Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers - Malinda!

**marv2** · 04-28-2014, 08:53 PM

How about some "Canadian Motown Soul"? Bobby & the Vancouver were very popular in the Detroit area and their song "Malida" was a personal favorite of mine. I never knew but were they and their music popular elsewhere, across the board?

**arr&bee** · 04-29-2014, 04:55 AM

Hey marv,what a great song written by smokey,that thing is just cool.

**soulwally** · 04-29-2014, 05:02 AM

Oh I've Been Blessed has been played on the Northern Soul scene. Like most people, I first heard of Bobby and the Vancouvers when the delicious Does Your Mama Know About Me got a release in the UK. The song was a one-off, style-wise, for them, and after that first album the Vancouvers were out of the act, on record at least [[although we all know what happened to Tommy Chong!).
This is gorgeous...

**westgrandboulevard** · 04-29-2014, 05:14 AM

One thing about 'Does You Mama...' [[which I love) is that to my ears it seems to be recorded 'low' - always sounds muted, and not quite the clarity and dynamic range of some of Bobby's other songs.

Love Malinda...but one of my really top favourites is "Don't Be Afraid".

Bobby's voice, the lyrics, the strings, and the combined vocal interplay between the Originals and The Andantes. Motown doesn't get any better for me....

**soulwally** · 04-29-2014, 07:18 AM

You're right on every point there, wgb. Unfortunately 'Mama' sounds like it was recorded in mud [[ a bit like most of Staunton and Walker's productions, think Say You). Bobby had [[has) a keening kind of voice that works on most of the things he did, such as I Am Your Man.

**Nothing But Soul** · 04-29-2014, 07:22 AM

Hey, Marv! First a Junior Walker thread and now a Bobby Taylor thread. Thanks for giving us a break from the 24/7 DRATS blather!

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by Nothing But Soul

Hey, Marv! First a Junior Walker thread and now a Bobby Taylor thread. Thanks for giving us a break from the 24/7 DRATS blather!

I hear you and you're welcome! Motown was so much more than a one horse show! They created some really great music that just gets totally ignore on this forum.

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by soulwally

You're right on every point there, wgb. Unfortunately 'Mama' sounds like it was recorded in mud [[ a bit like most of Staunton and Walker's productions, think Say You). Bobby had [[has) a keening kind of voice that works on most of the things he did, such as I Am Your Man.

Soulwally, for the few releases Bobby Taylor got on Motown, they all were quite special in my opinion. "I Am Your Man" was one of them. Yes Bobby & the Vancouvers were very talented and Berry knew it! There were some politics involved that I dont know if we'll get into, but Bobby explained some of it in an interview he did a few years ago in Hong Kong that was posted here but we have never been able to located it again in the internet.

**roger** · 04-29-2014, 08:11 AM

Wasn't Bobby actually from New York, though the group itself was founded in Vancouver B.C.? I seem to recall me describing him as "Canadian" in a thread some years back and being corrected.

There was a 2CD Anthology of his Motown recordings issued in the U.K. in 2006, however the notes by Paul Dixon don't make mention of this ....

http://www.amazon.com/Motown-Antholo.../dp/B000EULS7A

Personally I've loved "Does Your Mama Know About Me" from the first time I heard it [[which was probably about two years after it was released), though to me it doesn't sound like a "Motown" record, being stylistically a lot more like the sound that was coming out of Philadelphia or New Jersey at that time. "Malinda" has grown on me over the years.

Roger

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by arr&bee

Hey marv,what a great song written by smokey,that thing is just cool.

arr&bee, it was a great song and memorable one for me, my brother and I am sure the buddies we had growing up on the block in those days. Picture 4-5 little dudes between the ages of 8-11 trying to sing this song on the sidewalk! LOL! That was us and that's how much we liked "Malinda"!

**BigAl** · 04-29-2014, 08:33 AM

Gordy took a quite the gamble on this group and scored. I thought it was interesting that their first [[only?) national charter, "Does Your Mama Know About Me," was co-penned by group member Tommy Chong. [[Yes, that Tommy Chong.) I recall that Bobby Taylor maintained that he "discovered" The Jackson Five when they opened for his group and he sent them to Hitsville for an audition. Later, Gladys Knight reportedly claimed to have discovered them, and as we all know, that "discovery" was eventually credited to Diana Ross.

