M & Vandellas -- 1st big shows outside Detroit

[jsmith]

The Vandellas were one of the Motown acts on the Motortown Revue tour that played venues [[mainly along the east coast) from late October 1962 thru till Xmas that year.
On the billboards for that tour the group were usually advertised just as the Vandellas & had their newest 45 release "I'll Have To Let Him Go" [[Gordy #7011) tagged along with their name.
...... BUT I don't believe that these were the group's 1st big shows outside of Detroit.

Back in mid to late June 1962, a bill due to play the Howard in Washington for 10 days was topped by Jackie Wilson .......
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........ Also on the bill were the Volumes.
But the Volumes Eddie Union tells me that Jackie was taken ill and therefore unable to perform the entire engagement.
Replacement acts were drafted in to fill out the show but at short notice, whoever could make the show was booked.
Eddie tells me that over those 10 days, a number of different acts performed on different days -- Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, the Marvelettes AND Martha & The Vandellas.
I know that the Vandellas [[as the Del-Phis, Del Fi's) went back as far as 1960, but June 62 was an early show for them to be 'on the road' as the Vandellas wasn't it. Could they have been sent out by Berry to pre-promote "Camel Walk" [[Tamla #54067) ??

[theboyfromxtown]

John

You ask hard questions! However, Martha has an incredibly good memory for this kind of detail. Have you ever thought of asking her. I find Martha very enthusiastic about such things.

When the Velvelettes are asked these types of questions, their faces light up as they recallls those good times. These artists are really quite humbled that someone is interested in something they thought of as unimportant some 40 odd years ago.

My contribution...

The Vandellas "I'll Have to Let Him Go" was recorded circa August 1962 so I am not sure the ladies would be touring with a
song they hadn't recorded. "Camel Walk" did not have Martha on that recording.......and I can't believe Martha would play second fiddle to anyone, let alone someone that fronted HER group with Martha not finding out about it until after it happened!

[jsmith]

I guess that for those 10 days at the Howard, the management of the theatre went into 'melt-down' mode.
So anyone with any sort of profile was called on to step into the vacant spot on the bill & as it was Jackie Wilson who had to cry off, I guess he tried calling in a few favours. I guess that meant him calling Berry Gordy to check if he could help out.
The Marvelettes had a high profile & obviously could help out on certain days. They undertook a high profile show [[as part of a multi-act bill) at Wilmers Park, Brandywine, Md on Sunday June 17th, so must have been over on the east coast at the time [[15th to 24th June).
But I guess they already had committed shows to travel to & so couldn't hang around for all of the 10 dates.
Perhaps the only act hanging around Hitsville with a few 'spare' days were the Vandellas, so they were sent to fill the breach.
Mind you, as the required act was to stand in for the 'top of the bill', I guess it would needed to have been a really last ditch choice for the theatre to have taken the Vandellas [[who weren't to gain a hit record for another 10 months).

[loveblind]

Motown had very creative ways of promoting their new and upcoming artists. If the Promoter wanted the Marvelettes, Motown would say "If you want the Marvelettes then you have to take The Vandellas Too" Motown used this technique a lot in the early days. It was good for the record too, because when these acts came in town, the local radio stations would play the heck out the singer's latest record, especially DC's WOOK station. So now you kill two birds with one stone.

Although relatively unknown, some people who bought "Stubborn Kind Of Fella" by Marvin Gaye did know who the Vandellas were because their name was placed on the 45rpm. However, these early shows were proving grounds for the ladies and the audience wasn't alway nice to them, but Reeves and the ladies quickly became Motown's most popular in person act for a spell after the release of "Heat Wave".

[[I have a clip ad from another show where the ladies are billed "The Vandellas" I will post it later.)

[theboyfromxtown]

Loveblind

June 1962-ish seems a bit early though, don't you think?

[jsmith]

The show on June 17th 1962 that fetched the Marvelettes into the DC area ......
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I'm told that DC had its own thing going on back then. Many acts were much more popular there than they were across the rest of the US [[due to local live & radio exposure I guess).

[jsmith]

It seems one group that was very big in DC back in 1962 were the Volumes.
They were back at the Howard again just a few weeks later [[as were the Marvelettes) .........
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The group's Eddie Union tells me that they were also booked for spots on local tv shows [[on one of these, they were booked in preference to the Miracles !!) over quite a long time period [[62 to 64).
After being on one of those DC TV shows their "Gotta Give Her Love" [[American Arts; 1964) went to No.1 on the local R&B charts -- I guess the reason Harry Balk set up the deal for the Volumes with the Pittsburgh based American Arts label was because the group had such a following in the 'Greater DC' area at the time.

[theboyfromxtown]

With concerts like that about, I suspect Loveblind was never at home! Lucky for those in Washington DC!

All us Brits had was the Beatles! And they were on TV that much, you didn't need to see them live.

[loveblind]

http://soulfuldetroit.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=245&d=1281438819

Believe me, all of these records got airplay in DC

[theboyfromxtown]

Loveblind-You really know how to hurt a guy! HAHA

Wow

Just imagine walking up the street to see that your latest theatre has those artists being billed.....you'd think all your christmasses came at once.

Interesting sub title for the Miracles..that must have been popular in that area.

Who would headline that show?

[loveblind]

The Miracles always headlined the Motown shows, but Mary Wells was the star and would steal the show.