DETROIT — The Detroit-based new rhythm and blues Tamla-Motown show opened New York’s Apollo Theater last week and in it’s final few days appeared on its way to cracking box-office records. The show, scheduled to run for ten days at the Harlem theater, starred top Tamla-Motown acts headlining the event — the Miracles, Mary Wells, the Contours, the Supremes, the Marvelettes and others Motown acts, including Marv Johnson, a United Artist star, who is currently managed by Tamla-Motown chief Barry Gordy, Jr., was also featured on the bill.
The “Motortown Revue” first came to New York City’s Apollo in 1962.
Gordy, who manages and books all his Motown talents on his two hot labels, booked the entire show into the Apollo Theater. Prior to playing here, the show gained acclaimed exposure with a week’s performance in Washington and a string of one-nighters through the South. The rock and roll R&B show will play an engagement in Newark before heading back to its home base in Detroit.
This is not the first show ever sponsored by a label, but it is one of the most successful venue ever sponsored by a recording company promoting and showcasing of their talent/product. It is understood that Gordy, who has had much success with his record firms, will be presenting more shows of this type in the future. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard;December 22, 1962)
“The Miracles” w. musicians (L-R) Claudette Rogers, Ron White, Pete Moore, Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers circa 1962
DETROIT — At Motown Records one can be an executive and artist at the same time. Smokey Robinson and his three associates who work as the Miracles outside the environment of Motown’s Detroit headquarters, are three such executive-artists.
Smokey Robinson, Claudette, along with the Miracles circa 1966 (click on image for larger view).
Robinson is a producer and vice-president with the company. Bobby Rodgers and Pete Moore work in quality-control, checking sound quality, and Ronny White spends his “white collar” time with Jobete Music, auditioning tunes and distributing songs among the firm’s own talent.
The Miracles have been with Motown since its inception. Because they are salaried employees with important posts, the quartet limits itself to three-week personal appearance junkets. The major change in the Miracles act is that Smokey Robinson’s wife, Claudette, doesn’t travel with the group anymore.
Robinson categorizes Motown as a “family affair,” in which many people work on various multiple projects. While he, Robinson, has produced studio sessions by a number of the label’s top acts, he says its not unusual for several producers to work on an album project.
On the first Saturday of each month, Motown holds open auditions. A number of producers are assigned to attend the recording sessions and select the top representatives by virtue of choice.
At Motown, Robinson contends, everyone listens to everyone. Martha of Martha and the Vandellas was a former secretary for Motown, and was given the opportunity to audition and to perform. The company maintains its own artists’ development school where stately presence and presentation are taught for every act. For two years Lon Fontaine ran the operation; now Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol handle the “dance, turn, and smile” school of the Motown arts at “Hitsville, U.S.A.” END.
Smokey Robinson at Hitsville U.S.A. in 1967
(Information and news source: Billboard; February 11, 1967).
The Four Tops, on a previous billing, New Year’s Eve 1967 at the Copacabana. (Click on image for larger view).
NEW YORK — Motown Records is virtually monopolizing New York’s entertainment scene, with four of its top stars, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, and Willie Tyler, are currently headlining at such major nightclubs and theater venues as the Copacabana, the Royal Box, and the Apollo Theater, all at the same time within a one week period.
The Four Tops began a two-week engagement at the Copacabana last Thursday, April 29, while the Supremes step into the spotlight at the Hotel Americana’s Royal Box Monday, May 10 for a two-week engagement there. Stevie Wonder is booked for seven-days at the Apollo, beginning Wednesday, May 13, and ventriloquist Willie Tyler is on the bill with the Four Tops at the Copacabana. END.
(Information and news source: Billboard; May 8, 1971).
IT’S STANDING ROOM ONLY AND EXCITEMENT FOR SUPREMES IN LAS VEGAS DATE
LAS VEGAS — Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, known professionally as the Supremes, and the story of Motown Records, have played to SRO since their opening June 29 at the Hotel Flamingo and there’s no letup of reservations in sight.
Florence, Mary, and Diana at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, July 13, 1967. The engagement will be Florence Ballard’s last ever as a Supreme.
The trio, in their second Las Vegas appearance, is a delight to hear and see. Their gowns and stage wardrobe airs excitement as their choreography and dance arrangements fall in sync as they performed here live on stage.
Included in their 55 minutes of songs and breezy conversations, are such show-stoppers as “Put On A Happy Face,” “Queen Of The House,” “More,” “Yesterday,” “Lady Is A Tramp,” “The Happening,” and sang a medley of their Motown recordings to the rousing delight of the audience’s applause and cheers.
Their rousing closing, “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Knows You,” brings a standing ovation. Gil Askey conducts the Russ Black Orchestra featuring the Supremes, regulars, Bob Cousar, drums; Jimmy Garret, bass; and Napoleon Allen, guitar.
