another answer i need please

**tamla tony** · 03-02-2011, 07:37 PM

I know its not the correct way to start off as a newbie on a forum, but I have another question i hope someone has an answer to,

firstly, tho, a bit about me..

I am an avid Motown/stax/atlantic./ric tic/gordy collector, with a few hundred records, but still trying to find answers which I have come unstuck with..

anyway, the question is
there was a lady who worked for Berry [[ I believe) who used to select which tracks to put out on Tamla labels, some of the tracks were put to Vee - Jay - miracle - later changed to the gordy label, and other labels such as V.I.P. and fontana, , i have a few of these records from the various labels, but what i really want to know, and to help me with my research is what was her name?

over to you.

**radionixon** · 03-02-2011, 08:21 PM

Are you thinking of Billie Jean Brown? She was hugely important to Motown, first in A&R and later head of Quality Control.

Gordy was a subsidiary label of the Motown Record Corporation, as were VIP and Miracle [[though it's not really accurate to say that Miracle "changed to" Gordy). Fontana was a European subsidiary label of the Philips corporation [[based out of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, but distributed all over Western Europe); they later set up a US arm in the mid-Sixties. Nothing to do with Motown save that Fontana licensed a few early Motown tracks for release in Britain in the early Sixties. Vee-Jay was an independent black-owned label out of Chicago [[originally Indiana), a very important label in Fifties and early-Sixties blues and R&B, but probably nowadays most famous for releasing the Beatles' earliest material in America. Again, nothing to do with Motown.

**theboyfromxtown** · 03-03-2011, 04:00 AM

Tamla Tony

Are you British?

Now why would I say that? HAHA

**tamla tony** · 03-03-2011, 04:23 AM

Originally Posted by radionixon

Are you thinking of Billie Jean Brown? She was hugely important to Motown, first in A&R and later head of Quality Control.

Gordy was a subsidiary label of the Motown Record Corporation, as were VIP and Miracle [[though it's not really accurate to say that Miracle "changed to" Gordy). Fontana was a European subsidiary label of the Philips corporation [[based out of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, but distributed all over Western Europe); they later set up a US arm in the mid-Sixties. Nothing to do with Motown save that Fontana licensed a few early Motown tracks for release in Britain in the early Sixties. Vee-Jay was an independent black-owned label out of Chicago [[originally Indiana), a very important label in Fifties and early-Sixties blues and R&B, but probably nowadays most famous for releasing the Beatles' earliest material in America. Again, nothing to do with Motown.

I appreciate your answer, and thankyou for solving my problem, also, it is much appreciated about the labels info, -it seems like I have been following the wrong line, I have a few records from these labels, which have the pips and the spinners on them, but must have already been with motown as well,
maybe you could solve that ? as well.

**theboyfromxtown** · 03-03-2011, 05:54 AM

What are these records that you have by the Pips and the Spinners? Song titles, label info, writers, producers etc

**roger** · 03-03-2011, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by theboyfromxtown

What are these records that you have by the Pips and the Spinners? Song titles, label info, writers, producers etc

Country of issue and release year [[if known ) would help too.

It has struck me that before GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS joined Motown they recorded for the Maxx label which ended up being part of Vee-Jay, and that in 1965 Vee-Jay releases came out on Fontana in Britain [[The Vee-Jay recording "Its Getting Mighty Crowded" by BETTY EVERETT even made the U.K. Top 30 on Fontana ). As far as I'm aware there were no GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS U.K. releases on Fontana, but there could have been some in Continental Europe.

Roger

**tamla tony** · 03-03-2011, 06:10 PM

on VIP I have an album circa 1970 - 2nd time around, the spinners - and also a single - on tri - phi records, thats what girls are made for, I am also looking for some earlier stuff when they recorded as the Domingoes, - i have a majority of Doo wop recordings including Dells - harptoes - marvelows - flamingos - Jerry butlers version of brokenhearted - etc all filed.but nothing on the domingoes,

**MIKEW-UK** · 03-03-2011, 07:04 PM

I purchased the album URGENT by Gladys Knight and the Pips in 1965. It was released in the UK on the Music For Pleasure label, a budget label part owned by EMI. It featured Letter Full of Tears, Operator, Every Beat of My Heart and nine other tracks in mono licensed from VEEJAY.

Dire album cover......white, no faces, just a red stamp stating "URGENT".

