From the category archives:

Guy Groups

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#12 Billboard Top 100, #16 R&B Singles Chart

In 1961 a group of Detroit high school students   formed a singing group called the Domingos who naturally patterned their sound after Motown.  When another local group suggested they audition for RicTic Records (home of the Flaming Ember(s) and the Reflections and eventually purchased by Motown) they hung around the studio and stated singing with Edwin Starr who had a partially written song and the result was “Oh How Happy” recorded for The Golden World Label.

An independent producer liked what he heard and gave the soulful singers a new name and took them to  Impact Records where  “OHH” was recorded and became a  hit in 1966! The group soon broke up in 1970.

More historical detail on the blue-eyed soul group can be found here at this well done web site.

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#92 Billboard Hot 100

“Just We Two” , a 1969 Motown LP of duets by Edwin Starr and Blinky (Sandra Williams) contains their cover version of the classic.

Composed by Charles Hatcher,  this feel-good classic is another tune I have always loved  both when the original came out in 1966, when Edwin & Blinky’s cover came out,   and then later when the J5 cover came out, with my then love Jermaine singing lead. :-)   Of course MJJ’s background harmonizing and Tito’s bass is awesome too. Just listen and I bet you will agree. Here it is  as it appears on the J5’s 1971 “Third Album.”

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Please vote and share your favorite version of this song. I know I went off the Theme a bit by sharing covers of the original by the Blue Eyed Soul Artist being recognized — but I just love the song in all incarnations and wanted to share my joy. Hope you don’t mind.

Trivia: Even thought the group helped to create this classic, often covered hit song, they never got the writing credit they deserved. The record was credited solely to Charles Hatcher — the birth name of Edwin Starr!

Musically Yours,

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Filed under: Blue Eyed Soul, Charles Hatcher aka Edwin Starr, Co-ed Vocal Groups, Dynamic Duos (Duets), Edwin & Blinky, Guy Groups, Impact, Motown, Oh How Happy, One Hit Wonder, Pop/R&B, Seventies, Shades of Blue, Sixties, The Jackson Five

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There are  more 1969 Grammy Awards left  to discuss then there is month left in February  :-) .

I had a hard time deciding which award winning song to close the month out with, but finally decided on one of my favorite dance tunes of the Sixties -sung by one of my favorite tenors of all time — The Isley Brothers “It’s Your Thing”  which won the 1969 Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance By a Group or Duo.

The brothers had been around as a gospel quartet ever since the fifties.  The group was made up of brother Ronald Isley, O’Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley and Vernon Isley. When Vernon passed  after a bicycle accident in 1955,  Ronald became the new lead singer.

From the RCA label with their soulful sounds (“the classics “Shout” and “Twist & Shout”),  to their own label T-Neck, to Motown’s Tamla label, and finally back to T-neck the brothers had their hard-knocks on the road to  Grammy Gold.

Like many others in the Motown stable, The Isley Brothers were tired of the neglect they received at Motown while Gordy concentrated on making The Supremes, The Temptations and Diane Ross the superstars of the label.

They were released from their contract and almost immediately the brothers co-wrote “It’s Your Thing” and released it on their own T-Neck label.  The funky “IYT” topped the R&B charts at #1 and the Billboard Top 100 at #2 , then went on the win the first Grammy Award for any former Motown artist.

Everyone covered the song including many Motown artists.  I am especially partial to The Temptations’ psychedelic cover: the vocals harmonies are awesome! The J5 version is pretty great too IMHO. Check them out right now and let me know what you think.

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The Temptations 1960 cover version

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This is the original vocal from the J5 cover but it is a current extended Remix that I have been listening to a lot lately. Hope you enjoy it.

Trivia. This is the first song on which the then 17 yr old, baby brother,  Ernie Isley,  played bass on a song. Of course brother Ernie would go on to become an integral part of the third generation Isley Brothers renamed  Isley Brothers 3 +3 — one of the most successful self contained family funk units of the seventies.

The Isley Brothers first charted in 1959 with “Shout -- Part 1″ ( #47 billboard top 100)

The Isley Brothers next appearance on the music charts was in 1962 with  “Shout -- Part 1″ (#94 Billboard top 100)

Musically Yours,

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Filed under: Grammy Gold, Guy Groups, It's Your Thing, Motown, Motown Covers Pop, Pop/R&B, Pop/Soul, R&B/Motown, R&B/Soul, Ronald Isley/ O'Kelly Isley Jr/ Rudolph Isley, Sixties, T-Neck, The Isley Brothers, The Jackson Five, The Temptations

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The 1969 Grammy for the Best Rhythm and Blues Song   was  “Color Him Father,” Richard Spencer, songwriter.

Just like  another Grammy winning song in 1969, “A Boy Name Sue, “ “Color Him Father” is all about the superb lyrics!

Composed by group member Richard Spencer of Washington DC’s  The Winstons,  this song tells of the love for a step-father that holds a special place in my heart. When it came out I was learning to love my new step-mother (R.I.P) as another person to trust in my young confused  life.

The song got a lot of local airplay (I lived then and now in the Maryland suburbs of DC) and truly was inspirational in my life.

The Winstons had recorded a song prior to this one on the Curtom Label that was a minor local success, but “CHF” was their first and last  big hit on the Metromedia label.  It charted #2 R&B and of course won a Grammy.

Rev. O.C. Smith recorded a popular cover of the song that appeared on his 1969 LP ” O.C. Smith At Home,” but I prefer the original by the Winstons when  composer Richard Spencer sings the lead.

