Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson "You're Gonna Love My Baby"

[mysterysinger]

Quite intrigued as to the career of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and how he came to write "You're Gonna Love My Baby" with Barbara McNair and [[presumably ?) Ron Miller.

He was also arranger on Marvin Gaye's "I Want You".

Wonder how he came to be involved with Motown being as he was well regarded a musical arranger and also composer of classical music. Anyone have more information on him?

I wasn't aware, until recently that a lady called Dana Valery had recorded a cover of Barbara's song.

[sansradio]

I know that he worked in film in the '70s, scoring such movies as The Education of Sonny Carson and Cornbread, Earl and Me. His romantic partner for a time was the actor Rosalind Cash. His profession was probably kismet--his mother was a musician and music educator who named him after the great Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor. I had no idea that he co-composed "You're Gonna Love My Baby."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleri...ylor_Perkinson

[thommg]

According to Wikipedia, Dana Valery is the sister of Sergio Franchi.

[PauloRich]

Interesting topic!

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson was known for his 60s Jazz orchestral arrangements. I'm guessing he must have known Barbara in some capcity to have written 'You're Gonna Love My Baby' along with her and Ron Miller. Or maybe he knew Ron? Berry Gordy produced the song so he was definitely on Mr Gordy's musical radar.

Coleridge-Taylor and was the musical director on The Barbara McNair Show [[1969-1971) and wrote 'I Can Tell' which Ms McNair recorded on her post-Motown 1969 album.

From 1975-1976 he also provided [[uncredited) arrangements for Marvin Gaye [['After The Dance', 'Save The Children' and many more), Diana Ross [[seems these are all unreleased), and Leon Ware [['I Wanna Be Where You Are', 'Journey Into You' and others).

There's an insight to his Motown works held in manuscripts at the New York Library;
https://archives.nypl.org/mus/20417

Thanks for shinning a light on another musical impresario and legend who trod the boards of Motown and is hidden in the appendix and footnotes

[mysterysinger]

Thanks for shinning a light on another musical impresario and legend who trod the boards of Motown and is hidden in the appendix and footnotes

Thanks for the links Paulo - it's all certainly fascinating and there's more to discover. Makes me want to dig out the expanded "I Want You" and Leon's "Musical Massage". Your description, as quoted above, paints an evocative and accurate picture in so many ways.

[PauloRich]

Thanks for the links Paulo - it's all certainly fascinating and there's more to discover. Makes me want to dig out the expanded "I Want You" and Leon's "Musical Massage". Your description, as quoted above, paints an evocative and accurate picture in so many ways.

Yeh we can see that 1975-1976 period of Leon Ware-Marvin Gaye collaboration and exchange with a wider scope now we know Coleridge-Taylor was heavily involved in the musical and orchestral arrangements.

There was clearly a bunch of recorded material that was being decided on 'what-goes-where' in that only Motown does best. As the recordings for Diana Ross were in the same composition list, I'm gonna guess no vocals were added as if 'Long Time, No See', 'Nobody's Wrong' and 'One And Only You' would surely have been released in the many complilations?

Here's an interesting interview with Leon Ware about the recordings of that time:
https://ukvibe.org/revibe/interviews...s/leon-ware_2/