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  1. #1
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    Tommy Good Protest!

    A re-enactment of a Tommy Good fan protest from 1964; his fans wanted his record released!
    https://www.detroitnews.com/story/en...m/69589966007/

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    If It Helps here is two of them for the time being: One Issued & One Unissued




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    I've always thought that original "protest" about "Motown won't release Tommy Good's songs!" was a complete load of sh!t. A smart marketing idea to create buzz about a new artist with promise who had been performing around the city, but... not likely based in reality. I'm sure the intent was basically, "hey, kids like to protest things and march with signs these days," so maybe a bit of local media coverage can be generated if we do something like that--and hopefully people will want to hear the music? It was a gamble and it didn't work.

    That said, I like Tommy's Motown output. Sadly, it didn't have the same electricity as music being recorded by The Temptations or Marvin or The Tops, etc., at the same time, but it was clearly material with a strong Motown Sound that definitely was worth hearing/having. I think of how some fans call out the difference between Los Angeles-produced Motown circa 1964-65-66 and generally find LA productions inferior to Detroit-produced Motown from the same period. Lucky Tommy at least got to record all his material in Detroit, in the Snakepit, with the Funk Brothers! I also think "Baby I Miss You" was a good choice for single. Too bad it just didn't click with the public so that there could have been further releases. At least we finally got the Collection CD back in 2006. [OMG, was it that long ago?!]

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    Was just looking at all the Tommy Good songs I have in my collection between TCMS4, the 2006 Collection, and subsequent Cellarful releases, and [unless there are more vaulted recordings that go beyond that date] Tommy continued recording into 1965 and his last recording date was September 11, 1965. Even though "Baby I Miss You" didn't chart, Motown clearly felt he was worth keeping on contract and working with. Too bad they didn't feel any of the music was worth releasing at the time. He seemed to work either with Smokey or with Staunton & Walker [the latter technically being Robert Dobyne]. Other than working with Smokey [who perhaps wanted to help], it makes it seem that Tommy was not necessarily a priority for the company since he wasn't working with HDH or continuing with Mickey. It would be interesting if Tommy could have been asked at that event last week some more in depth questions about what he felt might have gone wrong despite being signed to Motown for well over a year.

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    I found a copy of Tommy Good's "Baby I Miss You" Gordy 45 in a five-and-dime close-out bin for 39 cents back in the day, and I've been a fan ever since. His Motown recording[[s) -- especially "Baby I Miss You" and "I've Gotta Get Away" -- sound like top-notch Motown to me -- especially those complete with The Andantes. If "Baby I Miss You" flopped, it's because it didn't get any radio airplay -- at least not in my area. My local a.m. radio station played tons of Motown starting in 1964. If I had heard "Baby I Miss You", I would have raced to the record store to buy it. Same goes for "I've Gotta Get Away", had it been released.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Jarvis View Post
    If It Helps here is two of them for the time being: One Issued & One Unissued



    I've Gotta Get Away 1st OD 28/01/1965

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    Not really a fan of "Baby I Miss You" but I really rate "I've Gotta Get Away" whcih is among my favourite Motown tracks.

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    Quote Originally Posted by stingbeelee View Post
    A re-enactment of a Tommy Good fan protest from 1964; his fans wanted his record released!
    https://www.detroitnews.com/story/en...m/69589966007/
    This is great!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by mysterysinger View Post
    I really rate "I've Gotta Get Away" which is among my favourite Motown tracks.
    I really love that track, too, mystery. It's a shame that Tommy's version got relegated to the vaults. It's even more mind-boggling that Motown didn't reassign "I've Gotta Get Away" to another Motown artist or group. That recording with the marvelous string passages and The Andantes enriching it is/was far too good to let die on the vine, as it did.

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    Most are well aware concerning Tommy Good and his CD "The Motown Collection" there are 20 tracks and most are unissued from the vaults. It is difficult to find the CD as it was originally issued in 2006. Those that are really interested in supporting Tommy can download one or all of the Twenty tracks directly from Amazon. [The UK prices are around 2.50 per track] Maybe the supporters can then also distribute flyers to others?

    Attachment 20105
    Last edited by Graham Jarvis; 12-05-2022 at 05:39 AM.

