Printable View
Every year I keep a running list of obituaries of deaths of individuals affiliated with Motown who were essential to the success that the company earned. Thus far I have only two.
On 3/17/19 Andre Williams, age 82. He was a writer/producer at Motown as well as Fortune Records before that.
On 9/6/19 Clay McMurray. age Unknown. He was a producer at Motown.
HAVE I MISSED ANY ---- HOPEFULLY NOT. If this is all for the year we are lucky.
Thanks.
Diahann Carroll - October 4, 2019. Although her album on Motown was largely unknown, her overall career was prolific and extraordinary.
Motown's national promotion director, Gordon Prince, who died June 29:
https://www.adampwhite.com/westgrandblog/soulful-gordon
One of the backroom believers...
Clydie King ... Jan 7, 2019
Michel Legrand ... Jan 26, 2019
Albert Finney ... Feb 7, 2019
This is a stretch, but John Witherspoon, actor/comedian/brother of Motown staff writer William Weatherspoon.
Carol Channing [[who wrote the liner notes for Diana Ross & The Supremes Greatest Hits) passed on January 15, 2019.
Doris Day [[who was filming a movie in March 1967 when Diana visited her on set) passed on May 13, 2019. In October 1964, Doris Day's movie Send Me No Flowers was released. It had a title song written by Bacharach/David. Was the name of this movie an influence on Holland-Dozier-Holland, who could have seen a newspaper clipping mentioning the movie project prior to writing/recording their May 1964 song of the same name? Was the name of the H-D-H unreleased song mentioned anywhere prior to the time the movie's name and its title song were finalized? Or was the use of the same phrase for both the H-D-H/Supremes project and the movie project strictly a coincidence? Did H-D-H write the song as a demo for Doris Day, who rejected it in favor of the Bacharach/David song? NOTE: the H-D-H song was recorded May 4, 1964, while the Bacharach/David song was recorded three weeks later, on May 25, 1964, with Glen Campbell on guitar. Wasn't Berry Gordy a fan of Doris Day, and didn't he state that he saw Doris as a career model for Diana? Was the Lady Sings The Blues scene with Diana in a green cape and matching skirt at a train station influenced in part by the mood of the Doris Day/Les Brown signature song Sentimental Journey? Will Diana ever record Sentimental Journey or possibly add it to her concert routine as an introduction to a Motown hits or movie segment? Will Diana record a medley of the H-D-H and Bacharach/David song? These are the questions that haunt one's mind when the nights are at their longest at this time of year.
If you are going to stretch like that, then we need to add the Dean of Congress, Rep. John Conyers who was a friend to the Gordy Family and worked closely with Stevie Wonder to get the MLK Holiday passed.Quote:
Originally Posted by sansradio
Beverly Stubbs Meah, daughter of Levi Stubbs and member of the singing group, The Stubbs Girls.
James Louis Mason, age 84, died on April 2, 2019. The principal bassoonist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He played on many Motown recordings in the 60s.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/To...&pid=192065919
Michel Legrand -- who wrote the theme song and arranged the score for Lady Sings The Blues and also wrote What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life, recorded by Diana Ross -- passed on January 26, 2019.
Albert Finney -- who recorded an album for Motown in 1977 -- passed February 7, 2019.