You can see the cover on ebay, and if you want the album "URGENT", you need be urgent as it is listed for only 2 more days.....99 pence, not a lot! Cheaper than what I paid in 1965! Thought it might have gone up in value!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GLADYS-KNIGHT-...#ht_787wt_1126

**Kamasu_Jr** · 03-03-2011, 07:23 PM

Maxx Records did not evolve in to Vee Jay. . Maxx was a NY based labeL, Vee Jay was in Chicago. Gladys Knight aND THE pIPS HAD ONE SINGLE, eVERY bEAT oF mY hEART on Vee Jay, WHICH THEY RECORDED FOR ANPTHER LABEL.

**MIKEW-UK** · 03-03-2011, 07:55 PM

Kam, you're correct, I guess the UK release of the album entitled "URGENT" featuring 12 mono tracks in fact featured FURY recordings, not VEEJAY.............I'll have to dig it out of the crates to see what licencee it attributes the tracks to...Mike

It's all very complicated! ..

http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/...ight_pips.html

**roger** · 03-03-2011, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

Maxx Records did not evolve in to Vee Jay. . Maxx was a NY based labeL, Vee Jay was in Chicago. Gladys Knight aND THE pIPS HAD ONE SINGLE, eVERY bEAT oF mY hEART on Vee Jay, WHICH THEY RECORDED FOR ANPTHER LABEL.

Well .. I have a C.D. of Vee-Jay material called "A Taste Of Soul - Volume One" which includes MAXX recordings by GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS.

Here it is for those who wish to download ..

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-t...-1/id266619190

And as the link states .. it is Vee-Jay material.

Roger

**MIKEW-UK** · 03-03-2011, 08:25 PM

I recall "Giving Up" is on the Urgent album, here it is being performed live in 1969..... absolutely terrific if you haven't seen it before!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2nZZ...feature=fvwrel

**tamla tony** · 03-03-2011, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

Maxx Records did not evolve in to Vee Jay. . Maxx was a NY based labeL, Vee Jay was in Chicago. Gladys Knight aND THE pIPS HAD ONE SINGLE, eVERY bEAT oF mY hEART on Vee Jay, WHICH THEY RECORDED FOR ANPTHER LABEL.

I have the album every. Beat of my heart,with a pic of go on it,but I will have to look to see what label it relates to, -

**reese** · 03-03-2011, 08:46 PM

Some of the Pips' Maxx and Fury recordings were reissued in the 70s on the VJ International label. But as Kamasu said, Maxx Records was never a part of Vee Jay. In fact, I think Maxx ceased to exist when its owner, Larry Maxwell, took a position with Motown.

Maxx was actually distributed by Bell Records, and later went out of business. Bell ended up releasing a couple of compilations of the Pips' Fury and Maxx recordings. I think labels like Vee Jay, Maxx, and Fury ran into financial problems and as a result, the masters have changed hands many times. Every time I used to go into a record store, it seemed as if there was a new compilation of the Pips' pre-Motown material.

**roger** · 03-04-2011, 06:04 AM

Originally Posted by reese

Maxx was actually distributed by Bell Records, and later went out of business. Bell ended up releasing a couple of compilations of the Pips' Fury and Maxx recordings. I think labels like Vee Jay, Maxx, and Fury ran into financial problems and as a result, the masters have changed hands many times. Every time I used to go into a record store, it seemed as if there was a new compilation of the Pips' pre-Motown material.

I don't suppose any of those compilations were on the Fontana label ..

Anyway .. I've found a discography of the U.K. Fontana 45s at this site ..

http://www.globaldogproductions.info/

There are a lot of SPINNERS 45s on the label .. but then they are not recordings by the Detroit vocal group of "Its A Shame", "I'll Be Around" fame etc. they are the Liverpool based folk-music act who had a T.V. series in Britain in the '60s.

Roger

**radionixon** · 03-04-2011, 09:21 AM

Yep - the British "Spinners" used the name in Britain before the American group had anything released over here, and so all the "It's A Shame" Spinners' Motown and post-Motown records all came out in the UK under the names "The Motown Spinners" or [[more famously) "The Detroit Spinners".

Fontana's Motown licensing deal lasted about ten minutes [[they only issued four records between November 1961 and March 1962):

http://motownjunkies.wordpress.com/labels/britain/

Here's a full discography of US Fontana albums [[not very helpful in terms of this discussion, but still):

http://www.bsnpubs.com/mercury/fontana/fontana.html