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. Attention:You are browsing our famous burial locations. If you are looking for a non-famous grave, please start from our home page . b. June 30, 1943 d. February 22, 1976 R&B singer and founding member of one of America's successful female vocal groups of all time, the Supremes. Florence Glenda Ballard was the eighth of thirteen children born in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up in the housing projects of Detroit, Michigan.

In her teens, Ballard formed the vocal group the Primettes with school friends Mary Wilson and Betty Travis (who later left the group). Diana Ross completed the line-up in 1960. The following year, in Jan. of 1961, the Primettes were signed by... [Read More] (Bio by: Curtis Jackson ) Cause of death: coronary thrombosis GPS coordinates: 42.5193062, -83.0655670 (hddd.dddd) b. June 14, 1937 d. July 1, 2005 Singer, songwriter. A founding member of the Motown group The Four Tops. A native of Detroit, Obie along with founding members Levi Stubbs, Abdul �Duke� Fakir and Lawrence Payton (d. 1997), the group was originally named 'The Four Aimes' when they started out in 1954 singing at a Detroit party. They signed a contract with Chess Records and then changed their name to 'The Four Tops'. They had no sucessful recordings with Chess Records. Over the next few years they had signed various contracts...

[Read More] (Bio by: Allcalmap ) Bryant, Elbridge 'Al' b. September 28, 1939 d. October 26, 1975 Singer, Musician. He was a member of the original line-up of Motown's biggest act, The Temptations. He was a fine tenor vocalist and sang background on the vocal group's earliest songs, such as "May I Have This Dance," "Isn't She Pretty," and possibly a number of others that were never attributed to him. After an unceremonious departure from The Temptations (allegedly because of his unreliability and alcoholism), Mr. Bryant would appear in many local groups in and around Detroit, Michigan. He... [Read More] Cause of death: Liver failure * Find A Grave is currently seeking additional burial information for this individual. Please email with any updates you may have. Thank you! b. October 12, 1942 d. February 23, 1995 R/B singer, born David English in Montgomery, Alabama, his stage name Franklin came from his mother's surname, Franklin.

Nicknamed "blue" by friends and fellow singers because he liked everything blue. He was a member of many local singing groups in Detroit, including The Voice Masters. He attended Northwestern High, where he met Otis Williams, and this would be the beginning of a relationship between Otis and Melvin that would last for over thirty years. Melvin joined The Distants as the... [Read More] (Bio by: Babe ) Plot: Courts of Remembrance, C-3571, outer south-east wall. GPS coordinates: 34.1491890, -118.3202362 (hddd.dddd) Gaye Jr., Marvin b. April 2, 1939 d. April 1, 1984 Rhythm and Blues Singer. The son of an Apostolic preacher, he was born in Washington, DC, and learned to sing and play the organ in his father's church. After a stint in the United States Air Force, he formed his own groups before Harvey Fuqua lured him into to the latest edition of the singing group, the "Moonglows".

Berry Gordy (founder of Motown) heard Gaye singing with the group in a Detroit, Michigan club during 1961 and offered him a solo deal- though before recording his own songs he... [Read More] Cause of death: Murdered (gunshot) by his father Cremated , Ashes scattered at sea , Ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean Hutch (Hutchison), Willie (Willie McKinley) b. December 5, 1944 d. September 19, 2005 Blues Musician. He was an award-winning Motown rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and producer who co-wrote the Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There." He died in Duncanville, Texas, where he lived. Born Willie McKinley Hutchison in Los Angeles, California, he grew up in Dallas, Texas. In 1964, his debut single, "Love Has Put Me Down," was released by Soul City Records. His music soon caught the attention of The 5th Dimension, which recorded several of his songs. Best known for his work at Motown... [Read More] (Bio by: Always with Love ) b.

