#1 R&B, #2 Pop

An American Musical Treasure, Stevie Wonder,  had  this  smash hit single  “I Was Made To Love Her”  in 1967.   Composed by  Henry Cosby, Lula Mae Hardaway (Stevie’s Mom) , Sylvia Moy and  Stevie Wonder , the song also appeared on a subsequently released LP (#7 R&B, #45 Pop) with the same name.

This was, and still is, one of my early Stevie favorites that I wore the grooves off of my little 45! ( And BTW I still have that beloved 45 rpm disc too!)

Motown’s next child prodigy also recorded a cover of  “I Was Made To Love Her”.  I don’t know in what year this J5 rendition was recorded,  but I can tell you that it was removed from “The Vault” and put on wax and released after the J5 left Motown and had started making their hits on Epic records.

This track appeared on the LP “Boogie” released in 1979. According to the MJFCL:

‘Boogie’ is a very rare Jackson 5 LP which was released in Canada in January 1979. It was released by Natural Resources (a division of Motown) and included tracks not available anywhere else. Due to legal problems, it was withdrawn shortly after its release and it is now very hard to come by. (SOURCE: The Michael Jackson Fan Club)

The original LP may be rare, but you can still get the songs that were on “Boogie” along with the songs on another Motown Vault release from 1976 entitled “Joyful Jukebox Music” on a two-fer that is currently in print: it combines the songs from both LPs with additional bonus tracks. The name of the release is “Joyful Jukebox Music.”

The “IWMTLH”  also appeared on another much later  Motown Vault release entitled “Looking Back on Yesterday.” It is labeled as a Michael Jackson product (not J5) and was released in 1986 to capitalize on MJJ’s solo superstardom no doubt.  This song  set is also out of print.

Forty  years later another former young group of Motown artists, Boyz II Men, would also cover “IWMTLH” for their 2007  Decca release “Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA.” An d why not — this song is classic Motown!

Now it is time to vote for your song preference while you listen to the San Remo Golden Strings performance of “I Was Made To Love Her” to help you decide who’s lead you prefer, Stevie’s or Mike’s.

Musically Yours,

No related posts.

Another hit written and produced by Ashford and Simpson from the Marvin Gaye & Tammy Terrell LP of the same name — “You’re All I need to get By” was  one of the biggest hits of Marvin & Tammi’s career as a duo.  It charted #1 on the R&B charts and remained there for 5 weeks!  The song charted #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of 1968 as well. This is one of my favorites by the singing duo!

Aretha covered the Marvin & Tammi  smash hit in 1971 for her  “Aretha’s Greatest Hits” LP.  This cover did not earn her the Grammy, as did her second cover  from the same LP did (“Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” ) in 1974,   but the single did  chart #3 R&B and #19 Pop and remained at #19 on the British singles charts for an amazing 19 weeks!

Sometimes I wonder about the Grammy voters: personally this cover seems more  Grammy worthy than “Real Thing” cover did  — but that’s just my opinion.

Ashford & Simpson

One awesome song sung in two different styles! Although covered and sampled by many other artists --  these two renditions presented today are my favorites.  I can’t really pick one over the other. Can you?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO-e34PslOk

Aretha Live 1978

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxIIcIMycXQ

Bonus Cover Version just for you 

Musically Yours,

No related posts.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM8Se8L0_So

Even though this song is almost 50 years old it is new to me and a great way to pay tribute to the year of Motown50 in it’s final few holiday season weeks.

It is a simply marvelous LIVE, soulful rendition of “The Christmas Song” by Marvin Gaye that I discovered on YouTube! I notice that some of the holiday tunes that I posted about last year from YouTube are now gone so please click on the link and enjoy this song while you can.

I really don’t have much more to say other than this is a great addition to my Motown holiday music collection and this is why I love YouTube.

Thank you bigchunkz for sharing this.

Musically Yours,

No related posts.

