Harvey Fuqua

Just wondered why Harvey Fuqua didn't continue recording himself for Motown. He was a great singer [[sounds Nat King Cole-like) and seemingly a confident and entertaining performer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgO-Md-_CpQ

Harvey recorded several tracks with Etta James.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E4nue64FGA

And with The Moonglows 1995

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GhPUk2nlOU

And with Marvin Gay

Marvin's First Lead Solo on Wax, & the Joint Song Writer with Harvey Fuqua. Harvey Fuqua was later to become Berry's Brother in Law [as did Marvin] as Harvey married Gwen Berry's sister. Berry was later to secure all of the Anna, Harvey, Tri-Phi , Message & other music catalogues on the insolvency of the labels.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PGlURN1sUQ

Harvey's one of his best, his own label and his own song. [Just one of many]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuo7Y-nGk7g

Attachment 20902
I like this song MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more! Nice harmony by The Spinners!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm_1Yo3u0UU

And also his leads with The Moonglows in 1952-55. They were among my first records, along with The Flamingos, The Five Keys and Clyde McPhatters' Drifters.

Harvey lived in Vegas at the end. There, he would hang out with the other old Motowners & other music biz types. He still dabbled on recording sessions & was involved, along with Lou Ragland, on a number of sessions with little known younger artists [[though it seems, he had no real desire to see any of the resulting tracks being released).
ANYWAY, he would hang out with Lou Ragland quite a bit. Lou, had become known to all the Ol'Motown crowd as he acted as Cholly Atkins minder / driver over the last few years of Cholly's life [[Cholly was very frail towards the end). Cholly would always be invited to attend any live Vegas shows of the Motown acts [[& the O'Jays).
BTW, Lou R had gotten involved with the Detroit recording scene in the 60's when he was the studio engineer & a producer for Cleveland based Way Out Records [[with whom Jim Brown was involved). Lou was sent to discover the 'Detroit recording studio secrets' & so got involved on a number of Detroit recording sessions -- he was on tambourine on the backing track to the Precisions "If This Is Love" and also on another session held around the same time.
BUT I DIGRESS ... back to Harvey & Vegas ... I used to visit with Lou R a lot & he'd take me around his musical contacts. I wanted to chat to Harvey about his work for the HONEY label [[G C Cameron, Jean Shy, etc.) and more. On one visit, Lou asked Harvey if he'd meet me to chat -- Harvey said OK. But the days were going by & I was to return to the UK after the weekend.
Lou chased Harvey again, to get to him set a time & place. It seemed Harvey felt bad, so he said I should join him on the Sunday morning. I agreed & asked where ... "at the golf course" he said, "I'm playing with friends, but we can chat as we go around".
I felt bad about this & worried I'd distract him, so told him to go enjoy hinmself with his friends as normal.
Lou asked why I hadn't gone & I told him ... YOU'RE A FOOL he says ... he was playing golf with Smokey, Johnny Bristol & a couple more music types.
I kicked myself at missing the opportunity to spend the morning with that bunch.

Harvey still had it - and boy did he love to play directly to the cameras. He was a great guy and a real character...seen here in Parts 3 and 8 of my first national show, Doo Wop 50. [[There's 9 parts online now).

He was also on a later show doing more Moonglows tunes and one of my earliest local shows before Doo Wop 50. I also need to post the great interview I did with Smokey talking about his friend Harvey. The only disappointment I ever had with him was that when I was looking for a tape of "Anyway You Wanta" it no longer survived at Motown. There was an alternate done in '64 called "Monkey Lupe Lu" but no "Anyway You Wanta" [[huge dance record in Pittsburgh).

Harvey told he himself had clipped it from the Tri-Phi master reel [[why Motown didn't have it) and was going to get me a copy, but sadly he passed shortly after. Great man - great history - great stories and what a presence to his speaking and singing voice. I remember how loyal to he was to Bobby Lester's group of Moonglows and Gary who was doing their bass and the glue that kept the Moonglows going on the touring circuit.

https://studio.youtube.com/video/HcnbesgQSok/edit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx9skFeX6R8

I love those excellent Doo Wop 50 shows of yours - enjoying watching them on YouTube. Thanks for the links above - I'll enjoy watching these later with the headphones on. Did you have Terry Johnson's Flamingos on one of these shows?

I would urge all Forum members to subscribe to this channel on YouTube as they have a target of 2000 Subscribers by 4th July......

Harvey Fuqua is fantastic on the Doo-Wop 50 shows. Bit sneaky of Harvey to snip out that track [[maybe others too). But really what have Motown done to release any of them? Same with all their acquisitions that never seem to get touched or released officially. I know odd tracks have seen the light of day back in the 60s but there must be so much more held there in the vaults.

July 27th:

On his Birthday, remembering Harvey Fuqua [1929-2010]......