CHANGES BIG NAMES POLICY: MOTOWN GOES OUTSIDE TO GET TALENT . . . SEPTEMBER 4, 1965

From the MCRFB NEWS archives: 1965

Motown Records Expands Into Big Name Artists Repertoire; Finds UK Expansion Abroad

DETROIT — The Tamla-Motown organization recently reversed its general policy of creating its own big names and has been adding standard acts to its roster, including Billy Eckstine, Tony Martin and Connie Haines. Other big names – most of whom haven’t had hit records in some time – are expected to be added to the fold.

Taking care of Motown business. Smokey Robinson and Barney Ales circa 1965.

“One of the reasons these artists haven’t had hit product lately, “Vice-President and Sales Manager Barney Ales said, “is that they haven’t been recorded with an appeal to the record-buying public. We want to give them our sound.”

The “Detroit Sound” has been tremendously successful; the firm’s batting average is the envy of the record industry. As of this week, President Berry Gordy Jr. can point to 9 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart (another just dropped off last week) and four of these were in the top 20. Two weeks ago, the firm had 12 singles on the chart. The label also now has seven LP’s in the top of the chart. “Where Did Our Love Go,” by the Supremes, has been on the LP chart 51 weeks.

What makes all of this fantastic, however, is that the firm released very few singles so far this year – only 32, according to Phil Jones, marketing and research director. “Five of these records were million-sellers,” he said. “Ninety per cent hit the charts.”

Five singles turned out by Gordy reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. These included three by the Supremes, one by the Four Tops and one by the Temptations. Jones said that “I Can’t Help Myself” by the Four Tops sold a million and a half records. “But we have 10 or 12 artists that constantly have hits,” Jones said. “I feel we’ve made more artists than any other label.”

It was felt that with the present splurge of signings, which included Jack Soo, the Lewis Sisters and Barbara McNair, the firm was branching into more album product. Jones said that Tamla-Motown first intended to give these new signings a hit single. “They seem to be able to sell albums better that way.

“We’ve been putting out a limited number of albums -12 or so this year. Out of that, 10 have been on the charts and seven are still on,” Jones said. “All of these albums have proper timing – the artists are hot. I don’t consider it any sense to turn out catalog product; it’s too difficult to compete with the budget lines.

“What we’re doing is signing people with talent that will fit in with material we’ve already got on hand. Our success can be attributed in part to the great producers we have working for us. For instance, the songwriting and producing team of Brian Holland, Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier have turned out six or seven releases this year, of which four have reached the No. 1 position on the chart and two or three reached the top 10.”

Smokey Robinson, the lead singer with the Miracles, also writes and produces, and Jones said that product director (and Motown producer, songwriter) Mickey Stevenson “has also come up with quite a few hits.”

The label recently expanded overseas, and Jones and Ales left Sunday (Aug. 23) to meet with EMI officials in England to discuss establishing closer ties and more effective marketing for the label. “What we hope to do,” Jones said, “is make all of our artists as successful in England as the Supremes are there.” END

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Information and news source: Billboard; September 4, 1965

MOTOWN MONDAYS! MOTOWN ON CBS’ ED SULLIVAN

THE MOTOWN SOUND

— The Ed Sullivan Show —

The entire Ed Sullivan Show catalogue hits the streaming platforms!

On June 12, came exciting news Universal Music Enterprises and Sofa Entertainment brokered a deal to license and make available the entire Ed Sullivan video performances from the Sofa library, who acquired the entire catalogue in 1990. UME will make available the entire catalogue for public streaming in restored, digitized form, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Since its premiere launch on June 12, more videos have been added on the official Ed Sullivan You Tube channel, many having highlighted the Motown sound. As was reported, it will take three years to upload the more than 10,000 performances which aired Sunday evenings on CBS-TV from June 20, 1948 to June 6, 1971.

The host of the show, Ed Sullivan, passed away on October 13, 1974. He was 73.

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For more info on this story, go HERE.

THE ED SULLIVAN MOTOWN CLASSICS!

