The Andantes

Ok I have been thinking about this wonderful group of ladies a lot lately and I cant help but wonder what really happened? All of the other great session singers like the Blossoms and The Sweets and The Blackberries etc.etc, etc were able to step forward and record songs under their own name and even perform [[especially the Blossoms) The one song released as the Andantes featured a non Andante -Ann Bogan. I cannot believe Motown or Berry would have prevented them from moving forward especially since there was money to be made by all. Besides the guy session singers [[the Originals and the Spinners) moved on and were succesful in their own right. Where the ladies just not ambitious or were they just okay with staying in the Background? I know no one here can truly answer this , perhaps Louvaine would care to elaborate.The talent that these ladies possessed needed to be brought forward. This thread is not meant to start a cyber riot but something just doesn't seem right. Louvaine is still very emotional after all of these years. I think she might have wanted to step out more than the other two, who at this point seems to have distanced themselves from the experience maybe because it hurts to much. But what hurts? Is it because they were not given label credit or television performances or was it because they wanted to release songs with their own voices under their name with one of them doing the lead instead of an outsider. Other than the background none of us even knows what they really sound like with the exception of Louvaine's Ian Levine's sessions. And one or two lead lines here and there. I just watched Carolyn Willis of the Honey Cone performing with Seals and Croft and she was fantastic on "Closer To You",and it just makes me wonder. I mention Carolyn because she and the Honey Cone also did session singing and a live performance with Cass Elliott on her tv show.

Info from SoulTracks.com-
If there is a Mount Rushmore of soul music greats, the legendary Smokey Robinson is certainly on it. As part of the Miracles, as a solo artist, and as one of the great songwriters of the past century, Mr. Robinson is one of those stars who is identified around the world with just his first name.
It has been nearly a decade since we had brand new solo music from Smokey, but the 82 year old star returns today with the smooth, mostly acoustic midtempo "If We Don't Have Each Other." It's the testimony of a man who is reminding his woman what she means to him, and what a good thing they have together.
Smokey is in fine voice on the single, which overcomes some muddy vocal backing harmonies with a steady groove and tasty guitar work to deliver a nice adult soul cut that radio should pick up. Check out "If We Don't Have Each Other" below, and welcome the great Smokey Robinson back to SoulTracks!

Listening today to "I Guess I'll Always Love You" and I thought, what a wasted masterpiece. What on earth happened to the Isley Brothers at Motown? They came out of the gate strong with one of the best records by any Motown artist, "This Old Heart of Mine," a song universally lauded and discussed in music magazine articles. But then, Motown did an odd thing; they followed up a trendsetter, a break from the past with a song that was exactly a return to the past: "Take Some Time Out for Love," which went nowhere. Then came the record that sounded like IT was supposed to follow the trendsetting "This Old Heart"- "I Guess I'll Always Love You." Apparently, either the momentum of the Isleys' career was lost with just one misfire -OR- Motown was satisfied that they proved they could get a hit on an artist that wasn't a homegrown creation and just left the subsequent records to fend for themselves.

Either way, I never understood why Motown would follow up something that gave the Isleys a fresh, updated sound with a record, even though nice, was a huge throwback in style and sound. "I Guess I'll Always Love You" was such a a breathtaking record and sounds as if it was an upward progression of "This Old Heart." But hardly anyone in the listening public cared about the record. After this, the records just progressively did worse on the charts until, thankfully, the brothers broke from Motown to do something completely new.

A re-enactment of a Tommy Good fan protest from 1964; his fans wanted his record released!
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/en...m/69589966007/

He passed away last March due to that dreadful C word. He was either 84 or 74. I hate that his passing came without any fanfare or acknowledgment.

Mickey McCullers was from Detroit [as far as I know] and he was a good friend of Smokey Robinson & his wife Claudette. Mickey was also well known as a singer across the Detroit clubs and Smokey issued a good story piece on him. Motown Junkies then remixed and summarised Smokeys story and published it. Well worth a read with the primary view as to each of the songs and Mickey's singing ability

Mickey McCullers had two 45's issued by Motown one on "Tamla" in 1962 and the second on "VIP" in 1964, Smokey wrote both songs on each of the two 45's, and this would have given Mickey a second chance. Sadly both 45's didn't sell, and that was the end of Mickey's Motown contract.

Having read "Mickey McCullers" Smokey's summary, it focuses on the two records as to how Mickey did in recording his first record in 1962, followed by his second chance in the studio which came later in 1964. Mickey did well in the clubs as a singer, however he struggled in the Motown recording studios on both of the two 45's.

Other than the above and the Motown Junkie's piece we know nothing about him, I have scoured around for any photographs, more details as to whom he was, did he have a family, where was he from, lived and/or anything else about him. I have quite a number of Motown Books including Adam Whites "Motown" monster, but not a mention, same goes for many others.

He had two great records [with the Andantes] albeit hard to find, I cherish them both, but what about him? do we have anything else?

I Have attached below the two 45's.