Brenda on Bandstand

[masterblaster]

There are at least 4 performances of Brenda Holloway's Bandstand appearances on YouTube. She was obviously a favourite with Dick Clark.
With this tv exposure, what wasn't she a bigger star?

[luke]

1). She regretted leavingMotown suddenly in 1967. 2) She was competition for Diana Ross. 3) She wasn’t in the center of things, at that time, in Detroit.

[BigAl]

She was obviously a favourite with Dick Clark.
Dick considered Brenda one of the finest vocalists out there at the time. When he wanted her for his Caravan of Stars in 1964, Gordy insisted the Supremes, who had no hits or name recognition, be included. Clark hedged but Gordy would not budge on this, so Clark grumblingly took The Supremes as well. Then just a few weeks into the tour, to everyone's surprise, "Where Did Our Love Go" suddenly shot up the charts and by mid-summer they were taken off the tour, ostensibly because they were more valuable touring on their own. Brenda should have been more successful but apparently Motown wasn't plugging her much, instead striking while the iron was hot, with more of its money and energies being funneled suddenly into the success of The Supremes. Also, not being Detroit-based, Brenda was looked upon as something of an outsider. More's the pity.

[RanRan79]

Brenda was no competition for Diana Ross. Ross was in a league of her own. I think Luke and Al are right that she was considered a bit of an outsider, not in the inner circle. It's a shame because Brenda had the goods to be a star. Her Motown story should have played out so differently.

[marv2]

There are at least 4 performances of Brenda Holloway's Bandstand appearances on YouTube. She was obviously a favourite with Dick Clark.
With this tv exposure, what wasn't she a bigger star?

She was a favorite of Dick Clark. She's the reason why he agreed to take the Supremes on his Caravan of Stars tour back in the 60s. I miss American Bandstand and Soul Train on Saturdays now.

[marv2]

Brenda was no competition for Diana Ross. Ross was in a league of her own. I think Luke and Al are right that she was considered a bit of an outsider, not in the inner circle. It's a shame because Brenda had the goods to be a star. Her Motown story should have played out so differently.

But did you know that Berry Gordy ordered Diana Ross to listen to Brenda Holloway demos, recordings in order to learn phrasing? She was from LA and lived there for the most part which made some view her as an "outsider". Most that came to Motown from outside of Detroit were looked at that way. Hell even the Marvelettes who were from just down the road in Inkster were looked at that way. LOL!