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NEW! On this ‘Motown’ Monday we are featuring three classic Motown video performances from the Ed Sullivan Show:

The Supremes (1970), The Temptations (1967), Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (1968)

MORE Ed Sullivan Motown performances will be forthcoming on Motor City Radio Flashbacks!

MOTOWN MONDAYS! MOTOWN ON CBS’ ED SULLIVAN

NEW! WLTI 93.1 FM BACK ON THE RADIO: DAN MARTIN

**WLTI RECALLED on MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS**

**WLTI-FM 93.1 * 1996 * DAN MARTIN**

DAN MARTIN WLTI aircheck date: FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1996

— SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —

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NEW! A special THANK YOU to our latest website contributor, Dan Martin, of Ann Arbor, MI., for recently donating this WLTI-FM radio aircheck (he personally recorded in 1996) with Motor City Radio Flashbacks.

**THE DAN MARTIN COLLECTION**

WLTI 93.1 FM

–‘LITE MUSIC‘–

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Formerly WDRQ (1971-1985) and beginning in April, WLTI and their ‘Lite Music‘ format was lauched and was heard on the 93.1 frequency on the Detroit FM dial from 1985 to 1996.

By late summer of 1996, the station, then owned by Viacom, dropped the lite music format (easy listening) for a “rhythmic adult contemporary” format. The station’s call letters were also dropped. Once again, reverting back to the call letters the station held previous before the change, WDRQ.

WLTI’s decade run on the FM dial came to an end when the new changes were effectively implemented on Sunday, August 11, 1996. Viacom fired the entire air-staff, including station programmer, Brad Waldo, some fifteen days after this WLTI aircheck was recorded.

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(Source: Detroit Free Press archives)

Detroit Free Press, Saturday, March 29, 1986

E. J. KORVETTE RECORDS! PARADE OF HITS: 08/17/1964

**E. J. KORVETTE PARADE OF HITS** August 17, 1964

E. J. KORVETTE DEPARTMENT STORE

—August 17, 1964—

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PARADE of HITS!

E. J. Korvette, the New York based department store chain (with multiple stores scattered throughout six eastern and mid-western states), opened its first two department stores in the Detroit metropolitan area, this month, 57 years ago.

The two store’s grand-opening, locations in Roseville (Gratiot and 12 Mile) and in Southgate, Mi. (Fort and Pennsylvania Rd.) was held on August 15, 1963 (according to The Detroit Free Press).

In the 1960s, the department chain published a weekly ‘Parade of Hits‘ record singles chart (tabulated out of New York). The chart was made available for the retailer’s large in-store record department. The Korvette listing showcased the most popular 40 singles for the week, as was dated, starting every Monday.

By 1974, Detroit had five E. J. Korvette stores on the map. Having expanded to Redford, Southfield and Madison Heights. By that time (and most likely due to retail competitor K-Mart’s growth and dominance in the Detroit market share), the Korvette stores were by then sustaining serious financial and sales decline. By year’s end, 1975, the five stores were no longer in operation in the Detroit area.

Five years later, having declared bankruptcy, the former New York-based department store (having been sold and under new ownership in 1979), officially came to it’s demise on December 24, 1980. What was left of the 17 remaining stores, all were permanently closed.

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(Source: E. J. Korvette; Wikipedia, The Detroit Free Press)

The above E. J. Korvette chart was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

— ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —

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NEW! A special THANK YOU to Ray Tessier, of Allen Park, MI., for recently sharing this rare E. J. Korvette chart with Motor City Radio Flashbacks 🙂

** A MCRFB VIEWING TIP **

ON YOUR PC? To fully appreciate this E. J. Korvette record chart for the week of August 17, 1964 click on image 2x and open to second window. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.

Click your server’s back button to return to MCRFB home page.

ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE? Tap on image. Open to second window. “Stretch” chart image across your device screen to magnify for larger print view.

THE CJSP 710 FASCINATIN’ FIFTY! WEEK OF 08/20/1962

**CJSP-AM FASCINATIN’ 50** August 20, 1962

CJSP 71 RADIO

—August 20, 1962—

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Heard in the United States, Detroit, Michigan, CJSP was a Canadian station situated on the AM dial at 710 KHZ. The station was owned by Sun Parlour Broadcasting. A daytimer, the CJSP studios was located across the Detroit River in Leamington, Ontario. In 1962, CJSP was a Top 40 station when the featured Fascinatin’ 50 chart went to print, 58 years ago, this week.

