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  1. #1
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    Motown Memories - School related

    As the Christmas season is upon us I was thinking about my school years from long ago [[I'm 57 now). I tried to remember my earliest school memory that involved Motown music in some way, shape or form. I am in 1st or 2nd grade and we are having a Christmas party. Rosalyn Adkins brings the Jackson 5 Christmas album and the class has a listen while we celebrate and have fun.

    What memories would you like to share?

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    I can remember my kindegarten teacher playing the Supremes' A GO GO album during our Halloween party. For me, it started an almost obsession with that album until I finally bought a copy 10 years later.

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    My 2nd grade teacher would play The Supremes' Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 religiously. I remember the girls -- and not a few of us boys -- doing the "Stop!" choreography.

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    As a high school junior, I remember one of my classes having a lesson on music and the message of some lyrics. So among the records I took in for discussion was the Temps' Runaway Child, Running Wild, so we could have a discussion about why kids might run away and what could be done to prevent it.

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    I graduated from High School in June, 1963, so I was already out of school when Motown really became a national phenomenon. So, we never had Motown, or any other Pop or R&B songs played in class [[except maybe from a student's transistor radio, on the way into class). And we would always have a Miracles' song sung by a group at talent shows. But, being in South Chicago, a couple miles from the edge of The South Side, we played plenty of 1962 and 1963 Motown songs at our sock hops in our gym. And local groups sang lots of Motown songs at the "Battles of The Groups" in our local parks' recreation centers, on Saturday evenings. Lots of Miracles, Temptations, Martha and The Vandellas, Mary Wells, and Marvelettes songs were played.

    My first year of high school, back in Winnipeg, we didn't play ANY Motown songs, EVER. Most of the music on the radio there, back then, was C&W, and MOR Pop. Motown wasn't played there until 1962. Motown didn't exist for almost all my elementary and Junior High career. But it probably wouldn't have mattered. Almost no R&B was played in Winnipeg back then, - only a few mega hits, by The Coasters, Platters, and Flamingos.

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    I guess I am the oldest guy here and there was no national Motown when I was in high school. Without knowing its association to the future Motown, I bought Jackie Wilson's Lonely Teardrops on Brunswick. It was written by Berry Gordy.


    The first Motown record that I bought was Bad Girl, by the Miracles. But it was only on the Motown Label locally, so I didn't know it was Motown Record.



    My copy of Bad Girl is on a blue Chess Label. it was licensed to and issued nationally by Chess Records because, at the time, Motown did not have national distribution.


    So I guess I was a fan of Motown while in school without even knowing it. A year or so later, Motown was starting to explode, and I was definitely a fan, buying music on all their various labels by the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Marvin, the Miracles, Martha and Vandellas,

    Of course, none of this has to do with Motown Christmas Memories while in school, but so what, who cares
    Last edited by milven; 12-02-2022 at 01:54 AM. Reason: SENILITY

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    Quote Originally Posted by milven View Post
    I guess I am the oldest guy here and there was no national Motown when I was in high school. Without knowing its association to the future Motown, I bought Jackie Wilson's Lonely Teardrops on Brunswick. It was written by Berry Gordy.


    The first Motown record that I bought was Bad Girl, by the Miracles. But it was only on the Motown Label locally, so I didn't know it was Motown Record.



    My copy of Bad Girl is on a blue Chess Label. it was licensed to and issued nationally by Chess Records because, at the time, Motown did not have national distribution.


    So I guess I was a fan of Motown while in school without even knowing it. A year or so later, Motown was starting to explode, and I was definitely a fan, buying music on all their various labels by the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Marvin, the Miracles, Martha and Vandellas,

    Of course, none of this has to do with Motown Christmas Memories while in school, but so what, who cares
    It's all good. My memories just happened to be around Christmas time; any school memories will suffice.

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    Mary wells was very,very popular when i was a kid in elementary school..we loved her..i still do!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by arr&bee View Post
    Mary wells was very,very popular when i was a kid in elementary school..we loved her..i still do!!
    In the early days of Motown, Mary Wells had many hits and was dubbed the First Lady of Motown by fans and dee-jays. Somehow, with the passage of time, Claudette Robinson claimed that name. Some say that Berry Gordy dubbed Claudette the first lady. And then there is our Miss Roberta who says the Martha Reeves is the First Lady of Motown.

