Jr. Walker and The All Stars

What Does It Take (1988)

I've seen Jr. Walker live many times and this is the arangement of "What Does It Take" that he always performs live. I first recorded him at Barbarellas Club in Birmingham when we recorded an interview with him and taped the whole of his show on 'reel to reel'. Never thinking that video footage of him would turn up some 35 years later. He was a quiet speaking guy and very respectful to his fellow artistes and producers, Johnny Bristol in the case of this tune - I'm sure he's greatly missed.

Walker was born Autry DeWalt Mixon, Jr. in Blytheville, Arkansas and grew up in South Bend, Indiana. His saxophone style was the anchor for the band's overall sound. The other original members of the group were drummer Tony Washington, guitarist Willie Woods, and keyboardist Vic Thomas.

His career started when he developed his own band at the age of 14, in the mid 1950s as the 'Jumping Jacks'. His longtime friend Billy Nix (drummer) started his own group the 'Rhythm Rockers.' Periodically Nix would sit in on Jumping Jack's shows, and Walker would sit in on the Rhythm Rockers shows.

Nix obtained a permanent gig at a local TV station in South Bend, Indiana, and asked Walker to join him and his keyboard player (Fred Patton) permanently. Shortly after, Nix would asked Willie Woods a local singer to perform with the group; shortly after Woods would learn how to play guitar also. When Nix got drafted into the United States Army, Walker convinced the band to move from South Bend to Battle Creek, Michigan. While performing in Benton Harbor, Walker found a drummer Tony Washington, to replace Nix. Eventually, Fred Patton (piano player) left the group, and Victor Thomas stepped in.

The original name the 'Rhythm Rockers' was changed to the 'All Stars'. Walker's squealing gutbucket style was inspired by jump blues and early R&B, particularly players like Louis Jordan, Earl Bostic, and Illinois Jacquet. The group was spotted by Johnny Bristol, and he recommended them to Harvey Fuqua, in 1961, who had his own record labels. Once the group started recording on the Harvey label, their name was changed to Junior Walker & the All Stars. When Fuqua's labels were taken over by Motown's Berry Gordy, Jr. Walker & The All Stars became members of the Motown Records family, recording for Motown's Soul imprint in 1961.

The members of the band changed after the acquisition of the Harvey label. The drummer, Tony Washington quit the group, and James Graves followed the group into the Motown family. Their first and signature hit was "Shotgun", written by Junior Walker and produced by Berry Gordy. "Shotgun" reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, aka as the Pop chart, and #1 on the R&B chart in 1965, and was followed by many other hits, such as "(I'm A) Road Runner", "Shake and Fingerpop" and covers of the Motown tracks, "Come See About Me" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)". In 1966, Graves left and was replaced by old cohort Billy "Stix" Nicks, and Walker's hits continued apace with tunes like "I'm a Road Runner" and "Pucker Up Buttercup."

In 1969 the group had another hit enter the top 5, "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)". A Motown quality control meeting rejected this song for single release but radio station DJs made the track popular, forcing Motown to release it as a single, whereupon it reached #4 on the Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart. From that time on Walker sang more on the records than earlier in their career. He landed several more R&B Top Ten hits over the next few years, with the last coming in 1972.

In 1979, Junior Walker went solo and was signed to Norman Whitfield's Whitfield Records label. He was not as successful as he had been with the All Stars in his Motown period. Walker also played the sax on the group Foreigner's "Urgent" in 1981. The solo was actually cobbled together from tapes that he had made with the band. He later recorded his own version of the Foreigner song. In 1983, Walker was re-signed with Motown.

Junior Walker died on November 23, 1995 in Battle Creek, Michigan of cancer at the age of 64. He had been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation that year. Drummer James Graves died in 1967 in a car accident, and guitarist Willie Woods in 1997 at age 60. Junior Walker was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in Battle Creek, MI., under his birthname of Autry DeWalt Mixon, Jr., as well as stage name. Jr. Walker's All Star Band is currently touring around the world with original members Tony Washington and Acklee King.

Walker's "Shotgun" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. - Wikipedia

Glady's Knight & The Pips

Glady's Knight & The Pips - Bourgie, Bourgie (1980)
Sixties Motown group signed to Columbia Records in 1980 and restored to its familiar quartet form, Gladys Knight & the Pips began releasing new material.

