1.
Album
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Album, is a collection of audio recordings issued as a single item on CD, record, audio tape, or another medium. Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century, first as books of individual 78rpm records, vinyl LPs are still issued, though in the 21st century album sales have mostly focused on compact disc and MP3 formats. The audio cassette was a format used from the late 1970s through to the 1990s alongside vinyl, an album may be recorded in a recording studio, in a concert venue, at home, in the field, or a mix of places. Recording may take a few hours to years to complete, usually in several takes with different parts recorded separately. Recordings that are done in one take without overdubbing are termed live, the majority of studio recordings contain an abundance of editing, sound effects, voice adjustments, etc. With modern recording technology, musicians can be recorded in separate rooms or at times while listening to the other parts using headphones. Album covers and liner notes are used, and sometimes additional information is provided, such as analysis of the recording, historically, the term album was applied to a collection of various items housed in a book format. In musical usage the word was used for collections of pieces of printed music from the early nineteenth century. Later, collections of related 78rpm records were bundled in book-like albums, the LP record, or 33 1⁄3 rpm microgroove vinyl record, is a gramophone record format introduced by Columbia Records in 1948. It was adopted by the industry as a standard format for the album. Apart from relatively minor refinements and the important later addition of stereophonic sound capability, the term album had been carried forward from the early nineteenth century when it had been used for collections of short pieces of music. Later, collections of related 78rpm records were bundled in book-like albums, as part of a trend of shifting sales in the music industry, some commenters have declared that the early 21st century experienced the death of the album. Sometimes shorter albums are referred to as mini-albums or EPs, Albums such as Tubular Bells, Amarok, Hergest Ridge by Mike Oldfield, and Yess Close to the Edge, include fewer than four tracks. There are no rules against artists such as Pinhead Gunpowder referring to their own releases under thirty minutes as albums. These are known as box sets, material is stored on an album in sections termed tracks, normally 11 or 12 tracks. A music track is a song or instrumental recording. The term is associated with popular music where separate tracks are known as album tracks. When vinyl records were the medium for audio recordings a track could be identified visually from the grooves
2.
The Temptations
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The Temptations are an American vocal group known for their success with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. Known for their choreography, distinct harmonies, and flashy wardrobe, having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are one of the most successful groups in music history. As of 2015, the Temptations continue to perform with one member, Otis Williams. Featuring five male vocalists and dancers, the formed in 1960 in Detroit. In 1964, Bryant was replaced by David Ruffin, who was the lead vocalist on a number of the groups biggest hits, including My Girl, Aint Too Proud to Beg, and I Wish It Would Rain. Ruffin was replaced in 1968 by Dennis Edwards, with whom the group continued to record hit records such as Cloud Nine, the groups lineup has changed frequently since the departures of Kendricks and Paul Williams from the act in 1971. Over the course of their career, the Temptations have released four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and fourteen R&B number-one singles, and their material has earned them three Grammy Awards. The Temptations were the first Motown recording act to win a Grammy Award - for Cloud Nine in 1969 -, six of the Temptations were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Three classic Temptations songs, My Girl, Just My Imagination, the Temptations were also ranked at number 68 on Rolling Stone magazines list of the 100 Greatest Artists of all time. Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams started singing together in church as children, by their teenage years, they formed a doo-wop quartet in 1955 with Kell Osborne and Wiley Waller, naming themselves the Cavaliers. After Waller left the group in 1957, the trio left Birmingham to break into the music business. The group settled in Detroit where they changed their name to the Primes under the direction of Milton Jenkins, the Primes soon became well known around the Detroit area for their meticulous performances. Jenkins later created a group, The Primettes, later known as the Supremes. Kendricks was already seen as an idol in the Detroit area while Williams was well received for his baritone vocals. Texas teenager Otis Williams moved to Detroit as a youngster to be with his mother, by 1958, Williams was the leader of a vocal group named Otis Williams and the Siberians. The group included Elbridge Al Bryant, James Pee-Wee Crawford, Vernard Plain, the group recorded a song, Pecos Kid for a label run by radio deejay Senator Bristol Bryant. Shortly after its release, the changed its name to The El Domingoes. Following this, Montgomery native Melvin Franklin replaced Arthur Walton as bass vocalist and Franklins cousin, Detroit-born Richard Street, signing with Johnnie Mae Matthews Northern Records, the group had their name changed again to The Distants
3.
Hitsville U.S.A.
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Hitsville U. S. A. is the nickname given to Motowns first headquarters. A former photographers studio located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, approaching the New Center area and it was converted for use as the record labels administrative building and recording studio, which was open 22 hours a day. In 1959, Gordy formed his first label, Tamla Records, the photography studio located in the back of the property was modified into a small recording studio, and the Gordys moved into the second-floor living quarters. Within seven years, Motown would occupy seven additional neighboring houses, enterprise,1962 – offices for Berry Gordy, Jr. In 1968, Gordy purchased the Donovan building, on the corner of Woodward Avenue and Interstate 75, in the same year Gordy purchased Golden World Records, and its recording studio became Motowns Studio B. In 1972, Gordy relocated the Motown Records headquarters to Los Angeles, the original Hitsville studios, which had produced a long string of worldwide hits, is now the Motown Museum. The following year, he reorganized the company into Motown Industries, many Motown fans believed the companys heart and soul were lost following the move and that its golden age of creativity ended after its 13 years in Detroit. Esther Gordy Edwards refused to move to California and was put in charge of what was left of Motowns Detroit office in the Hitsville building, Edwards received several requests for the Hitsville building to receive visitors. She and her secretary put up posters and gold records and she also carefully preserved Studio A. Since 1985, the Hitsville U. S. A. building has been the site of the Motown Museum, dedicated to the legacy of the label, its artists. Edwardss granddaughter Robin Terry maintains involvement as board chair, three of the original homes are used by the Motown Museum. Hitsville U. S. A. and the Jobete office are connected for the exhibit, which contains costumes, photos, also featured are Motowns Studio A and Berry Gordys upstairs apartment, decorated to appear as they did during the 1960s. The finance department is currently an administrative office, West Grand Boulevard is named Berry Gordy, Jr. Boulevard in the area where the Motown Historical Museum is located. The museum is one of Detroits most popular tourist destinations, the Motown piano is an 1877 Steinway & Sons Model D grand piano, used by many musicians, including the Funk Brothers studio band, at the Hitsville U. S. A. Studio B from 1967 to 1972, on July 24,2011, Paul McCartney was in Detroit for a performance at Comerica Park, as part of his On the Run Tour, and visited the Motown Museum for a private guided tour. While touring Studio A, he asked to play the Motown piano and it was restored in 2012, with the support of McCartney, and was played by McCartney and Berry Gordy at a charity event September 2012. The piano was inherited by Motown after it bought Golden World Records in 1967, the Golden World studio then became Hitsville U. S. A. The piano is on display in Studio A at the Motown Museum, Berry Gordy Esther Gordy Edwards Motown Music of Detroit The Funk Brothers Motown Museum - official website Come and Get These Memories
4.
Detroit
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Detroit is the most populous city in the U. S. state of Michigan, the fourth-largest city in the Midwest and the largest city on the United States–Canada border. It is the seat of Wayne County, the most populous county in the state, the municipality of Detroit had a 2015 estimated population of 677,116, making it the 21st-most populous city in the United States. Roughly one-half of Michigans population lives in Metro Detroit alone, the Detroit–Windsor area, a commercial link straddling the Canada–U. S. Border, has a population of about 5.7 million. Detroit is a port on the Detroit River, a strait that connects the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is among the most important hubs in the United States, the City of Detroit anchors the second-largest economic region in the Midwest, behind Chicago, and the thirteenth-largest in the United States. Detroit and its neighboring Canadian city Windsor are connected through a tunnel and various bridges, Detroit was founded on July 24,1701 by the French explorer and adventurer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and a party of settlers. During the 19th century, it became an important industrial hub at the center of the Great Lakes region, with expansion of the American automobile industry in the early 20th century, the Detroit area emerged as a significant metropolitan region within the United States. The city became the fourth-largest in the country for a period, in the 1950s and 1960s, suburban expansion continued with construction of a regional freeway system. A great portion of Detroits public transport was abandoned in favour of becoming a city in the post-war period. Due to industrial restructuring and loss of jobs in the auto industry, between 2000 and 2010 the citys population fell by 25 percent, changing its ranking from the nations 10th-largest city to 18th. In 2010, the city had a population of 713,777 and this resulted from suburbanization, corruption, industrial restructuring and the decline of Detroits auto industry. In 2013, the state of Michigan declared an emergency for the city. Detroit has experienced urban decay as its population and jobs have shifted to its suburbs or elsewhere, conservation efforts managed to save many architectural pieces since the 2000s and allowed several large-scale revitalisations. More recently, the population of Downtown Detroit, Midtown Detroit, paleo-Indian people inhabited areas near Detroit as early as 11,000 years ago. In the 17th century, the region was inhabited by Huron, Odawa, Potawatomi, for the next hundred years, virtually no British, colonist, or French action was contemplated without consultation with, or consideration of the Iroquois likely response. When the French and Indian War evicted the Kingdom of France from Canada, the 1798 raids and resultant 1799 decisive Sullivan Expedition reopened the Ohio Country to westward emigration, which began almost immediately, and by 1800 white settlers were pouring westwards. By 1773, the population of Detroit was 1,400, by 1778, its population was up to 2,144 and it was the third-largest city in the Province of Quebec
5.
