Category: Record World

RECORD WORLD | DETROIT VISIT FOR THE BEATLES? . . . APRIL 3, 1965

In U.K., Gordy Slated to Personally Pitch Detroit for Beatles’ Second North American Tour

 

 

Detroit — Teenagers here may still be able to see the Beatles “in person” this summer.

International Talent Management Incorporated (ITMI), the booking agency arm of Detroit’s Motown Record Corporation, will attempt to add an appearance in Detroit to the tentative schedule already announced for the British foursome’s second American tour, which begins later in the year, Aug. 15. Berry Gordy Jr., Motown President, is currently in London and will meet with Beatles manager Brian Epstein to this end.

During their first visit to Detroit last September, the Beatles named many Motown recording artists, including the Miracles, the Supremes, as their personal favorite performers. The Beatles have also recorded many of the songs which had first reached popularity as recordings by Motown artists.

A spokesman for ITMI said, “If we are able to bring the Beatles to Detroit, it will be Motown’s way of saying ‘Thank you’ to Detroit; and to the teenagers of Detroit, for the constant support that they have given to Detroit’s recording artists.” END

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Information, credit and source (as published): Record World, April 3, 1965

THE BEATLES at the Detroit Olympia, Sunday, September 6, 1964.

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RECORD WORLD | DOZIER, HOLLANDS: THEY’RE THE TOP . . . JANUARY 15, 1966

Three Years in the Making, Holland, Dozier, Holland, Established Top Hit Makers at Motown Records Today

 

 

Eddie Holland

The team of Lamont Dozier-Brian and Eddie Holland produced nine releases in 1965 and “8-eight-8,” I said eight of these records, made the Top 10, both pop and R&B.

In the last three years, they have produced (and written) a minimum of “15 fifteen-15 Top 10″ pop and R&B” records. The sales on “I Can’t Help Myself” by the Four Tops are over one million, four hundred thousand; sales on “Where Did Our Love Go” by the Supremes are over one million-two hundred thousand. Berry Gordy himself, who scored in the poll, did one hit on his own last year – “Shotgun.” So now Motown made Brian Holland a Vice President – to me, it’s all three together. I just went out to Detroit and they told me how they do it.

Lamont Dozier

Brian and Lamont sit down at a piano to riffle a taste. They keep thinking and thinking, and reaching and searching for a definite melody line – the “handle.” They usually work together this way for about a half an hour. They will discard quite a few ideas, and then will take out anything that they feel is extraneous. Their goal is always naked simplicity, and when they achieve that, then they strip that down even more, if possible. The basic criterion is always “pleasantness to the ear.” Then they turn the melody and a “working title” over to Holland. Different situations will vary from time to time.

The soul emanates from within them as they write. The soul is the quintessence of all they ever were and are. They draw upon a “Soul Fund” that includes: familiarity with ALL classical and semi-classical music; their cultural heritage as Negroes; and much of the Hebraic-Judaic musical literature.

As children, they sang in church choirs, and thus know almost all the spirituals and work and folk song of their people. They benefited from a cultural enrichment program that has existed in the Detroit school system for years. Their teachers took them to many classical concerts.

Brian Holland

I was reminded of the great autobiographical play by the Welsh actor, Emlyn Williams, “The Corn Is Green,” when Eddie Holland said to me, “Kal, the first time I heard Brahms and Beethoven, I felt as if a giant force had lifted me up from the poverty and misery around me, up a steep wall, until I could see stretching out in front of me an expanse of green grass and a whole new world of beauty.”

They will thrill all their lives to the greatness and genius of these music titans of centuries past. They cannot pinpoint any particular melody of theirs to any one source. However, the emotional mainspring that drives their creativity is evolved from the “most hurtin’, tore-up peoples that the world has ever known.” I asked VP Brian Holland which of their songs move them the most. He told me that he is still moved to tears by: “I Can’t Help Myself”; “Stop In The Name Of Love”; and especially “I Hear A Symphony.”

I asked them who is their favorite writing team. I knew before they answered that they would say “Music by Burt Bacharach and words by Hal David.“

KAL RUDMAN’S ‘MONEY MUSIC‘

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Information, credit and news source: Record World, January 15, 1966

THE MOTOWN HIT MAKERS, 1965: L-R Eddie Holland, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, and Florence Ballard. Standing: Berry Gordy, Jr. (Click on image 2x for largest detailed PC view, tap and ‘stretch’ across image for digitized Mobile device view)

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RECORD WORLD | MOTOWN EXECUTIVES HEAD TO EUROPE . . . . OCTOBER 10, 1964

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

MOTOWN Berry Gordy and Esther Edwards, Barney Ales (background), the Supremes and Motown legal counsel George Schiffer (right) arrive at London Airport, October 6,1964.

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RECORD WORLD | KAMA SUTRA RECORDS: 1965 AD! THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL

The Lovin’ Spoonful | #201 | Do You Believe In Magic

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The featured Kama Sutra Records ad was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

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RECORD WORLD: SHADES OF BLUE! IMPACT RECORDS

A RECORD WORLD AD May 28, 1966

 

—SHADES OF BLUE—

 

Oh How Happy is a song written by Edwin Starr. It was a hit for the group The Shades of Blue.

The song was first recorded by The Shades of Blue. While at Golden World, they were recording background vocals and some demos. Edwin Starr happened to be there. Hearing them sing and liking the way they sounded, he had an unfinished song that he had an idea to do more with. He sat down with the group and they worked out the chorus and wording. According to group member Nick Marinelli, they actually contributed some of the wording and chorus, but weren’t credited for that. He cites their youth and inexperience for not knowing what their crediting should have been. The song was recorded in the late fall of 1965. They took the record to Harry Balk at Impact Records. He signed them into a contract. The record was released in March 1966 and in no time went straight to no. 1 in the local Detroit radio market. Nationally it got to no. 12 in the pop charts and no. 7 in the R&B charts.

Five weeks on the Record World pop charts, Oh How Happy by the Shades Of Blue climbs to #43 this week, May 28, 1965.

 

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Source: Wikipedia and Record World, May 28, 1966

 

 

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Shades of Blue circa 1966. Original group members included Nick Marinelli, Ernie Dernai, Linda Allen, and Bob Kerr.

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