Gladys Knight & the Pips - I Don't Want to Do Wrong [[1971)

**midnightman** · 10-31-2010, 05:49 PM

**copley** · 10-31-2010, 06:18 PM

Gladys could never do any wrong during her time with Motown. This is Gladys at the top of her game. It was written by a real strange bunch of people; John Bristol-Gladys Knight-William Guest-Merald Knight-Katherine Anderson Schaffner. The last mentioned is of course Kat of the Marvelettes.

**midnightman** · 10-31-2010, 06:19 PM

^ Yeah didn't Katherine settle for staff work at Motown before it moved to Los Angeles the following year? I think I read that she did.

**Kamasu_Jr** · 10-31-2010, 06:35 PM

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Originally Posted by copley

Gladys could never do any wrong during her time with Motown. This is Gladys at the top of her game. It was written by a real strange bunch of people; John Bristol-Gladys Knight-William Guest-Merald Knight-Katherine Anderson Schaffner. The last mentioned is of course Kat of the Marvelettes.

Katherine said she wrote I Don't Want to Do Wrong alone. She said the song was finished when she introduced it to Gladys Knight & the Pips at a house party or some gathering. They [[ Gladys & the Pips ) liked the song and worked on an arrangement- taking writers' credits. But Kat says the song was completely hers and it came from her own personal experience. I tend to believe her. I believe she had intended it for herself or Ann Bogan to record while they were still Marvelettes. She admits Gladys Knight & the Pips' version gave her a hit and writer's royalties, which were split with others. Ann Bogan did eventually record the song with New Birth & Love Peace & Happiness.

**copley** · 10-31-2010, 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

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Katherine said she wrote I Don't Want to Do Wrong alone. She said the song was finished when she introduced it to Ggladys Knight & the Pips at a house party or some gathering. They *Gladys & the Pips) liked the song and worked on an arrangement, taking writers' credits. But Kat says the song was completely hers and it came from her own personal experience. I tend to believe her. I believe she had intended it for ann Bogan to record while they were still Marvelettes. She admits Gladys Knight & the Pips' version gave her a hit and writer's royalties, which were split with others. Ann Bogan did eventually record the song with New Birth & Love Peace & Happiness.

Interesting, I wonder how Johnny Bristol got involved.

**Kamasu_Jr** · 10-31-2010, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by copley

Interesting, I wonder how Johnny Bristol got involved.

As a producer,Johnny Bristol probably added a little bit to the song while it was being recorded and took a piece of the writing credits. Katherine told us the details and she wasn't bitter about it, but maintained the song was her idea.

**midnightman** · 10-31-2010, 06:55 PM

Johnny wrote the music perhaps.

**reese** · 10-31-2010, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

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Katherine said she wrote I Don't Want to Do Wrong alone. She said the song was finished when she introduced it to Gladys Knight & the Pips at a house party or some gathering. They [[ Gladys & the Pips ) liked the song and worked on an arrangement- taking writers' credits. But Kat says the song was completely hers and it came from her own personal experience. I tend to believe her. I believe she had intended it for herself or Ann Bogan to record while they were still Marvelettes. She admits Gladys Knight & the Pips' version gave her a hit and writer's royalties, which were split with others. Ann Bogan did eventually record the song with New Birth & Love Peace & Happiness.

Katherine said basicially the same in the book that Marc Taylor wrote about the Marvelettes. After having to split the creidt, she stopped writing because she felt so taken advantage of.

In Bill Dahl's book MOTOWN:THE GOLDEN YEARS, William Guest says that he began writing the song when he was in the 10th grade. Later Gladys and Johnny Bristol helped out on lyrics.

**midnightman** · 10-31-2010, 07:34 PM

^ Interesting stories.

**jobeterob** · 10-31-2010, 07:36 PM

Wasn't this R. Dean Taylor's story as well.............that he didn't get all the credit he should have??

If you are at the top of your game as in Gordy, Whitfield, HDH, and Robinson, you called the shots; funny how a lot of the times, it looks like the Supremes just got told what to do; or perhaps, the women/girls got told what to do and how it would be ~ like Katherine Anderson here.

**reese** · 10-31-2010, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by midnightman

^ Yeah didn't Katherine settle for staff work at Motown before it moved to Los Angeles the following year? I think I read that she did.

I don't believe so. Georgeanna became a Motown secretary after she left the group, but didn't move with the company to LA. I think Katherine just became a housewife.

**Kamasu_Jr** · 10-31-2010, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by reese

Katherine said basicially the same in the book that Marc Taylor wrote about the Marvelettes. After having to split the creidt, she stopped writing because she felt so taken advantage of.

In Bill Dahl's book MOTOWN:THE GOLDEN YEARS, William Guest says that he began writing the song when he was in the 10th grade. Later Gladys and Johnny Bristol helped out on lyrics.

I tend to believe Katherine. The lyrics sound like something a woman would say, especially if her man is gone away from home so much. Wasn't Katherine's husband road manager or something for the Supremes? That's a woman's song if ever there was one. Heck, a man would go ahead and do wrong and not tell his woman.

**midnightman** · 10-31-2010, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by reese

I don't believe so. Georgeanna became a Motown secretary after she left the group, but didn't move with the company to LA. I think Katherine just became a housewife.

Oh...OK. Gotcha.

**midnightman** · 10-31-2010, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

I tend to believe Katherine. The lyrics sound like something a woman would say, especially if her man is gone away from home so much. Wasn't Katherine's husband road manager or something for the Supremes? That's a woman's song if ever there was one. Heck, a man would go ahead and do wrong and not tell his woman.

I don't know if he was their road manager or the Marvelettes but yeah I guess you can say he was. But I tend to believe Katherine's story of events. Motown ripped the Marvelettes off in general, so no surprise there. I can see how Gladys and 'em got credit though. They had to arrange it to fit their sound.