Soul music
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Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues, Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music, catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other characteristics are a call and response between the lead vocalist and the chorus and a tense vocal sound. The style also occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds, Soul music reflected the African-American identity and it stressed the importance of an African-American culture. The new-found African-American consciousness led to new styles of music, which boasted pride in being black, Soul music dominated the U. S. R&B chart in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into the pop charts in the U. S. By 1968, the music genre had begun to splinter. Some soul artists developed funk music, while other singers and groups developed slicker, more sophisticated, by the early 1970s, soul music had been influenced by psychedelic rock and other genres, leading to psychedelic soul. The United States saw the development of neo soul around 1994, there are also several other subgenres and offshoots of soul music. The term soul had been used among African-American musicians to emphasize the feeling of being an African-American in the United States, according to another source, Soul music was the result of the urbanization and commercialization of rhythm and blues in the 60s. The phrase soul music itself, referring to music with secular lyrics, is first attested in 1961. The term soul in African-American parlance has connotations of African-American pride, gospel groups in the 1940s and 1950s occasionally used the term as part of their name. The jazz style that derived from gospel came to be called soul jazz, important innovators whose recordings in the 1950s contributed to the emergence of soul music included Clyde McPhatter, Hank Ballard, and Etta James. Ray Charles is often cited as popularizing the genre with his string of hits starting with 1954s I Got a Woman. Singer Bobby Womack said, Ray was the genius and he turned the world onto soul music. Charles was open in acknowledging the influence of Pilgrim Travelers vocalist Jesse Whitaker on his singing style, little Richard and James Brown were equally influential. Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson are also acknowledged as soul forefathers. Cooke became popular as the singer of gospel group The Soul Stirrers
6.
Funk
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Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid- 1960s when African American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues. Like much of African-inspired music, funk typically consists of a groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves. Funk uses the same richly-colored extended chords found in jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths. Other musical groups, including Sly and the Family Stone and Parliament-Funkadelic, soon began to adopt, Funk samples have been used extensively in genres including hip hop, house music, and drum and bass. It is also the influence of go-go, a subgenre associated with funk. The word funk initially referred to a strong odor and it is originally derived from Latin fumigare via Old French fungiere and, in this sense, it was first documented in English in 1620. In 1784 funky meaning musty was first documented, which, in turn, in early jam sessions, musicians would encourage one another to get down by telling one another, Now, put some stank on it. At least as early as 1907, jazz songs carried titles such as Funky, as late as the 1950s and early 1960s, when funk and funky were used increasingly in the context of jazz music, the terms still were considered indelicate and inappropriate for use in polite company. According to one source, New Orleans-born drummer Earl Palmer was the first to use the word funky to explain to other musicians that their music should be made more syncopated, the style later evolved into a rather hard-driving, insistent rhythm, implying a more carnal quality. This early form of the set the pattern for later musicians. The music was identified as slow, sexy, loose, riff-oriented, a great deal of funk is rhythmically based on a two-celled onbeat/offbeat structure, which originated in sub-Saharan African music traditions. New Orleans appropriated the bifurcated structure from the Afro-Cuban mambo and conga in the late 1940s, New Orleans funk, as it was called, gained international acclaim largely because James Browns rhythm section used it to great effect. Funk creates an intense groove by using strong guitar riffs and bass lines, like Motown recordings, funk songs used bass lines as the centerpiece of songs. Slap basss mixture of thumb-slapped low notes and finger popped high notes allowed the bass to have a rhythmic role. In funk bands, guitarists typically play in a style, often using the wah-wah sound effect. Guitarist Ernie Isley of The Isley Brothers and Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic were notably influenced by Jimi Hendrixs improvised solos, Eddie Hazel, who worked with George Clinton, is one of the most notable guitar soloists in funk. Ernie Isley was tutored at an age by Jimi Hendrix himself. Jimmy Nolen and Phelps Collins are famous funk rhythm guitarists who both worked with James Brown, on Browns Give It Up or Turnit a Loose, Jimmy Nolens guitar part has a bare bones tonal structure
7.
Psychedelic soul
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It came to prominence in the late 1960s and continued into the 1970s, playing a major role in the development of funk and disco. Pioneering acts included Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, mainstream acts that developed a psychedelic sound included the Supremes and Stevie Wonder. Acts that achieved notability with the sound included the Chambers Brothers, the 5th Dimension, Edwin Starr, and George Clintons Funkadelic and Parliament ensembles. Following the lead of Jimi Hendrix in psychedelic rock, in the late 1960s psychedelia began to have a impact on African American musicians. Influenced by the civil movement, it had a darker. Other Motown acts soon followed into psychedelic territory, including established performers like the Supremes with Reflections, Love Child, psychedelic influences could also be heard in the work of Stevie Wonder and in Marvin Gayes socially conscious work from Whats Going On. George Clintons interdependent Funkadelic and Parliament ensembles and their various spin-offs, took the genre to its most extreme lengths, making funk almost a religion in the 1970s. And Your Ass Will Follow, and Maggot Brain, and Parliament album Osmium, producing over forty singles, including three in the US top ten, and three platinum albums. Acts like Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang, and Ohio Players, who began as psychedelic soul artists, incorporated its sounds into funk music and eventually the disco which partly replaced it
8.
Motown
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Motown is an American record company. The record company was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12,1958, the name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has also become a nickname for Detroit. Motown played an important role in the integration of popular music as an African American-owned record label that achieved significant crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. During the 1960s, Motown achieved spectacular success for a record company,79 records in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 record chart between 1960 and 1969. The company was sold to MCA Inc. Motown was later sold to PolyGram in 1994, before being sold again to MCA Records successor, Universal Music Group, Motown spent much of the 2000s as a part of the Universal Music subsidiaries Universal Motown and Universal Motown Republic Group, and headquartered in New York City. From 2011 to 2014, Motown was a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music. On April 1,2014, Universal Music Group announced the dissolution of Island Def Jam and it now operates out of the landmark Capitol Tower. For many decades, Motown was the highest-earning African American business in the United States, Berry Gordy got his start as a songwriter for local Detroit acts such as Jackie Wilson and the Matadors. Wilsons single Lonely Teardrops, written by Gordy, became a huge success and he realized that the more lucrative end of the business was in producing records and owning the publishing. In 1959, Billy Davis and Berry Gordys sisters Gwen and Anna started Anna Records, Davis and Gwen Gordy wanted Berry to be the company president, but Berry wanted to strike out on his own. On January 12,1959, he started Tamla Records, with a loan from his family. Gordy originally wanted to name the label Tammy Records, after the hit song popularized by Debbie Reynolds from the 1957 film Tammy, when he found the name was already in use, Berry decided on Tamla instead. Tamlas first release, in the Detroit area, was Marv Johnsons Come to Me in 1959 and its first hit was Barrett Strongs Money, which made it to number 2 on the Billboard R&B charts. Gordys first signed act was the Matadors, who changed their name to the Miracles. Their first release, Got a Job, was a record to the Silhouettes Get a Job. The Miracles first, minor hit was their single, 1959s Bad Girl, released in Detroit as the debut record on the Motown imprint
9.