August 29, 1958 d. June 25, 2009 Musician, Entertainer. He was called the "King of Pop," and is best remembered for his revolutionary videos such as "Thriller" (1982), and "Dangerous" (1991), as well as two Guinness World Records: Most successful entertainer of all time (with 13 Grammy Awards, 13 Number One single hits in a solo career, and sales of over 750 million in albums worldwide), and for having the greatest selling album of all time ("Thriller"). He is also remembered for his trademark single sequined white glove, and... [Read More] (Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson ) Cause of death: Acute Propofol intoxication compounded by the effects of benzodiazapines or a benzodiazapine. Plot: Great Mausoleum, Holly Terrace, Sanctuary of Ascension, Distinguished Memorial � Sarcophagus 9, Crypt A. This mausoleum is private and locked to the general public.

GPS coordinates: 34.1234627, -118.2482758 (hddd.dddd) b. January 29, 1939 d. August 2, 1983 Musician. He was an outstanding bass player regarded as the first virtuoso of the electric bass. In 1959, when Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in Detroit, Michigan, Jamerson became a founding member of Motown studio band known as the "Funk Brothers". His bass playing proved to be a defining element of the Motown sound on such classics as "Reach Out I'll Be There" by the Four Tops, "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas, "I Was Made to Love Her" by Stevie Wonder, "You Can't Hurry... [Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith ) Plot: Section 37, Plot 265, Grave 4 b. December 17, 1939 d. October 5, 1992 R/B singer. Original member of the famous Motown group The Temptations.

Born in Union Springs, Alabama, he was the son of Johnnie and Lee Bell. In his hometown, he was known as "Cornbread" because he loved to eat it. Eddie left Alabama at a young age traveling to Detroit with his boyhood friend Paul Williams. Eddie and Paul formed their own little group, The Primes; Eddie's record deal fell through leaving him without a contract; he met Otis Williams and in 1961 The Temptations was born... [Read More] (Bio by: Babe ) b. August 27, 1939 d. February 25, 2005 Pop Singer. He was a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips, which was comprised of Knight; her brother, Merald "Bubba" Knight; and their cousins William Guest and Patten. They recorded for Motown from 1966-1973 and for Buddah Records from 1973-77. They later recorded for CBS until breaking up in 1989.

The group, whose hits included I Heard It Through the Grapevine and Midnight Train to Georgia, won four Grammys and was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Patten, known for his high... [Read More] (Bio by: Ron Moody ) b. March 2, 1938 d. June 20, 1997 R&B Singer. A member of the musical group, 'The Four Tops.' The group was formed in Detroit, Michigan, and included Renaldo Benson, Abdul Fakir, and Levi Stubbs. The friends met while attending different high schools. In 1953 or 1954 they began performing together under the name, 'The Four Aims' later changing it to 'The Four Tops' when they signed to the Chess Record Label in 1956, with the help of Payton's cousin, Roquel Davis, who joined the group as a songwriter. For Chess they recorded the... [Read More] (Bio by: K ) Cause of death: Cancer Perren, Freddie b. May 15, 1943 d.

December 16, 2004 Grammy Award-winning Songwriter and Producer. Joining Motown Records in 1965, he became a member of "The Corporation," a songwriting-producing quartet that also included Berry Gordy, Deke Richards and Fonce Mizell. The team created the Jackson 5's first hits, "I Want You Back," "ABC," and "The Love You Save," as well as Michael Jackson's first solo single, "Ben." In 1975 Perren helped usher in the disco era by producing The Miracles' "Love Machine" and "Do It Baby." Moving to Polydor... [Read More] (Bio by: Bobb Edwards ) Plot: Hillside section, Map D32, Lot 7040, Interment Space 1 b. January 18, 1941 d. June 1, 1991 R & B singer and lead for the famed Motown group The Temptations. David Ruffin could not capitalize on his first solo singles for various labels, so he shared his private pain in the Temptations' biggest hits. He was born in Wyanot, Mississippi, on Jan.