  11. #11
    And of course the subsequent release of I Found My Love In You on Cellarful Of Motown 5 which wasn't overlooked for the 'Collection' but simply arrived from the US as a single very poor authentic 60's mix but didn't quite cut the mustard as we had heard much better versions. It took another ten years or so to turn up the much better mix that was released on COM5 which totally thrilled Tommy..

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    Yes well familiar with "I Found My Love In You" like most in the early 2000"s there was CD's after one another which was incredible at the time to hear all of these unissued and rare Motown songs. I do however prefer the raw and original acetates as well as the issued 45's throughout the 5T,6T's, & 7T's and keeping them as they were rather than different mixes. We all have different preferences and that's Ok.

    I have always liked Tommy Good's music and it was a pleasure to finally get his CD and all of the unissued tracks. The "I Found My Love In You" [as you mention] personally I never found "I Found My Love" as one of his best. However I still love his music.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Jarvis View Post
    Yes well familiar with "I Found My Love In You" like most in the early 2000"s there was CD's after one another which was incredible at the time to hear all of these unissued and rare Motown songs. I do however prefer the raw and original acetates as well as the issued 45's throughout the 5T,6T's, & 7T's and keeping them as they were rather than different mixes. We all have different preferences and that's Ok.

    I have always liked Tommy Good's music and it was a pleasure to finally get his CD and all of the unissued tracks. The "I Found My Love In You" [as you mention] personally I never found "I Found My Love" as one of his best. However I still love his music.
    Absolutely agree with you and where there were mixed versions [[DM's) of tracks in the vaults in either mono or stereo these were of course used unless the mixes were really poor. The only times our team mixed tracks were when no previous mixes were found or only mono's had been released - much the same attitude as all other reissue labels follow. But of course if there were never any mixes done or saved the there was no choice other than to mix them nowadays, better to have a modern mix than no mix at all.

    Inciedentally on checking, the label obviously had a lot of faith in at least I've Gotta Get Away as they made over a dozen and a half mixes of the track
    Last edited by paul_nixon; 12-05-2022 at 11:33 AM.

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    Live performance of "Ask the Lonely" 2006. I also noticed his studio version was included on one of those Motown Treasures CDs.

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    I thought that the "Motown Sings Motown Treasures" version was Ivy Joe Hunter. I would love to hear Tommy`s original version if it exists.

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    Yes I think it was an error re Tommy Good/Ivy Hunter on that CD

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    I love "I gotta get away".
    Will feature it on my radio soon.

  18. #18
    When I got that Motown Collection CD, a couple of things struck me about Tommy's Motown career; as it often happened at Motown, they released the weakest recording and left the much more dynamic material in the can. "Baby I Miss You" wasn't much to get excited about. It ain't bad but it's a rather pedestrian song that went out in a period when Motown was really heating up with some great, exciting records. "Baby I Miss You" seemed saddled with a sound that was by-the-numbers with it's cilp-clopping beat and lyrics that were actually odd if you pay attention to them. The guy's girlfriend/wife is going away. OK, I get it, yeah he's gonna miss her. Except for one thing: the woman's only going for ONE NIGHT.

    The lyrics corner Tommy into sounding incredibly dependent on someone to the point that he has to bolster his inner strength by saying "you can take it Tommy, I know you can!" Tommy and the Andantes really are the BEST thing about this record. But even the Andantes seem to be working overtime trying to elevate this record.

    By comparison, "Talk About A Good Feeling" was a better bet and"She's A Living Doll" was even better. One of Tommy's best songs was the Staunton and Walker production, "You're Something To Talk About." Why was Motown forever stashing away really good records and going with weaker material?

