bryant was fired from the group. Jimmy Ruffin was initially offered the opportunity to sing with the group, but Jimmy politely declined in favor of David.

With the Temptations

The bespectacled Ruffin initially sang background vocals on the Temptations' records while the role of lead singer generally alternated between Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. In November 1964, songwriter/producer Smokey Robinson wrote a single especially for Ruffin to sing lead on. That song, "My Girl", became the group's first #1 single and its signature song, and elevated Ruffin to the role of lead singer and front man.

The follow-ups to "My Girl" were also extremely successful singles, including "Since I Lost My Baby" (1965), "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (1966), "All I Need" (1967), and "I Wish It Would Rain" (1967). The lanky, 6'3" Ruffin's passionate and dramatic performances endeared him to the Temptations' audiences and fans. According to Otis Williams, Ruffin (playfully nicknamed "Ruff" by the group) was initially a natural comedian and a hard-working singer when he first joined the group. Ruffin's most notable non-vocal contribution to the Temptations was the masterminding of their trademark four-headed microphone stand.

By 1967, however, ego problems with Ruffin became an issue for the group. He became addicted to cocaine, and began missing rehearsals and performances. Refusing to travel with the other Temptations, Ruffin and his then-girlfriend Tammi Terrell traveled in a custom limo (with the image of his trademark black rimmed glasses painted on the door). After The Supremes had their name changed to Diana Ross & the Supremes in early 1967, Ruffin felt that he should become the focal point of the Temptations, just as Diana Ross was for her group, and began demanding that the group name be changed to David Ruffin & the Temptations. This led to a number of fights between Ruffin and the group's leader, Otis Williams. In addition to the group's problems with his ego, Ruffin began inquiring into the Temptations' financial records, demanding an accounting of the group's money. This caused friction between Ruffin and Gordy.
David Ruffin (center) with the Temptations 1967.

In mid-1968, the Temptations agreed that Ruffin finally crossed the line when he missed a 1968 concert to attend a concert being performed by his new girlfriend, Barbara Martin (daughter of Dean Martin) instead. Ruffin was replaced with former Contour Dennis Edwards, who had been a friend of Ruffin and the group as a whole beforehand. Despondent that he had been fired from the group that he felt he had single-handedly brought to success, Ruffin began turning up at and crashing Temptations' concerts. When the group started to perform a Ruffin-era song such as "My Girl" or "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", Ruffin himself would appear on the stage, grab the microphone from Dennis Edwards and steal the show, embarrassing the band but delighting the fans. The Temptations resorted to hiring extra security to prevent Ruffin from attending their shows.

Meanwhile, Ruffin filed suit against Motown Records, seeking a release from the label and an accounting of his money. Motown countersued to keep the singer from leaving the label and eventually the case was settled. The settlement required Ruffin to remain with Motown to finish out his initial contract (Ruffin joined Motown as a solo artist, and always had a separate contract from the other Temptations, which some felt caused a lot of the in-fighting within the group).

Solo years and death

Ruffin's first solo single was a song originally intended for the Temptations, "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)". The single reached the US pop & R&B Top Ten, and Ruffin continued releasing solo material into the 1970s. His final Top Ten hit was 1975's "Walk Away From Love", produced by Van McCoy, which reached #9 on the pop chart. In 1971, Ruffin recorded an album with his brother Jimmy, for which they did a popular cover of the Ben E. King song "Stand By Me". While his solo career initially showed promise, Ruffin reportedly went into decline in part because of his cocaine addiction and the lack of support from Motown. After leaving Motown in 1977, Ruffin recorded for Warner Bros. Records, and later signed with RCA, accompanied by former Temptations bandmate Eddie Kendrick, who chose to rekindle their friendship when Kendrick himself started experiencing problems with the Temptations. In 1982, Ruffin joined The Temptations' Reunion tour, and, in 1985, Ruffin started touring with Kendrick as a duo act.

