Motown female and male groups

**captainjames** · 06-15-2013, 05:06 AM

Does anyone have any idea why Motown never tried to team Martha and The Vandellas up with The Four Tops or The Spinners or The Originals ? It seemed like they found a winning match with The Tempts and The Supremes and Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell so I can't believe he [[Berry Gordy ) didn't experiment with The Vandellas. It may have have been a little too late for The Marvelettes at that time.

**Kamasu_Jr** · 06-15-2013, 07:20 AM

In a way, the Vandelllas, Andantes were teamed with the Four Tops on My Baby Loves Me. But I know what you mean. The Spinners were a low priority. They would not have been teamed with anyone. Teaming two groups didn't become possible until The Supremes and the Temptations. It was usually a male singer and a female. Maybe the idea never crossed anyone's minds.

thomas96 · 06-15-2013, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

Maybe the idea never crossed anyone's minds.

That's what I think... The Supremes and Temptations together didn't come until 1968 and at that time the only really popular girl group was the Supremes, and they were already with the Temps. They did pair the Four Tops and Supremes, remember?

**Ngroove** · 06-15-2013, 01:25 PM

Motown has done plenty of liberties of "team ups" to attempt to push lesser stars, to brighten them as "bigger" stars, with pairing with already stars. See pairing Marvin Gaye, with Kim Weston, then Tammi Terrell. Edwin Starr with Blinky Williams. Dennis Edwards, a former Contour, a group that had for a few years that point been dying anyways, being a Temptation. Billy Preston with Syreeta Wright. I've even now got a record of Thelma Houston, a formidable enough disco name but still only notable pop-wise for "Don't Leave Me This Way" paired up with Jerry Butler, whom we all know is a pretty long seasoned soul veteran.
Hmmmm....my ideas of neat Motown team-ups: A) SOUL All-Stars: Gladys Knight & the Pips / Junior Walker & the All-Stars, B) Martha Reeves & the Vandellas / Diana Ross & the Supremes, "Battle of the Bands" style! Although in my ears, I would say Martha would gain the upper hand anyways! C) Michael Jackson / Diana Ross, 1975, coulda been a mega seller easy for Motown, sell like hotcakes! D) Finis Henderson OR Michael Lovesmith, two highly underappreciated names, my opinion, whose "Skip To My Lou" and "Break The Ice" shoulda gotten more, with.....hmmmm.....can't really say Motown had a star-selling medium, between too extreme Rick James, or poppy DeBarge, or adult contemporary Lionel Richie during that point, mid-ish 80s.....give ARISTA a ring, and recruit Aretha Franklin for the cause!

thomas96 · 06-15-2013, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by Ngroove

Hmmmm....my ideas of neat Motown team-ups: A) SOUL All-Stars: Gladys Knight & the Pips / Junior Walker & the All-Stars

Oh my god! The All Stars playing the track, the Pips singing background, and Gladys and Junior singing, with Junior on sax!!! Damn! That would be the most amazing thing ever!

**Kamasu_Jr** · 06-15-2013, 01:39 PM

You guys are forgetting your history. Michael Jackson was paired with Diana Ross on Ease On Down the Road. Feelin' Alright doesn't count because she didn't sing a verse.

**arrr&bee** · 06-15-2013, 01:55 PM

Not a bad idea,but other than levi or david i don't think that many would've been able to keep up with martha in her prime!

**splanky** · 06-15-2013, 02:28 PM

To me it basically came down to the fact that the Supremes and Temptations already had a
history even before hitting, remember The Primes and Primettes? Also with Berry wanting
to break into television and later film , I might add, The Tempts and Supremes fit perfectly
with TCB, not to forget appearances on other shows. Motown wasn't really big on too much
mixing of it's acts outside of Marvin's duets, except where a producer with crazy juice [[Norman Whitfield) or an artist or wrestled away enough power [[ Stevie Wonder) did so
on their own. I have to say a Gladys Knight /Junior Walker pairing would have pumped all
of the wax out of my ears something lovely!....

**arrr&bee** · 06-15-2013, 02:59 PM

It would've been cool to hear the supremes and temps hook up on [take me where you go]with david on lead for the temps!

**marv2** · 06-15-2013, 03:09 PM

I would have like to have heard The Supremes [[Mary Wilson, Scherrie Payne and Cindy Birdsong) do something with The Miracles [[Billy Griffin, Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers and Ronnie White) in the 70's.