Motown artists sound a likes?

[Optimal Saint]

I know that JJ Barnes sounds very similar to Marvin

Are there other artists that have been dead ringers for other Motown stars?

Is there a singer that sounds exactly like David Ruffin or Stevie Wonder or Diana Ross?

[nativeNY63]

James Hunter [[lead on James Hunter Six) - Marvin/Al Green
At least [[2) artists sound like Stevie! Can't remember their names, though. One had Stevie do a harmonica solo on a track! [[You're The Only One That I Need)
An artist that could very well do a DRATS tribute! She was recording back in the mid-70's. Irma-something. I think.[[not Irma Thomas)

All I have for now.

[nabob]

Barry White co-wrote and produced It May Be Winter Outside on Felice Taylor in 1966. The arrangement and the coos were very much like the Supremes' records.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

I always had the feeling Ric Tic was hoping for a Diana Ross-type artist in Rose Batiste. Maybe it's just me...

[Motown Eddie]

We can't forget Deon Jackson's classic "Love Makes The World Go Round" [[which sounds a lot like Smokey Robinson in spots).

https://youtu.be/ETkVz2M092M

[TomatoTom123]

John Valenti [[lead singer of Motown group Puzzle) sounds a lot like Stevie!

[TomatoTom123]

Steve Parks is a bit of a Smokey soundalike!

[RanRan79]

John Valenti [[lead singer of Motown group Puzzle) sounds a lot like Stevie!

Oh boy Tom, you're right! Definitely very Stevie-ish with his voice.

[RanRan79]

I always had the feeling Ric Tic was hoping for a Diana Ross-type artist in Rose Batiste. Maybe it's just me...

No, I hear it.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Tom, you hit that nail right on the head for both Stevie AND Smokey!

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

No, I hear it.

thanks for that! sometimes you don't trust your own ears...

[TomatoTom123]

Oh boy Tom, you're right! Definitely very Stevie-ish with his voice.

Definitely RanRan

[TomatoTom123]

Thanks Gary!!!

[nativeNY63]

One of the Stevie sound,-a-likes is PJ Morton.
Diana? Not Irma, but Suzee Keda. She was actually a Motown artist!

[JohnnyRavenATL]

Motown’s very own, the late Syreeta Wright definitely had a very Diana-ish quality to her voice. I loved her set of previously unreleased tunes on ACE and can easily see why BG wanted her to replace Ross in the group.

Also Oma Page/Hurd sounded very Mary Wells-like.

[benross]

In early 1967, a studio group sounding somewhat like Diana Ross & The Supremes did a Ban Deodorant radio commercial that seemed a bit like a mash-up of Baby Love and Love Is Here And Now You're Gone.

While the voices and the repeated "ooh-oohs" of the verse created a general impression, the specific connection came in the bridge with this:

[[vocal) "Ban gets you through the longest day; Ban has the stuff to stay and stay..."
[[spoken) "Stay and stay...[hiccup-type sound like those after the spoken passages in Love Is Here...]

[arr&bee]

Steve mancha sounded like marvin...george benson sounds like stevie.

[Optimal Saint]

[Stax_of_Motown]

[BayouMotownMan]

When I first heard Up In A Puff Of Smoke by Polly Brown, I thought Jean Terrell finally made a solo record

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw65vwkt2qg

[thommg]

Barry White co-wrote and produced It May Be Winter Outside on Felice Taylor in 1966. The arrangement and the coos were very much like the Supremes' records.

This has a very Everything Is Good About you vibe during the chorus. Absolutely going for the Supremes vibe on this one.

[rovereab]

I can hear a touch of Syreeta in Felice Taylor's voice on this Motown sound-alike song.

[robb_k]

I know that JJ Barnes sounds very similar to Marvin

Are there other artists that have been dead ringers for other Motown stars?

Is there a singer that sounds exactly like David Ruffin or Stevie Wonder or Diana Ross?

