Motown Touring (backing) Bands

From the early days of Motown, when the company's artists went out on tour, they had a backing band with them.
In the early days this was the Joe Hunter Band that included the likes of Hank Cosby, James Jamerson, Benny Benjamin, Mike Terry & more.
That outfit soon formed the basis of the Funk Brothers and so they stayed behind in Detroit to play in the studio everyday.
So the Choker Campbell Band took over & they featured loads of Motown greats in their line-up at times [[didn't EVD start out playing for Motown with Choker's touring outfit).
Popcorn Wylie also toured backing Motown acts with his guys.
Later on in the 60's it would be the likes of the [[Hamilton) Bohannon's Big Band that went off with the Motown Revue shows.
Lots of times, a smaller outfit [[led by the likes of Earl Van Dyke) would back the Supremes [[or a similar group) on tour.
Edwin Starr had a number of touring bands back him up, some of these featuring musicians he had found back in Cleveland [[where he had earlier lived).
Who toured backing up the Temptations & the 4 Tops in those acts 60's glory years ??
Who else led Motown Revue Bands ??
Is this info detailed anywhere ??

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Interesting. As the Motown acts got more popular and successful, they could have their pick of musicians. Often, an act like Gladys Knight and the Pips had their own rhythm section: pianist, drummer, guitarist, percussionist, bassist, etc. which would be augmented by horns, strings, etc. Sometimes the bands were led by Choker Campbell or Hamilton Bohannon. Ray Parker Jr., Bob Babbitt, David Walker were some of the musicians who toured with Motown acts. The Funks were kept busy in the studio. Some acts like Martha Reeves and Gladys Knight hired family members who were musicians. Stu Bass might know better than I. I hope he sees this and contributes.

Of course there was guitarist Cornelius Grant, leader of the Temptations road band, certainly around the time their fabulous Live! album was recorded [[1966, I believe).

Yes, I think the Temps & Miracles both had 'in-house' guitar players. Wonder who the other guys that backed both outfits were; just any member of the large Motown musician team who was available to go on the road I'd guess.

Marv Tarplin toured for many years with Smokey Robinson and I beleive Eddie Willis toured with the Four Tops in the later years.

Rarely did any of the studio musicians go on the road with the Motown acts. They would play dates with the acts if they were performing and being recorded live in Detroit {Earl Van Dyke AND SOME OF THE FUNKS played with Tammi Terrell and other acts at the Roostertail}, but the Funks were kept on salary to do studio work.

Well I know EVD & some Motown guys were sent out in the mid to late 60's to back the Supremes when they toured.
I know this coz I have ads for some of those shows somewhere here.
MIND YOU -- it could well be that Diane got special treatment via the 'bedroom privileges scheme' she had going on back then.

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Originally Posted by jsmith

Well I know EVD & some Motown guys were sent out in the mid to late 60's to back the Supremes when they toured.
I know this coz I have ads for some of those shows somewhere here.
MIND YOU -- it could well be that Diane got special treatment via the 'bedroom privileges scheme' she had going on back then.

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The Supremes were special. They got things and privileges the other acts didn't..

Though they were getting paid and getting a chance to get out of Detroit to play for a live audience, I wonder what they thought of the Vegas style charts they had to play while backing The Supremes for their nightclub show?

No doubt when EVD went out with a combo to back the Supremes, he would select some of his old jazz musician buddies to make up the outfit.
I would guess that they hated any Vegas style show tune arrangements that they were given as music charts to play. Much too restricting for jazz style players to enjoy and little chance for them to improvise and 'improve'.
Still, no doubt they were on good wages.

With the other thread about Jackie Wilson @ Motown, thought I would open up this thread a little.
The Joe Hunter Band [[basically the Funk Brothers) went out on tour behind Jackie for some of the summer of 1961 [[I have an ad for a show they played @ Carr's Beach in Maryland). So basically, that tour must have been the closest it got to a JW@Motown situation in the 60's.
Is it known just how much time the Joe Hunter band were 'on the road' back then ?
Jackie seemed to have his pick of backing bands back then. Chris Columbo led an outfit that backed him up in the early 60's. Didn't EVD get talked into heading back to Detroit to join the 'Motown studio team' while he was touring as a member of Chris Colombo's band ?
At the start of 1960, Willis Jackson & His Orchestra were touring with Jackie.
In the summer of 1958, the band backing him up on tour [[including on Miami shows) had been Joe Morris & his Band. By the end of 1958, it was Arnett Cobb & Orchestra that were supporting him.
Later in the 60's [[63/64) he seemed to be backed on club dates in the Miami area by Benny Latimore's Band [[already a constant on local club gigs down there).
It seems that he had to use 'local musicians' to back him up on club dates around 63/64 [[his fees must have dropped a bit).
As JW wrote lots of songs back in that era with Alonzo Tucker, the guys must have spent lots of time together in the first half of the 60's.
I guess Alonzo toured as Jackie's 'in-house' guitarist back then. Anyone confirm this ??