18, 1941, to a family who had a little musical group called The Spiritual Living Four. Ruffin's relationship with The Temptations was a stormy one, but the marriage produced defining moments in 1960's soul, and his departure from the group in... [Read More] (Bio by: Curtis Jackson ) Plot: Section 3, Lot 243, Grave #3 b. January 21, 1942 d. April 2, 2003 Musician, Songwriter. Born Charles Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee, he formed his first group, the Future Tones, in 1957, recording one single before his three-year army service. In 1965, he was offered a solo deal following two years of touring with another band. Early hits included "Agent Double-O Soul" and "Stop Her on Sight (S.O.S)." But his biggest success came with "War," a Number 1 hit in 1970 during a time of growing anti-Vietnam War protests. Other top 10 hits included "Contact" and "...

[Read More] (Bio by: Fan of the Site ) Cause of death: Heart attack b. June 6, 1936 d. October 17, 2008 Singer. He was the lead vocalist of the legendary musical Motown group The Four Tops. His distinguished voice helped define such classic hits as "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" (1965), "It's The Same Old Song" (1965), "Reach Out I'll Be There" (1966) and "Bernadette" (1967). The Detroit-based quartet also included Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Lawrence Payton and Abdul "Duke" Fakir. Originally named The Four Aims, they formed during the mid-1950s. In 1963, they signed with Motown... [Read More] (Bio by: C.S. ) Plot: Section 3, Space 325, Grave 3 b. April 29, 1945 d. March 16, 1970 Singer.

She was the older of 2 children born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Thomas & Jennie Graham Montgomery. Her musical career began in 1960 when she signed with Scepter/Wand records. She recorded a handful of songs there, including "Voice of Expierience" and "If You See Bill." In 1963, on James Brown's Try Me label, she recorded the single "I Cried"/"If You Don't Think." In 1964 she recorded the single "If I Would Marry You"/"This Time Tomorrow" for Checker Records. In 1965, while... [Read More] (Bio by: Collins Crapo ) Cause of death: Brain tumor Plot: Section A-2, Range #21, Lot 29, Gr. 1 b. February 6, 1943 d. January 6, 1980 R&B Singer. She was a member of the 1960s all-girl musical group "The Marvelettes".

The group formed in Inkster, Michigan, in 1960, and at times featured Gladys Horton, Wanda Young, Katharine Anderson, Anne Bogan, and Juanita Cowart. The group recorded on the Motown Record Label and the Tamla Record Label, while recording songs written by the likes of Smokey Robinson. In 1961 the group had there first hit with the release of, "Please, Mr. Postman," and a somewhat chart-topping hit in 1965 with... [Read More] b. June 14, 1931 d. November 23, 1995 R/B singer and musician, born in Blytheville, Arkansas, also known as Autry DeWalt Mixon. He performing in local clubs calling himself Junior Walker, he later formed a band, Junior Walker and the All Stars. Harvey Fugua (of the Moonglows) signed Junior Walker and the All Stars in 1962 to his label "Harvey" which was taken over by Motown.

From 1965 to 1970, Junior Walker and the All Stars scored many hits: Shotgun, How Sweet It Is, Do the Boomerang, (I'm A) Road Runner, Pucker Up Buttercup and... [Read More] (Bio by: Babe ) Road Runner - JR. Walker And The All Stars - from Tamla Motown TMG 559 - Motown Records | Tamla Motown Records | Northern Soul Motown To See Our Records First - Sign Up for VIP Newsletter Motown Records - Tamla Motown Records Artist: JR.

