What qualified as a Motown Revue ?

[davie gordon2]

MOTORTOWN REVUE 1962

Oct 26 Washington DC - Howard Theater [[Friday)

Nov 2 Boston - Franklin Theater [[Friday)
Nov 3 New Haven,CT - New Haven Arena
Nov 4 Buffalo, NY - Memorial Auditorium
Nov 5 Raleigh, NC - Raleigh City Auditorium
Nov 6 Charleston, SC - County Hall
Nov 7 Augusta, GA - Country Club
Nov 8 Savannah, GA - Bamboo Ranch Club
Nov 9 Birmingham, AL - National Guard Armoury [[Friday)
Nov 10 Columbus, GA - City Auditorium
Nov 11 Atlanta, GA - Magnolia Ballroom
Nov 12 Mobile, AL - Fort Whiting Auditorium
Nov 13 New Orleans, LA - State Fair Grounds
Nov 14 Jackson, MS - College Park Auditorium
Nov 15 Spartanburg, SC - Memorial Auditorium
Nov 16 Durham, NC - City Armoury [[Fri)
Nov 17 Columbia, SC - Township Auditorium
Nov 18 Washington, DC - Capitol Arena
Nov 19 DAY OFF
Nov 20 Greenville, SC - Civic Auditorium
Nov 21 Tampa, FL - Palladium
Bradenton, FL - The Palms
Nov 22 Jacksonville, FL - The Armoury
Nov 23 Macon, GA - Auditorium [[Fri)
Nov 24 Daytona Beach, FL - National Guard Armoury
Nov 25 Miami, FL - Harlem Square
Nov 26 Orlando, FL - skating rink
Nov 27 Tallahassee, FL - Field House
Nov 28 Cheraw, SC
Nov 29 Charlotte, NC - Long High School
Nov 30 Louisville, KY - New Park Center [[Fri)

Dec 1 Memphis, TN - Memorial Auditorium
Dec 2 Nashville, TN - City Auditorium
Dec 3 Pensacola, FL - Fairground Coliseum
Dec 4 [ DAY OFF ]
Dec 5 Richmond, VA - Mosque Auditorium
Dec 6 [ DAY OFF ]
Dec 7 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 8 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 9 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 10 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 11 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 12 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 13 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 14 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 15 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 16 New York - Apollo Theater
Dec 17 Pittsburgh, PA

[phil]

MOTORTOWN REVUE 1962

While googling I just found this old thread on Curtis Woodson's book : http://www.soulfuldetroit.com/archiv...tml?1097487256


I wonder if this fantastic book is still available ?

[jsmith]

Thanks for that Davie.
I'm suprised to see that the 1962 tour didn't play a Cleveland venue or anywhere on the west coast.

[davie gordon2]

Yes, it surprised me too. Other noticeable omissions are Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore and St. Louis. - no Texan dates either.

The Nov 28 appearance in Cheraw, SC is another puzzler, I had to look up my trusty Rand McNally atlas to see where it was as I'd never heard of the town
which had a population of 5524 in 2000. My home town, which I've always thought of as small, has a population nearly four times that - and we have an Apollo in
Blantyre [[it's a pub)

[jsmith]

Susaye,
.... why was Tammi Terrell at that show [[she wasn't performing).
Was she there with David Ruffin ??
BTW, if you want a decent quality jpeg of that Howard bill ad, drop me an e-mail to jsoulsmith@aol.com
.......... and I'll send it along to you. JOHN; UK

[thelastsupreme]

Yes, John, she was with David. She spent a lot of time with me and my mom. She did a lot of waiting around, like ladies do when waiting for their famous boyfriends. LOL! She gave me a lot of advice, helped me with my hair and kept me giggling. I'll never forget her kindness to me. She was such a fun, talented and gracious lady. I was the only non-Motown act, so I was an outsider. I was George Treadwell's last act before he passed; he was a very well connected manager, which I suppose is why I was on this roster. The first night, I came on just before the Temptations, which in retrospect was quite something. I would love to hear any stories arrr&bee, about your remembrances of that show!