    The other thing that struck me about Tommy's time at Motown was that the timing was super unfortunate. 1964 was a surprisingly explosive year for Motown because all of a sudden, the Temptations, Brenda Holloway, Four Tops and Supremes got hot. Very hot. Motown was still a relatively young company and trying to gain some sustainable momentum. Mary Wells had been Motown's ticket but NOW they just got a run of big hits within a short period of time. So if Motown was your company, where is your attention going to be focused? And think like a business man and NOT a fan. Unfortunately, Tommy, Carolyn, and others who weren't hitting were suddenly out in the cold.
    Last edited by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance; 12-06-2022 at 04:32 AM.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by snakepit View Post
    Yes I think it was an error re Tommy Good/Ivy Hunter on that CD
    Spot on Snake it was one of the many versions IJH recorded over the years general concenus is that one may have been a guide for Tommy

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    I sent Tommy an email regarding this interesting thread. Hopefully he will post.

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by ralpht View Post
    I sent Tommy an email regarding this interesting thread. Hopefully he will post.
    That would be great!

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    I wasn't at the reenactment of the "protest", but I was asked to play Motown records at the former Berry Gordy mansion in Boston-Edison the next day. Tommy Good performed in the ballroom in the basement and sounded great! Louvain Demps was also there, and I was able to get my copies of both of their records signed.
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  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by nsoule View Post
    I wasn't at the reenactment of the "protest", but I was asked to play Motown records at the former Berry Gordy mansion in Boston-Edison the next day. Tommy Good performed in the ballroom in the basement and sounded great! Louvain Demps was also there, and I was able to get my copies of both of their records signed.
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    Wow! Now THAT is something to treasure forever. Are you a DJ? That's so awesome that you got to play records at Berry's former mansion.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance View Post
    When I got that Motown Collection CD, a couple of things struck me about Tommy's Motown career; as it often happened at Motown, they released the weakest recording and left the much more dynamic material in the can. "Baby I Miss You" wasn't much to get excited about. It ain't bad but it's a rather pedestrian song that went out in a period when Motown was really heating up with some great, exciting records. "Baby I Miss You" seemed saddled with a sound that was by-the-numbers with it's cilp-clopping beat and lyrics that were actually odd if you pay attention to them. The guy's girlfriend/wife is going away. OK, I get it, yeah he's gonna miss her. Except for one thing: the woman's only going for ONE NIGHT.

    The lyrics corner Tommy into sounding incredibly dependent on someone to the point that he has to bolster his inner strength by saying "you can take it Tommy, I know you can!" Tommy and the Andantes really are the BEST thing about this record. But even the Andantes seem to be working overtime trying to elevate this record.

    By comparison, "Talk About A Good Feeling" was a better bet and"She's A Living Doll" was even better. One of Tommy's best songs was the Staunton and Walker production, "You're Something To Talk About." Why was Motown forever stashing away really good records and going with weaker material?

    The other thing that struck me about Tommy's time at Motown was that the timing was super unfortunate. 1964 was a surprisingly explosive year for Motown because all of a sudden, the Temptations, Brenda Holloway, Four Tops and Supremes got hot. Very hot. Motown was still a relatively young company and trying to gain some sustainable momentum. Mary Wells had been Motown's ticket but NOW they just got a run of big hits within a short period of time. So if Motown was your company, where is your attention going to be focused? And think like a business man and NOT a fan. Unfortunately, Tommy, Carolyn, and others who weren't hitting were suddenly out in the cold.
    Hey WaitingWatching, I have to disagree about "Baby I Miss You" , which I think is pretty excellent, and single-worthy. Also, Tommy’s version of "Leaving Here" [the B-Side of "Baby I Miss You"] is possibly my favourite.

    But, "You're Something To Talk About" is a great song [it has that distinct Staunton & Walker sound!!], as is "I've Gotta Get Away".

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    Hey WaitingWatching, I have to disagree about "Baby I Miss You" , which I think is pretty excellent, and single-worthy. Also, Tommy’s version of "Leaving Here" [the B-Side of "Baby I Miss You"] is possibly my favourite.

    But, "You're Something To Talk About" is a great song [it has that distinct Staunton & Walker sound!!], as is "I've Gotta Get Away".
    Hi Tom! Mid-Week Greetings! Recently, my brother and I were remembering some of the music we grew up with and we started talking about Al Green. I was saying how I loved those songs and still do but I was amazed to find out he NEVER liked them! He just heard them completely differently than I did. I often think about that whenever I'm on SF and there are differences of opinions about the music. It's amazing how our ears can hear things so differently!��.

