Marton/Kay=O Record Labels releasing N.Y. Jobete Music Office-Produced Songs

[robb_k]

I am interested in New York's Marton Records and its apparent sister label, Kay=O Records, because every song on their only 3 records I've seen, have been published by Jobete Music Co. I have done some research, and found out that the owner of New York's Marton Records was named Martin [[I have forgotten his first name) but had it at one time. Also, he was the owner of Apex Music Publishing Co. and Martin Music , and Apex productions. On both the Marton records, and on the Kay=O record, Jobete Music shared publishing rights with Martin's Apex Music, and on the Kay=O record, Jobete shared with both Apex and Martin Music. So, it is very clear that both labels were at least Co-owned, if not solely owned by Martin.



It's also clear that The Tamala Lewis record's sides were produced by George Clinton and his Parlor Productions [[through Jobete Music). The Roy Handy on Marton was also produced by Clinton and his Parla Productions, through Jobete Music's office. The Bobby Moore record lists D.W. Productions, who produced Bobby's D.W. Records as lead singer of The Fourmost/s. This was New York Bobby Moore [[former Little Bobby Moore [["Do The Ginger Snap" on King Records), as well as "Pinky" on Seg-Way Records, and "It Was a Lie" with The Fourmost on D.W./Red Bird, rather than Atlanta's and Checker Records' Bobby Moore [[who sang with The Rhythm Aces).

That is all I know about these 2 labels, and I'd like to know more about them including Martin's first name, his place in the business, and whether or not he was just a financier, or had more to do with the day-to-day operations, what recording studio, arranger, and musicians they used, and if they had any connection to D.W. Records [[other than recording Bobby Moore), and whether or not a Jobete Music producer produced the recording used for Jobete's proof of ownership recording and Martin just used that, or D.W.'s Production crew recorded the final mix version.
Can anyone here add more information?

[nsoule]

Marton Records was owned by Joe MARtin and George ClinTON. The first pressings of Roy Handy list the label as being from Newark, NJ and the two later pressings say New York, NY. Both artists on Marton recorded other Clinton/Jobete compositions either as solo artists or in vocal groups.

I don't think George was involved with the Kay=O label.

[robb_k]

Marton Records was owned by Joe MARtin and George ClinTON. The first pressings of Roy Handy list the label as being from Newark, NJ and the two later pressings say New York, NY. Both artists on Marton recorded other Clinton/Jobete compositions either as solo artists or in vocal groups.

I don't think George was involved with the Kay=O label.

Thanks Nick. I didn't know that Clinton was a co-owner. Were there any other Martin Records other than 1001 and 1002? I knew that Tamala Lewis recorded as one of The Parlettes, and wonder if she was in The Pets, as well. I know Roy Handy also recorded Jobete songs in Detroit for Gene Redd Jr.'s Stephanye Records at Golden World's Studio, and Redd/Stephanye had an office in Wingate's building, as did George Kerr and Sidney Barnes for their Maltese Records, which also recorded several NY Jobete songs. And George and Tamala, and The Parliaments all recorded at Wingate's facilities, and lived in Detroit for awhile, while recording for Golden World/Ric Tic/Wingate, and moving on to Don Davis' Solid Hitbound Productions for Revilot/Solid Hit. I always wondered about them working with NY Jobete, and soon after moving to Detroit, and finding out they did some recording in Detroit at and for Motown, before hooking up with Wingate and Don Davis. Can you tell me anything about that situation? Did Clinton and Gene Redd come to Detroit to visit Motown first and then leave to work with Wingate after getting no satisfaction from Berry Gordy because he didn't want to have his Detroit-based Motown artists record any of their songs, or release any records using their songs? And was Berry's reason for being prejudiced against their work due to the fact that they were brought in and worked with Raynoma, who bootlegged Mary Wells records? Or did they all go see Ed Wingate just because they had been in Detroit, and were through with Motown, and wanted to have their Motown-Style songs they wrote for Motown recorded by Detroit producers, arrangers and musicians, to take advantage of the "Detroit Sound", which was the hottest sound in Soul music at that time?

Based on both New York and Detroit-recorded Jobete songs, and Motown-style songs produced by Redd, I had always thought that he, like Kerr and Barnes, and George Clinton, had also been a head of a songwriting crew and producer of the recordings the NY Office needed for Proof-Of-Ownership acetates, and artist studio demo records. I was mildly surprised to be told that unlike Kerr & Barnes, and Clinton, Redd and his crew, were NOT members of NY Jobete's staff [[despite Redd, and his main staff writers had written some Jobete published songs). So, apparently, they were subcontactors to Jobete. I think it is interesting that Redd and his crew came to Detroit and worked out of Wingate's operation for awhile, at the same time that Kerr and Barnes and Clinton did.

Any light you can shine on those 1965-67 happenings will be greatly appreciated.

[nsoule]

I can confirm that Vivian Lewis aka Tamala Lewis was in the Pets on Carnival. Supposedly, the name/alias Tamala was a playful joke at George's expense for getting fired from Motown when the Jobete NY offices closed. I don't really have much to add about the transition from New York/New Jersey to Detroit though, sorry.

[robb_k]

I can confirm that Vivian Lewis aka Tamala Lewis was in the Pets on Carnival. Supposedly, the name/alias Tamala was a playful joke at George's expense for getting fired from Motown when the Jobete NY offices closed. I don't really have much to add about the transition from New York/New Jersey to Detroit though, sorry.

I wonder if George Clinton, Kerr and Barnes, and Gene Redd, Jr. all got together, and decided to get even with Berry Gordy for firing them, by showing him they could write and produce Motown/Detroit Soul style hit records in Detroit by working with Ed Wingate, and using Berry's/Motown's
own musicians [[moonlighting Funk Brothers and others)? It happened a lot of months after they were laid off. But, they probably needed time to set up the move. Otherwise, it seems too much of a coincidence, unless it was initially a reaching out of Ed Wingate to them, liking their work with NY Jobete, and hoping to tap into their talents in the area of Motownlike Soul production and take advantage of Motown's error in jettisoning them.