Motowniest Non Motown Song?

[robb_k]

Another great Ollie McLaughlin production, arranged by Mike Terry, and written by fabulous songwriter, Sharon McMahon-Deon Jackson's "I Can't Go On":

[robb_k]

Produced by Marv Johnson, and written by him and Smokey, a Jobete song never recorded by a Motown artist - Johnson took it to competitor, Ed Wingate:

[robb_k]

After being pushed out of ex-wife, Mary Wells' life, Herman Griffen brought his Cincinnati lady friend and her group , The Charmaines to Detroit to record:

[robb_k]

Another from J.J. Barnes:

[robb_k]

The original [[and best version) of "Gino Is A Coward" - "I'm A Coward" from 1962 Produced by Ex-Motowners, Robert Bateman and Sonny Sanders for Wilbur Golden's Correc-Tone Records:

[robb_k]

Ex-Motowner, Bob Hamilton, along with other ex-Motowners, Don Juan Mancha and Freddie Gorman, produced The Adorables, who also sang some backgrounds at Motown. The Caucasian ladies shown in the photo are the wrong group. These Adorables were an African-American group from Detroit:

[robb_k]

Ex-Motowner Robert Bateman produced Detroiter, Fred Bridges in early 1962 for Correc-Tone Records. Ex-Motowners, Sonny Sanders and Popcorn Wylie were involved, and The Funk Brothers played on it. It sounds like typical early 1962 Motown:

[robb_k]

Another Joe Hunter/Fred Brown J.J. Barnes cut, co-written by ex-Motowner, Dave Hamilton, and backed by The moonlighting Vandellas:

[robb_k]

Here's a strange combination of New Yorkers with only one small connection to Motown-arranger Richard Tee, who was the main arranger and house band leader at Jobete Music's New York office, working with producers Richard Ghottehrer of New York Girl's Group fame, and Seymour Stein of Sire Records, and great Screen Gems-Columbia, Brill Building songwriter Doris Willingham:

[robb_k]

My ex-office suite neighbour, and ex-Motowner Mickey Stevenson, with help fro other ex-Motowner, Clarence Paul, move west to, L.A. to hook up with ex-L.A. Jobete sogwriter/producer and future Motown artist, Willy Hutchison [[Hutch), to produce this Oakland group in a typical L.A. Jobete-style song:

[robb_k]

Here's Lamont Dozier leading The Voice Masters, most of whom later joined Motown's Originals. This sounded like typical 1959 and early 1960 Motown cuts:

[robb_k]

Here's another Motownlike cut from future Motowner, Gwen Owens:

[robb_k]

Here's Richard Street and his 2nd Distants group in an early Thelma Records production by Norman Whitfield from 1963. It sounds like a typical 1962 Motown cut:

[robb_k]

Here's a Chicago record by a Chicago artist, recorded by Chicago producers in Chicago, and written by New York writers, Pam Sawyer and Lori Burton [[who later, worked for Motown [[in L.A)). But, it sound more like Detroit than Chicago. I was Barbara Acklin's first solo record. She had sung only backgrounds before:

[robb_k]

Here's The Fantastic Four sounding "Motownish" - one of the reasons Berry bought out Ed Wingate's Golden World/Ric Tic:

[robb_k]

Another Darrell Banks:

[robb_k]

This Gwen Owens from 1964 sounds "Detroitish", but not really "Motownish". But I like it a lot, so I put it here, anyway:

[robb_k]

Another J.J. Barnes:

[robb_k]

Here's Motown musician, Dave Hamilton's daughter from 1964:

[robb_k]

Here's another Motownish NY production by ex-Motowner, Robert Bateman:

[robb_k]

That's a song that was produced by Motown's New York Jobete Music office, by one of their major producers, George Kerr, to be given to an existing Detroit Motown single artist or group, It was co-written by Kerr, along with one of his fellow group members in The Serenaders, and Berry Gordy's sister, Lucye Wakefield. But Berry shut down his New York office in fall 1964, because his newly-estranged wife, Raynoma, had pressed up copies of Mary Wells' hit, "My Guy", without his knowledge, and sold them on The East Coast, and kept the money to finance the running of that office. Producers, George Kerr, Sidney Barnes, George Clinton, Gene Redd, Jr., Eddie Singleton, and Raynoma, were fired, and then, had to fend for themselves. They sold the songs they had left in the can, that had not been bought by Motown's Jobete Music to independent New York Area producers, and also produced their own productions using those songs to release on their own independent NY labels, and leased others to other, independent producers. This production was run by Kerr, arranged by Motown New York's arranger, and house band leader, Richard Tee, and leased to Mercury Records, for their artist, Carl Hall. It's former Gospel singer, Hall's only recording that sounds "Motownish".