Little Carl Carlton sounded quite a little bit like Little Stevie Wonder, at least in a lot of individual notes and music phrases. But it was mainly because they both had pre-pubescent male voices. Nobody sounded like Stevie after his voice changed.

Edward Hamilton of The Arabians, Clifford Binns, Steve Mancha, and Melvin Davis also sounded very much like Marvin Gaye. J.J. Barnes also did on some of his records.

Detroit's Martha Starr sounded very much like Martha Reeves [[Reeds).

Barbara Lewis sounded a little like Mary Wells in some of her intonations and phrases. Geraldine Hunt sang a few attempts to copy Mary's style, and she sounds a little bit similar.

The Royal Jokers' Willie Jones, Motown's own Wade Jones, and Detroit's own Al Garner [[Gardner) had similar falsettos to that of Marv Johnson.

Of Course Bob Brady of Bob Brady and The Con-Chords sounded like Smokey - deliberately. I forgot that Deon Jackson sounded like Smokey, at times, especially early in his career when he was still very young.

I'm sure that a lot of you think that Billy Griffin sounded a lot like Smokey.

I guess David Ruffin Jr. sounded more like David, than anyone else I can remember.

Jackie Wilson sounded a lot like Eddie Holland.

And of course Felice Taylor studied Diana Ross' songs to pick up her style and mannerisms.

Arthur Prysock sometimes sounded like Motowner, Billy Eckstine.

These aren't related to Motown, but they were much, much more alike thanyone sounding like a Motown artist - Ike Cole sounding like his brother Nat, and L.C. Cooke sounding like his brother Sam.

The more I listen to the singers who remind me [[a little bit) of Motown artists, the more I realise how different they really sound. Even brothers Levi and Joe Stubbs had VERY different distinctive voices. All these so-called soundalikes only have a few traits that remind me of the other. They ALL [[even the siblings and parents and their children) have distinctive, unique tones that make it easy to tell one from the other. The only time we have trouble making sure on an identification is when the sound is clouded by poor condition of the record or a poor noisy recording.

[robb_k]

Attachment 21543
Here's Martha Starr singing "No Part Time Love For Me"

[robb_k]

Attachment 21543
Here's Al Gar[[d)ner singing "All I Need is You":

[robb_k]

Attachment 21543
Here's Geraldine Hunt's attempt to copy Mary Wells:

[stupidactingsmart]

The first time I heard the opening of this tune by Yarborough and Peoples I thought it was Stevie.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tbS73I1N-I

It went top ten in the U.K. and is a pretty good song.

[robb_k]

Attachment 21545
Here's J.J. Barnes sounding somewhat like Marvin Gaye:

[robb_k]

Here's Barbara Lewis' best "Marvelettes impression":

[ralpht]

I have always thought that Syreeta Wright sounded a little too much like Diana { maybe a little better} and that sunk her.

[Sotosound]

Little Carl Carlton sounded quite a little bit like Little Stevie Wonder, at least in a lot of individual notes and music phrases. But it was mainly because they both had pre-pubescent male voices. Nobody sounded like Stevie after his voice changed.

Edward Hamilton of The Arabians, Clifford Binns, Steve Mancha, and Melvin Davis also sounded very much like Marvin Gaye. J.J. Barnes also did on some of his records.

Detroit's Martha Starr sounded very much like Martha Reeves [[Reeds).

Barbara Lewis sounded a little like Mary Wells in some of her intonations and phrases. Geraldine Hunt sang a few attempts to copy Mary's style, and she sounds a little bit similar.

The Royal Jokers' Willie Jones, Motown's own Wade Jones, and Detroit's own Al Garner [[Gardner) had similar falsettos to that of Marv Johnson.

Of Course Bob Brady of Bob Brady and The Con-Chords sounded like Smokey - deliberately. I forgot that Deon Jackson sounded like Smokey, at times, especially early in his career when he was still very young.

I'm sure that a lot of you think that Billy Griffin sounded a lot like Smokey.

