She came along and got a lot of attention from Motowns "higher up's" at about the same time it became clear that Mary Wells was about to leave Motown...
I think Carolyn was signed in '63, before it was known that Mary was leaving the label. From everything that I've read about Mary's departure, it came as a surprise to Motown that she was leaving.
notice how Motown NEVER promoted another solo female singer after Mary left, until Diana went solo.The could have promoted Brenda Holloway, Kim Weston, Carolyn or a host of others but they didn't.
Was Mary Wells' [[original) version of "When I'm gone" intended as the follow up to "My Guy"?
If so, it was pulled and the track given to Brenda Holloway......was SHE intended to be the replacement to Mary?
I think that[whisper you love me]was intended as the follow up to[my guy].
I think Brenda Holloway was supposed to become the new Mary Wells. However in that space and time The Supremes broke out with their monster hits WDOLG? and Baby Love. Motown then prioritized The Supremes. Most of Motown's promotion was then centered on pushing The Supremes. Brenda never received the push she needed to put her on top. Nor did any other female soloist or group
It just seems to me that Carolyns voice was somewhat of a cross between Mary Wells and a little bit Wanda Rogers of the Marvelettes stylistically...Also, just the fact that Smokey, Mickey Stevenson and BG's right hand person, Janie Bradford got involved with her recording career seems to me that Berry Gordy had bigger plans for her than she actually ever achieved...
Last edited by StuBass1; 08-31-2016 at 05:44 PM.
Brenda has also said because she was so young and easily frustrated per Gladys getting one of "her" songs she flew back to LA and severed her ties with Motown. Now she feels she should have been more patient.
That 70's piece by Bohannan is certainly a much rougher vocal style, but I was referring to her Motown work like the first song I posted or this one... https://youtu.be/kns7tUY4NAI
Which song and which Gladys got Brenda song?
Knight. I don't know if Brenda specified which song.
I believe Brenda Holloway was recording with Smokey in Detroit when she left and flew back to LA. I find it odd that both Mary Well [[When I'm Gone) and Brenda Holloway were both working with Smokey when they left Motown.
I met Carolyn several years ago when she was working with Martha Reeves. She told me Mary Wells was her idol and she performed "Operator" [[a Mary Wells B side) on the talent show which Berry Gordy was either attending or judging. She said she wrote an additional verse to the song, which she sang as she played the piano. She said when Mary Wells was either leaving or had left, she and her mother received a call to come to an important meeting at Motown. They were told they were going to get behind either Carolyn, Brenda, or Kim Weston in a big way and the decision hadn't been made which one, but to be ready as it will be a lot of work. The Mary Wells unreleased tunes Brenda did were When I'm Gone and I'll Be Available, which I think were the same backing tracks as Mary's versions, but When I'm Gone was really spiced up with strings and a slightly faster tempo. Brenda did do a version of Operator, but it is not the same backing track as Mary's. I guess if they chose one to get behind it was Brenda, but both Carolyn and Kim worked with Smokey too.
Last edited by rrussi; 09-04-2016 at 01:51 AM.
That's probably because on the heels of Mary Wells' departure from Motown, The Supremes began their great run of Number 1 [[and top ten) hits. Another possibility is that Gordy did not see another solo female artist that had the combination of talent & star power that he was looking for in a solo female star [[until Diana Ross laughed her solo career that is).
I never understood why Motown let Carolyn Crawford go..
IMO Brenda sure had the "it" factor.
The timeline is off then. If Carolyn left because Gladys Knight got "one of her songs", wouldn't she have still been in the label by the time Gladys got there in '66. Fonts here said she left in '65... what's the truth???
As for being the new Mary, nah. No one was. Once the Supremes begin making hit after hit, Berry and Motown focused on them mainly [[with the Four Tops, Temptations, Marvin and Stevie getting the other hits after them).
BRENDA left cause for her the straw that broke the camel's back was Gladys getting one of her songs.
Talk about star potential. Didn't she sign with Motown by 1968? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ClbGfCaz0AA
Carolyn only had three singles issued on the label....I think the first was in 64. She did a lot of back up work too....I think she told me she is on Martha's "You've Been In Love Too Long".
Last edited by Motown Eddie; 09-06-2016 at 07:16 AM.
Here's a suggestion for the next Classic Motown collection from Ace Records; Carolyn Crawford's 'Complete Motown Recordings'. I'm sure she's got other great songs in the vaults that have yet to surface anywhere.
Here's a link to a previous discussion on Carolyn's recordings.
http://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread...rolyn+crawford
I would think there would have been a lot more involved in Brenda leaving Motown than another artist recording a song intended for her. That was something that would happen quite often and I think it was always happening with Brenda since she lived in LA rather than Detroit.
There was most likely much more to it that another artist getting her session, but that was probably one of the final straws. When Brenda left Motown, she wrote Berry a letter that was later published in [[I believe) Nelson George's book on Motown. Basically the letter stated that she felt neglected despite the fact that she had had some successful records. She came to the conclusion that it was because she was a California-based artist. Given that much of the entertainment industry, such as tv shows, was based there, she didn't understand why she wasn't getting prime tv exposure. She did thank Berry for helping with her songwriting, and ended the letter by saying that she was happy being a little part of Motown, and that she would always love the company and Berry.
In fairly recent interviews, Brenda has said something to the effect that Berry probably did have plans for her but in hindsight, she was impatient. She also mentioned that Berry really liked her sister Patrice and that the job that was eventually given to Suzanne dePasse was actually intended for Patrice.
Last edited by reese; 09-08-2016 at 09:58 AM.
Back in the 80's, I remember reading a book on Motown [[or soul music) that had in it a letter that Brenda had sent to Berry. I don't remember precisely what it said, but she was pissed that she was at the company for nearly 5 years and only had 1 LP and many flopped singles.
so it wasn't too long after she left Motown that Brenda Holloway signed with HDH & had releases on Music Merchant which did nothing.I was really into the whole record/music scene during that time & I didn't know until years later that she had recorded & released product on an HDH label.
I believe that Brenda only had one release on Music Merchant, but she also recorded an albums worth of material there that went unreleased. I've also read where HDH helped Brenda get released from her contract at Motown. I'm not sure if she returned to Detroit to record for MM as I also recall reading that she didn't want to return to Detroit out of fear of running into Berry Gordy/Motown folks.
Hmm, Brenda should write a book. She has stated that the PR reason for her leaving was because she was born again, which she said wasn't true. And info about her joining the HDH label is out there. Brenda was probably territorial: she never quite fit in with Detroit standards and Motown probably rubbed that in her face, which didn't make being there any easier. She didn't become a Detroit "immigrant" like Marvin [[D.C.) and Gladys/The Pips [[Atlanta/NY). I also wonder what song was it that Gladys got that she didn't get. I'm guessing "Everybody Needs Love"?
Oh I see. Sounds like she got tired of getting bumped from sessions. For as much talk as Gladys makes about being overlooked, I think Motown respected her more than they did Brenda...
I wonder why Brenda did not move to Detroit in 1965?
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