[mowest]

Thanks, robb_k, for posting these tunes, some of which are “hidden gems.” Your collection is awesome!

[robb_k]

Here's another song produced in New York by Gene Redd, Jr. for potential sale to Motown, which probably never got the chance to be reviewed by them. So Redd sold it to Screen Gems-Columbia Music, and recorded it by The Fashioneers, and least the masters to Mercury's Blue Rock "Soul" subsidiary:

[robb_k]

Here's another New York Jobete Music production leased to a tiny NY indie label. Tamala Lewis was George Clinton's ladyfriend. She was backed on this by The Parliaments and their female associated group, The Parlettes [[of which Lewis was a member [[usual lead))George produced the session:

[robb_k]

Here's another J.J. Barnes:

[robb_k]

This was a non-Motown song and recording before Berry Gordy bought out Artie Fields, as he bought out Ed Wingate, The Colemans of Thelma, and some others. Motown recorded The Spinners singing this song:

[heikki]

Thank you, Robb, for these wonderful sounds.
For me one of the best "Temptations" records is the one below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qsTwPw1pUY

Best regards
Heikki

[robb_k]

Thanks Hekki. This Chi-Lites' cut also sounds Motownish:

[robb_k]

Here's another Chicago record that sounds like Motown, produced by ex-Motowner, Andre Williams, and co-written by Detrot Soul writer, Bruce Scott:

[robb_k]

Mike Hanks went to Chicago to make this Mary Wells soundalike:

[robb_k]

This sounds like a beginning of The '70s Temptations or Originals ballad:

[robb_k]

This was produced by ex-Motowners Don Juan Mancha and Funk Brother Mike Terry:

[robb_k]

Even Robert West produced a few Motownish cuts:

[robb_k]

Here's another Van McCoy production that sounds like Motown:

[robb_k]

Here's another Magic City production:

[robb_k]

Here's another great Fantastic Four cut:

[robb_k]

Here's a little-known cut produced by ex-Motowners, Don Davis, Popcorn Wylie, and Tony Hester:

[robb_k]

Robert West produced this soundalike of Marv Johnson's early sound:

[robb_k]

Here's a song from Jobete Music's New York office [[George Kerr and Sidney Barnes, teamed with Motown's Tom Kemp)not recorded by any Motown artist, so it was sold to Juggy Murray:

[robb_k]

Here's another Sidney Barnes-J.J. Jackson tune patterned in The Motown style:

[robb_k]

Little Carl Carlton [[starting at 12 years old) was Detroit's off-Motown answer to Little Stevie Wonder:

[robb_k]

Here's another George Clinton production of Tamala Lewis, with a Jobete Music song that never went to a Motown in-house artist:

[robb_k]

Here's another Solid Hitbound production:

[robb_k]

Here's is another Deon Jackson:

[robb_k]

Here's another Robert Bateman/Sonny Sanders Correc-Tone production, which was leased to Lloyd Price's Double-L Records in New York:

[robb_k]

Here's another Mary Wells song recorded in Detroit by ex-Motowner, Andre Williams, using Motown people:

[robb_k]

Here's The Lollipops singing a Jobete Music song [[albeit from Jobete's New York office), [[and albeit this being New York's Lollipops, rather than Detroit's Motown group, produced by Harry Balk and Duke Browner). This cut sounds a bit like Motown, but would have been better using a lead singer, rather than whole group lead, and would have been better with Benny Benjamin on drums, Jamerson on bass, Messina on guitar, and Mike Terry on Sax:

[TomatoTom123]

Steve Parks' 1981 album Movin' In The Right Direction has Smokey all over it!! It was even released on a label called Solid Smoke!!

[arr&bee]

The whole world is a stage-fantastic four

[timthemod]

Sounding not unlike the Four Tops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI2cvDN_wpc