Norman Whitfield's First Record Production?

[robb_k]

I've recently read about an interview with Detroit's Peps'/Fabulous Peps' lead singer, Tom Storm from about 20 years ago, where he stated that his first recording was made by the songwriter and producer, Norman Whitfield, around the end of The 1950s. That song was titled, "Alone". Whitfield, born in 1940, was only 19 in 1959. His first production that I knew of, was The Sonettes' record, "I've Gotten Over You", released on his own, K.O. Records, in 1962, which was a subsidiary of Don Davis', Hazel and Robert Coleman's Thelma Records. I could imagine that he MIGHT have recorded "Alone" for Davis' and The Colemans' precursor label to Thelma, DaCo Records in late 1960 or 1961.

But I doubt that it was released commercially, as I have never heard, nor seen any evidence of it having been pressed up and distributed to shops, even as a DJ issue. Storm said that his name appeared on the record as "Tom Storm", but no back-up group was credited. So, The Peps were not involved. That statement clearly was a paraphrasing, rather than what Storm probably actually said, making it seem like the record was, at least, pressed up. But I have my doubts about even that. I'm guessing that what he saw was a vinyl studio demo record, which maybe Don Davis had made up at United Sound Studio so DaCo could market it.

I've never seen the record on any big Detroit collector's wants list, nor on any sales list, nor on any in-house label discographies, or even recording list. It seems as if that record had ever been pressed up, the Detroit collectors would have known about it, or the Northern Soul dealers who approached as many of the old Detroit Soul and late R&B producers as they could to find old tapes of unreleased recordings would have come across it, especially from someone so prominent as Norman. I should have found it myself during my one or two Saturday trips to Detroit to look through the record shops' bargain bins, thrift stores, junk and furniture stores from 1962-1967. Or I should have seen it in one of the collections of the other big Detroit R&B/Soul collectors.

There are always a few new ridiculously rare old Detroit 45s showing up that no one knew about until they are discovered. But those usually come from unknown producers who were 1-man operations working out of their homes, who left the business after their one or two record productions, which never got into stores, and most of their vanity press run of 25 or 50 remained in their garages until they died, or were discovered by a Northern Soul dealer. Norman Whitfield isn't likely to have a secret first production that knows about, and was actually pressed up to be sold.

I looked up the record on 45 Cat, and there is no entry. Nothing on Google or You-Tube. BMI.com had no song titled, "Alone", written by Norman Whitfield or sung by Tom Storm, or published by Don Davis' Groovesville Music, or Norman Whitfield's C-ASH Music [[from K.O. Records). I have never seen the record on any label discography, sales list, or record collector's wants list.

So, I am asking if any of the posters here knows anything about Norman Whitfield's song, "Alone", sung by Tom Storm, and IF so, to what stage of production it got.

I realise that it would have been better if I had asked this question in 2001. But, unfortunately, I hadn't yet heard about Tom Storm's interview at that time. Most of the posters who might possibly have answered this question are deceased or not posting here any more. Most of the big-Time Detroit music collectors I knew back then are gone.

Thanks for any help.