In 1985, longtime Temptations fans Hall & Oates teamed up with Ruffin and Kendrick to perform at the re-opening of the Apollo Theater in New York. Their performance was released as a relatively successful live album and single. The four singers also sang a medley of Temptations hits at Live Aid on July 13, 1985. John Oates later wrote a minor hit single for Ruffin and Kendrick, but the two duos fell out, allegedly due to Daryl Hall's objections to Ruffin's heavy drug use. After being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 with the other Temptations, Ruffin, Kendrick, and Dennis Edwards began touring and recording as "Ruffin/Kendrick/Edwards: Former Leads of The Temptations". The project was cut short, however, when David Ruffin died of a drug overdose on June 1, 1991, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of 50, having just recorded the single "Hurt the One You Love" for Motorcity Records.

Contrary to what was later depicted in The Temptations television miniseries, Ruffin's body was not randomly found in the middle of the street, nor did it lie unclaimed in a morgue for over a week. Instead, Ruffin's chauffeur drove him to the hospital, identifying him as "David Ruffin of the Temptations". A few days later, Ruffin's children claimed his body.[1] To this day it is said that Ruffin's overdose was planned, as he carried a briefcase containing $45,000. It has been said that it was not a chauffeur but a friend who took him to a crack house in Philadelphia. After polishing off ten vials of cocaine, David passed out, and his friend threw him in the back of the limo and drove him to the hospital at 2:55 AM. His friend only stated, "This is David Ruffin", and sped off as the nurses and doctors carried him into the hospital. Ruffin was pronounced dead on June 1, 1991, at 3:55 AM in Philadelphia. The case is considered to be an accidental overdose, although there are some questions surrounding the circumstances.[citation needed]

Ruffin was portrayed by actor Leon Robinson in the 1998 television miniseries The Temptations. Leon won high praise for his portrayal of Ruffin, but Ruffin's family was upset by the way the miniseries portrayed Ruffin, and filed a lawsuit against the producers of the miniseries and also Otis Williams, whose memoirs had been the source material for the miniseries. The case was dismissed in favor of the defendants, with Williams later claiming that he had no real control over the presentation of the material.

Personal life

Ruffin had a stormy relationship with singer Tammi Terrell, and is alleged to have physically abused her. Ruffin was married twice: his wives were Sandra Ruffin and Joy Hamilton. With Sandra, Ruffin had three daughters: Cheryl, Nedra and Kimberly. He also has a son, David Jr. (also a recording artist), by a former girlfriend. His daughter Kimberly, also goes by the name Mone and works as a hairstylist in Detroit, MI. Michael Jackson covered some of the expenses of his funeral, at which Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder performed. He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Timmy84 said:

I've been lurking at that site for years. can't register as a member for some reason.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Hmm, that's weird, lol.

very good it collects; thank you for the information ;-)don't forget the Mica

[Edited 1/14/09 20:49pm]
[Edited 1/14/09 20:52pm]
[Edited 1/16/09 12:18pm]

^^ Mica Paris wasn't on Motown.