The Supremes, originally exclusively deemed as favorites of the teen set, have upgraded the caliber and format of their stage presentation here, and are now enjoying the full success as adult nightclub favorites.
Their bouncy, fast-paced show is one of the best performances here. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard; July 15, 1967)
A MCRFB Note: Sadly, unbeknownst to Florence Ballard at the time, the Las Vegas engagement in July, 1967, was to be Miss Ballard’s last appearance on stage and as a member of the Supremes.
Rumors later persisted Berry Gordy wanted Florence removed from the trio and Diana Ross more than likely had known Florence was going to be replaced sometime soon — as the Las Vegas story later would unfold — by Gordy’s own hand.
As the on-going rift between Berry Gordy and Florence continued in the spring of 1967, it was also learned Diana had personally recruited Cindy, as a possible replacement, and for no other reason than in preparation for the coming void, with Gordy’s blessings.
Months before Florence was removed, and unknown to her, Berry had Cindy Birdsong, obviously a no last-minute understudy, in training, watching the Supremes for weeks on weeks earlier months before. Birdsong was there during the entire Las Vegas engagement as well, although she did not fully know for what reason Berry had placed her in that position at the time, Cindy later would say.
On July 20, 1967, the marquee at the Flamingo had been changed from “The Supremes” to “Diana Ross and The Supremes” by Berry Gordy’s insistence.But that wasn’t all he had done. One night Florence was on stage next to Diana and Mary. The next night Cindy Birdsong stood in her place. For good. Diana Ross was now “solo” officially and center-stage.
Nine-years later, destitute in career, financially bankrupt and on welfare assistance, Florence Ballard died on February 22, 1976. She was 33. [J.F.]
Source — see also: Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise And Fall Of The Motown Sound. By Nelson George. Published by St Martin’s Press; New York, 1985.
*Page 163, second paragraph; Where Did Our Love Go?
Florence Ballard. (Click on image for larger view).
NEW YORK — Florence Ballard of the Supremes has withdrawn from the group for reasons of ill health, according to a spokesman for Tamla-Motown, the group’s recording company.
Cindy Birdsong, of Patti and the Bluebells fame, has been selected to replace Miss Ballard. This is reportedly a permanent arrangement, but Miss Birdsong has not been signed as yet. Miss Ballard, according to the spokeman, is currently hospitalized for reasons not specified at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
No further word has been given as to the nature of her stay nor how long she will remain in the hospital. Motown officials declined to divulge of any further arrangements, or of any settlement, it made with Miss Ballard regarding her withdrawal from the Supremes. END.
(Information and news source: Billboard; August 12, 1967).
NEW YORK — Mary Wells, known worldwide as the “Queen of Motown” for her million-selling hits “My Guy” and “You Beat Me To The Punch,” died of cancer July 26 in Los Angeles. She was 49.
Wells had been suffering with throat problems for several years and was diagnosed with throat-cancer of the larynx in 1990. She underwent surgery for the condition in August 1990, and received chemotherapy and experimental drug treatment through 1991. According to a close friend, Joyce McRae, the singer’s physical condition worsened earlier this year and she was hospitalized for several months at the Kenneth Norris Jr. Cancer Center at the University of Southern California, where she died.
Says Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records, “Mary’s recording of Smokey Robinson’s ‘My Guy’ became her signature song, marking the beginning of a new era in the world of Motown and music. She holds a special place in the hearts of millions and a very special place in mine.”
Wells, born May 13, 1943 in Detroit, was a 17 year-old graduate of Northwestern High School when she auditioned for Gordy with a tune she’d written when she was 15. As a result, she became the first artist to be released on the Motown label. (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and Little Stevie Wonder had their hits on the Gordy-Tamla imprint.
‘First Lady of Song’
“Mary Wells, our first lady of song, came to me with a song she had written for Jackie Wilson called ‘Bye, Bye Baby,” recalls Gordy, who signed the young songwriter on the spot. “I insisted she become a singer. It became her first hit.”
“Bye, Bye Baby” reached No. 8 and No. 45 on the R&B and pop charts, respectively.
“That song got her on Dick Clark’s ‘American Bandstand,'” remembers Esther Gordy Edwards, Berry’s eldest sister and a former Motown VP. “She was our first artist to go on ‘Bandstand’ in Philadelphia, and that was a first big step for us.”
Mary Wells toured with the Beatles in the U.K. in 1965. (Click on image for larger view).
Wells three top-ten pop hits in 1962, all penned by Smokey Robinson: “The One Who Really Loves You,” “You Beat Me To The Punch,” and “Two Lovers.” In 1963, “My Guy,” another Robinson composition, landed in the No. 1 pop position, becoming Motown’s first No. 1 song. Wells also recorded several duets with Marvin Gaye, including “What’s The Matter With You Baby,” b/w “Once Upon A Time,” which were top-20 hits on the pop charts. As the label’s premier artist, she was the first of the Motown acts to tour the U.K., as an opener for the Beatles.