Record producer
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A record producer or music producer oversees and manages the sound recording and production of a band or performers music, which may range from recording one song to recording a lengthy concept album. A producer has many roles during the recording process, the roles of a producer vary. The producer may perform these roles himself, or help select the engineer, the producer may also pay session musicians and engineers and ensure that the entire project is completed within the record companies budget. A record producer or music producer has a broad role in overseeing and managing the recording. Producers also often take on an entrepreneurial role, with responsibility for the budget, schedules, contracts. In the 2010s, the industry has two kinds of producers with different roles, executive producer and music producer. Executive producers oversee project finances while music producers oversee the process of recording songs or albums. In most cases the producer is also a competent arranger, composer. The producer will also liaise with the engineer who concentrates on the technical aspects of recording. Noted producer Phil Ek described his role as the person who creatively guides or directs the process of making a record, indeed, in Bollywood music, the designation actually is music director. The music producers job is to create, shape, and mold a piece of music, at the beginning of record industry, producer role was technically limited to record, in one shot, artists performing live. The role of producers changed progressively over the 1950s and 1960s due to technological developments, the development of multitrack recording caused a major change in the recording process. Before multitracking, all the elements of a song had to be performed simultaneously, all of these singers and musicians had to be assembled in a large studio and the performance had to be recorded. As well, for a song that used 20 instruments, it was no longer necessary to get all the players in the studio at the same time. Examples include the rock sound effects of the 1960s, e. g. playing back the sound of recorded instruments backwards or clanging the tape to produce unique sound effects. These new instruments were electric or electronic, and thus they used instrument amplifiers, new technologies like multitracking changed the goal of recording, A producer could blend together multiple takes and edit together different sections to create the desired sound. For example, in jazz fusion Bandleader-composer Miles Davis album Bitches Brew, producers like Phil Spector and George Martin were soon creating recordings that were, in practical terms, almost impossible to realise in live performance. Producers became creative figures in the studio, other examples of such engineers includes Joe Meek, Teo Macero, Brian Wilson, and Biddu
10.
Solid Rock (The Temptations album)
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Solid Rock is a 1972 album by The Temptations for the Gordy label, produced by Norman Whitfield. The LP was the first made primarily without founding members and original lead singers Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, on the other hand, had fallen ill due to complications from sickle-cell disease and six years of untreated alcoholism. Williamss final Temptations recording, Its Summer, is the song on Solid Rock that includes his vocals. The Temptations groups paranoia-laced Smiling Faces Sometimes, a Kendricks-led tune from the Skys the Limit LP, was slated as the follow-up to the number-one hit Just My Imagination. With Kendricks now gone, and with the group lacking a first tenor to take his place, Whitfield took the temporarily four-man Temptations and re-recorded Its Summer, the b-side to Ball of Confusion, as a replacement release. Smiling Faces Sometimes was instead released as a single for The Undisputed Truth, meanwhile, Its Summer peaked at number fifty-one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first Temptations single to miss the Top 40 since 1963s Farewell My Love. Although Paul Williams kept up an alliance with the Temptations, Kendricks, as a result, the Temptations and Norman Whitfield released the single Superstar, which addressed the rivalry and called Kendricks and Ruffin out as sell-outs. Superstar was the first Temptations song to feature Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams replacements, Damon Harris, ricky Owens from The Vibrations had been the Temptations original choice for a new first tenor, but Owens only remained with the group a few weeks before being replaced. Take a Look Around and several of the tracks, including What It Is. By 1972, such songs were being seen by critics and the public as outdated or heavy-handed, Whitfield began adding stronger soul and funk influences to future message tracks, reducing the psychedelic influences present in these and earlier such songs. All tracks produced by Norman Whitfield Take a Look Around 2,44 Aint No Sunshine 7,16 Stop The War Now 12,28 What It Is
11.
Masterpiece (The Temptations album)
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Masterpiece is a 1973 album by The Temptations for the Gordy label, produced and written by Norman Whitfield. The title refers to the album being not the groups intended masterpiece, the title track, at nearly fourteen minutes long, includes only three minutes of vocals from the group, who all share sections of the lead vocal. Masterpiece shares space on one with Hey Girl, a slow classic-styled ballad led by Richard Street which opens the album. Side two of the LP opens with Ma, an ode to a hillbilly mother led by Street, Damon Harris, and Melvin Franklin, law of the Land, led by Dennis Edwards, Street, and Harris, was recorded the same year by The Undisputed Truth. The song is a track in the tradition of Dont Let the Joneses Get You Down from Puzzle People. Fans complained directly to the Temptations themselves, and some music journalists began snidely referring to the Temptations as The Norman Whitfield Chorale Singers and other such names. Despite the criticism directed towards the LP, Masterpiece became a #1 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart, and its follow-up, the Papa Was a Rolling Stone-like Plastic Man, hit #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Hey Girl also became a Top 40 hit in the late fall of 1973. Law of the Land was released as a UK-only single by Tamla Motown, Masterpiece was the final Temptations LP recorded in Detroit at Motowns Hitsville U. S. A. studio. By 1973, Motown Records had completed its migration to Hollywood, California, and beginning with the release,1990. All selections written and produced by Norman Whitfield
12.
AllMusic
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AllMusic is an online music guide service website. It was launched in 1991 by All Media Guide which later became All Media Network, AllMusic was launched in 1991 by Michael Erlewine of All Media Guide. The aim was to discographic information on every artist whos made a record since Enrico Caruso gave the industry its first big boost and its first reference book was published the following year. When first released onto the Internet, AMG predated the World Wide Web and was first available as a Gopher site, the AMG consumer web properties AllMusic. com, AllMovie. com and AllGame. com were sold by Rovi in July 2013 to All Media Network, LLC. All Media Network, LLC. was formed by the founders of SideReel. com. The following are contributors to AllMusic, as of this date, All Media Network also produced the AllMusic guide series that includes the AllMusic Guide to Rock, the All Music Guide to Jazz and the All Music Guide to the Blues. Vladimir Bogdanov is the president of the series, in August 2007, PC Magazine included AllMusic in its Top 100 Classic Websites list. All Media Network AllGame AllMovie SideReel All Music Guide to the Blues All Music Guide to Jazz Stephen Thomas Erlewine Official website
13.
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
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The Rolling Stone Album Guide, previously known as The Rolling Stone Record Guide, is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from Rolling Stone magazine. Its first edition was published in 1979 and its last in 2004, the guide can be seen at Rate Your Music, while a list of albums given a five star rating by the guide can be seen at Rocklist. net. The Rolling Stone Record Guide was the first edition of what would later become The Rolling Stone Album Guide and it was edited by Dave Marsh and John Swenson, and included contributions from 34 other music critics. It is divided into sections by musical genre and then lists artists alphabetically within their respective genres, Albums are also listed alphabetically by artist although some of the artists have their careers divided into chronological periods. Dave Marsh, in his Introduction, cites as precedents Leonard Maltins book TV Movies and he gives Phonolog and Schwanns Records & Tape Guide as raw sources of information. The first edition included black and white photographs of many of the covers of albums which received five star reviews and these titles are listed together in the Five-Star Records section, which is coincidentally five pages in length. The edition also included reviews for many artists including Lenny Bruce, Lord Buckley, Bill Cosby, The Firesign Theatre, Spike Jones. Comedy artists were listed in the catch-all section Rock, Soul, Country and Pop, which included the genres of folk, bluegrass, funk, traditional pop performers were not included, with the notable exceptions of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. Included too were some artists who might now be considered as world music. Big band jazz was handled selectively, with certain band leaders omitted, many other styles of jazz did appear in the Jazz section. The book was notable for the time in the provocative, in your style of many of its reviews. For example, writing about Neil Youngs song, Down by the River and his colleague, Dave Marsh, in reviewing the three albums of the jazz fusion group Chase, gave a one-word review, Flee. Good, a record of average worth, but one that might possess considerable appeal for fans of a particular style, mediocre, a record that is artistically insubstantial, though not truly wretched. Poor, a record where even technical competence is at question or it was remarkably ill-conceived, worthless, a record that need never have been created. Reserved for the most bathetic bathwater, Dave Marsh John Swenson Billy Altman Bob Blumenthal Georgia Christgau Jean-Charles Costa Chet Flippo Russell Gersten Mikal Gilmore Alan E. Like the first edition, it was edited by Dave Marsh and it included contributions from 52 music critics and featured chronological album listings under the name of each artist. In many cases, updates from the first edition consist of short, the only difference is that in addition to a rating, the second edition employs the pilcrow mark to indicate a title that was out of print at the time the guide was published. Many records had their ratings lowered as the book now offered a revisionist slant to rocks history and it included contributions from 16 music critics and featured alphabetical album listings under the name of each artist
14.
