Esquerita on Motown

[sansradio]

I'm fascinated by the rock-and-roll pioneer and Little Richard influencer Esquerita. Imagine my delight when I read, on the Wiki page for him, that he recorded a session for Motown in 1963 that was never released! I checked dftmc.info for him and saw nothing under the name "Esquerita"; I'm aware that he used various aliases such as "S.Q. Reeder" and "The Magnificent Malochi." Can anyone shed light on his brief tenure at Hitsville?

[keith_hughes]

As "Eskew Reeder", Esquerita cut four tunes for Motown on 12 Aug 1963, at Hitsville, according to the Session Logs. None of them have ever been released.

[sansradio]

As "Eskew Reeder", Esquerita cut four tunes for Motown on 12 Aug 1963, at Hitsville, according to the Session Logs. None of them have ever been released.

Thanks so much, Keith! By some accounts, that was his given name. Have you heard them? I'd give my molars for a download.

[daviddesper]

Sometimes I think the list would be shorter if we tried to name the artists that did NOT ever record for Motown!!! And I mean that as a compliment and testimonial to how incredibly prolific the label was back in its heyday.

[keith_hughes]

Do these titles mean anything to you, sansradio? They're the logged Reeder tracks for 12/8/63.

I'm In Love
Now That You're Gone
Stubborn Ol' Me
You Can Go

[sansradio]

Do these titles mean anything to you, sansradio? They're the logged Reeder tracks for 12/8/63.

I'm In Love
Now That You're Gone
Stubborn Ol' Me
You Can Go

Good to know; they're unfamiliar. Have the tapes surfaced at all?

[sansradio]

Went cyberdigging and found this in a fascinating article from Oxford American:


Esquerita was part of an ensemble that Berry Gordy brought to Detroit in search of a new Motown sound. “We called Berry Gordy and he sent us money to come up. That’s when the Gordy sound changed,” Reeder said later. “We just started jammin’, payin’ no mind, carryin’ on, and Berry taped us right there in Hitsville, USA.”
Motown may have transitioned from a cha-cha rhythm to a harder-charging r&b beat after listening to the crew from New Orleans—other sources back the story up—but there were no hits, or even a record deal, in it for Esquerita.

https://main.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/1857-esquerita-and-the-voola

[snakepit]

Went cyberdigging and found this in a fascinating article from Oxford American:



https://main.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/1857-esquerita-and-the-voola
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Success has a 1000 fathers.

[sansradio]

Success has a 1000 fathers.

I tell ya! And mothers! Just think of it; without him in the mix, there'd be no Prince as we know him...and the Motown Sound may not have morphed into what it became.

[TomatoTom123]

I had never heard of Esquerita before but his story seems absolutely fascinating, and I would love to hear his unreleased Motown tracks!

I also found this: https://countryqueer.com/stories/article/esquerita-the-flamboyant-lost-rock-n-roll-pioneer/

[sansradio]

I had never heard of Esquerita before but his story seems absolutely fascinating, and I would love to hear his unreleased Motown tracks!

I also found this: https://countryqueer.com/stories/article/esquerita-the-flamboyant-lost-rock-n-roll-pioneer/

A story and a half, Tom. Talk about unsung. He's the original ​glam rocker.

[snakepit]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yG8gffAuCtU

[snakepit]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gwwxGXIcOOI

[sansradio]

Many thanks for the YouTube links, snakepit!

[snakepit]

No problem. The name was familiar to me, amongst my 60s/ Northern Soul collection.
I remembered the tunes upon playing them.