    I do wish Motown would have put out more of those Staunton and Walker productions!

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    Quote Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance View Post
    Wow! Now THAT is something to treasure forever. Are you a DJ? That's so awesome that you got to play records at Berry's former mansion.
    I did DJ quite a bit when I lived in Chicago, but not really anymore since I moved to Detroit in 2013. And by DJ, I mean playing one 45 after another. Lol. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime type experience getting to play records at the mansion. It's beautiful inside, and the current owners definitely seem to know and care about the history. There were no Frank Wilson 45s stuffed in medicine cabinets and forgotten about though - I checked.

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    Quote Originally Posted by nsoule View Post
    There were no Frank Wilson 45s stuffed in medicine cabinets and forgotten about though - I checked.
    YES! Always check the medicine cabinets when you visit a new place, haha!

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    I too wish that Motown would have used Staunton -Walker more.
    I think we recently discovered that this great NS tune is Motown's Robert Walker.
    The Blizzard...RCA

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S5Q161ChlLo

  29. #29
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    Hey Nick
    Was that the Detroit Berry Gordy mansion the one that went up for sale in 2017 and there was records galore [29 copies of Camel Walk by Saundra Mallett and a number of Message 45's] that also went for sale including Berry's piano?

    https://www.soul-source.co.uk/search...e=cms_records5

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    Robert Walker's RCA 45 9304 1967 was a favourite during the mid 7T's 1974/5 mostly it was the era of uptempo instrumentals and it was the B side "Stick To Me [Inst]" that was the more popular side of the record at the NS events. The "Blizzard" still a great record.

    Robert Walker & The Night Riders also had an uptempo NS 45 on "Detroit Sound" from 1966 "Everything's All Right" . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfdRNEmfCEc

    Any sound files let me know.
    Last edited by Graham Jarvis; 12-08-2022 at 03:35 PM.

  31. #31
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    I'm in touch with Tommy and he should appear soon. Working out the details.

  32. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by ralpht View Post
    I'm in touch with Tommy and he should appear soon. Working out the details.
    That'll be fantastic!

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    Tommy Good is such a nice guy, and a wonderful singer. To this day he's got it! I'll try to get some more footage but this was Tommy sitting in with my group for the opening night of this year's Detroit A Go Go fest, he is always great!

    https://www.facebook.com/1267020107/...43427849555223

  34. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by drewschultz88 View Post
    Tommy Good is such a nice guy, and a wonderful singer. To this day he's got it! I'll try to get some more footage but this was Tommy sitting in with my group for the opening night of this year's Detroit A Go Go fest, he is always great!

    https://www.facebook.com/1267020107/...43427849555223
    This is great, thanks for posting this! He sounds as if "How Sweet It Is" could have been written just for him. It's really great to see that he never stopped performing and that even with just ONE official Motown release, thanks to YouTube, I think he has more fans today than ever. I became one as soon as I bought that CD anthology. I've noticed the responses I get on videos with his music are always the same: "why didn't Motown put out more of his records?" The overall feeling is that Tommy had the talent and was deserving of much more. Even with viewers that I know were born maybe only within the last 20 years or so, the response is positive to his Motown recordings. His voice was one of the best Motown had- there's a song he did "Talk About A Good Feeling", and they had Marvin also do the song with the same backing track- both were great, and that says a lot about Tommy; any day you can sing the same song as Marvin Gaye AND sound just as good- yeah, you got IT!

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    Still waiting for Tommy. Dealing with a storm now. Hope he is okay.

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    I'm thinking Tommy may have lost power because of the storm. Stay tuned. I'm working on it.

  37. #37
    Hello to all my friends at Soulful detroit It’s good to talk to you again. Ralph emailed me and asked if I would answer some Questions on the reenacted march. I of course will do that for my good friend.
    the march was Al Abrams Idea [[ Motown press man). Al sold Berry to the Idea and that’s how it started. It was a publicity stunt. Singing for berry and all my fans that day on the front lawn was something I’ll never forget. I was a gutsy move on Berry’s part.

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    Tommy.So good to see you and have you join us. We go back many years.