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
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Papa Was a Rollin Stone is a psychedelic soul song, written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong as a single for Motown act The Undisputed Truth in 1971. This version of Papa was released as a single in early 1972 and peaked at #63 on the Pop Charts and #24 on the R&B Charts, and was included on The Undisputed Truths 1973 album Law of the Land. While the original Undisputed Truth version of the song has largely forgotten, The Temptations version of the song has been an enduring. It was ranked number 168 on Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, in retrospect, The Temptations Otis Williams considers Papa to be the last real classic the group recorded. A very unusual thing about this song is that it only one chord throughout — B-flat minor. Friction arose during the recording of Papa Was a Rollin Stone for a number of reasons, Norman Whitfield forced Dennis Edwards to re-record his parts dozens of times until he finally got the angered, bitter grumble he desired out of the usually fiery-toned Edwards. Whitfields treatment of the group led to his dismissal as their producer. It actually was on the third of October, however, a seven-minute edited version of Papa Was a Rollin Stone was released as a single in September 1972. For this mix, congas were added to bolster the songs sparse percussion, the Temptations box set Emperors of Soul has the edited version in stereo, but without the congas. The B-side was the backing by The Funk Brothers without the Temptations vocals. Papa rose to one on the U. S. pop charts and number five on the U. S. R&B charts. A number of covers of Papa Was a Rollin Stone have been recorded. Issac Hayes and Charlotte Kelly recorded a version of this song, in January 1995, they also performed the song live on Taratata. The record producer and remixer Dr. Heinz Funkenpumpe released a remix of The Pioneers version in 2009, bill Wolf Wolfer created an electronic cover of the number for his 1982 debut album, Wolf. The single peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1983, luis Miguel recorded a Spanish-language version during the recording sessions of Soy como quiero ser in 1987. The group Was covered the song on their 1990 album Are You Okay. george Michael performed the song during the Cover to Cover tour in 1991, where it was blended with the Adamski hit Killer. It was released on the EP Five Live and this arrangement was also performed by Seal. In the Battle of the Groups segment of the TV special Motown Returns to the Apollo in 1985 the Four Tops sang the coda, much to the outrage of the Temptations
15.
Grammy Award
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A Grammy Award, or Grammy, is an honor awarded by The Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of awards that have a more popular interest. It shares recognition of the industry as that of the other performance awards such as the Emmy Awards, the Tony Awards. The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4,1959, to honor, following the 2011 ceremony, The Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. The 59th Grammy Awards, honoring the best achievements from October 2015 to September 2016, was held on February 12,2017, the Grammys had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s. The music executives decided to rectify this by creating a given by their industry similar to the Oscars. This was the beginning of the National Academy of Recording Arts, after it was decided to create such an award, there was still a question of what to call it, one working title was the Eddie, to honor the inventor of the phonograph, Thomas Edison. They finally settled on using the name of the invention of Emile Berliner, the gramophone, for the awards, the number of awards given grew and fluctuated over the years with categories added and removed, at one time reaching over 100. The second Grammy Awards, also held in 1959, was the first ceremony to be televised, the gold-plated trophies, each depicting a gilded gramophone, are made and assembled by hand by Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado. In 1990 the original Grammy design was revamped, changing the traditional soft lead for a stronger alloy less prone to damage, Billings developed a zinc alloy named grammium, which is trademarked. The trophies with the name engraved on them are not available until after the award announcements. By February 2009,7,578 Grammy trophies had been awarded, the General Field are four awards which are not restricted by genre. Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a full album if other than the performer. Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a single song if other than the performer. Song of the Year is awarded to the writer/composer of a single song, Best New Artist is awarded to a promising breakthrough performer who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording that establishes the public identity of that artist. The only two artists to win all four of these awards are Christopher Cross, who won all four in 1980, and Adele, who won the Best New Artist award in 2009 and the other three in 2012 and 2017. Other awards are given for performance and production in specific genres, as well as for other such as artwork. Special awards are given for longer-lasting contributions to the music industry, the many other Grammy trophies are presented in a pre-telecast Premiere Ceremony earlier in the afternoon before the Grammy Awards telecast
16.
Barrett Strong
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Barrett Strong is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best known for his work as a songwriter, among his most famous work at Motown, Strong wrote the lyrics for many of the songs recorded by the Temptations. He was born in West Point, Mississippi, Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry Gordys fledging label, Tamla Records, and was the performer on the companys first hit, Money, which reached No.2 US R&B in 1960. The single was released on Tamla, Motowns first label, but was then leased to the Anna label as it was getting airplay. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA, Strong claims that he co-wrote Money with Gordy and Janie Bradford, his name appears on the songs original copyright registration with the United States Copyright Office. Gordy disputed these claims, stating that Strongs name was included because of a clerical error. In the mid 1960s, Strong became a Motown writer lyricist, Strong received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1973 for Papa Was a Rollin Stone. Strong and Whitfield also co-wrote the ballad Just My Imagination, a 1971 Billboard No.1 that also marked the last Temptations single to feature original members Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. After Motown moved its operations base from Detroit, Michigan, to Los Angeles, California, Strong left the label and he signed with Epic in 1972. Strong left the label for Capitol Records, where he recorded two albums in the 1970s. In the 1980s, Strong recorded Rock It Easy on an independent label, co-wrote the Dells Stay In My Corner, and wrote You Can Depend on Me and he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. Strong has re-released his latest album, Stronghold II, which he wrote and composed in collaboration with rocker/songwriter Eliza Neals in 2008, in digital format only. In 2010, Strong appeared in Misery, his first music video in his fifty years of recording music, co-produced by Eliza Neals and Martin Tino Gross with Strong at the helm
17.
Edwin Starr
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Edwin Starr was an American soul singer. Starr was famous for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, Starr was born in Tennessee and raised in Ohio, and later lived in Detroit while singing for Ric Tic and Motown Records. He was backed by the band that would become known as Black Merda. Hawkins and Veasey of the played on most of his early hits on the Ric Tic Label. Besides War, Starrs songs 25 Miles and Stop the War Now were also successes in the 1960s. Starrs career shifted to the United Kingdom in the 1970s, where he continued to produce music, charles Edwin Hatcher was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1942. He and his cousins, soul singers Roger and Willie Hatcher, moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1957, Starr formed a doo-wop group, the Future Tones, and began his singing career. The song which launched his career was Agent Double-O-Soul, a reference to the James Bond films popular at the time, other early hits included Headline News, Back Street and S. O. S. While at Ric-Tic, he wrote the song, Oh, How Happy, at Motown he recorded a string of singles before enjoying an international success with 25 Miles, which he co-wrote with producers Johnny Bristol and Harvey Fuqua. It peaked at #6 in both the Hot 100 and R&B Charts in 1969 and it was when Motowns Berry Gordy became frustrated with smaller labels like Ric-Tic stealing some of the success of his company that he bought out the label. Many of Starrs Ric-Tic songs like Back Street and Headline News became favored Northern Soul classics. His early Ric-Tic hit Stop Her On Sight was reissued in Britain in 1968 and his 1970 song Time also helped to establish him as a prominent artist on the Northern Soul scene. The biggest hit of Starrs career, which cemented his reputation, was the Vietnam War protest song War and it sold over three million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. War appeared on both of Starrs War & Peace album and its follow-up, Involved, produced by Norman Whitfield, Involved also featured another song of similar construction titled Stop the War Now, which was a minor hit in its own right. In 1979, Starr reappeared on the charts with a pair of hits, Contact. Contact was the successful of the two, peaking at #65 on the US pop charts, #13 on the R&B chart, #1 on the dance chart. Radio was also a Top Ten hit in the UK, reaching #9 on the chart in mid-1979, by now, he had joined the well-established disco boom and had further singles on 20th Century Records. Over the years, he released tracks on a variety of labels, including Avatar, Calibre,10 Records, Motown, Streetwave and his Starr café empire still enjoys success in and around Essex
18.