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by roger

Wasn't Bobby actually from New York, though the group itself was founded in Vancouver B.C.? I seem to recall me describing him as "Canadian" in a thread some years back and being corrected.

There was a 2CD Anthology of his Motown recordings issued in the U.K. in 2006, however the notes by Paul Dixon don't make mention of this ....

http://www.amazon.com/Motown-Antholo.../dp/B000EULS7A

Personally I've loved "Does Your Mama Know About Me" from the first time I heard it [[which was probably about two years after it was released), though to me it doesn't sound like a "Motown" record, being stylistically a lot more like the sound that was coming out of Philadelphia or New Jersey at that time. "Malinda" has grown on me over the years.

Roger

Roger, they were a Canadian group, hands down!

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by BigAl

Gordy took a quite the gamble on this group and scored. I thought it was interesting that their first [[only?) national charter, "Does Your Mama Know About Me," was co-penned by group member Tommy Chong. [[Yes, that Tommy Chong.) I recall that Bobby Taylor maintained that he "discovered" The Jackson Five when they opened for his group and he sent them to Hitsville for an audition. Later, Gladys Knight reportedly claimed to have discovered them, and as we all know, that "discovery" was eventually credited to Diana Ross.

Bobby Taylor discovered them. He told Gladys who was the first to tell Berry and Motown. Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard discovered Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers and Mary was the first to tell Berry about them!

**BigAl** · 04-29-2014, 08:46 AM

Interesting!
Maybe we should start a "Six Degrees of Hitsville" thread. [[Or have we already?)

**motony** · 04-29-2014, 10:25 AM

Besides "Does Your Mama Know" never heard any of their other records on Soul or Pop radio in the South.The first time I heard "malinda" was a LIVE recording on that last Motortown Revue LP in '69.

**roger** · 04-29-2014, 10:29 AM

I knew that BOBBY TAYLOR was instrumental in the introduction of THE JACKSON FIVE to Motown and I've heard a number of different versions of the tale over the years, however I've found a video-interview with BOBBY TAYLOR on you-tube in which he states that the first Motowner to see THE JACKSON FIVE was GLADYS KNIGHT and that it was he who introduced them to BERRY GORDY after he was told by them that Miss Knight had left them in limbo ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yPcX-GRTo8

The Allmusic biography of Mr Taylor states his origins as follows ...

"Taylor was a veteran when he inked with Motown in 1967, he was born February 18, 1936, making him 31 at the time of the signing. Born in North Carolina, his folks moved to Washington, D.C., where he grew up in a public housing project and sang doo wops with friends on the street corners, sometimes joined by a tall, skinny kid named Marvin Gaye. Taylor's father was a full-blooded Native American and his grandfather, who had a singing group, was Puerto Rican. The Taylors knew all the musicians and their home was used as a resting place and motel for many artists who came through the district. "

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby...r-mn0000374639

Anyway ... back to the music .. this is a recording from after Mr Taylor left Motown that I know has quite a following amongst the NS crowd ..

Roger

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by BigAl

Interesting!
Maybe we should start a "Six Degrees of Hitsville" thread. [[Or have we already?)

Now that is a good idea!

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by motony

Besides "Does Your Mama Know" never heard any of their other records on Soul or Pop radio in the South.The first time I heard "malinda" was a LIVE recording on that last Motortown Revue LP in '69.

Motony, that is what I was most curiouse about. I knew Bobby & the Vancouvers were very popular in our region: Michigan, Northern Ohio, Canada, etc) but I don't remember if they were big nationally.

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by roger

I knew that BOBBY TAYLOR was instrumental in the introduction of THE JACKSON FIVE to Motown and I've heard a number of different versions of the tale over the years, however I've found a video-interview with BOBBY TAYLOR on you-tube in which he states that the first Motowner to see THE JACKSON FIVE was GLADYS KNIGHT and that it was he who introduced them to BERRY GORDY after he was told by them that Miss Knight had left them in limbo ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yPcX-GRTo8

The Allmusic biography of Mr Taylor states his origins as follows ...