I guess David Ruffin Jr. sounded more like David, than anyone else I can remember.

Jackie Wilson sounded a lot like Eddie Holland.

And of course Felice Taylor studied Diana Ross' songs to pick up her style and mannerisms.

Arthur Prysock sometimes sounded like Motowner, Billy Eckstine.

These aren't related to Motown, but they were much, much more alike thanyone sounding like a Motown artist - Ike Cole sounding like his brother Nat, and L.C. Cooke sounding like his brother Sam.

The more I listen to the singers who remind me [[a little bit) of Motown artists, the more I realise how different they really sound. Even brothers Levi and Joe Stubbs had VERY different distinctive voices. All these so-called soundalikes only have a few traits that remind me of the other. They ALL [[even the siblings and parents and their children) have distinctive, unique tones that make it easy to tell one from the other. The only time we have trouble making sure on an identification is when the sound is clouded by poor condition of the record or a poor noisy recording.

Stephanie Mills summoned up a chunk of 1960s Diana Ross when singing "Never Knew Love Like This Before". She leaned hard on Ms. Ross' enunciation, right down to her very individual pronunciation of the letter L.

Slightly off-topic, Arthur Prysock summoned up a chunk of Philly-style Lou Rawls with his 1997 single, "When Love Is New".

And, perhaps controversially, Valerie Simpson could sometimes sound a lot like Tammi Terrell.

[Starguard4]

And, perhaps controversially, Valerie Simpson could sometimes sound a lot like Tammi Terrell.

Some might prefer to see it, perhaps less controversially, slightly differently... Tammi Terrell could sometimes sound a bit like Valerie Simpson.

[Sotosound]

Some might prefer to see it, perhaps less controversially, slightly differently... Tammi Terrell could sometimes sound a bit like Valerie Simpson.

Lol. Love it.

[robb_k]

Here's "Thank You Love" by Billy Eckstine:


And here's "I Worry 'Bout You" by Arthur Prysock:

Both have deep voices, with strong resonance, a bit of a gravelly texture to their voices, and a bit of a nasal
quality, as well. Their voices sound like they could be members of the same family.

[RanRan79]

Attachment 21543
Here's Martha Starr singing "No Part Time Love For Me"

Yes, she does have a similar sound to Martha.

[RanRan79]

The first time I heard the opening of this tune by Yarborough and Peoples I thought it was Stevie.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tbS73I1N-I

It went top ten in the U.K. and is a pretty good song.

It was big here too and still is a jam.

[RanRan79]

Stephanie Mills summoned up a chunk of 1960s Diana Ross when singing "Never Knew Love Like This Before". She leaned hard on Ms. Ross' enunciation, right down to her very individual pronunciation of the letter L.

Thanks Soto! I've always thought this and even remarked in the forum about the similarities, but I got the impression that no one else shared my opinion. Lol

[RanRan79]

I always thought Glodean sounded like Wanda Rogers, with just a better command of her higher voice.

[RanRan79]

I always thought this guy was doing his best Michael Jackson impersonation.

[RanRan79]

One of the Ponderosa Twins Plus One sounded a lot like a young Michael Jackson.

[RanRan79]

The youngest member of Brighter Side of Darkness also does a mean MJ impression.

[Optimal Saint]

I hear more than a little David Ruffin in this delivery

[jack020]

And a recent one:

Sounds like Marvin

[theboyfromxtown]

Linda Carr was another who was often compared to Diana Ross in the 60's

[sansradio]

Glenn Lewis definitely drank deeply from Stevie's well. In fact, when Stevie first heard this, he reportedly said, "When did I record this?"

[tjl]

I always thought Sonny Turner's era of The Platters, in particular "With This Ring" was close to Levi's vocals on that tune.

[tjl]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUNLcsNxJhU&t=172s

[jobucats]

[QUOTE=BayouMotownMan;805561]When I first heard Up In A Puff Of Smoke by Polly Brown, I thought Jean Terrell finally made a solo record

Wow! I see what you mean!