MOTOWN SOUTH - Muscle Shoals

[jsmith]

Why was Motown south down in Muscle Shoals never allowed to prosper ?
Surely, the management up in LA must have believed in the guys down there to sign them up in the 1st place.
To then just let the partnership 'wither on the vine' was pure neglect.
We got to hear a bit of the output that remained unreleased in the US when Motown sent tracks to the BBC to be included on their RADIOPLAY series of LP's in the 80's. Tracks from the likes of Gwen Owens & Rudy Love sounded too good to simply have been allowed to gather dust in the LA vaults.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

Why was Motown south down in Muscle Shoals never allowed to prosper ?
Surely, the management up in LA must have believed in the guys down there to sign them up in the 1st place.
To then just let the partnership 'wither on the vine' was pure neglect.
We got to hear a bit of the output that remained unreleased in the US when Motown sent tracks to the BBC to be included on their RADIOPLAY series of LP's in the 80's. Tracks from the likes of Gwen Owens & Rudy Love sounded too good to simply have been allowed to gather dust in the LA vaults.

Wow. I NEVER heard about this...

[woodward]

I have heard naturally as nearly ever member of the forum about the Muscle Shoals sound, but I never read anywhere about Motown having any association with this.

Is there any way we could hear a song by either of the artists you mentioned? From the RADIOPLAY series you referred to.

[copley]

Many of the Gwen Owens Motown recordings are mentioned here and are on YT.

https://www.discogs.com/artist/398953-Gwen-Owens

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

Many of the Gwen Owens Motown recordings are mentioned here and are on YT.

https://www.discogs.com/artist/398953-Gwen-Owens

Well, thank you for this. I don't know what to say- this is something entirely new to me, but VERY exciting. I'd love to know how things would have worked out had Motown gone through with the idea of Motown South; then again, knowing how Motown was exceptional at starting things and dropping them on a dime, I gotta believe no matter how good the music, nothing would have ever come of it. As for Gwen- Good For Her; that lady hung in tough for a long time and it seems she had a fairly good, long career. Maybe not a superstar, but she didn't just fade away. I'll check out her records on YT.

[jsmith]

Lots of Motown South tracks were released on 45 and LP. The Rueben Howell stuff [["Can't Stop A Man In Love") was from MS / Muscle Shoals. Also the Bottom & Co tracks were from there [["Gotta Find A True Love", etc.).
It's just that for every released track, there were many more that just gathered dust in the Motown vaults.
It's not as if the Muscle Shoals studio hadn't been having success with the product it had placed on other labels before the tie up with Motown occurred.

[jsmith]

Links to the 2 BBC LP's I made reference to above ...
https://www.discogs.com/release/5610...er-Of-The-Hunt
https://www.discogs.com/release/5517...-Right-Feeling

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I have heard naturally as nearly ever member of the forum about the Muscle Shoals sound, but I never read anywhere about Motown having any association with this.

Same here, Woodward. The Muscle Shoals sound has always been associated with Rick Hall's FAME Studios where Atlantic Records sent Aretha and Wilson Pickett to record. And also where Candi Staton got her start on Rick's Fame label. But NEVER has it ever been associated with Motown.

[jsmith]

This product wasn't from Rick Hall / Fame. It was from Woodford / Iveys Wishbone Studio. They'd quit Rick Hall's set up & started up their own successful enterprise just down the road.
For a couple of years this studio & it's team were highly 'associated with Motown'.
https://www.discogs.com/master/40361...-Reuben-Howell
>> Producer / arranger / musicians: Terry Woodford. Clayton Ivey, Charles Chalmers, Mike Lewis, Donna Rhodes, George Soule, Jeanie Greene, Phillip Mitchell, Sandra Rhodes, Jimmy Evans, Harvey Thompson, Charles Rose, Ben Cauley & Harrison Calloway.

[motony]

Bobby Sheen was Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans[[Fanita James & Darlene Love).

[TomBairdFan]

These are the tracks for my fantasy 'Motown Goes To Muscle Shoals' highlights compilation, made many years ago when I started to enjoy everything produced by Terry Woodford and Clayton Ivey. I could listen to Reuben Howell until the cows came home! I'm not sure if any songs were strong enough to be big hit singles, but there's a lot of top quality singing, writing, producing and musicianship - an ideal Motown match!

SIDE 1:
Can't Stop A Man In Love - Reuben Howell
Color My World Blue - Supremes
When A Man Loves A Woman - Reuben Howell
I'm Not Strong Enough [[To Love You Again) - Thelma Houston
If You're Ever Gonna Love Me - G.C. Cameron
It's Just A Matter Of Time - Temptations
Chicago Send Her Home - Jerry Butler
There's A Song In My Heart - Commodores
Give Out, But Don't Give Up - Supremes
I'll See You Through - Reuben Howell
You Can't Stop A Man In Love - Temptations
Baby I Love You Too Much - Thelma Houston
Go Ahead And Have Your Fun - Reuben Howell
The Sha-la Bandit - Supremes
Love Pains - Motown Magic Disco Machine

SIDE 2:
Firefly - Temptations
Rings - Reuben Howell
I Honestly Love You - Jerry Butler
You Turn Me Around - Supremes
I Believe [[When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) - Reuben Howell
Differently - Thelma Houston
You Can Belong To Me [[If You Let Me Love You) - Bottom & Co.
My World Tumbles Down - Reuben Howell
Bend A Little - Motown Magic Disco Machine
You Made Your Bed - Reuben Howell
Constant Disappointment - Reuben Howell
Rings - Charlene
Funny How Time Slips Away - Reuben Howell

[mysterysinger]

Great thread.

Link to interview with Clayton Ivey - https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/clayton-ivey

[jsmith]

After her Motown South unreleased tracks, Gwen Owens was teamed [[by Woodford / Ivey) with 2 other ladies in the group HOT. They re-cut a song originally recorded for MOTOWN SOUTH by Rudy Love ... "Right Feeling At The Wrong Time".
But by the time HOT were going [[1977), their stuff was aimed at the disco market ...