Nola guys at Hitsville 1962/63

[jsmith]

There has been talk on the Southern Soul List of the trip made by some New Orleans singers, musicians & an arranger to Detroit at Berry Gordys invitation back in 1962 [[or 1963).
By all accounts, Joe Jones was the guy who took them all up to Detroit but he was quickly sent home because he "talked too much".
Johnny Adams was among the original troupe that headed north but his contract situation was muddy and Berry sent him home, declining to deal with any entanglements.
Earl King [[who also made the trip) always really rated Wardell Quezergue's arranging skills but was also impressed by the speed at which he normally worked - whether arranging, writing or copying/fixing parts. His abilities & way of working ensured Wardell was a big hit at Hitsville. Earl has said that the local Detroit arrangers were very selective and took a long time to produce anything. Apparently, once the Detroit writing teams found out about Wardell's arrival/abilities - and how quick he'd give them something - the recording schedule filled up with people planning to cut his arrangements.
Earl King has said that Smokey Johnson [[drummer) was with the group but never mentioned any other of the actual musician's names [[the rhythm section guys).
The Nola team worked day after day in Detroit, for $12 a song. Wardell spent part of the time charting stage arrangements for Stevie Wonder and other Motown artists.
By all accounts the Nola team cut many Motown rhythm tracks in their spell in Detroit, lots of which ended up gaining release.
Has it been documented [[in the Motown archives) which actual tracks the New Orleans guys worked on and who all the musicians involved were ?
No doubt the likes of Robb K [[with his love of the early 60's recordings) will have looked through the recording files and maybe can recall some of the names listed down.
Any input on this subject much appreciated.
I have a copy [[somewhere) of the 'Blue Evolutions' CD on which a couple of the tracks featuring the Nola guys escaped but it ain't to hand at present [[I seem to recall this had detailed info on each track featured on the CD).

[jsmith]

Some info on Smokey Johnson that's on the net ..........
A key figure in the emergence of New Orlean's particular variety of funk, drummer Smokey Johnson had been laying down his uniquely poly-rhythmic grooves on countless local recording sessions throughout the 1960s. His beat expertise made him a favorite of producers Dave Bartholomew and Wardell Quezergue; and it was for the latter that he cut his own important, groundbreaking proto-funk instrumental in 1965 on Nola, "It Ain't My Fault". Johnson's approach influenced many other outstanding New Orleans drummers coming up in that decade, including 'Zigaboo' Modeliste [[Meters), Dwight Richards [[Chocolate Milk), Herlin Riley, and Johnny Vidacovich.
In a glaring example of music business irony, this uniquely gifted innovator wound up lending his talents to a side [["The Funkie Moon"on Intrepid) obviously designed to resemble a Meters' record [[though with the addition of some hot sax soloing). You can chalk that twisted strategy up to hustler/producer Joe Jones, who surely was seeking to cash in on the cachet of Toussaint's attention-getting house band. But, though blatantly derivative, "The Funkie Moon" was still a well-executed, cookin' track, with Johnson attacking the drums convincingly in the break-em-up style of his young protege, Zig Modeliste. It deserved better than the instant oblivion it got with Intrepid. I don't know how or why Joe Jones placed this single with the Chicago based company, which in its short run seemed to have released pop, rock & soul records that had little or no impact; but it certainly wasn't the right place for "The Funkie Moon" to shine.
Smokey Johnson & Joe Jones had some history prior to this track. In 1963, the producer/promoter took a number of local Nola vocalists to Detroit to audition for Berry Gordy at Motown, bringing Smokey and other musicians along to accompany them. His abilities so impressed Gordy and company that they asked Johnson to stay on after the others [[unsigned save for Earl King) had gone; and so he did for a while before returning home, showing the session drummers up North some of the techniques needed to become funk brothers.
Attachment 4396

[jsmith]