The act enlisted former Motown producers Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson for their first two LPs--About Love (1980) and Touch (1981). During this period, Knight kicked a gambling addiction to the game baccarat.

In 1987, Knight decided to pursue a solo career, and she and the Pips recorded their final LP together, All Our Love (1987), for MCA Records. Its lead single, "Love Overboard", was a successful hit and won a second Grammy for the act as well. After a successful 1988 tour, the Pips retired and Knight began her solo career. Gladys Knight & the Pips were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Glady's now concentrates on Gospel music.

Eddie Kendricks

Eddie Kendricks - Get Ready (1985)
Live Aid footage. Earlier, in 1985, Kendricks and David Ruffin participated in the Hall & Oates live album Live at The Apollo recorded at a benefit at New York City's Apollo Theater; and sang with the duo at Live Aid in Philadelphia and the MTV Video Music Awards in New York. Hall and Oates have cited Kendrick and Ruffin specifically, and the Temptations in general, as a major influence.

In 1989, Kendrick, Ruffin, and their old Temptations bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There, Kendrick and Ruffin made plans with fellow former Temptation Dennis Edwards to tour and record as "Ruffin/Kendrick/Edwards, Former Leads of The Temptations." The Ruffin/Kendrick/ Edwards project was cut short in 1991, when Kendrick was diagnosed with lung cancer and David Ruffin died of a drug overdose.

In late 1991, Kendrick, by now living in his native Birmingham, Alabama, underwent surgery to have one of his lungs removed in hopes of preventing the spread of the cancer. He continued to tour through the summer of 1992, when he fell ill again and was hospitalized. Kendrick died on October 5, 1992 of lung cancer in Birmingham at the age of 52. Kendrick is survived by his three children Parris Kendrick, Aika Kendrick, and Paul Kendrick. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery. Kendricks was portrayed by Terron Brooks in the 1998 biographical television miniseries The Temptations. -Wikipedia

Dennis Edwards and The Temptations

Dennis Edwards & The Temptations - Treat Her Like A Lady (1984)
This was a nice Eighties come back hit for the the great Temptations. Dennis Edwards voice like on many previous hits came over strong. Dennis' rare solo single from the Sixties 'Johnny On The Spot' changes hands for mega money (£2.2k) on the Northern Soul scene.

At one point there was only about three known copies! His work with Motown's group The Contours is also well known and has his distinctive voice. I discovered this footage when Bill Randal was throwing out his VHS tapes.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama to Reverend and Mrs. Dennis Edwards Sr., he began singing as a toddler, just two years old, in his fathers' church. His family moved to Detroit when he was seven. As a high school student, Edwards sang with the Crowns of Joy gospel group, then in 1961 he organized his own soul/jazz group, Dennis Edwards and the Fireballs.

Dennis also in the Eighties recorded a nice 2-Stepper: 'Don't Look Any Futher' that was a massive hit in South Africa. Listen to the Ivy Joe Hunter or Dennis Edwards interviews (PCRL achieves.)

Linda Griner

Linda Griner - Goodbye Cruel Love (1995)
Live at Nottingham Football Club Northern Soul nite. Introduced by 'Pep'. Soul nite was presented by John Wilkinson (Wilco.)

I filmed this for Linda but my vintage camera/recorder was playing up a bit. The evening before she had appeared at Bretby Soul nite near Burton-on-Trent for Chris Anderton. Chris and his friends championed this track at Bretby throughout the early 90's.

The single was released by Motown as a one off, Smokey Robinson wrote the glorious flip-site 'Envious'. A good friend loaned me an original copy of this single to record envious for Lyn's personal collection and while on loan it was stolen by some one-off guests on my radio show. I ended up having to buy my mate a new washing machine! happy days. www.lindagrinermusic.com

Kim Weston

Kim Weston - A Little More Love (1966)
I have a two hour PCRL radio show she recorded for us in 1995. Born Agatha Natalie Weston, December 30, 1939, in Detroit, Michigan) is an African American soul singer, and Motown Records alumna. She was signed to the record label in 1963, scoring a minor hit with "Love Me All the Way" (R&B #24, Pop #88).