Found an old post I made [[3 years ago) that's relevant .........
.......... Music folklore tells us that Earl Van Dyke [[while touring with Lloyd Price) met fellow Detroiter James Jamerson [[who was backing Jackie Wilson) in Rockville, NY, in 1959. Jamerson struck up a friendship and recommended that EVD return home to Detroit to start working in the recording studio at Motown. EVD eventually took his advice & by 1962 was a member of Motown's studio band.
However, that tale can't be 100% right as it was Earl [[as a member of the Chris Columbo Quintet) that was playing in support of Jackie Wilson; not Jamerson.
'Crazy' Chris Columbo [[aka Joseph Morris) was the famous jazz drummer who for many years led the house band at famed Atlantic City nightery, the Club Harlem. In the mid 50's he was the drummer with Bill Doggett's group [[he also held the same position for a spell with Louis Jordan's Tympany Five). By 1957, Chris had signed his own recording deal with King Records and this resulted in the 45 "Oh Yeah" [[credited to Chris Columbo & the Swinging Gentlemen) being released in February 1957. At the time of that recording [[early 57?), Columbo's group consisted of himself on drums plus Gil Askey [[trumpet), Johnny Smith [[organ), Jimmy Tyler [[tenor) & Floyd Smith [[guitar).
In 1956, jazz guitarist Emmett Sleigh had hired Earl Van Dyke to play in his band, Emmett Sleigh and the Sleighriders. When organist Johnny 'Hammond' Smith quit Chris Columbo's band, Earl was hired to replace him [[sometime around 1958 I'd guess).
It's documented by Gil Askey in 'The Jackie Wilson Story' book, that Chris Columbo's group were touring behind Jackie in the late 1950's [[1958 to 1960) and Earl was part of the set up for some of that time. A big show staged at Carrs Beach starring Lloyd Price & Jackie took place in September 1960 [[see ad). Askey says that although Lloyd Price's band numbered 14 guys in all and Jackie's band was only 5 strong, Jackie put on such an intense show that Lloyd's performance didn't even come close with regard to crowd reaction.
So who was Jamerson backing up when he met up with EVD. He must have been in Lloyd Price's band at that time ......... unless its documented elsewhere who Jamerson was touring with in the period around 1959 / 1960.
After Gil Askey & EVD had left his group, Columbo remained a force on the music scene, touring when he wasn't leading the house band back at the Club Harlem and cutting further records -- "You Can't Sit Down" for Battle in November 62, "Minerology" for Philly based Casino Records plus NY's Strand Records in 1963
BTW, Chris Columbo was a member of Louis Jordan's Tympany Five when they made an appearance on 'The Beat' TV show in 1966 and can be seen on youtube clips from that show .

So does nobody know if Alonzo Tucker toured as Jackie's 'in-house' guitarist back around 1964/65 ??

As well as Jackie Wilson touring with Motown guys [[see post #11), Marv Johnson also toured as part of Motown packages back in the early 60's.
In early October 1961, a package tour troop pitched up at the Royal in Baltimore for a week.
Marv was top of the bill which also featured the Miracles, Mary Wells, the Marvelettes and Henry Lumpkin. The backing band for that tour was Popcorn Wylie & the Mohawks.

Pretty certain the Earl van Dyke six/sextet came to Europe for the the big '65 Motown tour of UK and Europe. Don't know who the other band members were, but I think I spotted Jack Ashford in the very low res video from the Ready Steady Go Motown TV Special. Great it was too.

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Originally Posted by Ed H

Pretty certain the Earl van Dyke six/sextet came to Europe for the the big '65 Motown tour of UK and Europe. Don't know who the other band members were, but I think I spotted Jack Ashford in the very low res video from the Ready Steady Go Motown TV Special. Great it was too.

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Indeed. EVD, Ashford, Tony Newton [[bass), Robert White [[guitar), Eli Fontaine [[sax), Bob Cousar [[drums)

Cousar also played Bari sax and trombone on sessions

Tony Newton was a major bass artist at Motown, Hot Wax / Invictus, plus various Stax / Atlantic and more. He was a Motown touring bassist and I was lucky enough to see him in the U.K. Here is sn interview with him which is highly relevant to this thread and the questions posed.

https://www.brianfwright.com/interviews/tony-newton

Excellent interview!
Of course Eli Fontaine’s moment in the sun was playing on Marvin’s WGO album - and it’s his sax at the start of the WGO track itself