CJSP signed on in March 1955. The station’s call letters was retained for 12 years until September 1967, when the CRTC (Canadian Radio Television Commission) approved the station’s request to change its calls to CHYR. The daytimer’s new calls letters also adopted a new station moniker, C-H-Y-R, popularly referenced by the late 1960s as, ‘CHEER Radio’.

By late 1967, the station had the distinction having operated under two licenses, in the daytime it was CHYR and during the night-time hours it switched over to CHIR. Sometime in 1974, the calls letters were re-amended and became CHYR-7 during the station’s broadcasting night-time hours.

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The above CJSP chart was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

— ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —

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NEW! A special THANK YOU to Ray Tessier, of Allen Park, MI., for recently contributing this rare CJSP chart with Motor City Radio Flashbacks.

From the Ray Tessier Collection . . . more CJSP charts to come! ?

** A MCRFB VIEWING TIP **

ON YOUR PC? To fully appreciate this CJSP Fascinatin’ 50 chart for the week of August 20, 1962 click on image 2x and open to second window. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.

Click your server’s back button to return to MCRFB home page.

ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE? Tap on image. Open to second window. “Stretch” chart image across your device screen to magnify for larger print view.

WLBS-FM: IT’S THE ONE . . . 102.7 FM DISCO AND MORE

WLBS-FM

— 102.7 FM —

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WBRB-FM (Mt. Clemons) became the new WLBS-FM in January, 1979.

The “New Music” station, purchased by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, based in New York, formatted the station with predominantly disco music from the outset. Having dominated the Detroit FM dial with their new “Disco and More” sound, the station’s format was left virtually unchanged for nearly five years on 102.7 FM.

WLBS-FM became the new WKSG-FM, “Kiss 102.7 FM” (oldies) on November 9, 1984.

— SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —

A special THANK YOU to website contributor Vaughn Baskin for recently donating these classic WLBS-FM stickers with Motor City Radio Flashbacks! 🙂

WLBS 102.7: DETROIT FM RADIO DEBUTS A NEW SOUND

DETROIT FREE PRESS

—Wednesday, January 31, 1979—

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A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE

The above WLBS newspaper feature was ‘clipped,’ saved, and was digitally imaged from the credited source by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

** A MCRFB VIEWING TIP **

ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE? Tap over newspaper image. Open to second window. “Stretch” newsprint image across your device screen to magnify for largest view.

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MOTOWN MONDAYS! SPOTLIGHTS ON EARL VAN DYKE

—EARL VAN DYKE—

MOTOWN FUNK BROTHER

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Earl Van Dyke (July 8, 1930 – September 18, 1992) was an American soul musician, most notable as the main keyboardist for Motown Records’ in-house Funk Brothers band during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Van Dyke, who was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, was preceded as keyboardist and bandleader of the Funk Brothers by Joe Hunter. In the early 1960s, he also recorded as a jazz organist with saxophonists Fred Jackson and Ike Quebec for the Blue Note label.

Besides his work as the session keyboardist on Motown hits such as “Bernadette” by The Four Tops, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye, and “Runaway Child, Running Wild” by The Temptations, Van Dyke performed with a small band as an opening act for several Motown artists, and released instrumental singles and albums himself. Several of Van Dyke’s recordings feature him playing keys over the original instrumental tracks for Motown hits; others are complete covers of Motown songs.

His 1967 hit “6 by 6” is a much-loved stomper on the Northern Soul music scene. He was nicknamed “Big Funk”, and “Chunk o Funk”.

Van Dyke played the Steinway grand piano, the Hammond B-3 organ, the Wurlitzer electric piano, the Fender Rhodes, and the celeste and harpsichord. He played a toy piano for the introduction of the Temptations’ hit, “It’s Growing”. His musical influences included Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones, and Barry Harris.

Van Dyke died of prostate cancer in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 62.

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Source: Earl Van Dyke; Wikipedia