Her biggest solo hits with Motown were "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" (R&B #4, Pop #50, 1965; later covered by The Isley Brothers, Blood, Sweat & Tears and The Doobie Brothers) and "Helpless" (R&B #13, Pop #56, 1966; previously recorded by The Four Tops on their Second Album LP).

Her biggest claim to fame was singing the classic hit "It Takes Two" with Marvin Gaye in 1966 and her later recording of the Black National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." It was the success of "It Takes Two" with Marvin Gaye that caused Motown to seek Tammi Terrell to replace her as his singing partner, which spawned even more success for the label.

Weston left Motown in 1967 and later sued the label over disputes about royalties. She and her then-husband William "Mickey" Stevenson (former A&R head at Motown) both went to MGM Records. Weston cut a couple of singles for MGM, "I Got What You Need," and "Nobody," which went largely unnoticed due to lack of airplay and promotion. She made an album for the label, This Is America, which included her popular version of the Black National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," was released as a single and featured in the movie Wattstax. All the money from the single was donated to the United Negro College Fund.

She recorded several more albums for various labels, Stax/Volt among them, and also made an album of duets with Johnny Nash. None of these recordings charted, and Weston reportedly relocated to Israel, where she worked with young singers.

Along with many of her fellow Motown alumni/alumnae, she signed with Ian Levine's Motorcity Records in the 1980s, releasing the single Signal Your Intention which peaked at #1 in the UK Hi-NRG charts. It was followed by the album Investigate (1990) which included some re-recordings of her Motown hits as well as new material. A second album for the label Talking Loud (1992) was never released although all the songs were included on the compilation The Best Of Kim Weston (1996).

Today she is a disc jockey on a local Detroit, Michigan radio station, where she sponsors the summer events at Hart Plaza. She also tours sporadically, often alongside former Motown colleagues Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves and Brenda Holloway. She is also featured on the 2006 four CD release of the Motortown Revue series.

Jimmy Ruffin

Jimmy Ruffin - A Foolish Thing To Do (1986)
By request only. Jimmy Ruffin (born May 7, 1939 in Collinsville, Mississippi) is an American soul singer and elder brother of David Ruffin, one of the lead singers for The Temptations. Jimmy himself was offered a chance to sing with the Temptations, but he declined in favor of David.

His 1966 hit "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" was a major success and his most well-known song. The intended follow-up, "East Side West Side", was released only in Australia, however, due to an argument with Motown head Berry Gordy. The song was written by Ron Welser and Flamingos' member Terry "Buzzy" Johnson. With his brother David, Ruffin also released a popular cover version of "Stand By Me" (by Ben E. King), taken from the Ruffin Brothers' album, I Am My Brother's Keeper.

Ruffin's other hits include "I've Passed This Way Before", "Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got", "Don't You Miss Me A Little Bit Baby", "I'll Say Forever My Love", "It's Wonderful To Be Loved By You" and "Tell Me What You Want".

In 1980 he collaborated with the Bee Gees' musician Robin Gibb, who produced his album Sunrise. From it came the single which would be his last Top 10 UK and U.S. hit: "Hold On To My Love". In 1986 Ruffin collaborated with the British pop group Heaven 17, singing "A Foolish Thing To Do" and "My Sensitivity" on a 12" EP record.

In the 1980s, Ruffin moved to England, where he has his own talk show.
He continues to tour and perform to this day. In addition to his brother David, he had three other siblings: Quincy, Rita Mae (deceased) and Rosa (deceased).

J J Barnes

J.J. Barnes - Our Love (Is In The Pocket) 1991
Live at the Torbay Weekender. I filmed this footage & I also have interview footage with JJ. Excerpt shown here for a while.

James Jay Barnes (b. 30 November 1943, Detroit, Michigan) is an American R&B singer. He has become a favorite artists of British Northern Soul scene and has performed live in England frequently. His voice is very similar in tone and timber to Marvin Gaye, which might explain why he was signed to Motown for a short period without a single track released.

He first recorded in 1960. His early releases including “Just One More Time” and “Please Let Me In”, on such labels as Mickay and Ric-Tic, had relatively little success, but were subsequently picked up as favourites on the English Northern Soul scene. He also covered the Beatles “Day Tripper”, before moving for a short period to Motown Records.

His biggest hit came in 1967 with "Baby Please Come Back Home", which like many of his records he co-wrote. The song reached # 9 on the R&B charts. However, subsequent singles on a variety of labels, including covers of Black Ivory at Today/Perception Records, failed to repeat the success.