Otis Williams
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Otis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed Big Daddy, he is also a songwriter and a record producer. Williams is best known as the founder and last original surviving member of the Motown vocal group The Temptations and he also owns the rights to the Temptations name. Williams was born Otis Miles, Jr. in Texarkana, Texas to Otis Miles and Hazel Louise Williams, an unmarried couple who separated shortly after their sons birth. While he was still a toddler, his married and moved to Detroit, Michigan. Hazel Williams moved her son to Detroit when he was ten years old, becoming interested in music as a teenager, Otis Miles, Jr. adopted his mothers maiden name for his stage name, and as Otis Williams put together a number of singing groups. These groups included Otis Williams and the Siberians, the El Domingoes, in 1959, The Distants scored a local hit, co-written by Williams and their manager/producer Johnnie Mae Matthews, called Come On, with lead vocals by Richard Street. Future Distants recordings were not as successful, and after an offer from Berry Gordy of Motown Records, Williams and his friends/bandmates Elbridge Al Bryant and Melvin Franklin quit the Distants. Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams from The Primes later joined Williams, Bryant, and Franklin to create the Elgins, in fact, the groups lineup changes were so frequent, stressful and troublesome that Williams and Melvin Franklin promised each other they would never quit the group. Franklin would remain in the group until 1994, when he became incapable of continuing. Franklin died on February 23,1995, leaving Otis Williams, then 53, Williams is the co-author, with Patricia Romanowski, of Temptations, a 1988 book that served as both his autobiography and a history of the group. Ten years later, the book was adapted into a NBC television miniseries The Temptations, Williams was portrayed by actor Charles Malik Whitfield. Williams has provided non-singing contributions to some Temptation songs, including Im Gonna Make You Love Me, in 1989, Otis Williams was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Temptations. Williams received a doctorate from Stillman College in May 2006. Williams married Josephine Rogers in 1961, the son, Otis Lamont, was born the same year. He and Josephine divorced in 1964, Otis Lamont Williams was a construction worker who died in a workplace accident in Detroit in 1983. Williams dated Florence Ballard of The Supremes and was for a time engaged to R&B singer Patti LaBelle, Williams great grand son is a Alabama based rapper by the name of Yelawolf Williams was married to Ann Cain from 1967 to 1973. Williams married his wife, Arleata Goldie Williams, in 1983
19.
Black Power
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Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies aimed at achieving self-determination for people of African descent. It is used by African Americans in the United States, the earliest known usage of the term is found in a 1954 book by Richard Wright entitled Black Power. New York politician Adam Clayton Powell Jr. used the term on May 29,1966 during an address at Howard University, the only way we gonna stop them white men from whuppin us is to take over. What we gonna start sayin now is Black Power, Stokely Carmichael saw the concept of Black Power as a means of solidarity between individuals within the movement. It was a replacement of the Freedom Now, slogan of Carmichaels contemporary, the non-violent leader Martin Luther King. With his use of the term, Carmichael felt this movement was not just a movement for racial desegregation and he said, Black Power means black people coming together to form a political force and either electing representatives or forcing their representatives to speak their needs. Black Power adherents believed in Black autonomy, with a variety of such as black nationalism, black self-determination. Such positions caused friction with leaders of the mainstream Civil Rights Movement, however, many groups and individuals - including Rosa Parks, Robert F. Williams, Maya Angelou, Gloria Richardson, and Fay Bellamy Powell - participated in both civil rights and black power activism. A growing number of scholars conceive of the rights and black power movements as one interconnected Black Freedom Movement. Numerous Black Power advocates were in favor of black self determination due to the belief that people must lead. Stokely Carmichael is such an advocate and states that, only black people can convey the revolutionary idea--and it is a revolutionary idea--that black people are able to do things themselves, however, this is not to say that Black Power advocates promoted racial segregation. Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton write that there is a definite and they felt that whites could serve the movement by educating other white people. Not all Black Power advocates were in favor of black separatism, while Stokely Carmichael and SNCC were in favor of separatism for a time in the late 1960s, organizations such as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense were not. Bobby Seale, Chairman and Co-Founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was outspoken about this issue and his stance was that the oppression of black people was more a result of economic exploitation than anything innately racist. In his book Seize the Time, he states that In our view it is a struggle between the massive proletarian working class and the small, minority ruling class. Working-class people of all colors must unite against the exploitative, oppressive ruling class, so let me emphasize again—we believe our fight is a class struggle and not a race struggle. Internationalist offshoots of black power include African Internationalism, pan-Africanism, black nationalism, douglass predicted, The days of Black Power are numbered. But with the swiftness of an arrow, it rushes to the tomb, while crushing its millions, it is also crushing itself
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White flight
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The term has also been used for large-scale post-colonial emigration of whites from Africa, or parts of that continent, driven by levels of violent crime and anti-colonial state policies. In the 1970s, attempts to achieve effective desegregation by means of forced busing in some areas led to families moving out of former areas. However, some historians have challenged the white flight as a misnomer whose use should be reconsidered. Such conditions are considered to have contributed to the emigration of other populations, according to the environmental geographer Laura Pulido, the historical processes of suburbanization and urban decentralization contribute to contemporary environmental racism. The result was severe urban decay that, by the 1960s, prior to national data available in the 1950 US census, a migration pattern of disproportionate numbers of whites moving from cities to suburban communities was easily dismissed as merely anecdotal. Because American urban populations were still growing, a relative decrease in one racial or ethnic component eluded scientific proof to the satisfaction of policy makers. In essence, data on urban population change had not been separated into what are now familiarly identified its components, the first data set potentially capable of proving white flight was the 1950 census. But original processing of data, on older-style tabulation machines by the US Census Bureau. It was not simply a more powerful calculating instrument that placed the reality of white flight beyond a high hurdle of proof required for policy makers to consider taking action. In other words, central cities had been bringing back their new suburbs, real estate prices often fall in areas of economic erosion, allowing persons with lower income to establish homes in such areas. Since the 1960s and changed immigration laws, the United States has received immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America, Asia, immigration has changed the demographics of both cities and suburbs, and the US has become a largely suburban nation, with the suburbs becoming more diverse. In addition, Latinos, the fastest growing minority group in the US, began to migrate away from traditional entry cities and to cities in the Southwest, such as Phoenix, in 2006, the increased number of Latinos had made whites a minority group in some western cities. Blacks were effectively barred from pursuing homeownership, even when they were able to afford it, after World War II, aided by the construction of the Interstate Highway System, many White Americans began leaving industrial cities for new housing in suburbs. The roads served to transport suburbanites to their city jobs, facilitating the development of suburbs and this may have exacerbated urban decay. In Birmingham, Alabama, the government used the highway system to perpetuate the racial residence-boundaries the city established with a 1926 racial zoning law. Constructing interstate highways through majority-black neighborhoods eventually reduced the populations to the poorest proportion of people unable to leave their destroyed community. The real estate business practice of blockbusting was a for-profit catalyst for white flight, the remaining white inhabitants, fearing devalued residential property, would quickly sell, usually at a loss. Losses happened when they sold en masse, and would sell the properties to the black families, profiting from price arbitrage
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White people
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White people is a racial classification specifier, used for people of Europid ancestry, with the exact implications dependent on context. The contemporary usage of people or a white race as a large group of populations contrasting with black, American Indian. It is today used as a racial classifier in multiracial societies, such as North Africa, United States. The term white race or white people entered the major European languages in the later 17th century, in the context of racialized slavery, description of populations as white in reference to their skin color predates this notion and is found in Greco-Roman ethnography and other ancient sources. Scholarship on race generally distinguishes the concept from pre-modern descriptions of collective difference. In the literature of the Ancient Near East and Classical Antiquity and we know that Egyptians were not oblivious to skin color, however, because artists paid attention to it in works of art, to the extent the pigments at the time permitted. Classicist James Dee states the Greeks do not describe themselves as white people—or as anything else because they had no word in their color vocabulary for themselves. Peoples skin color did not carry meaning, what mattered is where they lived. Religious conversion was sometimes described figuratively as a change in skin color, similarly, the Rigveda uses krsna tvac black skin as a metaphor for irreligiosity. The Ancient Egyptian funerary text known as the Book of Gates distinguishes four groups in a procession and these are the Egyptians, the Levantine/Canaanite peoples or Asiatics, the Nubians and the fair-skinned Libyans. The Egyptians are depicted as a reddish brown, the Nubians as black skinned, the Semites from the Levant and Canaan as light skinned. Herodotus described the Scythian Budini as having blue eyes and bright red hair. And the Egyptians – quite like the Colchians – as melánchroes and he also gives the possibly first reference to the common Greek name of the tribes living south of Egypt, otherwise known as Nubians, which was Aithíopes. Later Xenophon described the Aethiopians as black and the Persian troops as white compared to the skin of Greek troops. These color adjectives are found in contrast to the standard set by the own group. According to historian Irene Silverblatt, Race thinking … made social categories into racial truths, Alastair Bonnett argues that white identity, as it is presently conceived, is an American project, reflecting American interpretations of race and history. According to Gregory Jay, a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Before the age of exploration, group differences were based on language, religion. … the European had always reacted a bit hysterically to the differences of skin color, in the 16th and 17th centuries, East Asian peoples were almost uniformly described as white, never as yellow
22.
