Why Did Gladys Knight’s Background Singers Call Themselves The Pips? Why Did Gladys Knight’s Background Singers Call Themselves The Pips? Billy Johnson, Jr. Pin it Share Bubba Knight, an original member of Gladys Knight and The Pips, sang Al Green's "Love and Happiness" and The Beatles' "Yesterday" Wednesday and Friday night during a segment of his sister's set on the "Soul Train Cruise." In an exclusive interview with Yahoo Music, the talented singer, who incorporated a number of comedic bits in his performance, explained why the group was called The Pips. After a seven year old Gladys won the televised singing competition Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour TV show in 1952, she later formed a singing group with her siblings and cousins. "After she won Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour that's when we had a party in my backyard, and that's when Gladys Knight and The Pips performed because this guy took his record player home and we decided to give a talent show with everybody that was left," Bubba said.

"And, we decided to sing, my two cousins and my older sister Brenda." When their mother heard them sing together she suggested that they form a group. "The name Pip came from my first cousin," he said at the 6:02 mark in the above video interview. "His name is James Woods, but he was a man around town and his nickname was Pip. He bought our wardrobe. He took us around to different spots. He was instrumental in getting us into different contests that we eventually won, and when we got ready to go even further with our careers we decided to name the group The Pips after James Woods, in honor of him." Though Gladys Knight and The Pips released their last album in 1987 and Gladys left the group in 1988, Bubba remained an instrumental part of his sister's career, helping her determine which songs to perform during concerts and helping her select songs for her albums. Bubba, 71, said he is finally ready to pursue a solo career. "I feel that I've done as much as I could do to get Gladys' career off the ground," he said with a laugh.

"Now, it's time for her to stand on her own two feet." Bubba wants his solo material to reach the masses. He wants to record "music that will appeal to a broad variety of people, like young and old," he said. "I don't want to lose my senior citizens because I'm a representative of the senior citizens." Though Bubba released his first album with Gladys Knight and The Pips more than 50 years ago, there's still one honor he hopes to achieve. "One of my aspirations is I want to get a Grammy," he said. "I want a Grammy for the Best New Artist." Follow me on Facebook , Twitter . Reblog Edward Patten, 65, a key Pip - The Boston Globe Edward Patten, 65, a key Pip By Jack Kresnak, Knight Ridder Newspapers | February 27, 2005 DETROIT -- Edward Patten was not just any Pip. Besides singing bass and then tenor -- his voice had incredible range -- on harmonies backing up the group's lead singer, Gladys Knight, Mr.

Patten also served as one of the group's choreographers as well as the treasurer who made sure that promoters paid and that the travel and accommodation plans were set. ''When Edward and Langston George became part of the Pips, we danced a whole 'nother way," said William Guest, one of the original Pips. ''He was that type of guy. He made sure that we did things right. We called him Daddy Patten. He was no more than two to three years older than me and a year older than Langston, but we respected him." Mr. Patten, who had lived in Detroit since 1964 when Gladys Knight & the Pips joined Berry Gordy Jr.'s Motown Records, died early Friday at St. Mary Hospital in Livonia, Mich. He was 65 and had been in ill health since a series of strokes beginning in 1995 left him unable to sing. Mr. Patten, Guest, and Knight are cousins. Renee Ivory Patten said she met her husband in 1965 at Bishop College in Dallas where she was a student.

She was helping to set up for a concert that night, and the Pips came through to do a sound check. ''He and Bubba," Knight's brother Merald Knight, ''and William walked through the auditorium," she said Friday. ''Edward told them, 'That's going to be my wife -- don't go near her.' He was persistent." The two married in 1968 and bought a home in Detroit, where they raised their three children and frequently cared for his other four children from an earlier marriage and previous relationships. The Pips formed in Atlanta during the early 1950s with three women and two men, Guest said. The group became Gladys Knight & the Pips after a promoter in Atlanta released a recording of their song ''Every Beat of My Heart" without having a contract with the Pips. Another record company that also wanted to release the song said the group had to change its name, Guest said.

The group became a prominent part of the Motown music scene into the 1970s with hits such as ''Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" and ''Midnight Train to Georgia." The group's string of pop-soul hits from 1967 to 1971 also included ''Everybody Needs Love," ''I Heard It Through the Grapevine," ''It Should Have Been Me," and ''Friendship Train." Gladys Knight & the Pips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. The group has won four Grammys. Besides his wife, Mr. Patten leaves three daughters, Stephanie, Sonya, and Renee Ishanta Patten; four sons Stephen, Elliott, Edward Patten II, and Darrin Skinner; and seven grandchildren. The family plans to schedule a memorial service in Atlanta as well as a funeral this week in Detroit. © Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.

More: Classic Soul Album Spotlight: Gladys Knight & the Pips’ ‘Imagination’ - Soul Train Classic Soul Album Spotlight: Gladys Knight & the Pips’ ‘Imagination’ Music · Tagged: Buddah Records , Classic Soul Album Spotlight , Edward Patten , Gladys Knight & the Pips , Imagination , Jim Weatherly , Merald “Bubba” Knight , Midnight Train to Georgia , stephen mcmillian , William Guest Gladys Knight & the Pips were one of Motown’s greatest groups and one of the greatest acts in the music industry. Gladys’ powerhouse lead vocals, along with the Pips’ (brother Merald “Bubba” Knight, and cousins William Guest and Edward Patten) soulful harmonies backing her won them thousands of fans. Their hits at Motown include “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Nitty Gritty,” “If I Were Your Woman” and many others. Still, the group felt that more attention was being given to other acts on the label and when their contract with Motown expired in 1973, they decided to sign with another label, Buddah Records.

