Motown's In House Male Background Singers

[jobucats]

I always enjoy hearing the male backing vocals on many of Mary Wells' recordings. Occasionally, I will hear other artists feature a male group as backup singers. Even the unmentioned female group used male backing vocalists from time to time [[ex. "This is It").

Was there a go-to male group that producers often incorporated in their successions which would be the counterparts to the Andantes?

[snakepit]

Mary Wells tracks feature The Love Tones on backing.
Later years saw The Originals, Spinners and other Motown staffers.
Love Tones info on google

[jobucats]

Mary Wells tracks feature The Love Tones on backing.
Later years saw The Originals, Spinners and other Motown staffers.
Love Tones info on google

Thanks, Snakepit. I did go back and do some googling and in doing so, discovered a Motown artist who I was not familiar with...Henry Lumpkin. Then I started YouTubing him to find a early record on which he was given credit; however, it sounds more like a Smokey Robinson/Henry Lumpkin duet. The things I learn on this forum!

[snakepit]

Yes the years 59-62 produced quite a turnover of acts and sounds....63 saw the direction Motown wanted, and these artists were out.

[RanRan79]

Yes the years 59-62 produced quite a turnover of acts and sounds....63 saw the direction Motown wanted, and these artists were out.

True, but that early period is highly underrated to me. A lot of the 59-61 stuff is a bit on the raw side, but I dig it. 1962 was a turning point, IMO. A lot of good stuff recorded that year, sort of a precursor to what was ahead. Of course 1963 rolled around and the sound that would change everything was born.

[robb_k]

The Love-Tones were their main background-only group, that was sort of a counterpart to The Andantes. The other early male BG group was The Temptations. Then, The Spinners were used. Then, The Four Tops, until they hit with "BabyI Need Your Loving", then The Originals.

The Love-Tones [[AKA Lovetones, Love Tones) had been their own, independent Detroit group, getting a couple 45s released before starting to work as BG singers on Mickey Stephenson's House of Beauty Records productions, when he was chief producer and A&R man for Carmen Murphy's label's R&B [[non-Gospel) side of the operation, and stayed with him on his own Stepp Records, as well as when he moved on to Gwen and Anna's Anna Records, and finally to Motown. Mickey often sang together with them. Along with Mickey, other members were: Carl Jones, Stanley Bracely, and Joe Miles. Jones became a fairly prolific songwriter with Motown, and also wrote for Joe Hunter and Fred Brown's labels [[when Hunter still worked with Motown, but moonlighted on his own projects with Brown - Kable, Mickay's, and Ring Records, for whom Gloria Williamson' and Martha Reeds' Del-Fi's/Del-Phi's sang, as Did The Vandellas later, moonlighting - they backed up J.J. Barnes).

[snakepit]

True, but that early period is highly underrated to me. A lot of the 59-61 stuff is a bit on the raw side, but I dig it. 1962 was a turning point, IMO. A lot of good stuff recorded that year, sort of a precursor to what was ahead. Of course 1963 rolled around and the sound that would change everything was born.

I like 59-62 as well

[soulwally]

The Originals are unmistakable on many many tracks. It’s oft mentioned they were on Jimmy Ruffin’s Brokenhearted but seemed to be used more prolificly from 1967 on, particularly lend an ear to tracks by Edwin Starr, Chuck Jackson and Stevie.
Now pre-1966 it’s more of a mystery to me who’s doing those male back-ups

[TomatoTom123]

The Originals are all over David Ruffin's David LP from 1971 as well [[and its all the more awesome for it)

Which means they were still doing background vocals despite having hits of their own at the time!!

[SatansBlues]

The Originals are unmistakable on many many tracks. It’s oft mentioned they were on Jimmy Ruffin’s Brokenhearted but seemed to be used more prolificly from 1967 on, particularly lend an ear to tracks by Edwin Starr, Chuck Jackson and Stevie.
Now pre-1966 it’s more of a mystery to me who’s doing those male back-ups

Aren't the Spinners doing background on Tammi Terrell's first two singles and on Stevie's Uptight?

[soulwally]

The Originals are all over David Ruffin's David LP from 1971 as well [[and its all the more awesome for it)

Which means they were still doing background vocals despite having hits of their own at the time!!

Yep and they were on his debut solo album My Whole World Ended, particularly so on the title track first single from it

[TomatoTom123]

Aren't the Spinners doing background on Tammi Terrell's first two singles and on Stevie's Uptight?

Wikipedia credits The Spinners for Tammi’s album.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irre...Terrell_album)

[TomatoTom123]

Yep and they were on his debut solo album My Whole World Ended, particularly so on the title track first single from it

Yep soulwally, one of my favourites

[TomatoTom123]

I think The Originals are on Bobby Taylor’s solo album Taylor Made Soul as well.

[144man]

The Temptations are credited on the label as the backing singers on Liz Lands' "Keep Me" / "Midnight Johnny".

[Sharpmoves]

Fascinating thread. Thanks for starting it. Does anyone know who the male background singers were on Brenda Holloway's Til the End of Time?

[snakepit]

I'd guess that Frank Wilson was involved

[BayouMotownMan]

Bobby Smith once said in an interview that the Spinners are on Jr.s What Does It Take To Win Your Love