Post-Motown Years
At the age of 21, after a string of successful singles, Wells left Motown and signed a four-year, $500,000 contract with 20th Century Fox and moved to Los Angeles. According to Edwards, Motown sued for breach of contract, and the suit was settled when her new label bought out her contract.
“She was really riding the crest of the wave,” say Edwards, “She was really getting a lot of other offers. She wanted out and she was probably encouraged by others. We hated to lose her… I think she would have been a super, superstar if she would have stayed with Motown because the nurturing and organization she had here was conducive to a great career.”
Wells, who was at the time married to vocalist Herman Griffin, recorded a few albums for 20th Century Fox and continued to release singles, but none reached the same level of success during her earlier Motown hits. A 1965 move to Atco yielded one top-ten hit, “Dear Lover.”
In 1966, Wells married fellow performer Cecil Womack, brother of singer Bobby Womack. (Cecil now performs with his current wife, Linda, as Womack and Womack). In 1967, Wells gave birth to Cecil Jr., the first of four children the couple would have together.
Mary Wellscirca 1970.
By 1968, Wells was recording for the independent Jubilee label, and then took a break from the recording business in the 1970s to raise her children. In 1978, she began performing again, recording briefly for Warner/Reprise and then Epic, where she had her last major hit in 1982 with the club anthem, “Gogolo.” In 1983, she appeared on the well-acclaimed “Motown 25” television special.
Financial Crisis
Like many R&B artists of the ’50s and ’60s, Wells did not have the business savvy to secure her dues insofar royalty rights, and thus had to perform frequently to keep the bills paid, says Maye James, a childhood friend who served as Well’s secretary and unofficial road manager during her Motown years.
Her lack of financial security became a crisis in 1990, when Wells, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx. With no medical insurance, Wells was unable to pay rent on her Los Angeles home and was evicted.
Doctors told Wells they could save her by removing her vocal cords, an option she rejected. “I miss my voice, you know, but hopefully it will come back,” she once said on an Entertainment Tonight feature the year before she died. “I’ve been singing all my life, I don’t know of any other trade.”
Word of the artist’s plight circulated throughout the music industry and the world. The Washington, D.C. based Rhythm and Blues Foundation, an organization founded to aid financially distressed R&B recording pioneers, came to Wells’ aid with a fund drive that raised $125,000. Berry Gordy made a special cash gift (reportedly $25,000) through the foundation to cover her housing needs. Diana Ross contributed $15,000, Rod Steward and Bruce Springsteen gave $10,000 apiece, and the Temptations gave $5,000. Aretha Franklin skirted the foundation and gave $15,000 directly to Mary Wells.
“Over the two years (since she was diagnosed), we provided the assistance,” says Susan Jenkins, executive director of the foundation, who says fans from around the world sent money to help Wells. “We worked with her family to make sure she got whatever she needed and worked with AFTRA to get her medical insurance reinstated… It speaks a lot to the power of music that we got contributions from all over the world, from people who couldn’t even speak English, for whom the power of Mary’s music impacted their lives.”
Wells was buried July 30 at Forest Lawn Cemetery. A candle-light vigil was scheduled for July 31 in Detroit outside the original Motown offices, known as Hitsville, where the Motown Historical Museum is located. According to Edwards, director of the museum, the vigil was conceived by Smokey Robinson guitarist Marv Johnson and Martha Reeves.
“She was loved,” says Edwards. “Everybody loved everybody, and once a part of that Motown family in the ’60s, you remain a part of it forever.”
Wells, who is divorced from Womack, is survived by two daughters, Stacy and Sugar, and two sons, Cecil Jr. and Harry. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard; August 8, 1992)
From the desk of Hal B. Cook, Publisher; Billboard
The superb Supremes, Diana, Florence and Mary, brought joy to New York’s Copacabana Club, July 29, just last week. Opening night Thursday brought an overflow audience which included Sammy Davis, Jr., Don Murray, Jack Cassidy, Marty Allen, Ed Sullivan, Bill Randall and Hal Jackson, radio personalities; Jim Schartz, Washington record distributor; Neil Keating and Bill Bell, Columbia Record Club executives, and a host of fans from other record labels.
The lovely Supremes shook up the entire block with their performance.
Berry Gordy, Barney Ales, Phil Jones, Harry Ascola and the entire Motown-Tamla organization can be proud that it was one of their groups who brought excitement to what in the summer in New York could be a pretty dull room.
A top-notch act will usually bring along enough extra musicians to get their sound. In the case of the Supremes, only two stand-in extra musicians were needed. Their attentive conductor, Gil Ashey, brought the Supremes’ own bass man Joe Mack and drummer Bob Cuosar, who proceeded to whip the Copa band at a frantic pace giving superb backing to the girls.