It was a very wise decision, for had they stayed at Motown, they probably would have faded into obscurity. Ironically, as Gladys Knight & the Pips were leaving Motown, the last album they recorded for the label, the fantastic Neither One of Us, was a huge hit, peaking at number one on the soul album charts and number nine on the pop album charts. The title track spent four weeks at number one on the soul singles chart and was number two for two weeks on the pop singles chart, and earned them a Grammy for Best Pop Single by a Group, Duo or Chorus. The album paved the way for the huge success the group was going to have later in the year. The group retained Jim Weatherly, writer of “Neither One of Us,” when they went to Buddah Records, and he wrote the majority of the songs on their first album with the label. That album, entitled Imagination, was released in October 1973 and was one of the most successful albums of 1973.

The album cover featured Gladys and the Pips dressed in white with each holding an empty gold picture frame, implying the album title’s meaning of ”using your imagination.” The album was recorded at New Jersey’s Venture Sound Studios and Bell Sound Studios in New York. Imagination kicks off with the soulful and moody “Midnight Train to Georgia,” about a failed musician who aspired to be a superstar but wound up returning to Georgia. Written and originally recorded by Jim Weatherly, the original title was “Midnight Plane to Houston.” Actually, Cissy Houston recorded and released the new version of the song before Gladys and the Pips. But once Gladys got a hold of it, she made it all her own and it became her signature tune. The song sounded as if Gladys could have been singing about herself, since she delivers the song with such raw emotion and depth with soulful spirited harmonies by the Pips. Her gutsy and soulful ad-libbing near the end proved why she is hailed as the Empress of Soul. She “owned” this tune with her treatment of it, and it is one of the finest tunes ever recorded in music history.

(It is also memorable for the Pips’ “woo-woo” vocals.) The next track on the album is the foot stomping, barnstorming “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,” which is about using one’s imagination to, as the lyrics state, “keep on keeping on” after a love relationship has gone bad. Next up is the heartwarming Jim Weatherly-penned “Storms of Troubled Times,” which is about being there for a friend who is going through hard times. It is a very beautiful record and one that should be given more attention. The fourth track is by far one of the most beautiful love songs of all time, “Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me.” This timeless love song still touches the heart strings forty years after it was recorded, and is indicative of the fact that good songs are lasting. The song was recorded in one take in between a bowling game Gladys and the Pips were playing during that recording session.

Gospel singing legend James Cleveland recorded an alternate version of the song in 1974 titled “Jesus is the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me.” In the lyrics, he joked, “I don’t know who Gladys Knight was talking about, but Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me.” However, Weatherly’s lyrics can be taken to refer to someone’s lover or God; it’s all in the ears of the beholder. The last song on side one is another romantic love song titled “Once in a Lifetime Thing,” again penned by Jim Weatherly. Side two begins with one of the most underrated cuts recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips, the reflective and soothing “Where Peaceful Waters Flow.” This beautiful tale about friendship features a terrific melody with great vocals by Gladys and the Pips and is worthy of wider recognition. This was the last track on the album written by Jim Weatherly. Next is the group’s terrific remake of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now.” This track featured the Pips singing lead, with Gladys as a backup singer.

The Pips also dominate the vocals of the following great ballad, Paul Williams’ “Perfect Love,” although it is a sung more like a duet between the Pips and Gladys. The album’s last track was “Window Raisin’ Granny,” written by Gladys and the Pips. Gladys’ brother Bubba does the lead vocals on this biographical tune about a neighborhood grandmother. This masterpiece of a song combines blues, jazz, soul and funk and was sampled by Christina Aguilera and the Lost Boyz. Imagination was a smash on both the pop and soul album charts. On the former, it hit number 9, and on the latter, it hit number one for seven weeks beginning in December 1973. The album shipped gold, coming very close to becoming platinum. Although the group was already well known, this album turned them into superstars and they experienced stardom unlike what they had at Motown. Gladys Knight & the Pips were everywhere from 1973 to 1975.

Their records were played on all the radio stations, they appeared on virtually every popular television variety and talk show, won many music awards, performed concerts in venues all across the country and had a summer replacement variety show in 1975. They even worked with legendary singer/composer/producer Curtis Mayfield on one of the most incredible scores ever recorded for the motion picture Claudine. The first single released from Imagination was “Where Peaceful Waters Flow,” which went to number six on the soul charts and 28 on the pop charts. The second single was “Midnight Train to Georgia,” the group’s only number one hit on the pop charts, where it stayed for two weeks in October 1973; the song was at number one for four weeks on the soul charts from October to November 1973, and also won the group the Grammy for Best R&B Song by a Group, Duo or Chorus. The third single was “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,” which went number one on the soul charts in January 1974 and number four on the pop charts the same month.

The last single released was “Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me,” which remained number one for two weeks in April 1974 on the soul singles chart and number three for one week on the pop charts the same month. It appeared Motown began to second guess letting go of Gladys Knight & the Pips after the label saw the mega success the group was having. Hence, Motown released an album by the group called All I Need is Time. This was actually released four months before the group released Imagination, but they apparently wanted to cash in on the group before Buddah Records released their new material on the group. In March 1974, at the height of Gladys Knight & the Pips’ huge popularity, Motown released another album of previously unreleased tracks by the group titled Knight Time. Although these two albums contained very good recordings by the group, they could not match the material they put out at Buddah Records from 1973 to 1975.