[jsmith]

About 6 months after that mid November 1966 show at the Howard, Tammi Terrell would be back in Philly where she would have to enter hospital for a number of extensive brain operations .........
[[see Ebony article [[P.95) .... ..........
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Z...errell&f=false .....)

I guess she was accompanying David Ruffin on that package tour up until around December 1966; so her 'problems' must have developed over that time period.

[jsmith]

As its 'BACK TO SCHOOL' for all the kids in England over the next week, thought I'd post this show ad from almost 63 years ago [[after all it featured 1 Motown act + 1 'soon to be' Motown act & Reffa) ..........
Attachment 869

[jsmith]

Bottom of the bill on the above show were Baltimore 'blue-eyed' soul group And The Echoes .........
Attachment 870
By this time, the outfit had recruited a black lead singer and they secured a record deal locally ......
..... BUT what I'd really like to establish is ............
if they had a connection with .........

[jsmith]

.... another local 'blue-eyed' soul group in 1967 --- Tommy Vann & the Professionals ...
..... see act supporting Fifth Dimension ............
Attachment 871
Earlier Tommy Vann had led the group Tommy Vann And The Echoes .........
... were the 1967 group "And The Echoes' the guys that had previously been Tommy Vann's group ??

[jsmith]

Tommy Vann And The Echoes 45 ...........
Attachment 872

[theboyfromxtown]

Phil

Check the old SDF archives....there's lots about it. It was hard to get at the time

[phil]

John, I got it when it was available, signed by Mr Curtis Woodson.

[jsmith]

So do you get any more facts on the tour from the book [[in addition to what must be many great photos) ??

[phil]

So do you get any more facts on the tour from the book [[in addition to what must be many great photos) ??

JS, I reread the book yesterday, and here are a few words from Curtis Woodson :

"It has been published in both print and internet media that the Temptations and Stevie Wonder left on the trip withe troup. That is not correct."

"The trailway bus we were given for the tour was terrible. The doors didn't close properly and it didn't have a bathroom."

"The Contours were, like me, in their early 20's and were having a lot of fun. They weren't overly concerned about the amount ofmoney they were "not" making, they were just interested in having fun and chasing and being chased by all the women who followed them. "

Marv Johnson was like a "ghost" during the few weeks of the tour. I never saw him at rehearsals, during lunch or dinner brakes, or at our hotel and since he travelled in his private car, I never saw him on the road.Bill Murry would say "ladies and gentlemen it's my pleasure to introduce "Marvelous" Marv Johnson, he would appear on stage and sing a few of his hits and disappear. Maybe because he was already an establishee star he didn't feel he should be too close to the rest of the troop."

"Being new to the music scene, the Supremes didn't get the kind of reactios generated by the Marvelettes and Diana Ross didn't like it.It didn't take long for her to start calling back to Detroit to receive some attention and solace from the Hitsville management.
At the end of one of Marvelettes'performanc, the audience wa cheering for the Marvelettes to return for an encore. THe road manager sent the Supremes out on stage and the audience booed...demanding the return of the Marvelettes.

[jsmith]

...... A Motown show in New York [[1965) ...........
Attachment 880
... with thanks to John & his contact.

[jsmith]

..... Moving on to 1966 & back down to Baltimore ....
Attachment 881
By now Gladys & the Pips were also Motown artists,
..... so that made 3 in all from the bill of 10 main acts.
[[mind you "Just Walk In My Shoes" doesn't even get a mention !)
.... Wilson Pickett was just dropping off #1 in the charts ... whilst ...
the 4 Tops & Eddie Floyd were heading upwards to take that #1 spot
J J Jackson's track was heading for the Top 10 of the chart
[[though not long afterwards he would head off across to the UK)
but Lorraine Ellison's deep soul anthem would stall at #11.
Arthur Conley would hit with "Sweet Soul Music" about 6 months later
.... [[Reffa keeping him from the #1 position on the chart) ........
ALL IN ALL THOUGH, I guess I'd have paid my $2.50 to see them.

[jsmith]

Thanks for that Phil.
Both Mary Wilson and Smokey mention details on the 1962 tour in their books also.