TOTAL MOTOWN NUMBER-ONE SINGLES ON POP CHART
1961: "Please Mr. Postman" - The Marvelettes
1963: "Fingertips" - Stevie Wonder
1964: "My Guy" - Mary Wells
1964: "Where Did Our Love Go" - The Supremes
1964: "Baby Love" - The Supremes
1964: "Come See About Me" - The Supremes
1965: "Stop! In the Name of Love" - The Supremes
1965: "Back in My Arms Again" - The Supremes
1965: "My Girl" - The Temptations
1965: "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch (I Can't Help It)" - The Four Tops
1965: "I Hear a Symphony" - The Supremes
1966: "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" - The Four Tops
1966: "You Can't Hurry Love" - The Supremes
1966: "You Keep Me Hangin' On" - The Supremes
1967: "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" - The Supremes
1967: "The Happening" - The Supremes
1968: "Love Child" - Diana Ross & the Supremes
1968: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - Marvin Gaye
1969: "I Can't Get Next to You" - The Temptations
1969: "Someday We'll Be Together" - Diana Ross & the Supremes
1970: "I Want You Back" - The Jackson 5
1970: "War" - Edwin Starr
1970: "ABC" - The Jackson 5
1970: "Tears of a Clown" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
1970: "The Love You Save" - The Jackson 5
1970: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Diana Ross
1970: "I'll Be There" - The Jackson 5
1971: "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" - The Temptations
1972: "Ben" - Michael Jackson
1972: "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" - The Temptations
1973: "Superstition" - Stevie Wonder
1973: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder
1973: "Touch Me in the Morning" - Diana Ross
1973: "Let's Get It On" - Marvin Gaye
1973: "Keep On Truckin'" - Eddie Kendricks
1974: "You Haven't Done Nothin'" - Stevie Wonder
1975: "Love Machine" - The Miracles
1976: "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" - Diana Ross
1976: "Love Hangover" - Diana Ross
1977: "I Wish" - Stevie Wonder
1977: "Don't Leave Me This Way" - Thelma Houston
1977: "Sir Duke" - Stevie Wonder
1977: "Got to Give It Up" - Marvin Gaye
1978: "Three Times a Lady" - The Commodores
1979: "Still" - The Commodores
1980: "Upside Down" - Diana Ross
1981: "Endless Love" - Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
1982: "Truly" - Lionel Richie
1983: "All Night Long (All Night)" - Lionel Richie
1984: "Hello" - Lionel Richie
1984: "I Just Called to Say I Love You" - Stevie Wonder
1985: "Part-Time Lover" - Stevie Wonder
1985: "Say You, Say Me" - Lionel Richie
1992: "End of the Road" - Boyz II Men
1994: "I'll Make Love to You" - Boyz II Men
1994: "On Bended Knee" - Boyz II Men
1997: "Four Seasons of Loneliness" - Boyz II Men

(59)