Walker And The All Stars Label: Tamla Motown TMG 559 Condition: M- / wol Tamla Motown Stkr Demo TMG 864 M Tamla Motown Demo TMG 753 M-/noc/sw Tamla Motown Demo TMG 709 Ex+/Wol Tamla Motown Demo Tmg 543 Ex+/LW Tamla Motown TMG 528 Demo Motown Soul Northern Crossover Vg+ Tamla Motown Demo TMG 752 Vg/Mint Tamla Motown TMJ 102 Motown Soul Northern Crossover M-/Ld Gordy Motown Soul Northern Crossover M- Tamla Motown TMG 736 Motown Soul Northern Crossover Mint Tamla Motown TMG 1000 Motown Soul Northern Crossover M Tamla Motown DEMO TMG 660 Ex+/wol Stateside SS 383 Motown Soul Northern Crossover Ex+/Ld Test Press Motown Soul Northern Crossover M- TMEF 501 (re-issue) Motown Soul Northern Crossover M Tamla Motown TMEF 504 (re

-issue) Motown Soul Northern Crossover M Tamla Motown DEMO TMG 1021 M- DEMO Tamla Motown TMEF (re-issue) 506 Motown Soul Northern Crossover M Riviera 231 080 (re-issue)M Motown Soul Northern Crossover M Tamla Motown Demo TMG 668 Ex+/Vg+/wol Tamla Motown TMG 575 Motown Soul Northern Crossover Mint Tamla Motown TMG 931 Motown Soul Northern Crossover Mint Tamla Motown DEMO TMG 621 M-/stmol Riviera 231 080 (re-issue)M Motown M Tamla Motown TMEF (re-issue) 506 Motown Soul Northern Crossover M TMEF 501 (re-issue) Motown Soul Northern Crossover M Tamla Motown TMEF 504 (re-issue) Motown Soul Northern Crossover M Tamla Motown Demo TMG 861 M- Tamla Motown Demo TMG 868 Ex+ London 45 HL 9276 Motown

 Soul Northern Crossover Ex+/faint wol Tamla Motown Soul Northern Crossover M- Tamala Motown Demo TMG 863 Mint Tri Phi Motown Soul Northern Crossover Ex+ Tamla Motown TMG 976 Motown Soul Northern Crossover Mint Stateside Demo SS 357 Motown Mint / stmol Tamla Motown DEMO Tmg 504 M- Tamla Motown Demo PSR 353 M- Tamla Motown TMG 736 Demo Motown Soul Northern Crossover M- Tamla Motown Demo TMG 924 M Tamla Motown Demo TMG 934 M-/Wol Tamla Motown Demo TMG 936 M Tamla Motown TMG 928 Motown Soul Northern Crossover Mint Tamla Motown Demo TMG 881 M- Tamla Motown Demo TMG 873 M- Tamla Motown Demo TMG 648 M-/wol B Tamla Motown TMG 626 Motown Soul Northern Crossover M-/stmol Tamla Motown Demo TMG 944 M Tamla Motown Demo TMG 

938 M Tamla Motown TMG 724 Demo Motown Soul Northern Crossover Mint 100 Greatest Motown Songs Movie Lists 100 Greatest Motown Songs Criteria: The greatest Motown songs (1959-roughly early'80s) are based on critical/musician acclaim and initial and lasting popularity and influence.

Newly added names are in Red Edited By: Jeff B. 1. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye 2. My Girl - Temptations 3. Reach Out I'll Be There - Four Tops 4. Where Did Our Love Go? - Supremes 5. What's Goin' On? - Marvin Gaye 6. Dancing in the Street - Martha & The Vandellas 7. I Want You Back - Jackson 5 8. Superstition - Stevie Wonder 9. Please Mr. Postman - Marvelettes 10. My Guy - Mary Wells 11. (Love Is Like a) Heat Wave - Martha & The Vandellas 12. Do You Love Me? - Contours 13. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye 14. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell 15. The Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 16. Shotgun - Jr. Walker & The All Stars 17. I'll Be There - Jackson 5 18. Baby Love - Supremes 19.

Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - Temptations 20. Uptight (Everything's Alright) - Stevie Wonder 21. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) - Four Tops 22. The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 23. Stop! In the Name of Love - Supremes 24. You've Really Got a Hold On Me - Miracles 25. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) - Temptations 26. Baby I Need Your Lovin' - Four Tops 27. You Are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder 28. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell 29. Money (That's What I Want) - Barrett Strong 30. Leavin' Here - Eddie Holland 31. Shop Around - Miracles 32. You Keep Me Hangin' On - Supremes 33. You Can't Hurry Love - Supremes 34. Endless Love - Lionel Richie & Diana Ross 35.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Stevie Wonder 36. Ooo Baby Baby - Miracles 37. Nowhere To Run - Martha & The Vandellas 38. It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston 39. War - Edwin Starr 40. I Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 41. Super Freak Part I - Rick James 42. Living For the City - Stevie Wonder 43. I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Gladys Knight & The Pips 44. Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder 45. Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Temptations 46. I Can't Get Next To You - Temptations 47. Cloud Nine - Temptations 48. Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) - Temptations 49. Smiling Faces Sometimes - Undisputed Truth 50. This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You) - Isley Brothers 51. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? - Jimmy Ruffin 52.

Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler) - Marvin Gaye 53. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye 54. Playboy - Marvelettes 55. Jimmy Mack - Martha & The Vandellas 56. Don't Mess With Bill - Marvelettes 57. Since I Lost My Baby - Temptations 58. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston 59. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie 60. Going To a Go-Go - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 61. Fingertips Part II - Stevie Wonder 62. The One Who Really Loves You - Mary Wells 63. Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & The Pips 64. Love Hangover - Diana Ross 65. Upside Down (Inside Out) - Diana Ross 66. Brick House - Commodores 67. I Wish It Would Rain - Temptations 68. Beechwood 4-5789 - Marvelettes 69.

The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game - Marvelettes 70. Bernadette - Four Tops 71. Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell 72. Hello - Lionel Richie 73. It's the Same Old Song - Four Tops 74. You've Made Me So Very Happy - Brenda Holloway 75. Jamie - Eddie Holland 76. Your Precious Love - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell 77. Quicksand - Martha & The Vandellas 78. Come and Get These Memories - Martha & The Vandellas 79. Keep on Truckin' Part I - Eddie Kendricks 80. Needle In a Haystack - Velvelettes 81. (I'm a) Roadrunner - Junior Walker & The All-Stars 82. ABC - Jackson 5 83. I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross 84. Give It To Me Baby - Rick James 85. Cruisin' - Smokey Robinson 86. My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) - David Ruffin 87. Three Times a Lady - Commodores 88.

Heaven Must Have Sent You - Bonnie Pointer/The Elgins 89. Let It Whip - Dazz Band 90. It's a Shame - Spinners 91. Baby I'm For Real - Originals 92. The Bells - Originals 93. He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' - Velvelettes 94. Come To Me - Marv Johnson 95. I Need Your Lovin' - Teena Marie 96. The Love You Save - Jackson 5 97. What Does It Take (To Win Your Love?) - Jr. Walker 98. Function At The Junction - Shorty Long 99. Does Your Mama Know About Me? - Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers 100. Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam) - Monitors/Valadiers I Was Born This Way - Carl Bean Do I Love You? (Indeed I Do) - Frank Wilson Fight the Power - Public Enemy Quiet Storm - Smokey Robinson Blowin' In the Wind - Stevie Wonder Silent Night - Temptations 10. Michael Jackson/The Jackson 5 11. Lionel Richie/The Commodores 12.

Gladys Knight & The Pips 13. Jr. Walker & The Allstars 14. Rick James TOP 10 MODERN MOTOWN CLASSICS ('90s) 1. I'll Make Love To You - Boyz II Men 2. End of the Road - Boyz II Men 3. I Love Your Smile - Shanice 4. On Bended Knee - Boyz II Men 5. Anytime - Brian McKnight 6. Back At One - Brian McKnight 7. U.N.I.T.Y. - Queen Latifah 8. Bag Lady - Erykah Badu 9. Video - India.Arie 10. Anniversary - Tony! Toni! Tone! TOP 5 NON-MOTOWN SINGLES BY MOTOWN ARTISTS 1. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Epic) 2. Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing (Columbia) 3. Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia (Buddah) 4. The Isley Brothers - Shout! (RCA) 5.