[jsmith]

Mary lists most of the guys who were in Choker's orchestra plus she says there were 45 people on the bus [[including roadies & assistants), with 3 cars & 2 station wagons making up the entire convoy. Cheap hotels, sleepless nights on the road, irregular & bad meals, tour romances, problems down south, segregated venues, etc. Bullets flew at the Birmingham show and other confrontations were a regular happening with rednecks tring to provoke fights. The Contours station wagon [[with Eddie McFarland & Beans Bowles in as well) was involved in a crash on the way to Miami [[Eddie was driving, fell asleep at the wheel & was killed in the accident. Beans was in a coma).
Smokey mentions that he had a fever whilst playing the Howard in DC [[at the end of October). He struggled on for a couple of days whilst making daily visits to the local hospital. When the tour moved on, Smokey was left behind and so headed back to Detroit to recuperate. Claudette had to stay as Pete was in the army & there had to be at least 3 ‘Miracles’ up on the stage each night. Smokey would call her on a regular basis but it was Berry who told him that when Claudette was singing lead [[in his place), the crowd were cheering her on thinking she was ‘Smokey’. On November 11th, Smokey got a call from Mary Wells who was sharing a room with Claudette. Mary told him that Claudette was pregnant & couldn’t cope with the strains of touring. But Claudette was determined to see the tour out and she lasted right up through the week long Apollo gig in mid December.
Sounds like a film should be made, based around the 1962 tour & all the things that befell it !!!

[jsmith]

There are more facts on the tour in the 'Where Did Our Love Go' book ..........
.... Beans Bowles was the tour road manager. He was tasked with collecting the fees [[up to $15,000 a night), booking & paying all the hotel bills plus gas, food & incidental bills. He also paid the musicians & handed out 'pocket money' to the acts, reported back to Berry plus kept the artists happy & in-line.
When he was hurt in the car crash, he had about $15,000 on him & he had to hand his over [[for safe keeping) to a local southern cop. Beans ended up in a Florida hospital and Esther Edwards had to fly down to take over from him.
The tour had been set up by Supersonic Attraction's Henry Wynne and in lots of cities it was a hard sell to get venues to take the whole 'Motown' package instead of just say the Contours, Miracles or Mary Wells [[mixing them with other non-Motown artists).
I guess that's why the Motor Town Revue 1962 didn't play a show in some major centres, whilst some shows that did take place were in 'backwoods' towns.

[motown_david]

I love that Apollo poster you feature on #114. What a line up. Were all shows at the Apollo of this quality? I should have been there.....

[jsmith]

...... Stevie Wonder in New York in 1966........
Attachment 892

[jsmith]

...... and Stevie in Baltimore in 1967 .....
Attachment 893

[phil]

Here is a picture of a page of Curtis Woodson's book, he wrote "Annette Beard of the "original" Vandellas told me that this is the only photograph she has ever seen of the Vandellas on stage in performance with Marvin".

In the book Marvin is much more visible -as you can see I'm not a pro !



picture from Curtis Woodson.

[jsmith]

With "I Guess I'll Always Love You" to plug, the Isley Brothers top a fine bill at the Apollo in July 1966 ...
Attachment 917
Jimmy Ruffin was still way down on the bill, but with "Brokenhearted" about to go big that would soon change.

[jsmith]

Not only were Motown acts doing live shows locally ...............
but they were also appearing on local TV station 'specials' .....
Attachment 920

[reese]

The above Tempts's special was actually syndicated by Screen-Gems, I believe, and had a soundtrack album released as well.

[jsmith]

Well it was an opportune time for the TV show to be screened in Baltimore, as the group had a big show coming up in the area ......
Attachment 928

[jsmith]

Another Motown TV show broadcast in cities such as Baltimore .....
Attachment 931

[jsmith]

......... back to live show ads ...............
There were no artists signed with Motown on this summer 1966 Apollo show .....
.... but 2 of them would be signed to the label before the end of the decade ...
Attachment 933

[jsmith]

As the decade ran out, the Tops played a Baltimore gig ....
Attachment 940

[jsmith]

Same club --- different Motown group --- different decade ......
Attachment 944
With a local 'blue-eyed' soul group as support ...

[jsmith]

No Motown artists this time, just the mighty mighty Dells ......
.... PLUS locals Tommy Vann & the Professionals again .....
Attachment 1101
No UK Soul Weekender promoter could afford to offer FREE BEER at one of their events
.... they would surely go bankrupt after the first such offer at a weekender !!!!

