(Vocal group, 1960–present) Formed in 1960, The Temptations were Motown’s leading male group, with smooth harmonies and crisp choreography. Their first big hit, 1965’s ‘My Girl’ was written by Smokey Robinson in reply to his earlier ‘My Guy’, penned for Mary Wells. From 1967, producer Norman Whitfield gave them a harder edge. Adding psychedelic soul to ...
‘The Story of the Soul and the Body’ Premiered: 1600, Rome Libretto by Agostino Manni and Dorisio Isorelli Prologue The figures of Avveduto and Prudenzio (both mean ‘Prudence’) discuss at length the various facets of human nature and appeal to the audience to learn from what they will see in this allegorical opera. Act I The character Tempo (Time) presents ...
(Songwriter, b. 1941) Strong was a Motown staff writer whose own 1960 hit ‘Money’ helped fund the label’s early expansion. His compositions with Norman Whitfield included ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’, and led Motown’s forays into more socially aware territory with hits like Edwin Starr’s ‘War’ and many of The Temptations’ psychedelic soul outings. Strong won a 1972 Grammy ...
(Vocal group, 1961–77) The jewels in the crown of Motown’s golden years, The Supremes’ sophisticated act and sound were the TV-friendly face of soul music, winning them 12 No. 1s including a 1964–65 run of five in a row from hitmakers Holland-Dozier-Holland. Many, like: ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ and ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’, became pop classics. ...
However, drug problems led Clinton to suspend Hazel’s salary, and the guitarist had only a small role on America Eats Its Young (1972). Hazel began working with the Temptations, appearing on 1990 (1973) and A Song For You (1975). In 1974 Hazel was convicted on drug and assault charges, and Funkadelic replaced him with Michael Hampton. Hazel’s ...
(Vocals, 1942–2003) Starr’s early singing career was interrupted when he was drafted in 1960. He finally broke with 1965 Bond novelty ‘Agent Double-O Soul’ and its follow-up ‘Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S.)’. He had a powerful, rough voice that will be remembered for the 1970 anti-Vietnam hit ‘War’, originally a Norman Whitfield song for The Temptations. ...
(Vocals, b. 1939) Cutting his soul teeth with 1950s Detroit group The Four Holidays, Ruffin’s early solo career was disrupted by the draft. He broke through on Motown with 1966’s towering hit ‘What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted’ and a handful of follow-ups. His 1980 comeback ‘Hold On To My Love’ went US Top 10. He became a UK ...
experiment with other sounds and genres as a producer made him a key player in the growth of Motown beyond its early pop-soul identity. His biggest impact was with The Temptations, whose move to psychedelic soul he directed. He left Motown in 1975 to form Whitfield Records, where his greatest success was with Rose Royce; he won a Grammy ...
One of the UK’s finest rock vocalists, Roderick David Stewart was born on 10 January 1945 to Scottish parents. He went to the same school as Ray and Dave Davies of The Kinks and briefly trained as an apprentice footballer before busking around Europe. Many Faces Back in London he started singing with The Hoochie Coochie Men in 1964 alongside ...
The story of Sly Stone (born Sylvester Stewart in Dallas on 15 March 1944) is a classic rock’n’roll tale of ground-breaking success followed by a drug-fuelled downward spiral into unreliability and dissipation. In the 1960s and early 1970s he pioneered a fusion of funk, rock and soul that changed the course of R&B, pop and even jazz. Yet on ...
gospel-and-soul tone for the label (later tempered with girl-group pop). Robinson was also a producer and songwriter of great lyricism for other Motown acts, notably Mary Wells, The Temptations and The Marvelettes. He was vice-president of the label from 1961 to its sale in 1988 to MCA. 1967’s ‘I Second That Emotion’ broke the group in Britain. Robinson had ...
, Be Foolish, Be Happy’. A 1971 reissue of ‘Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me’ was a UK No. 1. Styles & Forms | Sixties | Rock Personalities | The Temptations | Sixties | Rock ...
, and raised the level of artistry that pop could attain.The likes of Robinson, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, The Temptations and Stevie Wonder fronted hit after hit, rising from pop ingénues to era-defining artists within the 10 years of Motown’s peak period. Although they may have signed to Motown ...
The Afro wig. The mirror ball. Platform heels. A pair of lurid flares. The enduring iconography of the mass-market disco era might seem laughable now, but to reduce such a revolutionary social force, and creative musical explosion to a few items of fashion tat would be very short-sighted indeed. As has happened with many other musical forms, the ...
funk wave. The most sophisticated funk soul sounds came, predictably, from Motown and Stax alumni. Motown backroom boys Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong began constructing tracks for The Temptations that blended funky wah-wah guitars, widescreen orchestration, and tough counter-cultural lyrical themes. From 1969’s ‘Cloud Nine’ to 1973’s ‘Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone’, the formerly poppy vocal group ...
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David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.