Imagination further showcased the fact that the Pips were excellent vocalists and not just the “woo woo” singers on “Midnight Train to Georgia.” In fact, the Pips recorded two albums on their own in 1977 and 1978 (due to legal problems Gladys and the Pips could not record together from 1977 to 1980), and the Pips had a chance to show more of what they could do vocally without Gladys. Ever since the nineties, Gladys Knight has basically recorded and performed as a solo act sans the Pips, although her brother Bubba from time to time performs during her shows. Sadly, Edward Patten died in 2005 and William Guest no longer performs (however, Bubba, William and a third unknown singer did perform as the Pips in a funny and memorable Geico commercial in 2007). Nevertheless, the enduring music that the group recorded is entrenched in soul and pop music history forever and you don’t have to use your imagination to believe that. Download Imagination on Amazon and iTunes . For more information about Gladys Knight, visit .

-Stephen McMillian Stephen McMillian is a journalist, writer, actor, filmmaker, dancer/performer, Soul Train historian and soul music and movie historian. He is also a former Soul Train dancer. He is featured in the new Soul Train documentary Show Me Your Soul and is also featured in the new book Love, Peace and Soul: Behind the Scenes of America’s Favorite Dance Show Soul Train by Ericka Blount Danois which is available on Amazon and in bookstores. Related Posts The Motown Story The Motown Story By David Edwards and Mike Callahan Last update: August 8, 2012 The Motown story is the story of Berry Gordy, Jr., who was born in Detroit Michigan on November 28, 1929. He was the seventh of eight children of Berry Gordy II and Bertha Gordy. His parents had migrated to Detroit from Milledgeville, Georgia in 1922. His father ran a plastering contracting business and his mother sold insurance and real estate; they also ran a grocery store and print shop. Berry Gordy, Jr.

dropped out of school after his junior year to become a professional boxer; he decided to get out of the fight game at about the time the Army drafted him in 1951. During his stint in the Army, he obtained his high school equivalency degree. In 1953, he married Thelma Coleman and in 1954 his first child was born, a daughter Hazel Joy. They had two other children, named Berry IV and Terry, but were divorced in 1959. When Berry got out of the Army 1953, he opened a jazz-oriented record store called the 3-D Record Mart that was financed by the Berry family. By 1955, the store had failed and Berry was working on the Ford automobile assembly line. While working on the line, Berry constantly wrote songs, submitting them to magazines, contests and singers. His first success as a songwriter came in 1957 when Jackie Wilson recorded "Reet Petite", a song he, his sister Gwen and Billy Davis (under the pseudonym of Tyran Carlo) had written. "Reet Petite" became a modest hit and netted Berry $1000 for the song.

Over the next two years he co-wrote four more hits for Wilson, "To Be Loved", "Lonely Teardrops", "That's Why" and "I'll Be Satisfied". Berry later chose the title To Be Loved for his autobiography. Successful as a songwriter, Berry decided to produce his songs himself. His first production was titled "Ooh Shucks" by the Five Stars, which was released on George Goldner's Mark X label in 1957. Gordy had an extraordinary ability to recognize talent. In 1957 at a Detroit talent show, he saw a group the Miracles and decided to record them. The Miracles consisted of Claudette Rogers, Ronnie White, Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers and the lead singer William "Smokey" Robinson. Berry's first production for the Miracles was an answer record to the Silhouettes "Get a Job," titled "Got a Job," which he leased to Goldner for release on End records.

The record got some airplay, but then died a quick death, as did the Miracles follow-up on End titled "I Cry." In 1958, Berry produced a record by Eddie Holland titled "You," which was leased to Mercury records. Also that year, Kudo Records issued 4 more Gordy productions, two of which are significant to the Motown story: the first Marv Johnson release, titled "My Baby O," and a Brian Holland (Eddie's brother) vocal, titled "Shock". With Smokey Robinson and the Holland brothers, Berry had discovered three incredible songwriters and producers. Also in 1958, he produced a record by Herman Griffin titled "I Need You" on the H.O.B. label, which is notable in that it was the first song to be published by Berry's publishing company called Jobete (pronounced "jo-BET"), named after his three children, Hazel Joy [Jo], Berry IV[Be], and Terry [Te]. "I Need You" was also the first record to credit the Rayber Voices, background singers named after Berry's second wife, Raynoma, and himself.

Gordy decided to take total control of his songs, so on January 12, 1959, he borrowed $800 from his family's loan fund to start his own record label, called Tamla. He had originally wanted to call his label "Tammy," after a Debbie Reynolds film, but that title was already taken. Tamla Records was located at 1719 Gladstone Street in Detroit, and the first release was Marv Johnson's "Come to Me" [Tamla 101]. The song was picked up by United Artists and it became a mid-sized hit. United Artists signed Marv Johnson to a recording contract and Berry Gordy continued to produce him for that label. In 1959, Marv Johnson's "You Got What It Takes" became his first production to break into the pop Top 10. The third Miracles release was issued on a second label Berry formed, called Motown. The record was called "Bad Girl" and was pressed in minuscule numbers before being leased to Chess records of Chicago, where it was a moderate hit. In early 1960, Tamla released "Money" by Barrett Strong.

Gordy knew he had a hit, so he leased it to Anna Records who had a distribution agreement with Chess. Anna Records was a Detroit-based company that was owned by Berry's sisters Anna and Gwen Gordy and Billy Davis. The label operated from 1958 to 1961, when it was absorbed into Motown. "Money" was a hit, reaching the #23 position, but more importantly, Barrett Strong joined Motown as a staff songwriter. He stayed with Motown until 1973. By the late 1950s, Detroit was perhaps the largest city in the United States that did not have a strong independent record company. With the establishment of Motown, the local talent had an outlet, and they starting showing up at the Motown offices. In 1960, a local girl singing group named the Primettes auditioned for Gordy. He was impressed with the group, but asked them to finish school and then come back. The Primettes came back to Motown after graduating, and were signed in January 1961.

