High Inergy - American Bandstand January 14, 1978

[marv2]

I remember this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S8GceCAi5c

[blackguy69]

Love me some Linda Howard. After seeing the clip of the AB kids dancing to EWF’s Serpentine Fire then watch the ST kids dance to the same song, they truly needed to call the ST kids to show them how it’s done lol

[marv2]

Love me some Linda Howard. After seeing the clip of the AB kids dancing to EWF’s Serpentine Fire then watch the ST kids dance to the same song, they truly needed to call the ST kids to show them how it’s done lol

All of them needed to call us in Detroit back in the day to learn how it was truly done...........LOL!

[lakeside]

Did the girls who were referred to as 'the dancers' actually sing on the recordings?

[marv2]

Did the girls who were referred to as 'the dancers' actually sing on the recordings?

That was always up for debate.

[marv2]

Looking back now, Motown really dropped the ball with this act. These girls were great!

[midnightman]

Did the girls who were referred to as 'the dancers' actually sing on the recordings?

Probably not. It's like when I found out that in the Mary Jane Girls, only JoJo [[the one with the braids) sang on the MJG's material and the others were pretty much Milli Vanilli-ng from what the Waters Sisters had sung with JoJo [[though the MJG's did sing in their last Motown album, I think?).

High Inergy should've been a bigger act especially during that disco era but again, you were dealing with a label that had a hard time really building its acts that a decade ago they had no trouble doing.

[rod_rick]

Did the girls who were referred to as 'the dancers' actually sing on the recordings?

Actually all the girls sang on the album. Michelle and Linda were not as strong vocally as Barbara and Vernessa but yes they did sing and my information come straight from one of their writers and producers. Michelle did the lead on the song " I Didn't Want To Tell Ya".

[midnightman]

^ That's great to know!

[mike_sku]

I've always loved this group and thought they had so much potential. I would love to see their LPs make it to CD, especially my favorite, "Groove Patrol." What an album that was! [[I know there's a "Best of" comp out there, but it's just not enough)!

[marv2]

I've always loved this group and thought they had so much potential. I would love to see their LPs make it to CD, especially my favorite, "Groove Patrol." What an album that was! [[I know there's a "Best of" comp out there, but it's just not enough)!
"Groove Patrol" was a good album as was "He's A Pretender"

[lakeside]

Actually all the girls sang on the album. Michelle and Linda were not as strong vocally as Barbara and Vernessa but yes they did sing and my information come straight from one of their writers and producers. Michelle did the lead on the song " I Didn't Want To Tell Ya".

Thank you Rod. I wondered why Dick Clark kept referring to 'the dancers' in the group....making it sound like some of them were just there as fillers in the line-up. Nice to hear they were all singing.

[marv2]

Thank you Rod. I wondered why Dick Clark kept referring to 'the dancers' in the group....making it sound like some of them were just there as fillers in the line-up. Nice to hear they were all singing.

During the "New Jack Swing" era that came along years after this performance, the dancers were a very important part of the acts. Remember Heavy D and the Boys for example?

[marv2]

Actually all the girls sang on the album. Michelle and Linda were not as strong vocally as Barbara and Vernessa but yes they did sing and my information come straight from one of their writers and producers. Michelle did the lead on the song " I Didn't Want To Tell Ya".

Thank you Rod_rick.

[motony]

Gwen Gordy was actually their manager, my brother met Gwen & the group at a "Peaches" record shop when they were on a promotional tour.

[marv2]

Gwen Gordy was actually their manager, my brother met Gwen & the group at a "Peaches" record shop when they were on a promotional tour.

That's right Gwen was their manager. I remember meeting Evelyn Champagne King at a Peaches the same year, 1978.

[marv2]

These girls were just teenagers when they hit. Imagine how awesome they would have become had they continued with the right support.

[motony]

Friendly Womack[[the oldest of the famous Womack Brothers) actually started working For Gwen Gordy & her production co. & wrote & produced some of the tracks for High Energy, I know he had a later 45 release that didn't do well. Gwen use to always ask Friendly how Mary Wells was doing ect.

[marv2]

Friendly Womack[[the oldest of the famous Womack Brothers) actually started working For Gwen Gordy & her production co. & wrote & produced some of the tracks for High Energy, I know he had a later 45 release that didn't do well. Gwen use to always ask Friendly how Mary Wells was doing ect.

Oh that is great. I know who Friendly is, but I did not know he worked for Gwen at one time.

[luke]

Isn’t Vernessa still recording Dance music and Barbara I believe has become a minister?

[marv2]

Isn’t Vernessa still recording Dance music and Barbara I believe has become a minister?

I thought one of them was now a gospel singer.

[lakeside]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uArWqBF0-qA

[sansradio]

I thought one of them was now a gospel singer.

Vernessa is a gospel house artist.

[marv2]

There was a Pat Douglas that replace Michelle Martin. Anyone know anything about her?

[marv2]

Barbara Mitchell should have had a huge solo career. She could sing~!

[BayouMotownMan]

There was a Pat Douglas that replace Michelle Martin. Anyone know anything about her?

Pat Douglas was a dancer, a friend of Linda Howard. During rehearsals for Motown 25, Michelle Martin was said to be having a nervous breakdown of some type. NBC ordered Motown to replace her or cancel the group's appearance. If you watch the performance you will see, with what little camera time Pat and Linda were given, during He's A Pretender Pat looks at Linda for cues. Pat only had a hour to rehearse. Taking that into account she did a great job. A month later they taped a Soul Train and the three were outstanding on He's A Pretender and Groove Patrol. Things were really finally looking up for High Inergy, and then producer George Tobin secured a solo deal for Barbara with MCA Records and Barbara left Motown. Unfortunately, her contract still had a year to go and Gordy threatened MCA with legal action. By the time Barbara did get a record deal with Capitol and did the excellent Get Me Through The Night lp, whatever interest that Motown 25 generated for her was lost.

[sansradio]

Didn’t Barbara have a turntable hit with a song called “You Are the Ace” or something to that effect?

[BayouMotownMan]

Didn’t Barbara have a turntable hit with a song called “You Are the Ace” or something to that effect?

Ace Of My Heart was a minor R&B hit

[sansradio]

Ace Of My Heart was a minor R&B hit

Thanks, BMM.