Nigger
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In the present-day English language, the word nigger is an ethnic slur, usually directed at black people. The word originated as a term referring to people with black skin, as a variation of the Spanish and Portuguese noun negro. It was often used derogatorily, and by the century, particularly in the United States, its usage became unambiguously pejorative. Accordingly, it began to disappear from popular culture, and its inclusion in classic works of literature has sparked controversy. In contemporary English, using the word nigger is considered extremely offensive, the variant nigga has to some extent been reclaimed by African Americans. The variants neger and negar derive from the Spanish and Portuguese word negro, etymologically, negro, noir, nègre, and nigger ultimately derive from nigrum, the stem of the Latin niger. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the first English use to 1577, other early spellings attested include nigor and Nigre, the first spelling of nigger is in 1608. The second meaning, of a term of abuse or contempt from whites to blacks is first attested in print in 1775. Its use by people both as a neutral or favourable term and as a depreciatory term go back to 1831 and 1834 respectively. In the colonial America of 1619, John Rolfe used negars in describing the African slaves shipped to the Virginia colony, lexicographer Noah Webster, whose eponymous dictionary did much to solidify the distinctive spelling of American English, suggested the neger spelling in place of negro in 1806. The dialect spoken in the Southern United States changes the pronunciation of negro to nigra, during the fur trade of the early 1800s to the late 1840s in the Western United States, the word was spelled niggur, and is often recorded in literature of the time. George Fredrick Ruxton used it in his mountain man lexicon, without pejorative connotation, niggur was evidently similar to the modern use of dude or guy. It was not used as a term exclusively for blacks among mountain men during this period, as Indians, Mexicans, the noun slipped back and forth from derogatory to endearing. The term colored became a respectful alternative, in 1851 the Boston Vigilance Committee, an Abolitionist organization, posted warnings to the Colored People of Boston and vicinity. Writing in 1904, journalist Clifton Johnson documented the opprobrious character of the word nigger, by the turn of the century, colored had become sufficiently mainstream that it was chosen as the racial self-identifier for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 2008 Carla Sims, its communications director, said the term colored is not derogatory and its outdated and antiquated but not offensive. Nineteenth-century literature features usages of nigger without racist connotation, mark Twain, in the autobiographic book Life on the Mississippi, used the term within quotes, indicating reported speech, but used the term negro when writing in his own narrative persona. Joseph Conrad published a novella in Britain with the title The Nigger of the Narcissus, president Thomas Jefferson had used this word of his slaves in his Notes on the State of Virginia, but black had not been widely used until the later 20th century
23.
My Girl (The Temptations song)
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My Girl is a 1964 standard recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label which became a number one hit in 1965. Written and produced by The Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, the became the Temptations first U. S. number-one single. Robinsons inspiration for writing this song was his wife, Miracles member Claudette Rogers Robinson, the song was featured on the Temptations album The Temptations Sing Smokey. Musically, the song is notable because the six ascending guitar notes in the riff over the C chord are a perfect example of a C major pentatonic scale. Similarly, the riff in the song that is played over the F chord is a perfect example of an F major pentatonic scale. The recorded version of My Girl was the first Temptations single to feature David Ruffin on lead vocals, previously, Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams had performed most of the groups lead vocals, and Ruffin had joined the group as a replacement for former Temptation Elbridge Bryant. While on tour as part of the Motortown Revue, a tour for most of the Motown roster. The group had included a medley of standards in the show, one of which. Impressed, Robinson decided to produce a single with Ruffin singing lead, Robinson saw Ruffin as a sleeping giant in the group with a unique voice that was mellow yet gruff. Robinson thought that if he could write just the song for Ruffins voice. The song was to be something that Ruffin could belt out yet something that was also melodic, according to Robinson, he allowed the group to create their own background vocals because they were so great at background vocals. The signature guitar riff heard during the introduction and under the verses was played by Robert White of the Funk Brothers and this part can be heard without vocals on the 2004 deluxe edition of the soundtrack from the 2002 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. My Girl was later sampled for Stay, a single from the Temptations 1998 album Phoenix Rising, the single was re-released in 1992. It did not reach the Billboard charts, but did reach number two in the UK Singles Chart and my Girl climbed to the top of the U. S. pop charts after its Christmas time 1964 release, making it the Temptations first number-one hit. The single was also the first number-one hit on the reinstated Billboard R&B Singles chart, the single also gave the Gordy label its first number one on the Hot 100. The Temptations were the first Motown act to earn a Grammy, in 2004, My Girl was ranked number 88 on Rolling Stones list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. This version, produced by Steve Cropper, was featured on Reddings critically acclaimed album Otis Blue, in 1975, Glen Campbell recorded the song on his album Rhinestone Cowboy. In 1988, Suave had a Top 40 Pop hit & Top 10 R&B hit with the song, r&B/soul group The Whispers covered the song in a disco style for their eponymous 1980 album
24.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
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Aint Too Proud to Beg is a 1966 song and hit single by The Temptations for Motown Records Gordy label, produced by Norman Whitfield and written by Whitfield and Edward Holland, Jr. The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Pop Chart, in 2004 it finished #94 in AFIs 100 Years.100 Songs poll thanks to its inclusion in The Big Chill soundtrack. The Rolling Stones made the Billboard Pop Chart Top 20 with a 1974 single release, finally creating an instrumental track he thought would make it, Whitfield enlisted lyricist Edward Holland, Jr. to write lyrics to Whitfields instrumental. Although Holland didnt think Whitfield had a chance of stealing Robinsons act, on Friday mornings at Motowns Hitsville USA offices, the creative team held Quality Control meetings, at which potential single releases were voted for or against release. For the third recorded version of Aint Too Proud, Whitfield had David Ruffins lead vocal arranged just above his actual vocal range, as a result, the singer was forced to strain through numerous takes in order to get out all of the songs high notes. By the end of the Aint Too Proud recording session, recalls Temptation Otis Williams, Ruffin was drowning in sweat, by this point, both the Temptations and Whitfield were confident they had a major hit on their hands. However, both Aint Too Proud and Get Ready, a Temptations track produced by Smokey Robinson with Eddie Kendricks on lead, since Robinson was the Temptations main producer, his song was released and Whitfields was shelved. Cornelius Grant, the Temptations road guitarist, band director, and songwriter, recalled that after that decision was made, Whitfield was less than pleased at the Quality Control departments decision, and stated plainly that never again am I gonna lose out on a release like that. As a compromise, Gordy promised Whitfield that Aint Too Proud would be the single if Get Ready failed to reach the Top 20 on the Billboard Pop Chart. Get Ready reached number-one on the Billboard R&B charts, but only number 29 on the pop charts, as promised, Aint Too Proud To Beg was released as the next single. It also reached number one on the R&B charts, but made it into the top twenty at number thirteen, Aint Too Proud replaced Sam & Daves Hold On. Im a Comin as the R&B number-one single during the week of June 18,1966, Temptation Paul Williams quickly devised a dance routine for the song, and the group lip-synched the song for the American Bandstand viewing audience. After Whitfield produced two more R&B number-one hits in a row for the Temptations, he was appointed the Temptations new main producer. The songs lyrics feature its narrator pleading for a chance with his departing lover. The narrator goes on to state that he aint too proud to beg or plead his lover to stay, the Temptations were pleased with the composition, feeling that the songs blues-inspired melody and James Brown-esque horn stabs would help to update their sound. David Ruffin was tapped to sing lead on the song, lead vocals by David Ruffin Background vocals by Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers. Rick Astley covered the song for his 1988 album Hold Me In Your Arms, the single was only released in the USA and Japan, and peaked at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #16 on the Adult Contemporary charts. This would be Astleys last single with producers Stock Aitken & Waterman, phil Collins covered the song on the ultimate 25-track edition of the album Going Back, which was released in 2010
25.