The group's name was changed to the Supremes, and they had their first release on Tamla in April of 1961. In 1960, Gordy met singer Mary Wells at a club where she sang for him, and he suggested she come to the office the next day. Berry signed her immediately and released a song she had written called "Bye Bye Baby" in December of that year. Mary Wells proved to be the first real "star" for the label, with a long string of pop hits. Berry discovered another singing group called the Distants, who changed their name to the Temptations, and released their first record on a new subsidiary label called Miracle in 1961. Their success was not to be as immediate as Mary Wells,' but it would eventually eclipse hers and be far longer lasting. Also in 1960, Gordy acquired the contract of a young Washington, DC-based singer named Marvin Gaye from his brother-in-law, Harvey Fuqua. Harvey was the leader of the Moonglows, who had had several hits for Chess before making some personnel changes in the late 1950s, and Gaye was a current member of that group.

Gaye's first record was "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide" in 1961. He had his first hit in 1962 with "Stubborn Kind of Fellow." Gaye was another performer whose road to fame was marked by only moderate success for many years before finally becoming a huge 1970s star. A common trivia question about Motown is, "What is the name of the first white group to record for Motown?" The not-often-heard correct answer is "Nick and the Jaguars," a trio from Pontiac, Michigan featuring drummer Nick Ferro and lead guitarist Marvin Weyer. Nick's dad, Johnny Ferro, brought the group to Berry Gordy in 1959. They recorded instrumentals "Ich-I-Bon #1"/"Cool and Crazy" at the Motown studio, and the tunes were released as a single on Tamla 5501 that year, before the normal 55500 Tamla series even got started. The first white vocal group was the Valadiers. This group was recommended to Berry Gordy by his pal Jackie Wilson.

The Valadiers had one very minor hit in "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)" on the Miracle label in 1961, and two other releases on the new Gordy subsidiary that was formed in 1962. The song "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)" became a bigger hit for the Monitors in 1966 on Motown's subsidiary label, V.I.P., during the Vietnam war. Motown producer Robert Bateman discovered the Marvelettes at a talent show at Inkster High School. In August 1961, Bateman and Brian Holland co-produced the Marvelettes' first record, "Please Mr. Postman," and it became the first of Berry Gordy's records to reach the pop charts' #1 position. During that same year, "Shop Around" by the Miracles became the first Tamla record to sell a million copies, as it reached the #2 position. In 1959, a young blues singer named Martha Reeves met Mickey Stevenson, the Head of the Motown A&R department, and he hired her as a secretary.

When Mary Wells missed a recording session, Martha called a vocal group she was in, the Del-Phis, to fill in. They recorded "There He Is (At My Door)," which was released on the Melody subsidiary. The record was a flop, but the group continued to be used for background vocal work. In 1962, with a new name the Vandellas, they backed Marvin Gaye on his hit "Stubborn Kind of Fellow". In 1963, production of the group was given over to Brian and Eddie Holland with their new partner Lamont Dozier. The Holland-Dozier-Holland production of "Come and Get These Memories" released in early 1963 (as Martha and the Vandellas on the Gordy subsidiary) is often credited as being the beginning of "The Motown Sound". Ronnie White, a member of the Miracles, arranged for an audition for an eleven year old, blind singer named Stevland Morris. Gordy was impressed with his talent, and said the boy was a "wonder".

Signed to a Motown contract, Morris, renamed "Little Stevie Wonder," had a live recording from the Regal theater in Chicago released titled "Fingertips, Part 2" which reached the #1 spot on the pop charts in 1963. [An interesting thing happens on the record near the end, when a band member yells out "What key, what key?" The band backing Stevie thought he was finished and left the stage, and a second band was taking their place, when Stevie, responding to the audience applause, came back out for a short reprise. As he started playing his harmonica, the new band members didn't know what key the song was in, so in desperation yelled out for it.] The album containing "Fingertips, Part 2" [Tamla 240] titled 12 Year Old Genius became the first Motown album to reach the number 1 spot on the pop album charts. Berry Gordy formed a jazz subsidiary called Workshop Jazz in 1962. The formation of the label was not because Berry thought he could sell many jazz records; the failure of his 3-D Record Mart had shown him that.

He established the label in order to convince the most talented jazz musicians in Detroit to play on his pop music sessions, and Berry enticed them with promises of album releases on the Workshop Jazz label. Gordy knew that even the most successful jazz album sales would be minuscule compared to the numbers he could generate in the popular music field. But Berry kept his promise to the musicians, and the 11 albums released on the label are some of the rarest albums on any Motown label. In 1963, Berry met a group that had released their first single in 1954 when they were called the Four Aims. By 1956, when they released a single on Chess, the group had changed its name to the Four Tops. Initially, Gordy was going to record them on his Workshop Jazz subsidiary, and an album was prepared for that label. This album has been the subject of much speculation over the years. Titled Breaking Though with the Four Tops, it is pictured on an early Motown inner sleeve. Whether the album was ever released is subject to debate; if it was, it would certainly be the most valuable Motown collectable in existence.

