I recently came across this wonderful history of The Elgins by Marv Goldberg. I thought others on SDF would be interested in it, as well.
Please Note: I was granted permission by the author to post only the link to the article; the article itself is not to be reprinted here on SDF.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/5Emeralds/5emeralds.html
Enjoyable article on one of my fave Motown groups. Thanks,
My pleasure, MS. I love The Elgins, too. They did such wonderful work on their HDH material. Saundra's voice showed such strength and clarity. And real beauty. Truly distinctive.
The Elgins are likely my favorite Motown act. However, trying to get a handle on their history has proven difficult. First there isn't a whole lot of information out there. Second, there are a lot of inconsistencies regarding the details. As an example, how did the name "Elgins" come to be? I've read about the Elgin Watch Co. billboard as indicated in the link above. But I've also read that Berry came up with the name. Another inconsistency involves how Saundra joined the group. Some sources indicate that Berry brought her forward to join the group while others indicate the male members of the group "discovered" her at a show at a Pontiac, Michigan club.
Not to mention that there were several groups with the name Elgins.