https://www.billboard.com/articles/c...-hop-godmother
Great read. She was something else, very talented. I agree a story on her life would be amazing.
Very enlightening read, Billboard articles are typically puff pieces , but this one has a lot of grit and content .
It's saddening to learn that the record business was so gruff and unseemly , seems like everyone involved feels taken advantage of and feels like they weren't given their full due , ultimately and ironically even Sylvia herself. But the movers and shakers of the time were journeying through a sort of wild west , doing their best to make their enterprises successful and it was a dog eat dog environment. I don't think anyone comes out smelling like a rose , and we probably will never know the full antics of these competing and emerging labels including Motown , all clawing their way to recognition in a system guided by laws, and copyrights and escape clauses that worked more against them than for.
Love the drive Sylvia Robinson had , and the way she had her finger on the pulse of where music was heading and how she tapped into it. Very strong personality who probably was singularly the most driving force behind the endeavors she was involved in.
One of the most interesting incidentals mentioned here is the inclusion of the word "All" in their label's name : "ALL PLATINUM" because they knew distributors paid their suppliers in alphabetical order and that name put them up front, now that's the type of business savvy I find most impressive !! [[Don't know if it was Sylvia's idea specifically , but the notion likely at least had her final stamp on it!)
Fantastic article about Sylvia Robinson. Thanks for sharing PeaceNHarmony!
If anyone needs a book on their life, it's THAT woman. She was at the beginning of rock and roll, soul and rhythm & blues and she was behind the first successful hip-hop label. Definitely a legend.
She deserves the Ahmet Ertegun Award induction at the Rock Hall.
I was an early fan of Sylvia's "Pillow Talk," but was frustrated that her All Platinum label only had limited distribution in Canada. When I visited NYC, in 1977, and checked out her titles at Sam Goody's, I grabbed all the albums and 12 inch singles I could get. A controversial businesswoman for sure, her life & times, and music need to be documented! Thanks for the Billboard link, PeaceNHarmony!
Interesting she produced It's Gonna Work Out Fine and anyone with ears know that's Mickey Baker speaking to Tina.
Supposedly Ike couldn't get through the lyrics without laughing so Mickey stepped in. I have no idea if this is true but it was written in one of the Tina bios that came out during her comeback.Quote:
Originally Posted by midnightman
I see lolQuote:
Originally Posted by reese
Another story I heard was that Ike never went in but told Tina "go and do the song". He may not have liked it [[Tina apparently didn't either). Plus Juggy Murray was basically their producer at the time so Ike had to share control with Juggy at the time.
Need to read those Tina books. I've only read her autobiographies and Mark Bego's book on her.