The Four Tops were quickly switched to the Motown label and turned over to Holland-Dozier-Holland for production. "Baby I Need Your Loving" in August 1964 became their first chart hit. Any thought of more jazz recordings died with the success of that record. Gordy had established the foundation for the success of Motown for many years to come. With the Miracles, Four Tops, Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, Supremes (still hitless to this point) and the Temptations, he had 6 of the best vocal groups on record. Added to these groups were solo singers Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Mary Wells. With himself, Mickey Stevenson, Smokey Robinson, and Holland-Dozier-Holland, he had proven songwriters and producers who knew how to make popular record hits. No story about Motown would be complete without talking about the Funk Brothers. They were the core of backing musicians that played on almost every Motown recording in the 1960s. The bass player was the incomparable James Jamerson.

The drummer was Benny (Papa Zita) Benjamin, who was so good that Motown had to use two drummers (Richard "Pistol" Allen and Uriel Jones) to replace him when he died in 1968 of a stroke. Allen and Jones had been with Motown for some time, and in fact on some songs (Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" for example), all three can be heard. The core members of the Funk Brothers were about a dozen musicians: Benjamin, Jamerson, Allen, Jones, guitarist Robert White, keyboardist Earl Van Dyke, trombonist Paul Riser, guitarist Eddie Willis, bandleader Joe Hunter, guitarist Joe Messina, percussionist Jack Ashford, vibraphonist Jack Brokensha, percussionist Eddie (Bongo) Brown, and keyboardist Johnny Griffith. In the early '60s, Gordy paid each of them between twenty five and fifty thousand dollars a year to keep them at the company; they were Motown's "most valuable players" and the foundation of the distinctive Motown sound. For many years, Smokey Robinson was the only artist that Gordy would allow to produce his own work.

Although it certainly wasn't a hard and fast rule, in general Berry assigned specific artists to specific producers. Smokey produced Mary Wells, the Temptations and the Miracles. Holland-Dozier-Holland produced the Four Tops and the Supremes. Mickey Stevenson produced Marvin Gaye and the Marvelettes. Clarence Paul produced Stevie Wonder. Martha and the Vandellas were produced by both Mickey Stevenson and Holland-Dozier-Holland. Other Motown producers included Henry Cosby, Harvey Fuqua, Joe Hunter, Earl Van Dyke, and Johnny Griffith. Berry also produced many of his artists on occasion. In 1963, Motown had 6 records in the top 10, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and "Mickey's Monkey" by the Miracles, "Pride and Joy" by Marvin Gaye, "Fingertips Part 2" by Stevie Wonder, and "Heat Wave" and "Quicksand" by Martha and the Vandellas . Technically, Motown progressed through the years by putting new equipment in the hands of the engineers and producers. Until late 1964, masters were recorded on three tracks.

Track one was for basic rhythm, track two the "sweetening" (strings, brass, etc.), and track three was for the vocals, which were overdubbed after the instrumental parts had been recorded to everyone's satisfaction. Mixdowns, whether mono or stereo, were done by the engineers, with the producers having little input at this point. In autumn, 1964, Motown progressed to eight tracks, using a machine designed and built in-house by Motown's Head of Engineering, Mike McLean. There were other 8-track machines in existence (notably at Atlantic and RCA in New York), but the industry standard at that time was 4-track — and in England, the standard was still mono! By early 1965, there was a definite increase in sophistication of the Motown sound. It was possibly this new capability that led to the re-recording of some of the early hits for the Motown collections that began appearing in stereo in 1965 and 1966.

The Supremes were unsuccessful with their first six singles (actually, "Let Me Go the Right Way" had reached #26 on the R&B charts, but only #90 pop, and Gordy had much higher expectations for the group). These six early singles were produced by either Berry Gordy or Smokey Robinson. In late 1963, the group was given over to Holland-Dozier-Holland, and they produced their seventh single, "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" which reached a respectable #23 on the pop charts while making #2 R&B. Their follow-up song, "Run Run Run" flopped, but in July 1964, they began a run of five consecutive #1 pop hits, "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Come See About Me," "Stop! In the Name of Love," and "Back In My Arms Again." Based on record sales, the Supremes went on to become the third largest selling artists in recording history, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley. In 1964, Smokey Robinson produced "My Guy" by Mary Wells, which also went to #1.

Motown reached the #2 spot with the Holland-Dozier-Holland produced "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas. The label certainly deserved the title painted on the front of their headquarters at 2648 West Grand Blvd., "Hitsville, U.S.A., The Motown Sound, The Sound of Young America". Berry Gordy formed two more subsidiary labels in 1964, Soul and V.I.P. The hits just kept coming in 1965, with five #1 hits: the Smokey Robinson produced "My Girl" by the Temptations, the Holland-Dozier-Holland produced "Stop! In the Name of Love", "Back in My Arms Again" and "I Hear a Symphony" by the Supremes, and "I Can't Help Myself" by the Four Tops. Motown had six other releases reach the top 10. In 1965, saxophonist Junior Walker and the All Stars had the first hit on the new Soul label, the top-ten "Shotgun". In 1966, Motown signed Gladys Knight and the Pips, a group from Atlanta, Georgia, to the Soul label.

It was a journeyman group that had hit in 1961 with "Every Beat of My Heart" on the Vee Jay and Fury labels. They were assigned to a young producer named Norman Whitfield. He had recorded Marvin Gaye on a song that Whitfield and Barrett Strong had written called "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." When Berry Gordy refused to release the Marvin Gaye version of the song, Whitfield recorded it with Gladys Knight and the Pips, and the song went to #2. Gladys Knight and the Pips stayed with Motown for seven years, and had a few more hits. (Their biggest hit came after leaving Motown, when they reached #1 with "Midnight Train to Georgia" on the Buddah label.) When the Marvin Gaye version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was finally released on an album in 1968, the Whitfield-produced song immediately got airplay, forcing its release as a single. The song went all the way to #1, and today is remembered as the definitive version of a classic song.

