Royal Family Helps Supremes and Motown Become Sensations

[jobeterob]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1046286/royal-news-queen-elizabeth-queen-mother-surpremes-mowtwon-records-royal-family-news

[Koach]

It's too bad Americans cannot be knighted, etc. Dame Diana Ross sounds great together.

[marv2]

It's too bad Americans cannot be knighted, etc. Dame Diana Ross sounds great together.

Rudolph Guiliani has been knighted. Why would diana ross be considered? She's just a singer. This article was hilarious. LOL!

[TomatoTom123]

Rudolph Guiliani has been knighted. Why would diana ross be considered? She's just a singer. This article was hilarious. LOL!

Hi Marv, I just checked this out, Rudy Guiliani has indeed been knighted, but it is only a honorary knighthood, meaning he cannot use the title 'Sir'. Also, I think there are quite a few singers that have been knighted. :)

[midnightman]

You gotta have UK citizenship to get knighted. That's how come Liz Taylor became DAME Liz Taylor.

[marv2]

Hi Marv, I just checked this out, Rudy Guiliani has indeed been knighted, but it is only a honorary knighthood, meaning he cannot use the title 'Sir'. Also, I think there are quite a few singers that have been knighted. :)

Tom Jones, Mary Wilson's ex-boyfriend has been knighted.

[khansperac]

Boyfriend?

[marv2]

By 1968, Motown had garnered dozens of hit records. The Supremes were already the top female group in the World by 1965-66. They did not need the Royal Family for verification or anything.

[jobeterob]

What a good idea! If Liz made it, Diana should. A Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Dame.

[milven]

What a good idea! If Liz made it, Diana should. A Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Dame.


You gotta have UK citizenship to get knighted. That's how come Liz Taylor became DAME Liz Taylor.

Dame Liz was born in UK to American Parents and had dual citizenship since birth. Diana is a US citizen. Thankfully, Dianae did get our highest civilian award, the Presidential Meal of Freedom, just in time. The current President seems to be giving them out mostly to dead people like Elvis and Babe Ruth. He knows they won't show up at the White House for the award, but at least they have a good excuse.

[Bluebrock]

[QUOTE=marv2;489194]Tom Jones, Mary Wilson's ex-boyfriend has been knighted.[/QUOTE
He was never her "boyfriend". Tom was married at the time of the fling as you well know. Mary Wilson was just one of literally hundreds of females who slept with Tom Jones, but she warranted no more than a single sentence in his autobiography so it doesn't sound like he found the experience particularly memorable.

[Bluebrock]

By 1968, Motown had garnered dozens of hit records. The Supremes were already the top female group in the World by 1965-66. They did not need the Royal Family for verification or anything.
No-one here is trying to claim otherwise, but it is an interesting and amusing article.

[marv2]

[QUOTE=marv2;489194]Tom Jones, Mary Wilson's ex-boyfriend has been knighted.[/QUOTE
He was never her "boyfriend". Tom was married at the time of the fling as you well know. Mary Wilson was just one of literally hundreds of females who slept with Tom Jones, but she warranted no more than a single sentence in his autobiography so it doesn't sound like he found the experience particularly memorable.

They dated for 2 years. It's been well documented. Sorry that fact is just too much for you to handle.......

[milven]

They dated for 2 years. It's been well documented. Sorry that fact is just too much for you to handle.......

Yeah, but it is really something that a Supreme fan would not want to brag about.

In referance to the Tom-Mary affair, when his wife basically caught them, she gave him the ultimatum: “You’d better straighten it out, because you won’t be able to do anything without your balls.”

Right after that ultimatumn, Tom and his wife were lying in bed where they had
just made love and Linda started crying. And she said, ‘When I think that
bitch has been lying on these sheets . . . ’”

Like I said, nothing to brag about.

[marv2]

Yeah, but it is really something that a Supreme fan would not want to brag about.

In referance to the Tom-Mary affair, when his wife basically caught them, she gave him the ultimatum: “You’d better straighten it out, because you won’t be able to do anything without your balls.”

Right after that ultimatumn, Tom and his wife were lying in bed where they had
just made love and Linda started crying. And she said, ‘When I think that
bitch has been lying on these sheets . . . ’”

Like I said, nothing to brag about.

Who's bragging? It's just factual. It is history that has been shared and written about by the participants.

[copley]

One of the most stupid articles that I have ever read! Motown was a success in the UK before '68. The Royal Family had no effect on sales or promotion.

Many UK singers have been knighted. Elton John, Tom Jones, Vera Lynn, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Mick Jagger, Harry Secombe, Harry Lauder, Noel Coward, Shirley Bassey, Gracie Fields, Rod Stewart, Barry Gibb, Van Morrison, Ray Davies. There appears to be a very noticeable absence of women. Petula Clark is a grave omission as is Kate Bush! Had she lived I'm sure that Cilla Black would have become a Dame for services to entertainment.

