Motown Founder Berry Gordy, Esther Edwards, Barney Ales Head to UK and Europe to Set Up the Tamla-Motown Label
DETROIT — Berry Gordy, Jr., President of Motown Record Corporation, will fly to London, England, Oct. 5 to meet with officials of EMI Records and to arrange for overseas exploitation and distribution for the diskery’s product on a Tamla-Motown label. He will be accompanied by Mrs. Esther Edwards, Vice–President-Director of the firm’s International operations; Barney Ales, Exec Vice-President and Sales Director, and George Schiffer, Motown Legal Counsel.
The foursome will spend two to three weeks abroad visiting other licensees distributing Motown’s products. A sharp up-swing in popularity in Europe of Motown’s disks is currently evidenced by top chart position of America’s The Supremes, recipients of the coveted Shooting Star Award from England for their recording of “Where Did Our Love Go,” plus strong airplays on Radio Caroline, England and Radio Veronica, Holland.
Records by such other Motown Artists as Marvin Gaye, The Miracles, Martha and The Vandellas, The Four Tops, The Marvelettes, The Temptations, Mary Wells, The Contours, Kim Weston and Brenda Holloway have been registering solid reaction overseas, label reports. More than half the aforementioned are currently represented on national charts in the United States.
The Supremes, who currently have two hit singles on the Motown label, the most recent, “Baby Love,” and also an album entitled, “Where Did Our Love Go,” will arrive at London Airport, England, 8 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6 for a one-week whirlwind tour of radio and TV engagements. Should time permit, The Supremes will visit Holland, Germany and France for a day in each country.
Mrs. Edwards plans, while overseas, to setup TV, theater and nightclub engagements, as well as personal appearance and promotion tours for the artists.
Motown, in the record business less than six years, has experienced a meteoric rise under Gordy’s direction. Last year the company had 32 hits on the major charts. Now in an expansion pro gram, Motown is increasing its album output and plans to place heavier emphasis on jazz, country and folk, states VP Ales.
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Information, credit and news source: Record World, October 10, 1964