Martha and the Vandellas

Martha & The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street (1967)
Produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson and written by Stevenson and Marvin Gaye, the song highlighted the concept of having a good time in whatever city the listener lived. The song was conceived by Stevenson who was showing a rough draft of the lyrics to Gaye disguised as a ballad.

When Gaye read the original lyrics, however, he said the song sounded more danceable. With Gaye and Stevenson collaborating, the duo composed the single with Kim Weston in mind to record the song. Weston passed on the song and when Martha Reeves came to Motown's Hitsville USA studios, the duo presented the song to Reeves. Hearing Gaye's demo of it, Reeves asked if she could arrange her own vocals to fit the song's message.

Gaye and Stevenson agreed and including new Motown songwriter Ivy Jo Hunter adding in musical composition, the song was recorded in two takes. The interesting loud beat of the drums in its instrumentation can be attributed to Hunter, who banged on a crowbar to add to the drum beat led by Benny Benjamin.

Mary Wells

Mary Wells - My Guy (1965)
Live on US TV, I also have an interview we made in the early 70's in my archieve. Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 – July 26, 1992) was an American singer who defined the early sound of Motown Records in the early sixties.

Along with Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, The Supremes, and The Four Tops, Wells was said to have been part of the charge in black music onto radio stations and record shelves of mainstream America "bridging the color lines in music at the time."

With a string of hit singles mainly composed by Smokey Robinson including "Two Lovers" (1962), the Grammy-nominated "You Beat Me to the Punch" (1962) and her signature hit, "My Guy" (1964), she became recognized as "The Queen of Motown" until her departure from the company in 1964, at the height of her popularity. In other circles, she's referred to as the "The First Lady of Motown" and was one of Motown's first singing superstars.In 1964, Wells recorded and released "My Guy".

Smokey Robinson song became her trademark single, reaching number-one on the Cashbox R&B chart for seven weeks, becoming the number-one R&B single of the year. The song successfully crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it eventually replaced Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" to hit number-one on that chart where it stayed for two weeks. To build on the song's success, Motown released a duet album recorded with fellow Motown singing star Marvin Gaye, Together. The album peaked at number one on the R&B album chart and hit number forty-two on the pop album chart and yielded the double-sided hits "Once Upon a Time" and "What's the Matter With You Baby".

"My Guy" was one of the first Motown songs to break over the other side of the Atlantic, where it eventually peaked at number five on the UK chart, making Wells an international star that year. Around this time, despite competition, The Beatles publicly stated that Wells was their favorite American singer and soon she was given an invitation to open for the group during their tour of the United Kingdom, thus making her the first Motown star to perform in the UK.

Dianna Ross

Diana Ross - Reach Out And Touch"
Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" was the debut solo single for Motown singer Diana Ross, released in April 1970.
Ross had just left The Supremes, after a decade of serving as that group's lead singer, went through a difficult situation trying to piece a solo album together.

With Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson writing and producing for her, Ross recorded "Reach Out and Touch", which carried a heavy gospel influence, and was one of the few songs the singer recorded to express her social conscious, previously experimented with Supremes singles such as "Love Child" and "Livin' In Shame".

While the song's sales didn't meet up to expectations, peaking at #20 on the pop charts and #7 on the R&B charts with 500,000 copies sold, "Reach Out and Touch" became one of Ross' most popular and notable songs. During her concert performances of the song, Ross often had the whole crowd literally turn to their neighbors, and "reach out and touch" their hands.

The Elgins

The Elgins - On My Own (1991)
Taken at Torbay Northern Soul Weekender. Vvonne Vernay (Allen) singing lead vocals. Nice cover version Yvonnne she gets a little emotional singing it.

US-born Johnny Dawson, Cleo Miller and Robert Fleming, later replaced by Norbert McClean, sang together in three Detroit vocal groups in the late 50s, the Sensations, the Five Emeralds and the Downbeats.

Under the last of these names, they recorded two singles for Motown Records in 1959 and 1962. Also in 1962, Saundra Mallett (later Saundra Mallett Edwards) issued "Camel Walk" for Tamla, backed by the Vandellas. Motown suggested that she join forces with the Downbeats, and the new unit was named the Elgins after the title originally used by the Temptations when they first signed with Motown.