TOTAL MOTOWN NUMBER-ONE SINGLES ON THE R&B CHART
1960: "Shop Around" - The Miracles
1961: "Please Mr. Postman" - The Marvelettes
1962: "Do You Love Me" - The Contours
1962: "The One Who Really Loves You" - Mary Wells
1962: "You Really Got a Hold on Me" - The Miracles
1962: "You Beat Me to the Punch" - Mary Wells
1962: "Two Lovers" - Mary Wells
1963: "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" - Martha and the Vandellas
1963: "Fingertips" - Stevie Wonder
1964: "My Guy" - Mary Wells (Cashbox)
1964: "The Way You Do the Things You Do" - The Temptations (Cashbox)
1964: "Where Did Our Love Go" - The Supremes (Cashbox)
1964: "Baby Love" - The Supremes (Cashbox)
1965: "My Girl" - The Temptations
1965: "Back in My Arms Again" - The Supremes
1965: "I'll Be Doggone" - Marvin Gaye
1965: "Shotgun" - Junior Walker & the All Stars
1965: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" - The Four Tops
1965: "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" - Stevie Wonder
1965: "Ain't That Peculiar" - Marvin Gaye
1966: "Get Ready" - The Temptations
1966: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" - The Temptations
1966: "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" - The Temptations
1966: "(I Know) I'm Losing You" - The Temptations
1966: "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" - The Four Tops
1966: "Blowin' in the Wind" - Stevie Wonder
1966: "You Can't Hurry Love" - The Supremes
1966: "You Keep Me Hangin' On" - The Supremes
1967: "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" - The Supremes
1967: "I Was Made to Love Her" - The Supremes
1967: "Jimmy Mack" - Martha and the Vandellas
1967: "I Second That Emotion" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
1967: "Your Precious Love" - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
1967: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - Gladys Knight & the Pips
1968: "I Wish It Would Rain" - The Temptations
1968: "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
1968: "You're All I Need to Get By" - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
1968: "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" - The Temptations
1968: "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" - Stevie Wonder
1968: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - Marvin Gaye
1969: "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" - Marvin Gaye
1969: "Runaway Child, Running Wild" - The Temptations
1969: "What Does It Take to Win Your Love for Me" - Junior Walker & the All-Stars
1969: "I Can't Get Next to You" - The Temptations
1969: "Baby I'm for Real" - The Originals
1969: "Someday We'll Be Together" - Diana Ross & the Supremes
1970: "I Want You Back" - The Jackson 5
1970: "ABC" - The Jackson 5
1970: "The Love You Save" - The Jackson 5
1970: "Stoned Love" - The Supremes
1970: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Diana Ross
1970: "Tears of a Clown" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
1970: "Signed, Sealed & Delivered (I'm Yours)" - Stevie Wonder
1970: "If I Were Your Woman" - Gladys Knight & the Pips
1970: "I'll Be There" - The Jackson 5
1971: "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
1971: "Mama's Pearl" - The Jackson 5
1971: "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" - The Temptations
1971: "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" - Marvin Gaye
1971: "Never Can Say Goodbye" - The Jackson 5
1971: "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" - Marvin Gaye
1971: "Sugar Daddy" - The Jackson 5
1972: "Superstition" - Stevie Wonder
1973: "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be The First to Say Goodbye)" - Gladys Knight & the Pips
1973: "Higher Ground" - Stevie Wonder
1973: "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder
1973: "Masterpiece" - The Temptations
1973: "Let's Get It On" - Marvin Gaye
1973: "Let Your Hair Down" - The Temptations
1973: "Keep On Truckin'" - Eddie Kendricks
1974: "Dancing Machine" - The Jackson 5
1974: "Boogie Down" - Eddie Kendricks
1974: "Happy People" - The Temptations
1974: "You Haven't Done Nothin'" - Stevie Wonder
1974: "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - Stevie Wonder
1975: "Slippery When Wet" - The Commodores
1975: "Baby That's Backatcha" - Smokey Robinson
1975: "Shakey Ground" - The Temptations
1976: "Walk Away from Love" - David Ruffin
1976: "Just to Be Close to You" - The Commodores
1976: "I Want You" - Marvin Gaye
1976: "Love Hangover" - Diana Ross
1977: "Don't Leave Me This Way" - Thelma Houston
1977: "Easy" - The Commodores
1977: "I Wish" - Stevie Wonder
1977: "Got to Give It Up" - Marvin Gaye
1977: "Sir Duke" - Stevie Wonder
1978: "Too Hot Ta Trot" - The Commodores
1978: "Three Times a Lady" - The Commodores
1978: "You & I" - Rick James
1979: "Still" - The Commodores
1980: "Upside Down" - Diana Ross
1980: "Master Blaster (Jammin')" - Stevie Wonder
1980: "Let's Get Serious" - Jermaine Jackson
1981: "Upside Down" - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
1981: "Being With You" - Smokey Robinson
1981: "Give It to Me Baby" - Rick James
1982: "That Girl" - Stevie Wonder
1982: "Let It Whip" - The Dazz Band
1983: "All Night Long (All Night)" - Lionel Richie
1983: "Cold Blooded" - Rick James
1983: "Time Will Reveal" - DeBarge
1984: "Hello" - Lionel Richie
1984: "I Just Called to Say I Love You" - Stevie Wonder
1984: "Somebody's Watching Me" - Rockwell
1985: "Night Shift" - The Commodores
1985: "Rhythm of the Night" - DeBarge
1985: "Part-Time Lover" - Stevie Wonder
1985: "Say You, Say Me" - Lionel Richie
1986: "Who's Johnny" - El DeBarge
1987: "Skeletons" - Stevie Wonder
1987: "You Will Know" - Stevie Wonder
1988: "Dial My Heart" - The Boys
1989: "Lucky Charm" - The Boys
1989: "Girl I Got My Eyes on You" - Today
1990: "Crazy" - The Boys
1990: "Rub You the Right Way" - Johnny Gill
1990: "Wrap My Body Tight" - Johnny Gill
1990: "My, My, My" - Johnny Gill
1991: "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" - Boyz II Men
1991: "Uhh Ahh" - Boyz II Men
1992: "Do It to Me" - Lionel Richie
1992: "End of the Road" - Boyz II Men
1994: "I'll Make Love to You" - Boyz II Men
1997: "A Song for Mama" - Boyz II Men
2000: "Bag Lady" - Erykah Badu

(142!!!)