[marv2]

One of the most stupid articles that I have ever read! Motown was a success in the UK before '68. The Royal Family had no effect on sales or promotion.

Many UK singers have been knighted. Elton John, Tom Jones, Vera Lynn, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Mick Jagger, Harry Secombe, Harry Lauder, Noel Coward, Shirley Bassey, Gracie Fields, Rod Stewart, Barry Gibb, Van Morrison, Ray Davies. There appears to be a very noticeable absence of women. Petula Clark is a grave omission as is Kate Bush! Had she lived I'm sure that Cilla Black would have become a Dame for services to entertainment.

What about Dusty Springfield or Lulu?

[Roberta75]

Rudolph Guiliani has been knighted. Why would diana ross be considered? She's just a singer. This article was hilarious. LOL!

Rudy Giuliani is a lying and mysoginistic pos.

[milven]

Rudy Giuliani is a lying and mysoginistic pos.

and so is his client

[jobeterob]

Oh right, but we skipped the part about Diana is a saint, I mean Saint, at least to Marv

I do think the article tended to be much ado about very little but I suppose it’s fair to say that Motown got its feet under it in Europe later than in the US

[copley]

What about Dusty Springfield or Lulu?

Dusty got an OBE just before she died almost 20 years ago. Lulu also has an OBE. If Dusty had lived and continued with her career then I would have hoped a knighthood may have been possible. Lulu, never in a million years!

[snakepit]

Motown really broke the UK in 1967....Soul music was popular thanks to the Four Tops "Reach out I'II be there " topping the charts in December 1966. This prompted a UK tour sponsored by Brian Epstein.
They eventually appeared at the Royal Albert Hall...a big deal for black group. Stax/Volt brought over Otis, Sam and Dave, Booker T & MGs, Eddie Floyd etc. The main pop paper had UK voters choosing Elvis a top male singer every year since 1957 or so....in 1967 Otis Redding topped the poll, an indication of soul music being fairly popular here, if not on the BBC buy by collectors, club goers etc.
As part of a fund raising project in 1968 for the Boys Brigade, we collected waste paper and old newspaper for weighing in. I used to sift out the UK pop magazines.
I remember the coverage of Motown/soul acts was quite substantial in the mags from 67-68.
The booming pirate radio stations, playing a lot of soul music, forced the BBC into programming a national pop station in 1967.
The appearance before the Royal Family actually damaged The Supremes significantly because Diana Ross broke into a spoken monologue about Martin Luther King. This was considered inappropriate for the Royal Family, and it was VERY controversial. [[ I suspect the Royal Family did not bother at all...probably loved it in fact).

Check out previous SDF on this here
https://soulfuldetroit.com/archive/index.php/t-6018.html

[copley]

I well remember that Snake. The BBC & Downing Street went into meltdown. As you said I doubt if the Queen Mother even noticed!

[snakepit]

Hi Copley,
Thinking about this article, it is actually absurd. For many Motown fans, the extreme opposite is true.
Rather than DRATS appearing before Royalty being positive for UK fans, it drove lots of fans away from what had been a "cool, underground scene".
Appearing on The Royal Command Performance was an embarrassment to Motown fans ...a huge sell out as perceived by many.
Quite why the Express have run with this story I can't understand.

For the benefit of USA members, the Express paper is like a Royal Family fan club letter.
Even to this day, a front page showing Princess Diana sells 1,000s extra copy.
On a slow news day, ANY excuse to use a Diana photo will be dragged up.

On a comedy quiz show, panelists were asked to guess what the headline of all UK papers would have been on a given date in history. All papers were guessed at in relation to their politics.
The Express was guessed at as " Princess Diana will be born today in twenty years time "
So take no notice of this Royal Flag waving rag.

[reese]

The clip above is from one of their Sweden concerts early in 1968. After MLK's death, the speech was updated. I'm assuming that what Diana did during the command performance was closer to what she did in this clip from T.C.B.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8iWTmu1G5c

[marv2]

Dusty got an OBE just before she died almost 20 years ago. Lulu also has an OBE. If Dusty had lived and continued with her career then I would have hoped a knighthood may have been possible. Lulu, never in a million years!

Thank you Copley for that information. I enjoyed them both.

[Bluebrock]

Dusty got an OBE just before she died almost 20 years ago. Lulu also has an OBE. If Dusty had lived and continued with her career then I would have hoped a knighthood may have been possible. Lulu, never in a million years! Lulu is a very talented vocalist when given the right material. I am the first to admit she has recorded some absolute drivel, especially back in the 60's, but when given the right material she sounds really good. Dusty was in a different class of course and left us a treasure trove of great music.

[TomatoTom123]

I totally skim read this article and didn't even realise it was by The Express. Now I know I wish I hadn't even read it at all!!! As snake says, ignore this. :)