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles  – Wichita Lineman (1968)

Glen Campell, the “Rhinestone Cowboy,” was one of the greatest Country-Pop Stars of the Sixties and Seventies. He even had his own TV show –  which I was a big fan of.  Every Boomer reading this post remembers his million selling version of the Jimmy Webb penned classic along with the hit follow-up “Galveston” and the hit predecessor “Gentle on My Mind.” Oh and my favorite Campell tune was “By The Time I Get To Phoenix.”: then  when Isaac Hayes covered the song it took on a whole other level of greatness for me.

Obviously Smokey Robinson and The Miracles knew a great song when they heard it.  “Lineman” is one of  some other covers that were on their 1969, #25 (Billboard Top 100) album “Time Out For Smokey Robinson and The Miracles.”A great song stands the test of time,  as both songwriters  Smokey Robinson and Jimmy Webb can attest too.

I think SRATM did a fine job on the cover.  Now here is Glenn’s original.

Glenn Campbell – Wichita Lineman (1968), on Capitol Records, sold over two million copies, staying at number one pop for five weeks.

“Wichita Lineman” – Composed by Jimmy Webb.

I am a lineman for the county and I drive the main road
Searchin’ in the sun for another overload
I hear you singin’ in the wire, I can hear you through the whine
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

I know I need a small vacation but it don’t look like rain
And if it snows that stretch down south won’t ever stand the strain
And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

”Time Out for Smokey Robinson And The Miracles” is still available as a 2-for import combined with the 1970 follow-up LP “Four In Blue” #3 R&B & #78 Billboard Top 200.

And I almost forgot to announce — November’s Motown Theme is obviously  “Motown Covers Pop!”  It wasn’t something they did often, but it did happen on once in a while. Sometimes they even hit it big,  as you will find out later on this month!

Now I am curious to know which rendition of “Wichita Lineman” floats your boat?   Please vote below.

Musically yours,

No related posts.

Brenda Holloway – Operator (1965) #36 R&B; #78 Pop

While attending a DJ convention, in 1964 Los Angeles, Berry Gordy saw and heard Brenda Holloway singing “My Guy.” He loved what he saw and heard and signed Brenda, as his first California artist, to his Tamla label.

According to the book “California Soul: Music of African Americans in the West” by Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje and Eddie S. Meadows page Page 328:

“Music Played a pivotal role in Holloway’s childhood. She always loved music, because it had an effect on her and on other people through her. She began playing violin at seven years old and later became accomplished on viola, cello, string bass, and flute. Holloway became fluent on flute and was gifted on the piano. She was also a talented composed: she could hear a melody in her mind and sit down to the piano and create an accompaniment even though she was not trained in piano.”

Brenda had a half dozen hits with Motown , one of which was “Operator,” but retired from the music industry in 1968. She felt that the material and attention Motown was giving her was below par. Sound familiar?

Miss Holloway married a minister, raised a family and later rejoined the music industry when she released her gospel album “Brand New” in 1980.

Musically yours,

No related posts.

Mable John – (I Guess There’s ) No Love – 196o

Mable was the very first female artist Berry Gordy, Jr. signed to a recording contract. The signing was in 1959 with his Tamla label, that came before the Motown label.

Mable had come to Detroit by way of her Louisiana birthplace, making a pit stop in Arkansas, and sang the blues as did her musical family.  That family was made up of nine siblings that included the late great singer Little Willie John of “Fever” fame.

Gordy drifted away from the blues after a short while,  moving to a crossover sound, and eventually let Mable go in 1962.

Though hitless at Tamla, Mable went on to the Stax label where she had a top ten R&B hit with “Your Good Thing (Is About to End).”

In addition to her singing singing career, Johns had a very long and productive career as musical director of  Ray Charles’ Raylettes.

You may learn more about Miss John at MableJohn.Com

Trivia: Initially The Supremes would sing backup for Mabel. Of course after three single releases that didn’t hit big, Gordy used Mable as a background singer before dropping her.

Ultimately both The Supremes and Mabel John went on to success. The Supremes, of course, became legends and Ray Charles’ Raylettes did too!

Musically Yours,

No related posts.

The Miracles – Much Better Off (1968)

The so-called “B” side to “Yester Love” was “Much Better Off” composed by Miracles Smokey Robinson and Warren “Pete” Moore. To me it is a sing- along love ballad that I sang along to many, many, many times as a teen. Of course at the time I had only fantasies about love and romance (never the real thing), but that never stopped a teenage girl now — did it?