In the fiercely competitive climate of Motown in the mid-60s, the Elgins were forced to wait three years before they could issue a single, but "Darling Baby" - written and produced by Holland/Dozier/Holland - reached the US R&B Top 10 early in 1966. "Heaven Must Have Sent You", which also exhibited the traditional Motown sound of the period, matched that success, but after one further hit in 1967, the group broke up.In 1971, the Elgins enjoyed two unexpected UK Top 20 hits when Motown reissued "Heaven Must Have Sent You" and the former b-side "Put Yourself In My Place".

The Elgins re-formed to tour Britain, with Yvonne Allen (a former session vocalist) taking the place of Saundra Mallett, but plans for the revitalized group to renew their recording career foundered. In 1989, Yvonne Allen, Johnny Dawson, Norman McLean and Jimmy Charles recorded a new arrangement of "Heaven Must Have Sent You" for producer Ian Levine. They continued working for his Motor City label in the 90s, releasing Take The Train and Sensational. The original lead vocalist on all their Motown material, Saundra Edwards, was also recording for the same label.

The Commodores

The Commodores - Sweet Love/Too Hot To Trot (1980)
Live In Texas.
The Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour.

The Commodores originally called themselves the Jays, but had to change their name because of the similarly named O'Jays. To choose a new name William King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. "We lucked out," he remarked with a laugh when telling this story to People Weekly Magazine. "We almost became The Commodes!"

Many of their hit tunes were written or co-written by Walter "Clyde" Orange, the original lead singer before Lionel Richie came on board. Lionel and Clyde alternated as lead singers. Clyde was also the lead singer on "Nightshift" and "Brick House" among others. Clyde now lives with his family in Coral Springs, Florida and has three children named Paula, Colin and Cody.

Brenda Holloway

Brenda Holloway - Just Look What You have done (1967)
Born 21 June 1946, Atascadero, California, USA. Brenda Holloway began her recording career with three small Los Angeles labels, Donna, Catch and Minasa, in the early 60s, recording under the aegis of producer Hal Davis.

In 1964, Holloway made an impromptu performance at a disc jockeys' convention in California, where she was spotted by a Motown Records talent scout. She signed to the label later that year, becoming its first west coast artist.

Her initial Tamla single, "Every Little Bit Hurts", established her bluesy soul style, and was quickly covered by the Spencer Davis Group in Britain. She enjoyed further success in 1964 with "I'll Always Love You", and the following year with "When I'm Gone" and "Operator". Her consistent record sales led to her winning a place on the Beatles' 1965 US tour, but subsequent Tamla singles proved less successful. Holloway began to devote increasing time to her songwriting, forming a regular writing partnership with her sister Patrice, and Motown staff producer Frank Wilson.

This combination produced her 1968 single "You've Made Me So Very Happy", a song that proved more successful via the million-selling cover version by the white jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears. In 1968, Holloway's contract with Motown was terminated. The label issued a press release stating that the singer wished to sing for God, although Holloway blamed business differences for the split. She released a gospel album in 1983 and worked with Ian Levine from 1987. She teamed with Jimmy Ruffin in 1989 for a duet, "On The Rebound". - Music.us

Gladys Knight and the Pips

Gladys Knight And The Pips - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (1978)
This footage along with Freedom Train opened the doors to great guests on UK TV series the Muppet Show. Gladys wearing a gold larmay dress - looks great!

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown Records. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by The Miracles.

A second, unreleased version was recorded by The Isley Brothers. Released on September 25, 1967 as Soul 35039 by Gladys Knight & the Pips, who recorded the fourth version of the song, it has since become a signature song, however, for singer Marvin Gaye, who recorded the third version of the song prior to the Pips' version but released the song after theirs on October 30, 1968 as Tamla 54176.

Gaye's version has since become a landmark in pop music. #80 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Gaye's version also listed at #65 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All Time. It was also inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value.

The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 - A,B,C
Taken from the Save The Children film made in Chicago in 1972. By 1968, The Jackson 5 were a headlining act for the All Star Floor Show at Chicago's The Guys' and Gals' Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant. From July 12–27, 1968, The Jackson 5 opened for Motown group Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers at Chicago's Regal Theater. Taylor was also very impressed with the boys, and he decided to make the commitment to bring them to Detroit and Motown. Joseph and The Jackson Five stayed on the floor of Bobby Taylor's Detroit apartment the night of July 22, while Taylor and Motown executive Suzanne de Passe arranged for The Jackson Five to audition for the label.