More info on the net about Smokey Johnson ....
Back before funk music had a name, creative New Orleans drummers of the 1950s and early 1960s such as Earl Palmer, Hungry Williams, and Smokey Johnson [[among others) incorporated elements of the strutting, syncopated Second Line street parade rhythmic patterns into their style of playing, mixing in elements of Caribbean or Latin at times, as well as other change-ups, and reshaped the landscape of 20th century drumming.
Any feature on Wardell Quezergue would be incomplete without bringing up Joseph 'Smokey' Johnson. If you search for references to this outstanding drummer, you'll find many as his grooves are the foundation of many a New Orleans track. Smokey also made a few recordings as the featured artist, most of his singles being released on the Nola label. These were collaborations with producer/arranger Quezergue, who used Johnson frequently on sessions.
Several years before his Nola 45's [[1961), Johnson and Quezergue had worked together on the session for Earl King's proto-funk classic, "Trick Bag", produced by Dave Bartholomew. Also around that time, Bartholomew also used Johnson for Snooks Eaglin's Imperial sessions. Soon thereafter, the drummer went with Quezergue, promoter Joe Jones, and several other New Orleans artists [[including Johnny Adams and Earl King) to audition for Motown in Detroit, where they recorded numerous demo sessions. Earl King once remarked that at least part of the reason why they got in the door was Motown's fascination with Smokey Johnson, who could do more on a trap set by himself than any two of the label's session drummers. Although Berry Gordy ended up signing only King to a contract [[but never releasing anything he cut), he wanted to keep the remarkable Johnson around for a while. So, Smokey Johnson stayed in Detroit for a couple of months. His influence on the Motown sound was profound and is still not well-known. Gordy had his staff drummers study Smokey's techniques, appropriating some of New Orleans' precious trade secrets and incorporating them into countless hit sessions at the expense of the music business back home.
1963 was when Nola Records was formed in New Orleans. Quezergue was a partner in the label as well as principal producer/arranger. It wasn't long before he gave his frequent session drummer some solo shots; and the two wound up writing and recording what has become a New Orleans standard; "It Ain't My Fault". Not too long after the escape of "It Ain't My Fault", other 45's credited to Johnson hit the shops and one of these was "I Can't Help It" [[the 3rd of Johnson's 6 singles on Nola). This side is approached in remarkably similar style to "It Ain't My Fault" but also has much in common with Nola's biggest hit outing; Robert Parker's “Barefootin”. All these tracks were probably laid down around the same time as “Barefootin” strangely remained in the vaults for around a year before securing release.

[jsmith]

The Earl King sides included on the 'Blue Evolutions' CD are .........
"Three Knocks On My Door"
"A Man And A Book"
"Hunger Pains"
............. "A Man And A Book" got some plays on the UK NS scene after the CD came out [[it would have gained many more but for the fact that only tracks played off vinyl are accepted at the majority of NS venues & Motown / Universal never had the foresight to put this cut out on vinyl).
Most of the other early 60's tracks included on the CD are from Sammy Ward & Mable John. As these two artists were just about the most bluesy [[funky) artists with Motown at that time, I guess Smokey Johnson could well have played on some of their cuts.

[jsmith]

"A Man And A Book" ain't on youtube but one of the other Earl King tracks is ........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0Z2uAiHb3E
... cut at Hitsville, though it doesn't sound like it was !!!

[keith_hughes]

The artists involved were Earl King, Joe Jones, "Eskew Reeder" [[I think we can guess that one!) and Reggie Hall. Sessions took place over three days, August 12-15 1963, and twelve songs were recorded. Clarence Paul produced the Reeder tracks [[on the 12th), then Joe Jones produced at the remaining sessions. I have read that there were "contractual difficulties" between Gordy and Jones, which could not be resolved, following which Jones led the troupe back to NOLA. But Earl King either remained, or returned, and recorded another nine tracks, between September 8-12 1963. "A Man ..." and "Hunger Pains" were from this later group of sessions. On these sessions, Jones again produced, implying he at least remained or returned, and business difficulties had not yet reached an impasse.

If, as what you write implies, Earl King was in fact signed to Motown, that would explain how it was possible to include some of his tracks on the "Blues Evolution" CD. If the others were not signed, the likelihood of Esquerita ever appearing on a Motown CD is remote, sadly.

There's no info in the Session files as to which musicians worked on Motown tracks, either for these sessions or any others. However, those with an ear for these things might like to note that the only other project worked on in the studio between August 12-15 1963 was the "Heat Wave" album by Martha & the Vandellas: apart from the title cut, all the remaining tracks plus one uncompleted out-take were cut in two days, which is fast work - implying very professional musicians. [[Not that I'm implying the Funk Brothers were less than professional, of course.)

[motown_david]

I've just spoken with Roz Ashford Holmes who told me that they recorded that album to pre-recorded backing tracks and so she has no idea who the musicians were on the sessions. They flew in to Detroit from their appearnces at the Howard in Wasington DC, reecorded all night and flew back the next morning to do their 5 shows a day there. Motown sure worked them hard.