    Before the Supremes or Diana Ross, Mary Wells, as a soloist, was pumping out the hits for Motown and I still regard her as the First Lady of Motown.

    " Although Mary was not Motown’s first female signing, she certainly was the most successful at this time. She was now truly ‘the first lady of Motown’. "

    https://www.rocksoffmag.com/mary-wells/



  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by milven View Post
    I guess I am the oldest guy here and there was no national Motown when I was in high school. Without knowing its association to the future Motown, I bought Jackie Wilson's Lonely Teardrops on Brunswick. It was written by Berry Gordy.


    The first Motown record that I bought was Bad Girl, by the Miracles. But it was only on the Motown Label locally, so I didn't know it was Motown Record.



    My copy of Bad Girl is on a blue Chess Label. it was licensed to and issued nationally by Chess Records because, at the time, Motown did not have national distribution.


    So I guess I was a fan of Motown while in school without even knowing it. A year or so later, Motown was starting to explode, and I was definitely a fan, buying music on all their various labels by the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Marvin, the Miracles, Martha and Vandellas,

    Of course, none of this has to do with Motown Christmas Memories while in school, but so what, who cares
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    Everything you stated in your post is true for me, and Ralph, and Denis Coffey, and Bob Ohlsson, and probably about at least 10-12 other regular posters here. So how can you be sure that you're the oldest poster on this thread? I'm 76 years old, and I think Ralph is a couple years older than I am. How old are you? In any case, all of us oldies were already graduated from high school when Motown started really hitting it big on the national level in 1964.

    I noticed that a couple posters referred to a class Christmas party in which they played records, or tapes?, or songs on the radio. Or were the students and the teacher just singing Motown songs A Capella? I had the last 2 years of high school in Chicago, and we had 6 different one-hour classes. And we had no formal Christmas parties or gift exchanges on the last day before Winter Vacation, because each class was so short, and you couldn't have a party in each class, like we did in elementary school, when we had only one class, all day long. If you had a cool teacher, maybe he or she would allow the kids to bring music and play it, or even move the desks and chairs to the walls and let the kids dance to Motown songs for 50 minutes. But, none of my teachers did that. Although, I'm sure we didn't get much schoolwork done [[if we even did any). To be honest, I don't remember what we did. But just like the last day of school before Summer Vacation, all we had on our minds was freedom, and what we were going to do with our free time.

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    We had one of those indestructible mono record players [[I'm sure some of you recall those) in our classroom and we played our records on those. I can recall our teacher playing a "Woody Wood-Pecker" 78 on that thing!

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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by robb_k View Post
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    Everything you stated in your post is true for me, and Ralph, and Denis Coffey, and Bob Ohlsson, and probably about at least 10-12 other regular posters here. So how can you be sure that you're the oldest poster on this thread? I'm 76 years old, and I think Ralph is a couple years older than I am... .
    I can't be sure that I am the oldest poster. That's why I said I am probably the oldest. But I should have said I am one the few old timers still posting here. I am a child of the fifties so there really was no Motown when I was in school but I was an avid buyer and bought records at a record shop like Lonely Teardrops on Brunswick and Bad Girl on Chess. I wound up working in the record store after I graduated high school and by then Motown was doing well nationally with Miracles, Martha, Marvellettes, Marvin Mary and others. By 1964, I was in the army stationed eventually in Germany and got my Motown fixes from Radio Luxemburg and from jukeboxes.

    I enjoy reading your posts because we are of the same generation, but yes, I am a few years older than you and maybe Ralph too. Dennis is older than me.

    The first few records that I bought were on 78's because I thought that the 45 format was a passing fad. Some of the records I got on 78 were Earth Angel/Penguins Only You/Platters and Sincerely/Mc Guire Sisters. A few years later, I learned that the Mc Guire Sisters did a lot of covers of soul records. They were my Supremes of the fifties

    I have loved music since forever. I think every poster on here can say the same thing. And later the music industry has been very good to me. That is why I enjoy reading the posts here from our generation and from the younger generation.