The Spinners with Dionne Warwicke - Then Came You (Atlantic) TOP 5 MOTOWN "LEFT FIELDERS" 1. Rare Earth (Get Ready) 2. Charlene (I've Never Been to Me) 3. R. Dean Taylor (Indiana Wants Me) 4. Frankie Valli (The Night) 5. Debbie Dean (Don't Let Him Shop Around) 6. Bruce Willis (Respect Yourself) TOP 10 MOTOWN REMAKES (non-Motown) 1. I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Creedence Clearwater Revival 2. Please Mr. Postman - Carpenters 3. You've Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat, & Tears 4. Baby I Need Your Lovin' - Johnny Rivers 5. You Keep Me Hangin' On - Vanilla Fudge 6. Dancing In the Street - Mick Jagger & David Bowie 7. You Can't Hurry Love - Phil Collins 8. War - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 9. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) - James Taylor 10.

Shop Around - Captain & Tennille Jr Walker - Anoomi - Online Songs & Music Playlists Jr Walker & the All Stars What Does It Take My Extended Version! 3:25 No copyright infringement intended. Junior and the Funk Brothers' HUGE hit...stretched with some authentic instrumental backing track. Junior Walker What Does It Take LIVE 4:19 Junior Walker on David Letterman, 11-25-85..Jun and the backup band played many of his hits during the leadins and leadouts for commercials....What a neat show...I've watched it many many times....! Jr Walker Road Runner 2:50 Junior Walker took up the saxophone, inspired by the Blues and R & B bands he had heard in the early 50's, especially Louis Jordan, Earl Bostic, and Illinois Jacquet. Gotta Hold On To This Feeling by Jr Walker And The All Stars 3:34 Gotta Hold On To This Feeling y Jr Walker And The All Stars. Smooth Northern soul / soul sound produced by Johnny Bristol on the Tamla Motown record label. Track 2 on a maxi track single 1969 Cleos Mood/Cleos Back - Jr.

Walker and the Allstars 5:20 Cleo's Mood and Cleo's Back are selections from the 1965 album Shotgun Way Back Home Junior Walker And The All Stars 1971 3:21 Walk In The Night by Jr Walker And The All Stars 4:18 Walk In The Night by Jr Walker And The All Stars Northern soul / Soul. Produced by Johnny Bristol on the Tamla Motown record label. Track 3 of a maxi track single 1972 What Does It Take - Junior Walker- 1969 2:36 One Of The Greatest Records Ever Made. Could You Believe Motown Quality Control Department Rejected This Masterpiece For A Song Called Home Cookin . I Heard It. What Does It Take Wins. No Contest. Not Even Close. I Would Have Screamed Release This As A Single. It's A Smash. A Smmmmmmmmmmmmmaaash. I Wish I Was There. Jr Walker & The All Stars - Take Me Girl, Im Ready 3:17 Reached No. 16 in the UK Charts 1973.