If you have never heard this tune you are in for a treat. If you are a fellow boomer than let it take you back to those good old days! Be sure to sing it loud and strong now.

Musically Yours,

No related posts.

The Miracles – Yester Love (1968) Peaked #31 Billboard Hot 100 (stayed on chart 8 weeks Summer 1968), #66 Cash Box Top 100 of 1968

This song, composed by Smokey Robinson and Al Cleveland,  is on one of the many, many 45 rpms I would purchase with my allowance every Tuesday as a  pre-teen (called tween now eh?) and young teenager.

I was trying to decide what Miracles cut to post about and I guess I picked this one because I couldn’t find the disk after going through two boxes of vinyl and I really wanted to hear it.  But I am gonna keep looking.

While going through the boxes I realized that I knew every song  on every record — both A and B side. This was called the A side of this particular disk as I recall. But as far as I am concerned, every song on the “Special Occasion” Lp was A plus  material.   That was the genius of Motown in that  what they considered B was always A  in my book. Just as most of the great music in the vault was worthy of release!

As you probably know , The Classic Miracles were: Smokey Robinson on lead vocals;  Ronnie White, Bobby Rogers, Warren “Pete” Moore and Claudette Robinson on  background vocals; and Marv Tarplin on guitar. And yes the guitar is an integral part of every Miracles song:  I mean come on and LISTEN to this man play!  Pure genius! Genius! His licks are priceless. I  had to listen to the song about ten times grooving on the guitar before I could finish up this post!

Please enjoy this great cut by this awesome group and tell a friend so that we can keep the music of Motown alive forever and ever! Amen.

Musically Yours,

No related posts.

The Miracles – Got A Job (1958)

“Got a Job” was the very first single by a  group now called the Miracles. Composed by Tyran Carlo (Berry Gordy & Billy Davis) and Smokey Robinson, this song was the start of something that is still going strong today: both The Miracles with their second lead singer Bill Griffin and the solo act Smokey Robinson  are still performing!  That is over a half a century of real longevity and talent.

Joslyn Layne, writing for Allmusic.com,  sums up  how the group known as the The Miracles came to be at Motown as follows:

“Scoring over 40 hits on the R&B Top 40 charts, the Miracles started out as the Five Chimes in the mid-’50s while the members were still in high school. The Detroit vocal group consisted of William “Smokey” Robinson, Warren “Pete” Moore, Clarence “Humble” Dawson, Donald Wicker, and James “Rat” Grice. Not too long after the group formed, Wicker and Grice left and were replaced by cousins Emerson “Sonny” Rogers and Bobby Rogers, who both sang tenor, and baritonist Ronnie White was in Dawson’s place. The vocal quintet then changed its name to the Matadors and in 1956 Claudette Rogers joined the band after her brother Sonny was drafted. The Matadors auditioned for Jackie Wilson’s manager, Nat Tarnopol, in 1956. Although Tarnopol wasn’t interested, finding the group too similar to the Platters, one of Wilson’s songwriters, Berry Gordy, Jr., was and he soon began producing the band, who now went by the name the Miracles. Gordy produced their first single, “Got a Job,” (an answer to the Silhouettes’ “Get a Job”) which was issued by the New York label End Records in 1958.”

More  on The Miracles to come soon so stay tuned.

Musically Yours,

No related posts.

The Isley Brothers – This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)  1966 #6 R&B, #12 Pop

This was the group’s biggest chart topper during their short tenure at Motown.

I just had to do two Isley Brothers posts in a row because  Ron Isley’s tenor is  “contagious”  like  those chips that you just can’t eat just one of (LOL).  I promise a new Motown Guy group next post — but in the mean time please enjoy this favorite of mine.  Listen to those Funk Brothers  horns: aren’t they just fabulous on this  Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland/Brian Holland/Sylvia Moy classic?!

The Isley Brothers were *finally* inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum as performers in 1992. You may read a brief career biography on the Brothers at the Rock Hall site here.

Musically Yours,

No related posts.