"Taylor was a veteran when he inked with Motown in 1967, he was born February 18, 1936, making him 31 at the time of the signing. Born in North Carolina, his folks moved to Washington, D.C., where he grew up in a public housing project and sang doo wops with friends on the street corners, sometimes joined by a tall, skinny kid named Marvin Gaye. Taylor's father was a full-blooded Native American and his grandfather, who had a singing group, was Puerto Rican. The Taylors knew all the musicians and their home was used as a resting place and motel for many artists who came through the district. "

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby...r-mn0000374639

Anyway ... back to the music .. this is a recording from after Mr Taylor left Motown that I know has quite a following amongst the NS crowd ..

Roger

Roger, you are right. That's how it went. Gladys and the Bobby Taylor. Bobby was their first Motown producer as well.

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by roger

Wasn't Bobby actually from New York, though the group itself was founded in Vancouver B.C.? I seem to recall me describing him as "Canadian" in a thread some years back and being corrected.

There was a 2CD Anthology of his Motown recordings issued in the U.K. in 2006, however the notes by Paul Dixon don't make mention of this ....

http://www.amazon.com/Motown-Antholo.../dp/B000EULS7A

Personally I've loved "Does Your Mama Know About Me" from the first time I heard it [[which was probably about two years after it was released), though to me it doesn't sound like a "Motown" record, being stylistically a lot more like the sound that was coming out of Philadelphia or New Jersey at that time. "Malinda" has grown on me over the years.

Roger

Roger, "Does Your Mama Know About Me" does have that rich, smooth Philly Soul sound to it. I remember it was a big, big radio hit in the Detroit area around Christmas time 1968.
I know it came out a few months earlier, but when I hear it now, it brings me back to Christmas '68 for some reason.

**MIKEW-UK** · 04-29-2014, 01:57 PM

Malinda was written by Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson. Given that we will never hear Smokey sing this composition, Chazz Dixon does a very Smokey - like rendition on this classic song..... drums [[ machines?) are a little leaden but the vocal is nice and the song outstanding with typical Smokey wordplay..

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 02:42 PM

MikeW-UK, I don't know how you found this.........but thank you! This guy is really channeling Smokey! Deon Jackson, whom we lost just last week at times sounded a lot like Smokey also.

**144man** · 04-29-2014, 10:39 PM

I've always liked "Malinda".

The group never had a hit in the UK, but they did appear over here prior to "Mama" when Brian Epstein brought them over as support to Chris Clark. They were introduced simply as the Vancouvers, and very good they were too.

thomas96 · 04-29-2014, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by marv2

Soulwally, for the few releases Bobby Taylor got on Motown, they all were quite special in my opinion. "I Am Your Man" was one of them. Yes Bobby & the Vancouvers were very talented and Berry knew it! There were some politics involved that I dont know if we'll get into, but Bobby explained some of it in an interview he did a few years ago in Hong Kong that was posted here but we have never been able to located it again in the internet.

Bobby Taylor is the greatest soul singer there is in my opinion. He taught little Mikey how to sing and groomed him to be a star. Every time I hear Michael's voice singing I hear a lot of Bobby in him.

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 11:10 PM

Not the interview I was looking for, but here's a nice, brief interview Bobby Taylor did focusing on his early sightings of Michael and the Jackson 5:

thomas96 · 04-29-2014, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by marv2

Not the interview I was looking for, but here's a nice, brief interview Bobby Taylor did focusing on his early sightings of Michael and the Jackson 5:

Marv, I believe we were looking for an old Bobby interview a while ago, right? From some Hong Kong Radio DJ? I don't think we ever found it, and I assume that's the one you were looking for. In addition to that interview and the one we're looking for, there is a lot of fantastic insight from Bobby in the documentary "Michael Jackson: The Life of An Icon."

**marv2** · 04-29-2014, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by thomas96

Marv, I believe we were looking for an old Bobby interview a while ago, right? From some Hong Kong Radio DJ? I don't think we ever found it, and I assume that's the one you were looking for. In addition to that interview and the one we're looking for, there is a lot of fantastic insight from Bobby in the documentary "Michael Jackson: The Life of An Icon."

Yes the one I have been looking for is over an hour long where Bobby really told it like it was! LOL!

**marv2** · 04-30-2014, 06:33 PM

Right this very second, station CKWW 580 AM out of Windsor, ON serving the Detroit area is playing Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers- "Does Your Mama Know About Me". It was such a popular record in our area when it was released that it still gets played!