    Sadly, I didn't keep up with the times and know nothing about today's music. My musical tastes are stuck in the past along with the good memories

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    Quote Originally Posted by milven View Post
    I can't be sure that I am the oldest poster. That's why I said I am probably the oldest. But I should have said I am one the few old timers still posting here. I am a child of the fifties so there really was no Motown when I was in school but I was an avid buyer and bought records at a record shop like Lonely Teardrops on Brunswick and Bad Girl on Chess. I wound up working in the record store after I graduated high school and by then Motown was doing well nationally with Miracles, Martha, Marvellettes, Marvin Mary and others. By 1964, I was in the army stationed eventually in Germany and got my Motown fixes from Radio Luxemburg and from jukeboxes.

    I enjoy reading your posts because we are of the same generation, but yes, I am a few years older than you and maybe Ralph too. Dennis is older than me.

    The first few records that I bought were on 78's because I thought that the 45 format was a passing fad. Some of the records I got on 78 were Earth Angel/Penguins Only You/Platters and Sincerely/Mc Guire Sisters. A few years later, I learned that the Mc Guire Sisters did a lot of covers of soul records. They were my Supremes of the fifties.

    I have loved music since forever. I think every poster on here can say the same thing. And later the music industry has been very good to me. That is why I enjoy reading the posts here from our generation and from the younger generation.

    Sadly, I didn't keep up with the times and know nothing about today's music. My musical tastes are stuck in the past along with the good memories
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    Thanks for your response, Milven. Seems we have a lot in common. My first 50 or so records were 78s. I, too, bought Earth Angel, and Sincerely and several others in 1953 and '54 [[actually, my parents bought them for me as gifts), and many others from 1955-57. I also bought "Lonely Teardrops" new, and "Bad Girl" by The Miracles on Chess, and "Come To Me" by Marv Johnson, and all his other UA hits. I should have known you were older than most of us when you said you were already out of school before Motown started. Anyway, we have a lot in common. I haven't kept up with music - R&B, Blues, Soul, and Gospel after 1970, except Jazz till about 1980, despite being co-owner of a Soul record company during the first half of the eighties. My time at Motown in the '70s was all about '60s Motown recordings. I'm living in the past too [[the LONG past). Same for my taste in films, and just about everything else. No matter. I hope to be embracing what's new in my next existence.

    In the meantime, I'll enjoy the nostalgic-type threads on this great forum.

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    Quote Originally Posted by lockhartgary View Post
    we had one of those indestructible mono record players [[i'm sure some of you recall those) in our classroom and we played our records on those. I can recall our teacher playing a "woody wood-pecker" 78 on that thing!

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    woody woodpecker, haaaaaaa..classic!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by robb_k View Post
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    Thanks for your response, Milven. Seems we have a lot in common. My first 50 or so records were 78s.... Anyway, we have a lot in common. I haven't kept up with music... after 1970, except Jazz till about 1980, despite being co-owner of a Soul record company during the first half of the eighties. ..

    In the meantime, I'll enjoy the nostalgic-type threads on this great forum.
    I kept up with and loved the music throughout the seventies. I love the Seventies Soul ,Chi Lites, Delfonics, Stylistics, Spinners etc., and also encouraged and enjoyed the disco era. [[While I enjoyed it then, most of that disco is unlistenable to me now). I read four music trade magazines weekly keeping up with the music. But in the eighties, I was losing my interest in the music and concentrated on the business part of the industry. That part was fun too and it has given me a good life.

    Nice to talk to you in more detail. We do have a lot of musical stuff in common.

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    Quote Originally Posted by robb_k View Post
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    Thanks for your response, Milven. Seems we have a lot in common. My first 50 or so records were 78s. I, too, bought Earth Angel, and Sincerely and several others in 1953 and '54 [[actually, my parents bought them for me as gifts), and many others from 1955-57. I also bought "Lonely Teardrops" new, and "Bad Girl" by The Miracles on Chess, and "Come To Me" by Marv Johnson, and all his other UA hits. I should have known you were older than most of us when you said you were already out of school before Motown started. Anyway, we have a lot in common. I haven't kept up with music - R&B, Blues, Soul, and Gospel after 1970, except Jazz till about 1980, despite being co-owner of a Soul record company during the first half of the eighties. My time at Motown in the '70s was all about '60s Motown recordings. I'm living in the past too [[the LONG past). Same for my taste in films, and just about everything else. No matter. I hope to be embracing what's new in my next existence.

    In the meantime, I'll enjoy the nostalgic-type threads on this great forum.
    You have lived quite the life.

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