Detroit R&B Hits: 1970

[mmmaarrttaa]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had knowledge of where I could find a list of the top r&b hits in Detroit specifically, 1970 - August and September. I have tried Billboard and Cash-box, keep coming up short. All I can find is Detroit radio surveys about all genres, but I really want the R&B list specifically. Any place where to start?

Thanks.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Maybe local libraries have local radio station countdown lists -

[marv2]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had knowledge of where I could find a list of the top r&b hits in Detroit specifically, 1970 - August and September. I have tried Billboard and Cash-box, keep coming up short. All I can find is Detroit radio surveys about all genres, but I really want the R&B list specifically. Any place where to start?

Thanks.

You'd have to search for weekly playlists for stations like WCHB.

[marv2]

Might want to start here: http://www.las-solanas.com/arsa/stations.php

Also, you may not want to completely rule out CKLW. They too were the "Sound of Detroit".

[marv2]

WCHB 1440 AM
DETROIT, MICHIGAN

Week: 07/13/70
Format: R&B

WCHB - DETROIT
1440 ON YOUR DIAL
SUPER SOUL
WEEK BEGINNING JULY 13, 1970

1. Signed, Sealed, Delivered – Stevie Wonder
2. Vibrations – Eric & Vikings
3. Steal Away – Johnny Taylor
4. Who’s Gonna Take The Blame - Miracles
5. I Can’t See Myself – Detroit Emeralds
6. The End Of Our Road – Marvin Gaye
7. Right Now, Right Now – Al Green
8. It’s A Shame – Spinners
9. Rosemarie – Dynamic Tints
10. Drop By My Place – Carl Carlton
11. Groovy Situation – Gene Chandler
12. Maybe – Three Degrees
13. Since I Fell For You – Mavis Staples
14. War – Edwin Starr
15. Do You See My Love – Jr. Walker

[robb_k]

WCHB - DETROIT
1440 ON YOUR DIAL
SUPER SOUL
WEEK BEGINNING JULY 13, 1970

1. Signed, Sealed, Delivered – Stevie Wonder
2. Vibrations – Eric & Vikings
3. Steal Away – Johnny Taylor
4. Who’s Gonna Take The Blame - Miracles
5. I Can’t See Myself – Detroit Emeralds
6. The End Of Our Road – Marvin Gaye
7. Right Now, Right Now – Al Green
8. It’s A Shame – Spinners
9. Rosemarie – Dynamic Tints
10. Drop By My Place – Carl Carlton
11. Groovy Situation – Gene Chandler
12. Maybe – Three Degrees
13. Since I Fell For You – Mavis Staples
14. War – Edwin Starr
15. Do You See My Love – Jr. Walker
14267

Wow! That list is incredibly Motown and Detroit-heavy!

[marv2]

14267

Wow! That list is incredibly Motown and Detroit-heavy!

There was so, so much great music released in those days. A look at any local station playlist for any week would look amazing compared to today.

[robb_k]

14270
Out of a Top 15 songs list, 9 from Detroit, 3 from Memphis, 2 from Chicago and one from Philadelphia. Only 1 from The Philadelphia Sound in 1970???? NONE from L.A.??? NONE from New York???
Chicago, like Detroit, had a ridiculous amount of local Soul talent. But WVON wouldn't have had as much as 2/3 to 3/4 of their play list from local artists.

[stingbeelee]

Also, try to look up the other soul radio station in Detroit, WJLB, 1400 on the AM dial. Like Marv said, don't rule out CKLW or WKNR!

[marv2]

14270
Out of a Top 15 songs list, 9 from Detroit, 3 from Memphis, 2 from Chicago and one from Philadelphia. Only 1 from The Philadelphia Sound in 1970???? NONE from L.A.??? NONE from New York???
Chicago, like Detroit, had a ridiculous amount of local Soul talent. But WVON wouldn't have had as much as 2/3 to 3/4 of their play list from local artists.

Are you saying that Detroit is selfish and evil? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jerry Oz]

Things sure have changed. I doubt 95% of local radio stations have DJs who actually play records anymore. Everything is packaged and syndicated. I hardly listen to music on the radio anymore but when I do, they don't do song intros so I'd better know who I'm listening to or I won't find out. Local radios used to not only introduce the next song but if they were generous and played five or six in a row, they'd tell you what you just heard. In 2018, most "D.J.s" are really just personality jocks. Good luck getting a break if you're a regional artist hoping to go national.