Billboard Hot 100
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The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, radio play and online streaming, the weekly sales period was originally Monday to Sunday, when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming data, is available on a real-time basis. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesdays, as of the issue for the week ending on April 15,2017, the Hot 100 has had 1,061 different number one hits. The current number one song is Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, prior to 1955, Billboard did not have a unified, all-encompassing popularity chart, instead measuring songs by individual metrics. At the start of the era in 1955, three such charts existed, Best Sellers in Stores was the first Billboard chart, established in 1936. This chart ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country, Most Played by Jockeys was Billboards original airplay chart. It ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio disc jockeys, Most Played in Jukeboxes ranked the most played songs in jukeboxes across the United States. On the week ending November 12,1955, Billboard published The Top 100 for the first time, the Top 100 combined all aspects of a singles performance, based on a point system that typically gave sales more weight than radio airplay. The Best Sellers In Stores, Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts continued to be published concurrently with the new Top 100 chart. The week ending July 28,1958 was the publication of the Most Played By Jockeys and Top 100 charts. On August 4,1958, Billboard premiered one main all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and Billboard discontinued the Best Sellers In Stores chart on October 13,1958. The Billboard Hot 100 is still the standard by which a songs popularity is measured in the United States, the Hot 100 is ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS, sales data compiled by Nielsen Soundscan and streaming activity provided by online music sources. There are several component charts that contribute to the calculation of the Hot 100. Charts are ranked by number of gross audience impressions, computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with Arbitron listener data. Hot Singles Sales, the top selling singles compiled from a sample of retail store, mass merchant and internet sales reports collected, compiled. The chart is released weekly and measures sales of commercial singles. With the decline in sales of singles in the US
26.
A-side and B-side
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The terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 78,45, and 33 1/3 rpm phonograph records, whether singles, extended plays, or long-playing records. Creedence Clearwater Revival had hits with both A-side and B-side releases, others took the opposite approach, producer Phil Spector was in the habit of filling B-sides with on-the-spot instrumentals that no one would confuse with the A-side. With this practice, Spector was assured that airplay was focused on the side he wanted to be the hit side, the earliest 10-inch,78 rpm, shellac records were single sided. Double-sided recordings, with one song on side, were introduced in Europe by Columbia Records. There were no record charts until the 1930s, and radio stations did not play recorded music until the 1950s, in this time, A-sides and B-sides existed, but neither side was considered more important, the side did not convey anything about the content of the record. The term single came into use with the advent of vinyl records in the early 1950s. At first, most record labels would randomly assign which song would be an A-side, under this random system, many artists had so-called double-sided hits, where both songs on a record made one of the national sales charts, or would be featured on jukeboxes in public places. As time wore on, however, the convention for assigning songs to sides of the record changed. By the early sixties, the song on the A-side was the song that the company wanted radio stations to play. It was not until 1968, for instance, that the production of albums on a unit basis finally surpassed that of singles in the United Kingdom. In the late 1960s stereo versions of pop and rock songs began to appear on 45s. The majority of the 45s were played on AM radio stations, by the early 1970s, double-sided hits had become rare. Album sales had increased, and B-sides had become the side of the record where non-album, non-radio-friendly, with the advent of cassette and compact disc singles in the late 1980s, the A-side/B-side differentiation became much less meaningful. With the decline of cassette singles in the 1990s, the A-side/B-side dichotomy became virtually extinct, as the dominant medium. However, the term B-side is still used to refer to the tracks or coupling tracks on a CD single. With the advent of downloading music via the Internet, sales of CD singles and other media have declined. B-side songs may be released on the record as a single to provide extra value for money. There are several types of material released in this way, including a different version, or, in a concept record
27.
Tammi Terrell
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Tammi Terrell was an American recording artist, best known as a star singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, most notably for a series of duets with singer Marvin Gaye. Terrells career began as a teenager, first recording for Scepter/Wand Records, after a period attending college, Terrell recorded briefly for Checker Records, before signing with Motown in 1965. With Gaye, Terrell scored seven Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including Aint No Mountain High Enough, Aint Nothing Like the Real Thing and she had eight unsuccessful surgeries before succumbing to the illness on March 16,1970 at the age of 24. Terrell was born as Thomasina Winifred Montgomery in Philadelphia, to Jennie, Jennie was an actress and Thomas was a barbershop owner and local politician. Tammi was the elder of two siblings, according to the Unsung documentary, her younger sister Ludie said that they had thought Terrell would be a boy and therefore she would be named after her father. However, when she was born, the settled on the name Thomasina. She later changed it to Tammy after seeing the film, Tammy and the Bachelor, starting around this time, Terrell started to have migraine headaches. While it was not thought to be of significance at the time, according to her sister, Terrells mother suffered from mental illness. After another single, Terrell left the label and, after being introduced to James Brown, signed a contract with him, in 1963, she recorded the song I Cried. Released on Browns Try Me Records, it became her first charting single, after this tenure ended, Terrell signed with Checker Records and released the Bert Berns produced duet, If I Would Marry You with Jimmy Radcliffe, which Terrell co-composed. In the middle of this, Terrell was asked by Jerry Butler to sing with him in a series of shows in nightclubs, after an arrangement was made by Butler to assure Terrell that she could continue her schooling, she began touring with Butler. In April 1965, during a performance at the Twenty Grand Club in Detroit, she was spotted by Motown CEO Berry Gordy, Terrell agreed and signed with the label on April 29, her 20th birthday. Before releasing her first single with Motowns Tamla subsidiary, I Cant Believe You Love Me, figuring Tammy Montgomery was too long of a name to put on a single, Gordy changed it to Tammi Terrell. He felt this name screamed sex appeal, I Cant Believe You Love Me became Terrells first R&B top forty single, followed almost immediately by Come On and See Me. In 1966, Terrell recorded two future classics, Stevie Wonders All I Do and The Isley Brothers This Old Heart of Mine, Terrell joined the Motortown Revue after the release of her first single. During a tour in which she opened for The Temptations, Terrell met the lead singer David Ruffin. In early 1967, Motown hired Terrell to sing duets with Marvin Gaye, during recording sessions, Gaye would recall later that he did not know how gifted Terrell was until they began singing together. At first the duets were recorded separately, for sessions of their first recording, the Ashford & Simpson composition, Aint No Mountain High Enough, both Gaye and Terrell recorded separate versions
28.
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
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1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. It compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of critics to be the most important, influential. The book was edited by Robert Dimery, a writer and editor who had worked for magazines such as Time Out. Each entry in the books list of albums is accompanied by an essay written by a music critic, along with pictures, quotes. Only albums consisting fully of original material by a particular artist were included, the most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2016, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd. The book is arranged chronologically, starting with Frank Sinatras In the Wee Small Hours, in February 2006, Publishers Weekly called the book a. bookshelf-busting testament to music geeks mania for lists and said it. is about as comprehensive a best-of as any sane person could want. They continued, For music lovers, it doesnt get much better, the 2006 version had an average rating of 3.92 stars out of 5 on Amazon. coms social cataloging website Goodreads, with 860 ratings as of April 30,2015. The same 2006 version had a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon. com. Most of the recommendations are rock and pop albums from the Western world. 1001 Albums also features selections from world music, rhythm and blues, blues, folk, hip hop, country, electronic music, and jazz. The rock and pop albums include such subgenres as punk rock, grindcore, heavy metal, alternative rock, progressive rock, easy listening, thrash metal, grunge and 1950s-style rock, classical and modern art music are excluded. These artists have the most albums in the 2016 edition,7 albums, The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan. 6 albums, Morrissey, The Rolling Stones,5 albums, The Byrds, Brian Eno, Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, The Who. 4 albums, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, P. J. Harvey, The Kinks, Metallica, Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, steely Dan, The Talking Heads, U2, Stevie Wonder. Originally published in 2005, the book was revised in 2008,2011,2013, the 2011 edition includes 25 albums released from 2005 to 2009, with the same number of albums removed from the first edition to keep the total at 1001
29.
