EVD -- Pre-Motown

[jsmith]

We've discussed this topic in the past but never really arrived at a definitive answer.
Earl Van Dyke replaced Joe Hunter as the leader of the Motown studio band in 1962, Joe going off to work for other outfits in Detroit [[Pied Piper, etc).
. . Anyone know why Joe fell out with BG and left Motown ?
From around 1958 to 1962, the Joe Hunter Band had been ever present on Motown recording sessions. When not in the studio, Joe & his guys [[Joe - keyboards, Benny Benjamin - drums, James Jamerson - bass, , Larry Veeder - guitar, Hank Cosby - Saxophone and Mike Terry - baritone sax) would play local club gigs but also would tour on revue packages.
I know they backed up Jackie Wilson on a short tour in July / August 61 -- PERHAPS that was one reason BG wasn't happy with Joe in late 61.
In the late 50's / early 60's, Earl Van Dyke was not in the Motown fold but was playing jazz gigs around Detroit and also taking work as a musician backing acts on touring revue shows. He also spent time in NY cutting jazz tracks for a couple of Blue Note guys in 62.
His main [[known) touring work was as a member of Lloyd Prices Orchestra on long touring stints. In 1958 Jackie Wilson [[then backed by Arnett Cobb Orch) played a lot of shows co-starring with Lloyd Price -- anyone know if EVD was with Lloyd Price at the time ?
Then in 1960, Jackie & Lloyd did shows together again. Lloyd still had his namesake band in tow [[though who all the members were is lost in the mists of time but EVD was almost certainly one of them). At that time Jackie was being backed on his tours by the Crazy Chris Columbo Orchestra. Chris Columbo led the resident band at the famous Club Harlem in Atlantic City most of the time, but was also touring with Jackie quite a bit that year [[61).
So EVD would have spent time in the company of Jackie W, Chris Columbo during the time those shows were being undertaken.
It is highly likely that the keys player on Chris Columbo's 45 "You Can't Sit Down" -- Battle Nov 62 -- was EVD. The sessions that produced those tracks being undertaken that summer and then leased to Battle. The early 45's on Battle [[John Lee Hooker, Bobby Hebb & Sylvia, C L Franklin & Roscoe Shelton all seem to have been 'bought in' tracks. Joe Van Battle being from Detroit and his JVB label had been run out of Detroit, but the Battle label seemed to operate out of NY. The other side of the Battle 45 from Chris Columbo was a cover of "Stranger On The Shore", a hit in the US for a Brit in May / June 62, so the CC version must have been cut around / after then.
If EVD recorded as a member of Chris Columbo's band, did he jump ship from Lloyd Price's outfit and do some road work with Chris before heading up to NY to record. Anyone know ?