  39. #39
    My good friend Phill Dick called me and asked if I would like to do an reenactment of the original march which was 58 years ago. I said great. It was great fun and done so well. I Should say right now that I’ll do my best with my computer skills. Which are Questionable.

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    You're doing just fine, Tommy.



    ypo'

  41. #41

    The march

    Yes Ralph we go way back, I have always been a fan of yours and your brother, I remember setting in with you guys at the Metropol in Canada, always a good time.

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    Yeah, I remember the Metropol. We were so young then, Tommy.

    Tom, it is a Holiday weekend so things might start a little slow. The questions will come. Look in from rime to time. You have loyal fans here.

  43. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by tommy good View Post
    Hello to all my friends at Soulful detroit It’s good to talk to you again. Ralph emailed me and asked if I would answer some Questions on the reenacted march. I of course will do that for my good friend.
    the march was Al Abrams Idea [[ Motown press man). Al sold Berry to the Idea and that’s how it started. It was a publicity stunt. Singing for berry and all my fans that day on the front lawn was something I’ll never forget. I was a gutsy move on Berry’s part.
    Yow!!!!! It's so awesome to have you here! I have been a great fan ever since I bought that Motown Anthology CD. Right now on YouTube, you've gotten nothing but glowing reviews for your singing. What is really nice though, is that I think the majority of comments are from people like myself- you're a "new" Motown artist and the discovery is pure joy. Plus, many of us were either born around the time you were at Motown or even years later so yours is a timeless gift.

    I'd love to hear your recollections of that day of the March, but also, what was it like working with Robert Staunton and Robert Walker? You recorded quite a few of their songs and a lot of people wish there had been more because you really aced those songs. "You're Something To Talk About" is a particular fan favorite.

    Again it's great that you're giving us your time and I'm going to have to try very, VERY hard not to deluge you with more questions!

  44. #44
    I would like to address the lyrics to Baby I Miss You. I had nothing at all todo with writing lyrics or melody of any of the songs on my Motown CD. None of us were encouraged to take part in the writing process. Berry had his writers and for the the most part, that was it. I just sang every thing that Berry asked me to.

  45. #45
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    Merry Christmas old pal. I look at you joining us as an exceptional Christmas present.

  46. #46
    Hi waiting, watching,etc. I want to thank you for the kind words on my singing, it is music to my ears. Thank you.
    staunton@ walker has 5 songs on my CD. 1- small town girl, one of my favorites. 2- she’s a living doll. 3- talk about a good feeling. 4- our own private world. 5- you’re something to talk about. I loved those guys, they were so easy to work with.

  47. #47
    Ralph, thank you for that wonderful sentiment, you are one of the best my man.

  48. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by tommy good View Post
    I would like to address the lyrics to Baby I Miss You. I had nothing at all todo with writing lyrics or melody of any of the songs on my Motown CD. None of us were encouraged to take part in the writing process. Berry had his writers and for the the most part, that was it. I just sang every thing that Berry asked me to.
    I think everyone knows that "Baby I Miss You" was written by William Stevenson, and there are no stones being thrown. If there is one thing every Motown fan knows, it's that EVERYTHING, including the songwriting was done by others, everyone hired to concentrate on doing one thing and doing it well. We know artists were basically expected to sing a song as is and often according to a singer demo. That's why your singing is appreciated, because it retained a quality that was still original and expressive. I remember someone said about Billie Holliday that she was so good because she could take a song that wasn't the most spectacular and make it sound like something you WANTED to hear. I've noticed at Motown, two people could sing the same song and yet one could make even the dullest song sound like a hit. For me, had I been a teenager back then, I think I would have bought "Baby I Miss You" solely because of your performance of it.

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    Wow. This is incredible. Thank you so much for taking time out on your Christmas to come here and field some questions. Thanks Ralph for making this happen. It's very special to hear from people who were around for some of the things we idolize today. Merry Christmas!

  50. #50
    Hi Mr. Good. If you see this, I always wanted to know about your group, the Tabs. Did Motown want you as a solo artist or did the guys just decide they wanted to move on? The band sounded good but I was thinking maybe Motown felt since they had Jr. Walker & the All Stars doing something similar, maybe Berry Gordy felt there was a better chance with you as a solo artist.

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