Why was Hattie Littles given so few releases at motown

[simon.millar]

Listening to the 24 Hattie Little songs on various vaults releases covering her tenure at motown, why was she given so few releases?

Obviously brilliantly talented, I don’t think I’ve heard a bad song from her?

[Jimi LaLumia]

because of that Diana Ross!!! [[lol..just a little message board humour..) I'm interested in the actual answer if there is one..

[Jimi LaLumia]

I would think that, after 24 titles, if no press or radio support showed up, it would not be unreasonable to call it a day from a business standpoint..

[Quinn]

Hattie littles was indeed a great singer, but unfortunate circumstances kept her at the starting gate. I do believe she was given a fair shot comparing the songs that surfaced to the ones that didn't. "Here You Come" written and produced by Berry Gordy is her best song in my opinion. B.G. did a good job in his ability to give a bluesy voice a pop backdrop,it just didn't catch on. Most of the "Motown Girls" release consisted of her tunes, but while they were listenable nothing knocked me out.

In the early days at Motown that particular environment worked for all the singers because B.G. tried anything to get a hit. 1959 to 1962 was the greatest time for a blues singer to be at the company because it didn't have an identity yet. Once pop music became it's forte everything changed. Many singers and musicians were let go because they didn't fit in anymore. Singin' Sammy Ward, Mable John, and Hattie were given fair chances in my estimation. If the public doesn't gravitate to you nothing can be done. Hattie had a very nice voice though.

[marv2]

I had the pleasure of seeing Hattie Littles perform in Detroit around 1990. She is a gut bucket blues singer that put on a terrific show! Very short in statue, but she had a huge voice.

[robb_k]

Hattie littles was indeed a great singer, but unfortunate circumstances kept her at the starting gate. I do believe she was given a fair shot comparing the songs that surfaced to the ones that didn't. "Here You Come" written and produced by Berry Gordy is her best song in my opinion. B.G. did a good job in his ability to give a bluesy voice a pop backdrop,it just didn't catch on. Most of the "Motown Girls" release consisted of her tunes, but while they were listenable nothing knocked me out.

In the early days at Motown that particular environment worked for all the singers because B.G. tried anything to get a hit. 1959 to 1962 was the greatest time for a blues singer to be at the company because it didn't have an identity yet. Once pop music became it's forte everything changed. Many singers and musicians were let go because they didn't fit in anymore. Singin' Sammy Ward, Mable John, and Hattie were given fair chances in my estimation. If the public doesn't gravitate to you nothing can be done. Hattie had a very nice voice though.

This answer is right on the mark. Once Berry Gordy decided that Motown would be a "Pop" label with an R&B/Soul flavour [[rather than Blues/Gospel flavour), by mid 1962, or so, there was no chance for artists such as Mable John, Sammy Ward, Liz Lands, Gino Parks, Eddie Burns, Clarence Paul, and Hattie, to get their releases pushed. Hattie stayed a lot longer than the others [[not involved in production), simply because she was related to a Motown VIP.

[blkfrost]

My favorite is "Love, Trouble, Heartache and Misery". The instrumentation along with her vocals make this song a standout for me.

[robb_k]

My favorite is "Love, Trouble, Heartache and Misery". The instrumentation along with her vocals make this song a standout for me.

I like that one a lot, but my favourite is "You Got Me Worried".

[motownjohnny]

I have a list of songs [[see below) that were apparently recorded by Hattie Littles during her tenure at Motown. Have any been released and if so where? Does anyone know if those that haven't been released are actually completed and the tapes still available in Motown's Vaults?

Here they are along with recording dates and where available the producer[[s).

"Push Back The Tears" - recorded August 15 1961
"Work Song" - recorded January 7 1962
"Is It True [[What They Say About You [[1st Version) - recorded 8 & 10 January '62 - produced by William Stevenson
"Nobody But You" recorded 8 & 10 January '62 - produced by William Stevenson
"I Pity The Fool" recorded 8 & 10 January '62 - produced by William Stevenson
"Back In My Arms" recorded February 27 '62 - [[scheduled for release on Gordy 7004) - produced by William Stevenson
"Don't Come Knocking At My Door" recorded March 9 '62 - produced by William Stevenson
"Money [[That's What I Want)" recorded March 17 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"Gotta Have Your Lovin'" recorded March 17 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"False Words" recorded March 29 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"The Man" recorded April 1 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"You Got What It Takes" recorded April 17 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"Let's Talk It Over" recorded April 18 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"This Time" recorded June 20 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"If You Leave The Man" recorded July 3 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"Old Man River" recorded October 10 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"Hello Young Lovers" recorded November 13 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"I'll Be By Your Side" recorded November 16 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"Please Re-assure Me" recorded November 21 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
"Who's Loving You" recorded March 25 '63 - produced by Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier
"I've Been Good To You" recorded March 25 '63 - produced by Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier
"Wish That You Were Here" recorded April 3 '63 - produced by Marv Johnson
"Heebe Geebes" recorded December 30 '63 - produced by Clarence Paul
"You Got Me Worried" recorded April 10 '64 [[master ref. G-091102 with the suggestion that this may have been scheduled for release on VIP 25015) - produced by Clarence Paul
"I Wanna Be Around" recorded June 22 '64 - produced by William Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter
"If I Love Again" recorded June 22 '64 - produced by William Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter
"The Man" recorded July 15 '64 - produced by William Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter
"Is My Best Good Enough" recorded July 16 '64 - produced by William Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter
"Promise Me" recorded July 16 '64 - produced by William Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter
"When I Was In School" recorded August 22 '64 - produced by Clarence Paul
"Conscience I'm Guilty" recorded March 7 '65 [[scheduled for the unreleased VIP single 25015) - produced by William Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter.

