Dear Soulful Detroit Members

My name is Jonathan Gould, and I'm a music historian and former musician who lives in Brooklyn, NY. For the last four years, I've been writing a biography of Otis Redding, which will be published by Random House next year. My book has been written with the cooperation of the Redding family, and it will be the first comprehensive biography of him ever published.

I'm writing in the hope that someone connected Soulful Detroit can provide me with good information about Otis's appearances with members of the Motortown Revue in 1964.

What I do know is that Otis appeared as a supporting act with the Miracles and the Temptations at the Howard Theater in D.C. in the week of March 11-18, 1964. My information is that Dionne Warwick and possibly King Curtis were also on that bill. I also know that Otis appeared at the Regal in Chicago in October 1964 with the Miracles, the Four Tops, Patti Labelle and the Bluebells, Bobby Freeman, and Flip Wilson.

What I'm most interested in confirming is the possibility that Otis appeared with members of the Motortown Revue on a tour headlined by James Brown sometime early in 1964. I know from Brown's autobiography that he toured with several Motown acts early in 1964; I'm interested in knowing which acts, where they performed, and whether Otis might have been included at any of those engagements.

Any help that Soulful Detroit members can provide would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Jonathan Gould