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The Rose Battiste
Story
FORMATIVE YEARS
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This picture is
from the June 1964 catalogue of Youth Colossus, an annual
dance and music festival organised by Ziggy Johnson.
(courtesy
Graham Finch)
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Rose
Battiste was born in Detroit in 1947 and grew-up on the
Motor City's east side with her sister and two brothers.
Her mother, who was a frustrated entertainer, encouraged her
young daughter to try and make it as a professional singer;
the first place she took her was Hitsville USA, Motown's
studio.
Rose told me her reception was similar to that given
to most youngsters who ventured down to West Grand
Boulevard, "I saw Lamont Dozier, my cousin Freddie
Gorman, and also Berry Gordy; he told my mother that I had a
lot of potential but it didn't come to anything."
By the
time Rose was 13 her family had moved across to Detroit's
west side and consequently she attended North Western High
School, then situated on Grand River Avenue.
At 15 she made
her recording debut in the Continental studio on 12th
Street, where Don Mancha produced a song called I'm
Yours For A Lifetime for local musical entrepreneur Sam
Motley.
Rose remembers that, "My whole family came to
the session and my grandmother took off her shoes and danced
across the floor." But sadly the song doesn't seem to
have made it onto any of Sam's various record labels, such
as SA-MO or M & M.
Notes thanks to
Graham
Finch
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DESIGN
AND GRAPHICS BY
LOWELL BOILEAU
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This website is dedicated to Detroit, Soul Music, 45 RPM, Northern
Soul and the great Motown era of Detroit Musics. It covers Golden
World, Tamla, Wheelsville, Robert West, Darrell Banks, Johnnie
Mae Matthews, Rose Battiste, Tera Shirma, Fred Bridges, Supremes,
Stevie Wonder, Edwin Starr, Funk Brothers, Dennis Coffey, Bob
Babbitt, James Jamerson, Twisted Wheel, Wiggan Casino and many
more Detroit Souls topics. |
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