I appreciate some of the above may have been recently issued on the yearly Motown Unreleased Download series, but as I refuse to buy releases in that format, perhaps someone here would be kind enough to indicate which have been released in that format.

Clearly she was pretty consistent in recording during her stay at Motown, but probably for the reasons already mentioned very little product actually got released - a real shame as looking at the above list there ought to have been sufficient tunes that could have been considered for release on an album.

[johnny_raven]

"Work Song" - recorded January 7 1962
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"Is It True [[What They Say About You [[1st Version) - recorded 8 & 10 January '62 - produced by William Stevenson
COMPLETE MOTOWN SINGLES: 1962

"Sticking With You[[Nobody But You)" recorded 8 & 10 January '62 - produced by William Stevenson
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"I Pity The Fool" recorded 8 & 10 January '62 - produced by William Stevenson
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"Back In My Arms" recorded February 27 '62 - [[scheduled for release on Gordy 7004) - produced by William Stevenson
COMPLETE MOTOWN SINGLES: 1962

"Don't Come Knocking On My Door" recorded March 9 '62 - produced by William Stevenson
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"Money [[That's What I Want)" recorded March 17 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
MOTOWN SINGS MOTOWN TREASURES

"Gotta Have Your Lovin'" recorded March 17 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"False Words" recorded March 29 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"The Man" recorded April 1 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"You Got What It Takes" recorded April 17 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"Let's Talk It Over" recorded April 18 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"This Time" recorded June 20 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"If You Leave Me, Man" recorded July 3 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"Old Man River" recorded October 10 '62 - produced by Berry Gordy
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"You Got Me Worried" recorded April 10 '64 [[master ref. G-091102 with the suggestion that this may have been scheduled for release on VIP 25015) - produced by Clarence Paul
COMPLETE MOTOWN SINGLES: 1965

"Conscience I'm Guilty" recorded March 7 '65 [[scheduled for the unreleased VIP single 25015) - produced by William Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter.
COMPLETE MOTOWN SINGLES: 1965

Also ...
"Your Love Is Wonderful" [1st & 2nd Pressings]
COMPLETE MOTOWN SINGLES: 1962

"Here You Come"
COMPLETE MOTOWN SINGLES: 1962

"Strange Is My Love For You"
MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1962

"My Black Belt"
FINDERS KEEPERS: MOTOWN GIRLS

"Love, trouble, Heartache And Misery"
A CELLARFUL OF MOTOWN VOL. 2

"Now That Love Is Gone"
LOVE AND AFFECTION: MORE MOTOWN GIRLS

[BritishTony]

What a wonderful, mature voice Hattie had. Dave Godincalled “Wonderful” the best thing recorded at Motown. I never knew she’drecorded so much – a big thank you to motownjonny! Several sources includingStuart Cosgrave’s book report Hattie spent time in jail for killing her abusivehusband tho this seems to have been after her Motown contract expired. Iunderstand she always spoke very fondly of Motown in later years. She sounds& looks like she’s enjoying life again on the Motorcity recordings with themoral support of her son and apparently later returned to her gospel roots.Please let someone release a CD of all her Motown material, she deserves it ifonly to show she was more versatile than “just” a blues singer.

[motownjohnny]

Many thanks to BritishTony for your kind comments and especially also to johnnyraven for taking the time to respond and clarify which songs on the list I submitted have been released so far. I'm really pleased to see so many have escaped the vaults after all these years; it's just a shame that Hattie herself didn't live long enough to enjoy the recognition she justly deserved and that so far these have not been made available in another format other than download. I can only hope that perhaps in years to come Universal or some other company will see their way to releasing many of the other tracks she apparently recorded and perhaps also collate all these download releases and issue them in a physical format complete with an accompanying booklet thereby giving much greater detail on the individual songs than I've been able to provide.

Now without wishing to appear pedantic, may I just pick up on the comment relating to "Is It True [[What They Say About You)? You'll see that I referenced the song on my listing as being the 1st Version, produced by William Stevenson. Johnny, commented quite correctly that "Is It True" appeared in the "Complete Motown Singles Vol. 2 1962 Box set as the "B" side to the unreleased "Back In My Arms" single scheduled for Gordy 7004. However, that missed the detail that I said "1st version", and that is because the version that appears in the Box Set, is a different version produced by Clarence Paul, not Mickey Stevenson, so it would seem the M.S. production has yet to be released. Personally I think it would be good to hear it if only to compare how both producers handled the song.

For all I know there may well be other songs not included on my list that Hattie recorded and have yet to surface. Clearly while at Motown she was not workshy as witnessed by the quantity of her unreleased material and the company certainly initially saw her as an asset with potential to succeed.