I am currently compiling a personal collection of every UK Top 40 Single from the 60's 70's & 80's. So if you would like me to add any other HARD TO FIND RECORDS on here from that period, please let me know. JR. WALKER & THE ALL-STARS - THESE EYES 3:39 JR. WALKER & THE ALL-STARS R&B HIT FROM 1969...#3 ON U.S. R&B CHARTS.... JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS - GOTTA HOLD ON TO THIS FEELING 3:44 Classic from the late great Jr. Walker. Best version by far for me. JR WALKER & THE ALL STARS - THESE EYES 5:40 JR WALKER & THE ALL STARS - THESE EYES. SOUL TRAIN 4TH DECEMBER 1971. GROUP MEMBERS ARE: JR WALKER (AUTRY DeWALT MIXON, JR), PHILIP WRIGHT, ARNOLD LANGLEY, JEROME McNEAL, RONNIE HARVEY & SONNY HOLLIS. jr.

walker and the all stars - shoot your shot 3:00 Jr. Walker - Wishing On A Star 5:44 Are You Experienced? Check Our My Other Channels. SuperbMusicExp The Superb Full Album Experience PLUS superb random songs. soulbrothanumbahone The Superb Music Experience kacobb2 The Superb Soulful Music Experience thejazzcafe1 The Superb Smooth Jazz Experience As always, request are always welcome! Thank you for your time!!! Enjoy!!!!!!!! Way Back Home , Includes Lost Last Verse 4:11 Found this version of Way Back Home on an old cassette. I don't claim any copyright on it. It's slightly different than the remastered version found on CDs today, but includes additional verse at end which, in my opinion, enhances the song. I added a few personal photos from years past as a way to preserve a few memories. Jr Walker & The All Stars - Come See About Me 3:06 Jr Walker's 1967 version of the Supremes' COME SEE ABOUT ME. Jr Walker & the All-Stars Funk Brothers Road Runner My Extended Version! 4:30 No copyright infringement intended.

If felt, comment below and I will remove this video. Yet and STILL (as Mary Wilson says)....my FAVORITE Jr Walker and the All-Stars track...with added stretch by Motown's Fabulous Funk Brothers. Jr Walker And The All Stars Pucker Up Buttercup 2:58 So, you gotta make me see (Make me see) To win your love for me? 'Gonna blow, again for you' Jnr Walker & the All-Stars - Tune up 3:23 Jnr Walker & the All-Stars - Tune up JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS - THESE EYES 3:44 Jr. Walker and crew here with one of the great Johnny Bristol's produced masterpiece's on the Motown subsidery Soul label from 1969. Just superb chill out Sunday Soul music. Jr.

Walker & The All Stars - Shoot Your Shot - SOUL 35015 2:58 DJ Lucien * POPCORN BEAT * ORIGINAL VINYL * Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use. JR WALKER ALL STARS - GOOD ROCKIN 2:38 firme oldie...raza lowrider oldie Jr. Walker & The All-Stars Shotgun Junior Walker & The Allstars - Roadrunner 2:49 Junior Walker & The Allstars - (I'm A) Roadrunner Cleos Mood ~ Junior Walker 2:42 Junior Walker plays Cleo's Mood ~ I have put this up for those that like Junior Walker but don't want to watch the shell planter video I had up to accompany this title. The audio and video don't match I know, but at least you get to see Jr. Walker.

Enjoy : ) Junior Walker & The All Stars - Walk In The Night 4:15 UK hit 1972 peaked a Junior Walker&the allstars-How sweet is is..Live 5:19 jr.walker&the all stars live in holland,middle eighties .How sweet it is,to be loved by you... JR Walker & the Allstars ... Pucker up buttercup .1966. 3:18 Flip Side Anyway you wannta. Jnr Walker & The All Stars-How Sweet It Is.wmv 3:00 Jnr Walker & The All Stars-How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Home Cookin 2:59 A fantastic Junior's song with peraphs the best bassline ever played by the best funk bass player ever, James Jamerson. Hot Cha - Jr. Walker and the Allstars 3:10 Hot Cha is from the 1965 album Shotgun Jr Walker and the AllStars - Tune Up : Northern Soul 3:05 Classic Smokey's Allnighter tune, mixing it up with two great dancers! JR.

WALKER Wishing On A Star 5:55

Question: Which Tamla Motown group had a hit in 1966 with '(I'm A) Road Runner'?
Answer: JUNIOR WALKER AND THE ALL STARS