[jsmith]

Stevie Wonder tops a fine bill early in 1970 ....
Attachment 1106

[jsmith]

............ Back to the Apollo in 1963 .........
Mary Wells joins Chuck Jackson, Barbara Lewis & others on the bill ...
Attachment 1124

[jsmith]

............ Jumping forward to the 70's again ....................
.... a solo singer starting out on his newish career plays a Baltimore club.
Attachment 1132

[jsmith]

.... David was in town in April ........
... & so were the Temptations ......
Attachment 1155
With Yvonne on the bill as well .....
PLUS ex Motowner Hamilton Bohannon.

[jsmith]

On the above & on the ad posted as #133, both 1970 shows at Baltimore Civic Centre, there is a Motown [[Sound) Band advertised.
.... Would this be a set of Detroit musicians sent out to back up the likes of the Temptations and Stevie .....
.... OR .... would it be an ensemble put together by the Civic Centre itself to accompany these Motown artists ??

[jsmith]

Motown ruled at Baltimore's Club Venus from late May thru late June 1970
Attachment 1164

[jsmith]

........ Also in town in June 1970 ...........
... plus down on Carr's Beach as well ....
Attachment 1165

[jsmith]

It seems that even as early as summer 1970 it was getting harder to make money booking big name acts into ordinary clubs.
....... After this show ...........
Attachment 1176
Mike Athas [[who ran the place) announced that the club was changing its policy. It was to become a dance & dinner club, so would no longer book big name acts. A new bar & 2 dance floors were to be installed to make the club's layout more suitable for its new role.
So the Club's role as a venue where locals could catch all the top Motown & soul outfits was at an end, the Supremes being the last big name [[& fee commanding) act to play the club.

[jsmith]

Exactly 41 years ago today, you could have caught the F of D at Baltimore's Club Venus ....
Attachment 1186
AND 2 months after Martha & the Vandellas were on ......
you could have gone to see Smokey & the Miracles at the club .....
.... with the 4 Tops featuring just a couple of weeks later.

The Club Venus certainly liked to book big Motown acts.

[jsmith]

A 1968 show that included Bobby Star & the Versatiles on the bill ....
Attachment 1197
Bobby Star would go on to join the Intruders in 1970.

[jsmith]

..... Jumping on to 1970 ......
a big show at the Civic Centre
.... featuring the 'real' Spinners
[[I believe Frankie & the Spinners in the ad above
went on to become Frankie & the Spindles !!!)
Attachment 1200

Another Detroit attraction on this bill was 100 Proof
& if we go back to include the 50's .... Wilson Pickett

[jsmith]

In addition to the Motor Town Revue shows, Capitol Records also sent out a package of their artists on shows --- they called their revue 'the Capitol Records Soul Caravan' [[artists who performed on these shows included the Magnificent Men, Ruben Wright, the Thrills, Verdelle Smith, etc.).
....... ALSO .... Atlantic promoted shows by artists signed to their labels
......... here's one such show that took place up in NY .........
Attachment 1207

[jsmith]

Here's a handbill for a Baltimore show that has Kenny Hamber topping the bill ....
Attachment 1226

but this show wasn't held back in the day ....
.... it takes place in one months time !!!!

[jsmith]

I made mention of the 'Capitol Records Soul Caravan' above ....
.... so here it was in action ... at NuJurzayz Palisades Park ...
Attachment 1236

[jsmith]

A few miles north again ...
to the Brooklyn Fox Theatre in 1962 .....
only 1 Motown act on the bill; the Marvelettes ........
Attachment 1240

[jsmith]

We're even further back in time now ...... to summer 1957 & a bill at Baltimore's Royal Theatre ....
.... no Motown acts on the bill [[not suprising as Motown didn't exist yet) .....
.... but 2 future Motowners were performing that week [[Harvey & Choker) .......
Attachment 1246

[jsmith]

Down on the beach in 1958, Jackie Wilson starred on a show ......
... & Berry Gordy got an acknowledgement via the reference to his song "To Be Loved" .....
Attachment 1250