Mickey Stevenson 60 minute great audio interview

[MIKEW-UK]

As Mickey has become the focus in the forum here is a great interview with a fascinating, gifted and purposeful man. It is also extremely funny and uplifting, I defy you to not be laughing after the first couple of minutes.

https://takinawalk.com/mickey-steven...s-a-and-r-man/

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thanks for providing this Mickey Stevenson interview, Mike. I really enjoyed it! If only it were longer. I would have enjoyed hearing Mickey talk about all of the artists he worked with -- especially his wife, Kim Weston's, recordings and why he thinks Motown had trouble getting hits on her. That conversation would have been fascinating.-- especially, since, IMO, Kim's records were top-notch and among my favorites..

[MIKEW-UK]

Thanks Gary. Merry Christmas!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thanks Gary. Merry Christmas!

Thanks, Mike! Hope you had a Merry Christmas, too! And an upcoming safe, Happy New Year!

[woodward]

I just listened or attempted to listen to the podcast. I was especially thrilled to see that it included a transcript. I never realized that podcasts generated a transcript. You learn something new every day.

One thing that stuck out from reading the transcript was the remarks by Mickey about the Four Tops and Billy Eckstine. Apparently Billy Eckstine was performing at a local club and his background singers were the Four Tops. That was earthshattering to me. I had never heard this revealed previously. Out of curiosity I went to www.dftmf.info and calculated that Billy Eckstine had 58 songs recorded at Motown. The Lost and Found "Breaking Through" also confirms that the group went wherever work took them, lounges, nightclubs, and fairs as well as singing behind an artist they idolized.

This might be a dumb question, but does anyone know if any Billy Eckstine releases have the Four Tops singing behind them?

Billy Eckstine is in a unique world of his own. Very little is ever written about him and most Motown fans that I know express very little interest in his recordings. His legacy is a bit unknown and little if anything is ever written about him.

[Roger Polhill]

On the "Breaking Through" CD. Billy and the Tops perform "I`m Falling For You" live at the Apollo. My favourite Billy Eckstine song is "I Wonder Why [[Nobody Loves Me)" another IMHO is "You Better Believe It" and there is a live performance of it on Playboy After Dark. Compliments of the Season to you all.

[MIKEW-UK]

Billy & The Four Tops & Andantes . Levi early lead vocals owed much to Billy’s influence.
"Down To Earth"

[mysterysinger]

Copy of a concert poster - Billy Eckstine, Four Tops, Kim Weston wow.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176192484795

And an article on Kim Weston from the Record Collector in 2007 with references to Mickey.

https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/go-weston

[MIKEW-UK]

Cholly Atkins on that poster as part of the dance duet. Motown's renowned choreographer

[robb_k]

Great interview. I didn't learn anything I hadn't known, but got a little more insight into his attitude. I wish we had interviews from a lot of the music makers who weren't interviewed, or whose interviews weren't taped, or whose taped interviews weren't released publicly, or have been lost. And I wish I would have asked more questions to creators and other industry people that I met.

[woodward]

Copy of a concert poster - Billy Eckstine, Four Tops, Kim Weston wow.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176192484795

And an article on Kim Weston from the Record Collector in 2007 with references to Mickey.

https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/go-weston

That article was great from Record Collector Magazine. Thanks for locating it and posting onto the forum.