**radionixon** · 05-01-2014, 04:29 PM

I play Bobby and the Vancouvers A LOT on my show [[including Malinda!) - they always go down really well. I heard he'd moved to China a while back to run a recording studio.

**marv2** · 05-01-2014, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by radionixon

I play Bobby and the Vancouvers A LOT on my show [[including Malinda!) - they always go down really well. I heard he'd moved to China a while back to run a recording studio.

Radionixon, yes Bobby now resides in Hong Kong. Is there a link to your broadcasts?

thomas96 · 05-01-2014, 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by radionixon

I play Bobby and the Vancouvers A LOT on my show [[including Malinda!) - they always go down really well. I heard he'd moved to China a while back to run a recording studio.

He's in Hong Kong working with some youth on singing. Not sure if he actually has a recording studio, but he performs live 3 times a week. 80 years of experience and throat cancer sure as hell won't stop Bobby!

**radionixon** · 05-02-2014, 05:55 AM

Originally Posted by marv2

Radionixon, yes Bobby now resides in Hong Kong. Is there a link to your broadcasts?

The online archive is at:

http://www.mixcloud.com/discoveringmotown

There's a thread elsewhere in the forum called "Discovering Motown Live: February [[something something)..." which has details of track lists, artwork, links to the individual shows etc.

But enough about me, back to Bobby. I didn't know he was in Hong Kong - I remember a while ago I read somewhere [[possibly in The Complete Motown Singles? I can't physically check right now) that he ran the "Bobby Taylor Recording Studios" [[or some similar name) in Beijing. Good for him, I thought. And even if it's not true, good for him that he's still performing, he's one of the unheralded greats and he deserves his due.

**MIKEW-UK** · 05-02-2014, 03:30 PM

**MIKEW-UK** · 05-02-2014, 03:32 PM

**marv2** · 05-02-2014, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by MIKEW-UK

This is completely, totally....................AWESOME! He is 80 years old and still doing his thing. It gives me hope. God Bless Bobby Taylor!

**marv2** · 05-02-2014, 03:44 PM

MikeW-UK can't thank you enough for finding and sharing these. Bobby Taylor is proof that you don't have to let yourself or your talent go down just because you get a bit older!

**MIKEW-UK** · 05-02-2014, 04:18 PM

Marv, glad you enjoyed it... Bobby is hugely talented in so many ways....

here's an interview with Bobby just a few weeks ago

http://hk-magazine.com/city-living/article/bobby-taylor

**MIKEW-UK** · 05-02-2014, 04:25 PM

**marv2** · 05-02-2014, 04:31 PM

Again, thank you so much. Did you also like Edwin Starr?

thomas96 · 05-02-2014, 11:54 PM

Originally Posted by marv2

This is completely, totally....................AWESOME! He is 80 years old and still doing his thing. It gives me hope. God Bless Bobby Taylor!

I don't have a link but you need to see his version of Sexual Healing live in Hong Kong. Better than Marvin's in my opinion.

**marv2** · 05-03-2014, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by thomas96

I don't have a link but you need to see his version of Sexual Healing live in Hong Kong. Better than Marvin's in my opinion.

We must find it!

thomas96 · 05-03-2014, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by marv2

We must find it!

One reason I like it better is because I like the band better than the synths in Marvin's recording. Bobby goes off on this one too though.

thomas96 · 05-03-2014, 02:09 PM

Best ever!

thomas96 · 05-03-2014, 02:10 PM

**snakepit** · 05-04-2014, 06:36 PM

quite like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh6ih...ZN_XZgXfrgKRC8

**snakepit** · 05-04-2014, 06:40 PM

my favourite but unfortunately....not the full track

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsglJCszP3c

**marv2** · 05-04-2014, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by snakepit

quite like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh6ih...ZN_XZgXfrgKRC8

Now that song makes me feel real, which is what music is suppose to do~! Thanks Snakepit!

**marv2** · 05-04-2014, 06:43 PM

It has that Jazzy, early 60's Ray Charles vibe.........great recording.

**snakepit** · 05-04-2014, 06:50 PM

"Don't be Afraid" was a big play on the Northern Soul/crossover scene in UK but for some reason, youtube clips won't play !

Found one!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efB_wSb-XDA