----
Again, talk about "prolific"!
[Edited 1/15/09 11:18am]
[Edited 1/15/09 11:19am]

Dayam! That pic of India Arie is smokin' hot. She DOES look like the girl in my video.

Is the following article from Yahoo music news appropos for this thread? I haven't had time to read it all.

Death, Drugs Tarnish Motown's Legacy

Some time during the 1970s, Marvin Gaye reflected on his turbulent career in an obscure tune called "Dream of a Lifetime."

"I thank God for my wonderful life," sang the Motown Records enfant terrible. "I've had my ups and downs, but I thank God."

Gaye's life ended violently in 1984. His father, a former preacher, shot him dead during a domestic dispute the day before the singer turned 45.

As Motown celebrates its 50th anniversary throughout 2009, the record label and music fans will no doubt focus on the upbeat songs and fresh-faced performers who brought joy to millions of people around the world.

Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder have become legends in their own lifetimes, but fortune was not as kind to other artists and composers who toiled in the spartan studio at "Hitsville U.S.A." near downtown Detroit.

Drugs, poverty, suicide and murder claimed many Motown figures. Gaye, a tortured soul whose stardom was marked by drugs, divorce, label disputes and bankruptcy, is probably the highest-profile casualty.

A year before Gaye was killed, virtuoso bass player James Jamerson died in obscurity. A raging alcoholic who played on Gaye's landmark 1971 album "What's Going On," Jamerson has since been deified by aficionados.

SUICIDE IN CAR

Others remain less well known.

Roger Penzabene, the co-writer of the Temptations' mournful masterpiece "I Wish It Would Rain," committed suicide in 1967. Hard-partying drummer Benny Benjamin, the backbeat of the Motown sound, was silenced by a stroke in 1969 after battling drugs and alcohol.

Temptations co-founder Paul Williams, the heart of the group and lead singer on "Don't Look Back," turned to alcohol and was eventually unable to perform. Two years after quitting, he shot himself dead in 1973, while sitting in a car parked two blocks from Motown.

Another troubled former Temptation David Ruffin, who sang lead on "My Girl," died of a drug overdose in 1991.

Early Motown star Mary Wells of "My Guy" fame died the following year of throat cancer. She endured poverty in her dying days, as did former Supreme Florence Ballard, who succumbed to a coronary thrombosis in 1976.

Of course, most labels have a lengthy list of casualties, and creative people do have their frailties. But Motown, initially at least, treated its artists like family, taking care of all their personal and professional needs.

Yet it also was run like an auto assembly line, with heavy pressure on everyone to keep churning out hits and to tour relentlessly.

"Those who drank or did drugs became alcoholics and addicts because of the stress of the road," said Billy J. Wilson, head of the Detroit-based Motown Alumni Association. "They become depressed, and the depression was based around the environment of the entertainment business."

Some evidently thrived, like the Four Tops, whose lineup remained unchanged until 1997. But others had existing conditions exacerbated by the demands of stardom.

"Jamerson was hellbent on drinking himself to death," said Alan Slutsky, whose Jamerson biography "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" inspired the 2002 documentary of the same name. "He had issues going on in his head that had nothing to do with Motown."

Ruffin, Slutsky added, "was a just a lunatic. He would have been crazy anywhere." And Gaye, he said, "was tormented by a gazillion phobias."

Motown Records founder Berry Gordy did warn his stars about the perils of showbiz and the necessity of saving money, "but you just can't watch all the adults," Wilson said. "Trying to babysit adults, forget that."

Wilson, who was friends with Ruffin, said he refused Motown's offers of help. Ballard, another friend, was miserable on the road, broke her contract with Motown, and accordingly never received any royalties.

"She screwed up," Wilson said. "Everybody that died in a tragic way, they all regretted their actions."

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Steve Gorman)

Timmy84 said:

yes! but with that voice she could be; but it is not; at least in Universal Motown... it continues to be a great club for the one of them; the other independent ones fall in the mud, same being a voice as the one of Mica Paris: Excuse had to say in my English bad
[Edited 1/15/09 14:49pm]