[robb_k]

Are you saying that Detroit is selfish and evil? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!:D
14280
No! Just impressed that Detroit Soul was still so dominant. !970 was already after Motown's peak level of domination, and when The Sound of Philadelphia was taking off, and near the peak of Stax's success, and when Hi was starting to rocket upward, and Van McCoy, Bert Berns and Atlantic were all still doing well in New York, and Curtis Mayfield, Carl Davis at Brunswick/Dakar, and Billy Davis in Chicago were still going strong. It's just very surprising. If we saw those numbers in 1966 I wouldn't have been surprised[[Motown, Golden World/RicTic, Revilot/Solid Hit, Groovesville/Groove City. Thelma, Impact/Inferno, Wylie/Hester, MAH's/D-Town/WheelsvilleUSA, Pied Piper, Karen/Carla, Magic City, Riley's/Diamond Jim, Big D, Sidra/Drew). But, 1970 had only Motown, Wylie/Hester, and Armen Boladian's Westbound represented by that list. Ed Wingate's labels were gone, Thelma was gone, Solid Hitbound was gone, Mike Hanks was gone, Diamond Jim Riley was gone, Ollie McLaughlin's labels were no longer a factor, Harry Balk was now with Motown, Pied Piper was no longer a factor. It's just surprising. They really went overboard to support their local artists and companies.

WVON was owned by The Chess Brothers. So, they had a vested interest in supporting, at least Chess artists. But, we never had our Top 15 so dominated by Chicago productions. And, I'd say that in 1970, Chicago's output was pretty close in quality and quantity to Detroit's. Maybe it's just a coincidence, and an unique situation. But, it seems mighty strange.

[jboy88]

It’s always fascinating for me to read these radio charts. Especially when songs that I’ve never heard of by artists I know nothing about, had top 5 hits on radio charts. Yet, never even bubbled under on the national charts. Jerry Oz is not wrong about today’s radio. These days, you have to rely on YouTube, instagram, etc; for any type of promotion and exposure.

[marv2]

It’s always fascinating for me to read these radio charts. Especially when songs that I’ve never heard of by artists I know nothing about, had top 5 hits on radio charts. Yet, never even bubbled under on the national charts. Jerry Oz is not wrong about today’s radio. These days, you have to rely on YouTube, instagram, etc; for any type of promotion and exposure.

I like these old charts because they help me remember songs I had long forgotten. Like for instance "Vibrations" by Eric & Vikings. I just learned that they are still performing around Detroit.

[stingbeelee]

Hi Marv; about "Vibrations"; years ago, I had gotten a copy of the billboard R & B chart book, and one day remembered a record called "Vibrations" but could not remember the artist; so I tried to look it up on the Billboard chart book; to my amazement, it was not listed. For the life of me, I wondered how could such a HUGE HIT in the Detroit area not be listed? To this day, I guess it was a huge regional hit, but was not able to break nationally.

[marv2]

Hi Marv; about "Vibrations"; years ago, I had gotten a copy of the billboard R & B chart book, and one day remembered a record called "Vibrations" but could not remember the artist; so I tried to look it up on the Billboard chart book; to my amazement, it was not listed. For the life of me, I wondered how could such a HUGE HIT in the Detroit area not be listed? To this day, I guess it was a huge regional hit, but was not able to break nationally.

Stingbeelee, I now what you mean. It wasn't until recent years did I realize that most of America never heard all of those great records by Canadian artists that we heard growing up and listening to CKLW. Remember Can-Con? Where they were required to play a certain percentage of Canadian Content music, artists, songs etc. There were a ton of them and the rest of the country never even heard them. Speaking of "Vibrations", check this out:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNstE5Rmhgo

[marv2]

When I was a young kid, we heard The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder all the time. I just assumed that they were local groups making records just for us and our radio stations! LOL! I had no clue that people were listening to them all over the World back then.

[robb_k]

When I was a young kid, we heard The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder all the time. I just assumed that they were local groups making records just for us and our radio stations! LOL! I had no clue that people were listening to them all over the World back then.
14293
That might not have been true about those stars, but it WAS true about Linda Griner, Carolyn Crawford, Frances Nero, The Holidays, Gwen Owens, The Precisions, The Dynamics, The Superlatives, Gino Washington, Emmanuel Lasky, Herman Griffin, and many, many more, during the 1960s, when Motown's major and 2nd tier artists dominated the national Soul charts.

[woodward]

This is also a great site for Detroit area radio broadcasting. It is greatly unrecognized as you can see by nobody mentioning it thus far. Check it out. Lots of good information included in its archives.

www.mcrfb.com

[woodward]

Here is a sample of what is included in the Motor City Radio Flash Backs site.

270 ‘DETROIT SOUND’ SURVEY: 06/06/66

WXYZ Detroit Sound Survey June 6, 1966

[marv2]

This is also a great site for Detroit area radio broadcasting. It is greatly unrecognized as you can see by nobody mentioning it thus far. Check it out. Lots of good information included in its archives.

www.mcrfb.com

Thanks Woodward. That's one of my favorite sites.

[marv2]

Here are all the weekly charts for CKLW from 1967 - 1979. They have some good Pre- Big 8 info also:

http://www.ct30.com/big30/index.html

[marv2]

The Big 8 CKLW - Official Site

http://www.thebig8.net/