Color Him Father by Richard Spencer

There’s a man at my house he’s so big and strong
He goes to work each day, stays all day long
He comes home each night looking tired and beat
He sits down at the dinner table and has a bite to eat
Never a frown always a smile
When he says to me how’s my child
I’ve been studying hard all day in school
Tryin’ to understand the golden rule

Think I’ll color this man father
I think I’ll color him love
Said I’m gonna color him father
I think I’ll color the man love, yes I will

He says education is the thing if you wanna compete
Because without it son, life ain’t very sweet
I love this man I don’t know why
Jexcept I’ll need his strength till the day that I die
My mother loves him and I can tell
By the way she looks at him when he holds my little sister nell
I heard her say just the other day
That if it hadn’t been for him she wouldn’t have found her way
My real old man he got killed in the war
And she knows she and seven kids couldn’t of got very far
She said she thought that she could never love again
And then there he stood with that big wide grin
He married my mother and he took us in
And now we belong to the nman with that big wide grin

Think I’ll color this man father
I think I’ll color him love

Said I’m gonna color him father
I think I’ll color the man love, yes I will

OSML TRIVA: The Winstons toured as the backup band for The Impressions

Musically yours,

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Filed under: Color Him Father, Grammy Gold, Guy Groups, Metromedia, One Hit Wonder, Pop/R&B, R&B/Soul, Richard Spencer, Sixties, The Winstons

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This has been a year of great loss for me personally. In addition,  I also share the loss of musical icon Michael Joe Jackson with the world!  I will close out this  year of Motown 50 with a  J5 classic that I love.

This particular song is a fave from the first Motown LP that introduced the Jackson 5 to the world in 1969. This entire LP brings back some of the best ever memories of my teenage years and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I do.  Let me know what you think?

1969 Hollywood Palace

Trivia: Did you know that before the brothers joined Motown and released this first LP that they had released a single? Well they did and it was called “Big Boy.” This minor local hit single, on Steel Town Records, was backed with “You’ve Changed!”  Yes, the fellas originally recorded this song on 7/13/67 and it was released as the B-Side to their first single on 1/31/69. Have a listen and tell me what you think about this original?

Jackson Five circa 1968

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Musically yours,

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Filed under: Guy Groups, Motown, Pop/R&B, R&B/Motown, Sixties, The Jackson Five, You've Changed

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This song is from the third LP released by the J5 in 1970: a holiday set that they had to sneak off to the studio and record since their  mother, of the Jehovah Witness faith, did not allow Christmas celebrations.

You may not agree that this is the best Motown rendition of “The Christmas Song” but it happens to be the most memorable version for me.

As a teen I , like most teen girls, was in love with the Jackson Five.  Michael was the cutest,  but to me Jermaine was a smooth singer and my fantasy beau:  since he was closest in age to me I suppose in my mind I had assumed that he was the most attainable. Of course once he married Hazel Gordy I was through with Jermaine and set my sights on the “older man” Jackie. ;-)

Watching the “Jackson Family Dynasty” mini seris these past two Sundays,  and seeing the J4 personalities as grown men, let me know I made the right decision in dumping Jermaine as a teen. (LOL)

Nevertheless, Jermaine’s lead vocal on this song takes me back to a special time when both my parents and maternal grandparents would spend Christmas together. All four are gone now –  but at least this song remains for me and it will always make me feel that special time in my life.

Mrs. Jackson, if you ever read this, please know that this album is special to millions of people and that your boys most assuredly did the right thing when they disobeyed you to record this classic.

Happy Holidays.

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Filed under: Guy Groups, Holiday Music, Mel Torme & Robert Wells, Motown, Pop/Holiday, R&B/Motown, Seventies, The Christmas Song, The Jackson Five

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Smokey has sung lead on this tune with The Miracles and you have heard a few versions of the Temptations take on this classic.

But this has got to be the smoothest  Motown rendition of this classic holiday tune yet!  With Smokey AND Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin and the rest of the Temptations  gang giving it there all — well how can you go wrong?!

This audio (provided in case the YouTube cClip vanishes) is from my latest Motown Holiday Collection (yes, I had to purchase yet another one but I had a good reason). And of  course it is the audio from the classic 1987 Motown Merry Christmas TV Special of 1987.

I feel very fortunate to have found this clip on YouTube,  but does anyone know if this show is available on DVD please?

Watching this clip makes you feel all warm and fuzzy doesn’t it?

Musically Yours,

Note: This post was scheduled for yesterday 12/21/09 @ 7am and for some reason when I logged on today I see “Schedule  Missed” in red letters. I don’t know what happened but I am so sorry for the delay.

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Filed under: Eighties, Guy Groups, Holiday Music, Magnificent Male Vocalists, Mel Torme & Robert Wells, Motown, Pop/R&B, R&B/Holiday, R&B/Motown, Smokey Robinson & The Tempations, The Christmas Song

Temptations Give Love at Christmas

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A week ago today  I shared with you the first rendition of the Temptations performing “The Christmas Song” featuring one of the few leads by Otis Williams.

Well today I would like to share with you the second version the group released that appeared on their second holiday collection a decade later in 1980.

This LP is truly a classic.  Other songs are repeated from the first Holiday LP,  but the greatest of any holiday song that the Temptations EVER sang (IMHO)  is on this set — “Silent Night.”   Now I  loved Eddie Kendricks’  lead on the 1970 “Silent Night”,  but the 1980 version is a classic that will be listened to for ages to come!

But back to “The Christmas Song” version 2 –  If you have been following OSML then you are aware that the Temptations often made second versions of their songs and always bested themselves. True to course this version has better vocals, better production values and just is a much better listen than the first!

What do you think?

Musically yours,

SonDan Holiday Green #02A805

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Filed under: Eighties, Guy Groups, Holiday Music, Mel Torme & Robert Wells, Motown Covers Motown, Motown/Gordy, Pop/Soul, R&B/Holiday, R&B/Motown, The Christmas Song, The Temptations, The Temptations Cover The Temptations

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