For 1966, Motown produced 14 songs that reached the Top 10, with "You Can't Hurry Love" and "You Keep Me Hanging On" by the Supremes and "Reach Out I'll Be There" by the Four Tops reaching #1. That year, Gordy signed the Isley Brothers to Tamla. The brothers had hit with "Shout" on RCA and "Twist and Shout" on Wand in 1959 and 1962, respectively, but had been largely unsuccessful on the charts otherwise. Their biggest hit for Motown was the H-D-H produced "This Old Heart (Is Weak for You)" in 1966, but their future superstar success some years later came after they established their own record label, T-Neck. Also in 1966, Norman Whitfield took over production responsibilities for the Temptations from Smokey Robinson. His first production for the Temptations was "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," which he co-wrote with Eddie Holland.

Eddie and Norman continued to write a string of hits for the Temps, including "Beauty is Only Skin Deep", "(I Know) I'm Losing You", and "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need". He teamed with Roger Penzabene for the Temptations next hit, "I Wish It Would Rain". In mid-1968, Dennis Edwards replaced David Ruffin as the lead singer for the Temptations. When Whitfield teamed with Barrett Strong to write for the Temptations, the result was a new sound for Motown called "Psychedelic Soul". "Cloud Nine" was just the first of several Whitfield-Strong compositions to go Top 10, including "Run Away Child, Running Wild", the #1 hit "I Can't Get Next To You," "Psychedelic Shack," and Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)." In 1967, thirteen Motown singles reached the Top 10 charts; "Love is Here and Now You're Gone" and "The Happening" by the Supremes reached #1.

Motown had five major labels active: Motown, Tamla, Gordy, Soul, and V.I.P. In a move that would have tremendous significance for the future of Motown, Berry Gordy purchased a home in Los Angeles, California in 1967. In 1968, Motown had 10 singles in the Top 10, with "Love Child" by Diana Ross and the Supremes and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye reaching #1. Berry Gordy moved into his new home in Los Angeles, and the Motown Los Angeles branch offices were expanded. A tremendous loss for Motown occurred about that time, when arguably the most successful producers in history, Holland, Dozier, and Holland, left the company. The three were perhaps the only producers other than Phil Spector to become as big a name as the artists they recorded. The Holland-Dozier-Holland team was forced into inactivity from 1968 to 1970 due to lawsuits concerning their departure from Motown.

They established two labels in 1970, Hot Wax and Invictus, and had moderate success with acts such as Chairmen of the Board, Flaming Ember, Freda Payne, and others, but they didn't establish the kind of hit-after-hit success they had enjoyed at Motown. In its tenth year of operation, 1969, Motown continued to roll along. Bobby Taylor (lead singer with a group called the Vancouvers) brought a family singing group from Gary, Indiana, to Berry Gordy's attention. The Jackson 5 were signed to Motown and 4 of their first six singles released between late 1969 and mid 1971 went to #1 on the pop charts, with the two that missed the #1 spot reaching #2. In order to prevent the creation of new superstar producers, like Holland-Dozier-Holland, Gordy credited writing and production on Jackson 5 records to "The Corporation", which was a team consisting of Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards and Fonzie Mizell.

For 1969, Motown had 12 singles in the Top 10, with "I Can't Get Next to You" by the Temptations, "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross and the Supremes and "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 reaching #1. Also in 1969, Motown established the Rare Earth label to issue white psychedelic rock music and other alternatives to R&B. The label was handled by the West Coast offices of Motown. Rare Earth (the label) was named for the first group signed to the label, a Detroit group originally formed in 1961 as the Sunliners. Their first album contained a twenty-minute-plus version of the Temptations' hit, "Get Ready." The Rare Earth label was also used for material leased from EMI in England, including the Pretty Things and Love Sculpture. The Rare Earth label was not too successful, but it limped along until 1976. In 1969, Motown acquired the distribution rights to the Chisa Label which was founded by Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine.

In 1970, six of the 14 Motown singles that reached the Top 10 went to #1. They were "ABC" and "The Love You Save" by the Jackson 5, "War" one of the more politically topical songs that were beginning to appear on Motown by Edwin Star, "The Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross, now without the Supremes. The final performance of Diana Ross and the Supremes occurred at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, which was recorded and issued as an album. Jean Terrell replaced Diana Ross as lead singer of the Supremes. Motown became more cognizant of its roots by establishing a new subsidiary label called Black Forum in 1970, releasing spoken word records by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael and black poets Langston Hughes and Margaret Danner. The label was active until 1973.

In 1971, Motown has 11 singles reach the Top 10 with "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" by the Temptations reaching the #1 spot. During this year, Motown moved increasingly into TV production, producing Diana! a television special with Diana Ross, and Goin' Back to Indiana, a Jackson 5 special. A cartoon series about the Jackson 5 also started in 1971. A new subsidiary was established called Mowest and the first release was "What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin, and John" a sweet-sounding medley interspersed with jarring recordings drawn from politically relevant topics such as war and assassination put together by Los Angeles deejay Tom Clay. The Mowest label was controlled by the west coast office of Motown and was used for talent developed by that office. By 1971, Marvin Gaye had been given creative control of his recordings, in that year he made an album titled What's Going On [Tamla 310], for which he wrote, produced, sang and played piano.