On July 23, The Jackson Five had their Motown audition, for which they performed James Brown’s then current hit "I Got the Feelin'". Berry Gordy was not in attendance, but the audition was videotaped and sent to him in Los Angeles. Gordy's initial reluctance to sign the group disappeared when he finally saw the boys perform. Gordy decided to sign The Jackson Five to Motown, and hosted a party at his Detroit mansion on November 25, 1968 to introduce them to the Motown staff and stars.

Martha and the Vandellas

Martha & The Vandellas - Heatwave (1965)
Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas) were among the most successful groups in the Motown roster during the period 1963-1967.

In contrast to Motown girl groups such as The Supremes and The Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas were known for a harder, R&B sound, typified in "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave," "Nowhere to Run," "Jimmy Mack" and, their signature song, "Dancing in the Street."

During their nine-year run on the charts from 1963 to 1972, Martha and the Vandellas charted over twenty-six hits and recorded in the styles of doo-wop, R&B, pop, blues, rock and soul. Ten Vandellas songs reached the top ten of the Billboard R&B singles chart, including two R&B number ones.

Twelve of the Vandellas' songs charted within the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, with six songs charting within the Top Ten including "Dancing in the Street," "Heat Wave," "Nowhere to Run" and "Jimmy Mack" being their biggest pop chart-toppers.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Martha and the Vandellas #96 on their list of The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time

The Tempations

Temptations - It's Growing (18th March, 1965)
Taken from a UK Motown TV special with Martha & Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Dusty Springfield, Earl Van Dyke & The Supremes. Great camera angles used in this series, lots of side shots because the camera's mainly used wide angle lens' and a side shot would get more action in the frame!


This special was put together by Vicki Wickham & Dusty Springfield, and if it wasn't for Dusty's input it would never have happened. It was a complete eye-opener for UK audiences to the exciting sounds of Detroit.

The TV show was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. RSG! was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV, who wanted to try a music radio show. Allan was assisted by record producer/talent manager Vicki Wickham, who became the producer. It was broadcast from August 1963 until December 1966.

It was produced by Associated-Rediffusion (later re-named Rediffusion) which had the ITV franchise for London. The show eventually went out live nationally. It was contemporary with the surge in British pop music of the 1960s. It last aired on December 23, 1966.

Willie Hutch

Willie Hutch - Lucky To Be Loved By You
Live at Soul Togetherness Weekender, Fleetwood, 2003. Backing band: Snake Davis & The Suspicions. Filmed by Ralph Tee & Ian Levine. Popular with Northern Soul fans in the UK for many years.
Willie McKinley Hutchinson, known professionally as Willie Hutch (December 6, 1944 — September 19, 2005) was an American singer, as well as a songwriter/producer for the Motown label during the 1970s.

Hutch produced albums by acts such as The 5th Dimension, Michael Jackson and Smokey Robinson .
Besides writing hit songs such as The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There", Hutch also recorded several albums for Motown (and later for Whitfield Records, run by former Motown producer Norman Whitfield), and had top 20 R&B hits with singles such as "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" and "Slick" (both 1973).

Following in the tradition of Curtis Mayfield, he recorded the soundtrack album for the blaxploitation films The Mack (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974). He is the uncle to Cold 187um of the famed rap group Above The Law.

Diana Ross and The Supremes

Diana Ross & The Supremes - Reflections
This is a fine clip that I only recently came across and is now my all-time fave Supremes clip. Lots of mirrors & sequins to create reflections. The strings and orchestration just give me goose bumps every time I watch this clip - so watch out!

Mary Wilson has just opened an exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery of the dresses from this period time in time, just £3 on thedoor!
During the mid-1960s, The Supremes achieved mainstream success with Ross as lead singer. In 1967, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & The Supremes and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong (shown behind Ross)).

Ross left to pursue a solo career in 1970 and was replaced by Jean Terrell, at which point the group's name returned to The Supremes. After 1972, the lineup of The Supremes changed more frequently; Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene all became members of the group during the mid-1970s. The Supremes disbanded in 1977 after an eighteen-year run.