Choreography by Charlie Aiken created a visual impact perfectly matched to the powerful Supremes musical arrangements.
A wind-up tribute to Sam Cooke and his music developed into a standing ovation from the audience for the girls. Their attempt to retreat with only one encore proved hopeless.
This group has had fabulous success on records. We have heard of their great “in person” ability. Now we have seen it firsthand. If you get the chance, catch the Supremes in person.
Hal B. Cook, PUBLISHER
(Information and news source: Billboard; August 7, 1965).
COPA PROVING GROUND, AN ACT FOR ALL AGES; SUPREMES BLOSSOM OUT IN NYC
NEW YORK — Any doubts that the Supremes will be around for a long time as a top adult act were erased at the Copacabana on Thursday night, as the three Detroit girls put on a performance the likes of which the famed bistro has seldom experienced.
The Motown beat was polished, refined and arranged to a fare-thee-well, particularly in “Come See About Me,” the female group’s first chart topper.
Motown Supremes in 1965. (Click on image for larger view).
But more important, Diana, the lead singer, emerged as a solo talent to be reckoned with, and the trio’s treatment of pop material like “Queen Of The House” demonstrated that the girls have a sharp comic sense and a reportorial range worthy that of a veteran group having been in the business for some time.
The first opening number in their Copa act was a sprightly “From This Moment On,” followed by a song generally more associated with the group — “Baby Love.” Another of the Supremes stand-bys — “Stop In The Name Of Love,” — was delivered in typical Motown style.
“The Girl From Ipanema” was delivered in a cool, subdued style and provided a suitable change of pace after the two beat numbers.
“Make Somebody Happy” was the showcase act for Diana’s solo potential. Her distinctive phrasing and amazing vocal range in every song confirms that she truly is one of the best in the business.
The girls proved also that they can handle the old music hall song-and-dance routine. On “Rockabye Your Rockabye Baby” they came prepared sporting straw hats and stage canes as they performed in the vaudeville tradition before the rousing, standing-room only crowd.
A bit of nostalgia was introduced with selections from their “We Remember Sam Cooke” album, delivered with taste and sentimental class.
The closing number was “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,” with Diana Ross delivering the lead vocals well into the song’s lyrics, as Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard were cutting in with appropriate asides on cue.
The Supremes’ stellar act was evident in every aspect of their stage presence on Thursday night. The event was electrified by the crowd’s numerous standing ovations throughout the evening as they performed.
While the Supremes will probably keep their teenage following for some time, there appears little question that the act will last a lot longer as an adult-generated “class act” as well, and not too dependent on chart positions of their latest chart hit.
They have all their able resources well in place — poise, polish and glamorous stage appeal — and evidently everyone who was present would unanimously agree, all were working flawlessly on stage at the Copacabana last Thursday night. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard; August 7, 1965)
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas Rock (and Soul) It to ‘Em; Wows ‘Em in the Big Apple
NEW YORK — Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, three sparkling ambassadors from Motown country in Detroit, delivered soul music downtown to the Copacabana on Thursday, June 20, to weather a spell on prom-happy students and other scholars of the soul sound.
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas circa 1968 (click on image for larger view).
Martha Reeves, the tall beauty who delivers the major sock in the group’s soul, marshaled the Vandellas through an opening-night traffic jam of steps, fancy hand symbols and harmonies. They sang “Ready For Love,”“Come And Get These Memories” and “Heatwave,” a medley of the trio’s golden goodies, then jumped into “Nowhere To Run” and “Honey Chile,” a booming gospel chorus punched through and through with that Motown magic.
The Copa debut of the Gordy artists touched off an in-person sit-in by Motown dignitaries and artists who loyally ringed the first-level stage. Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross of the Supremes and Berry Gordy presided over a crowd that also included Arthur Prysock and local deejay Hal Jackson. The Vandellas sand “I Can’t Help Myself,” originally by the Four Tops several years back, another stellar Motown act.
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas excited the Rhythm and Blues buffs with three encores with such materials as “Dancing In The Streets,” one of their best sellers, and “I Promise To Wait My Love,” their latest release off the Gordy label.
Miss Reeves, smooth and stylish on with her soulful renditions throughout the evening on stage, also sang a cover of the Ruby & The Romantics hit, “Our Day Will Come,” while accompanied by famed soul guitarist David T. Walker. The solo, which Miss Reeves strung along with vocal agility, suddenly turned into a rock revival as the Vandellas chipped in with the echo/reverb machine on, while drummer Melvin Jones turned up the beat laced with rapid rhythmic brushes and strokes.
“Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen” and “He Love Me, He Needs Me” also delighted the crowd into frenzied rippling applause and spontaneous standing ovations. END
(Information and news source: Billboard; June 22, 1968)
From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1962