At first, Gordy did not want to release the album, feeling that the album's hard-hitting, socially critical lyrics on songs like "Inner City Blues" would offend traditional Motown fans. Only after Gaye threatened to never make another record for Motown did Gordy relent and release the album. It is often acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever made. What's Going On sold over a million copies and spawned three R&B number one hits, "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", "What's Going On" and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". All three songs also made the popular music Top 10 lists. The music on the album is spacey, spiritual and soulful, totally different than any album ever released on Motown until then. With What's Goin' On, Gaye had moved Motown music to a whole new level, and also made album sales a significant factor to a company that had always chased the hit single. 1972 was somewhat of a down year for Motown, with only 4 singles reaching the pop Top 10.

Two of them, however, did go to #1: "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by the Temptations and "Ben" by Michael Jackson. Stevie Wonder, who by 1970 had been granted complete artistic freedom to produce his own albums, produced Talking Book [Tamla 319] in 1972, when he toured with the Rolling Stones as their opening act. Diana Ross began her film career with Lady Sings the Blues, receiving an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Billie Holiday. As the Los Angeles offices continued to grow and the Detroit headquarters shrank, a company newsletter in March, 1972, stated, "There are no plans at present to phase out the Detroit operations, as many rumors suggest". In June, Motown announced that it was closing its Detroit offices and moving its headquarters to Los Angeles. While the move probably made sense because of the increasing emphasis Berry Gordy was putting into making movies and television shows, many Motown fans believe the company's heart and soul was lost when it abandoned Detroit, that its most creative days were the 13 years from 1959 to 1972.

In 1973, Berry Gordy resigned as President of Motown Records to become Chairman of the Board of Motown Industries, which included the record, motion picture, television and publishing divisions. Ewart Abner II, a Motown Vice President for six years (and former exec with Vee-Jay) became President of Motown Records. Motown had five #1 pop singles in the year, including, "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, "Keep on Truckin'" by Eddie Kendricks, "Touch Me In the Morning" by Diana Ross and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. Wonder's new album, called Innervisions [Tamla 326], was released and won five Grammy awards. In 1974, only four Motown singles reached the Top 10 and only Stevie Wonder's "You Haven't Done Nothin'" reached the #1 spot. Wonder's new album titled Fulfillingness' First Finale [Tamla 332], became the #1 album within three weeks of its release and also won five Grammys.

Motown formed a country subsidiary label called Melodyland and signed T.G. Sheppard, Pat Boone, Dorsey Burnette and Ronnie Dove among others. A legal dispute over the label name arose in 1976 and the name was changed to Hitsville. The Hitsville label folded in 1977. A new group, the Commodores, had their first album released, titled Machine Gun. It went gold in five countries. In retrospect, the title track, an instrumental, was quite uncharacteristic of the smooth ballads featuring the voice of Lionel Richie that later became the groups' mainstays. The Commodores went on to become Motown's best selling act during the 1970s. For the period of 1974 to 1980, they averaged two million album sales per year. 1975 was another low point in Motown history, as only one Motown release "Boogie On Reggae Woman" by Stevie Wonder made the Top 10.

The Jackson 5 left Motown for Epic records; actually the Jackson 4 went to Epic as "The Jacksons" and Jermaine, who had married Berry Gordy's daughter, stayed with Motown. Ewart Abner II resigned as President of Motown Records and Berry Gordy temporarily replaced him. Barney Ales, a former Vice President of the company, who had stayed in Detroit when the company moved to Los Angeles, rejoined the company when Motown purchased his Prodigal Label. During the year, Diana Ross starred in her second movie, Mahogany but it was certainly not as well received as Lady Sings the Blues. In 1976, the fortunes of the company rebounded with six Motown releases reaching the Top 10, including two hits by the Commodores. Three of the companies releases reached #1, including "Love Hangover" and "Do You Know Where You're Going To" by Diana Ross and "Love Machine (Part 1)" by the Miracles. Stevie Wonder released his Songs In the Key of Life album, which entered the pop charts at #1. He picked up four more Grammys for the album.

Berry Gordy and Mike Curb formed a new country label named MC, which inherited many of the same artists that were on Melodyland/Hitsville, but the new label achieved little success. In 1977, Motown had three #1 pop hits, "Sir Duke" and "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder, and "Got to Give It Up (Part 1)" by Marvin Gaye, the latter one of the most infectious dance songs of all time. Two more singles by the Commodores also made the Top 10 that year. The next year, about the only single chart action for Motown was by the Commodores, who had the hit "Three Times a Lady." Their albums continued to sell in record numbers. Rick James was signed to the Gordy label and his first album Come and Get It [Gordy 981] eventually went on to sell 2 million copies. James' breakthrough album was 1981's Street Songs [Gordy 1002], which sold over three million copies. Motown Pictures produced The Wiz starring Diana Ross in 1978.

In 1979, the Commodores "Still" was the only #1 pop hit for the year, and the group also had half the Top 10 singles with "Sail On". "Send One Your Love" by Stevie Wonder also reached the Top 10 in 1979. During the 1980's, Motown continued to sell massive numbers of albums, culminating with Lionel Richie's 1984 Can't Slow Down [Motown 6059], which became the largest selling album in the company's history when it sold 10 million copies worldwide. In 1982, Motown went to a consolidated numbering system for all albums released on the three remaining active labels, Motown, Gordy and Tamla, starting with Motown 6000ML by Bettye Lavette. In addition to the 3 major labels, Motown also released albums in the 6000 series on the Latino label, which was Motown's attempt at a Hispanic label, and Morocco, which stood for Motown Rock Company.

