May 2023 – Page 2 – Motor City Radio Flashbacks

Compiled by the Music Popularity Chart Dept. of Billboard, from national retail store and one-stop sales reports, and radio airplay reports.

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May 1966

May 4
- Fiat signs a contract with the Soviet government to build a car factory in the Soviet Union.
- May 1966 lunar eclipse: A penumbral lunar eclipse takes place, the 64th lunar eclipse of Lunar Saros 111.
May 5 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup in ice hockey.
May 6 – The Moors murders trial ends in the UK with Ian Brady being found guilty on all three counts of murder and sentenced to three concurrent terms of life imprisonment. Myra Hindley is convicted on two counts of murder and of being an accessory in the third murder committed by Brady, receiving two concurrent terms of life imprisonment and a seven-year fixed term for being an accessory.
May 7 – Irish bank workers go on strike.
May 12
- African members of the UN Security Council say that the British army should blockade Rhodesia.
- Radio Peking claims that U.S. planes have shot down a Chinese plane over Yunnan (the U.S. denies the story the next day).
May 14 – Turkey and Greece intend to start negotiations about the situation in Cyprus.
May 15
- Indonesia asks Malaysia for peace negotiations.
- The South Vietnamese army besieges Da Nang.
- Tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators again picket the White House, then rally at the Washington Monument.
May 16
- The Chinese Communist Party issues the ‘May 16 Notice’, marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
- A strike is called by the National Union of Seamen in the United Kingdom.
- In New York City, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes his first public speech on the Vietnam War.
May 19 – Gertrude Baniszewski is found guilty of torturing and murdering 16-year-old Sylvia Likens at a court in Indianapolis, United States, and is sentenced to life in prison (she is released on parole in December 1985).
May 24
- Battle of Mengo Hill: Ugandan army troops arrest Mutesa II of Buganda and occupy his palace.
- The Nigerian government forbids all political activity in the country until January 17, 1969.
May 25
- Explorer program: Satellite Explorer 32 (Atmosphere Explorer-B) is launched from the United States.
- No. 9 Squadron RAAF becomes part of the 4,500 strong Australian Task Force assigned to duties in Vietnam, leaving for Southeast Asia aboard the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney.
May 26 – British Guiana achieves independence, becoming Guyana.
May 28
- Fidel Castro declares martial law in Cuba because of a possible U.S. attack.
- The Indonesian and Malaysian governments declare that the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation is over (a treaty is signed on August 11).
- Boat ride “It’s a Small World” opens at Disneyland.
- May 29 – Sports stadium Estadio Azteca officially opens in Mexico City in advance of the 1968 Summer Olympics.
- May 31 – The Philippines reestablishes diplomatic relations with Malaysia.

Source Credit: 1966 (May) WiKipedia

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Pathe-Marconi Red Carpets Motown in France, Promoting Gordy’s Acts and New Tamla-Motown Label

PARIS — Pathe–Marconi pulled out all stops this week to launch the Tamla-Motown sound in France.

The European premiere of the T-M show was a sell-out concert at the Paris Olympia Theater which featured most of the Berry Gordy Jr. team–the Supremes, the Miracles, Martha and the Vendettas, Stevie Wonder and the Earl Van Dyke
Sextet.

To this concert Pathe-Marconi summoned their representatives in Holland, Sweden, West Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway and Denmark. Organization costs for this pilgrimage and the lavish midnight cocktail party that followed the concert amounted to some $4,000.

It was Pathe-Marconi’s biggest promotion since the acquisition of the Capitol label 10 years ago. Advance publicity for the launching of the Tamla-Motown label included special point-of-sale record displays and 50 huge posters—total area 12,000 square yards–at strategic points throughout Paris. There were also display advertisements in France’s paper, France Soir.

Said Pathe-Marconi pressman, M. Boullen: “The launching of the Tamla-Motown label here comes at a time when French record buyers are becoming more inclined to accept lyrics in English. There is now a very noticeable tendency for them to prefer the original record, in English, to the French language cover version.”

Enthusiastic Crowd

The Tamla team got an enthusiastic reception from the French audience and Berry Gordy Jr. told Billboard afterwards he was well satisfied with the reaction.

In a short speech at the cocktail party, Gordy said that his company always tried to put quality first and recalled that last year Tamla-Motown put out 65 singles, of which 44 got into the American charts.

First releases of the label in France include disks by the Supremes, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Earl Van Dyke. Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, the Miracles, the Velvelettes, the Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Contours and Brenda Holloway.

Berry Gordy also announced that Tamla-Motown had signed French singer Richard Anthony. END

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Credit source information (as published): Billboard, May 1, 1965