In June 1988, Berry Gordy sold Motown Records to a partnership between MCA and Boston Ventures, with Gordy retaining the ownership of the Jobete Publishing catalog. Berry Gordy was always the consummate businessman. As good as he was as a judge of talent and hit songs, he was most of all an entrepreneur who transformed a $800 loan into the largest black owned business in United States history. In 1976, he pretty much summed it up when he said, "I earned 367 million dollars in 16 years. I must be doing something right"! Even though Motown sold millions more albums during the 1970s and 1980s then it had in the 1960s, Motown will always be remembered for the music it created during the 1960s that was heard on the tinny radios in automobiles as teenagers cruised the streets and highways. Never in history has one company produced so many top ten hits as Motown did during that marvelous decade. Today's commercials and movies are testimony to the great Motown songs of the '60s which are heard more than ever before.

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this story or discography. Just send them to us via e-mail . Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide records or CDs listed in the discography. We have no association with Motown Records, which is currently owned by PolyGram, a part of the Universal Music Group. Should you want to contact Motown, or should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and Follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 1998, 1999, 2012 by Mike Callahan. Thanks to Craig Maki, Chris Williamson, Dan Eilenberg, Luci Gonzalez, Dustin Jackson, Nigel True, Shawn McLaughlin, Ulf Wahlberg, Bob Lee, Marv Weyer, Ritchie Hardin, Dave Randle, Aristotelis Zosakis, Steve Kamins, Ron Brunson and John Gunner.

Edward Patten, 65 - tribunedigital-chicagotribune Edward Patten, 65 Singer with Gladys Knight & the Pips February 27, 2005|By Knight Ridder Newspapers. DETROIT — Edward Patten was not just any Pip. Besides singing bass and then tenor--his voice had incredible range--on harmonies backing up the group's lead singer, Gladys Knight, Mr. Patten was also one of the group's choreographers as well as the treasurer who made sure that promoters paid and that the travel and accommodation plans were set. "When Edward and Langston George became part of the Pips, we danced a whole `nother way," said William Guest, one of the original Pips. "He was that type of guy. He made sure that we did things right. We called him Daddy Patten. He was no more than two to three years older than me and a year older than Langston, but we respected him." Mr. Patten, who had lived in Detroit since 1964 when Gladys Knight & the Pips joined Berry Gordy Jr.'s Motown record label, died early Friday at St.

Mary Hospital in Livonia, Mich. He was 65 and had been in ill health since a series of strokes beginning in 1995 left him unable to sing. The Pips formed in Atlanta with Knight joined by her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Guest and Mr. Patten. The group became Gladys Knight & the Pips after a promoter in Atlanta released a recording of their song "Every Beat of My Heart" without having a contract with the Pips. Another record company that also wanted to release the song said the group had to change its name, Guest said. The group became a prominent part of the Motown music scene into the 1970s with hits such as "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" and "Midnight Train to Georgia." The group's string of pop soul hits from 1967 to 1971 also included "Everybody Needs Love," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "It Should Have Been Me" and "Friendship Train." Gladys Knight & the Pips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. The group has won four Grammys.

Edward Patten is survived by his wife, three daughters, four sons and seven grandchildren. MORE: Edward Patten Spectropop remembers EDWARD PATTEN (1939 - 2005) Edward Patten of Gladys Knight & the Pips, who had lived in Detroit since 1964 when the outfit joined Motown Records, died recently at St. Mary Hospital in Livonia. He was 65 and had been in ill health since a series of strokes beginning in 1995 left him unable to sing. Besides singing bass and then tenor - his voice had incredible range - on harmonies backing up the Pips' lead singer, Gladys Knight, Edward Patten also served as one of the group's choreographers as well as the treasurer who made sure that promoters paid and that the travel and accommodation plans were set. "When Edward and Langston George became part of the group, we danced a whole 'nother way," said William Guest, one of the original Pips. "He was that type of guy. He made sure that we did things right. We called him Daddy Patten.

He was no more than two to three years older than me and a year older than Langston, but we respected him." Patten, Guest and Knight are cousins. Renee Ivory Patten said she met her husband to be in 1965 at Bishop College in Dallas where she was a student. She was helping to set up for a concert that night and the Pips came through to do a sound check. "He, Bubba (Knight's brother Merald) and William walked through the auditorium," she said. "Edward told them, 'That's going to be my wife - don't go near her.' He was persistent." The two married in 1968 and bought a home in Detroit's Sherwood Forest neighborhood, where they raised their three children and frequently hosted his other four children from an earlier marriage and relationships. The Pips formed in Atlanta during the early 1950s with three women and two men, Guest said. The group became Gladys Knight & the Pips after a promoter in Atlanta released a recording of their song "Every Beat Of My Heart" without having a contract with the Pips. Another record company that also wanted to release the song said the group had to change its name.

The group became a prominent part of the Motown music scene into the 1970s with hits such as "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)" and "Midnight Train To Georgia". Their string of pop soul hits from 1967 to 1971 also included "Everybody Needs Love", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "It Should Have Been Me" and "Friendship Train". Gladys Knight & the Pips won four Grammys and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Besides his wife, Edward Patten is survived by three daughters; Stephanie, Sonya and Renee Ishanta Patten; sons Stephen, Elliott and Edward Patten II and Darrin Skinner; and seven grandchildren. His funeral took place at the New Prospect Baptist Church in Detroit. Jack Kreksnak - Detroit Free Press Edward Patten, singer: born August 2nd, 1939 - died February 25th, 2005.

Question: Which singer had a backing group called the Pips?
Answer: Gladys Knight