Dennis Edwards
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Dennis Edwards is an American soul and R&B singer, notably a lead singer in The Temptations, on Motown Records. Edwards joined the Temptations in 1968, replacing David Ruffin and sang with the group from 1968 to 1976,1980 to 1984 and 1987 to 1989, in the mid-1980s, he attempted a solo career, scoring a hit in 1984 with Dont Look Any Further. Today he is the singer of The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards. Edwards was born in Fairfield, Alabama, about eight miles from Birmingham, to Reverend and he began singing as a toddler, just two years old, in his fathers church. The Edwards family moved to Detroit, Michigan when Edwards was about ten years old, as a teenager, Edwards joined a gospel vocal group called The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and studied music at the Detroit Conservatory of Music. He was disallowed from singing or listening to music at home. In 1961 he organized his own group, Dennis Edwards. In 1961, Edwards recorded a single for the obscure Detroit label, International Soulville Records, following time served in the US military, in 1966 Edwards auditioned for Detroits Motown Records, where he was signed but placed on retainer. Later that year, he was assigned to join The Contours after their singer fell ill. Later in 1967, Edwards quit the Contours and was placed back on retainer, Ruffin had tipped Edwards off that he was being drafted as his replacement, which eased Edwards conscience in replacing him. The Temptations officially introduced Edwards on July 9,1968 on stage in Valley Forge, however, Ruffin, who was attempting to make his way back into the group, crashed the stage during Edwards lead vocal on Aint Too Proud to Beg to significant applause. He continued similar stunts for about a month until, according to Edwards, when Ruffin failed to show for his return engagement in Gaithersburg, Maryland the next night, Edwards was permanently kept on and the Temptations refused to entertain rehiring Ruffin any further. Edwards was the first singer to join the Temptations after their Classic 5 period, two of these songs, Cloud Nine and Papa Was a Rollin Stone, won Grammy Awards. During this time, Edwards was engaged to Yvonne Frankie Gearing, the singer of Quiet Elegance. Edwards remained in the Temptations until being fired by Otis Williams in 1977 just before the departure from Motown to Atlantic Records. After a failed attempt at a Motown solo career, Edwards rejoined the Temptations in 1980, in 1982, Edwards got the chance to sing with Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks as part of Reunion album and tour. Edwards began missing shows and rehearsals, and was replaced in 1984 by Ali-Ollie Woodson, in 1989, Edwards was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Temptations. Motown re-launched Edwards solo career, in 1984 with the hit single Dont Look Any Further, the album of the same name reached No.2 on the R&B charts and included the radio singles Aphrodisiac and Just Like You
30.
Richard Street
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Richard Allen Street was an American soul and R&B singer, most notable as a member of Motown vocal group The Temptations from 1971 to 1993. Street was the singer of an early Temptations predecessor, Otis Williams & the Distants. After their departure, Matthews had Street briefly lead a new Distants group in the early 1960s, during the mid-1960s, Street performed with a Motown act called The Monitors, who had only one minor hit, 1966s Greetings, to its name. They also had a hit in 1965 by the name of Say You. Street knew the Temptations and Otis Williams, in particular, having worked for Motown in quality control and through his work with the Distants. Street officially replaced Paul Williams in mid-1971, after both he and Eddie Kendricks left the group, Street and Damon Harris traded leads on 1990s tune Heavenly. In 1998, NBC aired The Temptations, a television miniseries based upon an autobiographical book by Otis Williams. Street was portrayed by actor J. August Richards, Street was featured on the following Temptations songs, According to Streets own website, he left the group after the family feeling of the Temptations deteriorated. In 1993, Street entered the hospital to have seventeen kidney stones removed, group leader Otis Williams was not informed of Streets condition, and angrily called Street, demanding to know why he missed his last performance. Street felt that Williams seemed to show a lack of concern, Street continued to tour and perform as a solo artist. At times, he performed as a duo with former Temptations bandmate Damon Harris, Street was also a regular guest host with Tim Marshall and Larry Cotton on R&B Showcase Radio Show airing on WBZC FM in South Jersey. He was honored with a New Jersey State Senate Proclamation on May 11,2002, for his works at a Mount Laurel. The event was presented by R&B Showcase Magazine, entertainers including Ms. Marilyn Marshall and MTVs Making The Band finalists LMNT paid tribute to Richard Street. Street was formerly married to The Velvelettes lead singer Carolyn Cal Gill from 1969 to 1983 and they have one son, Richard, Jr. Street. He also has three children from additional relationships, Brandi Chapman, Januari Street, and Brandon Street, Richard Street was married to Cynthia Ramirez Street when he died. They were married for 18 years, at the time of his death, Street was completing his autobiography, Ball of Confusion. Completed by his co-author, Gary Flanigan, Ball of Confusion and it is the second autobiographical account of The Temptations, the first being Otis Williams Temptations book from 1988. Richard Street died on February 27,2013 in Las Vegas and his death occurred nine days after fellow former Temptation Damon Harriss death
31.
Melvin Franklin
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David Melvin English better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, or his nickname Blue, was an American bass singer. Franklin was best known for his role as a member of Motown singing group The Temptations from 1960 to 1994, David English was born in Montgomery, Alabama to Rose English, a teenage mother from nearby Mobile. His biological father was the preacher of the English familys church in Mobile, following Davids birth, Rose English married Willard Franklin and moved to Detroit, her grandmother insisting young David be left behind in her care. David English finally moved to Detroit with his mother and stepfather in 1952 at age ten, Franklin often referred to Street and Ruffin as his cousins. In 1958, a classmate of Franklins at Northwestern High School, Otis Williams, invited Franklin to join his group, Otis Williams. Franklin joined the group as its bass singer, and remained with Williams and Elbridge Bryant when they, Paul Williams, in March 1961, the Elgins signed with Motown Records under a new name, The Temptations. He had a fondness for the blue, and so he was nicknamed Blue by fellow singers. According to Otis Williams, Franklin romantically pursued Supremes singer Mary Wilson at one point, Otis and Melvin were the only Temptations who never quit the group. One of the most famous singers in black music over his long career. Franklin sang a handful of featured leads with the group as well, including the songs I Truly, Truly Believe, Silent Night, The Prophet, and his signature live performance number, Ol Man River. Franklin was usually called upon to deliver ad-libs, harmony vocals and his line from The Temptations 1970 #3 hit Ball of Confusion, and the band played on, became Franklins trademark. In the late 1960s, Franklin was diagnosed with arthritis, the symptoms of which he combated with cortisone so that he could continue performing, in 1978 he was shot in the hand and in the leg while trying to stop a man from stealing his car in Los Angeles. The incident prevented Franklin from participating in the Temptations upcoming tour of Poland, on February 17,1995, after a series of seizures, Melvin collapsed into a coma and remained unconscious until his death on February 23,1995, he died in his wife Kimberlys arms. His mother Rose Franklin died in March 2013 and he is entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California in Courts of Remembrance, C-3571, outer south-east wall. In addition to singing, Franklin also worked as a voice actor, in 1984, he provided the voice for the character of Wheels in the animated series Pole Position. He also appeared in the movie Sky Bandits in 1986, in 1989, Melvin Franklin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Temptations. On August 17,2013, in Cleveland, Ohio, Melvin Franklin was inducted into the Official R&B Music Hall of Fame along with The Temptations, on February 9,2013, his wife received the lifetime achievement award on his behalf. In 1998, NBC aired The Temptations, a television miniseries based upon an autobiographical book by Otis Williams
32.
Isaac Hayes
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Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. was an American singer-songwriter, actor, voice actor and producer. Hayes was also a 2002 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The song Soul Man, written by Hayes and Porter and first performed by Sam & Dave, has recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame. It was also honored by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, by Rolling Stone magazine, during the late 1960s, Hayes also began a career as a recording artist. He had several successful albums such as Hot Buttered Soul. In addition to his work in music, he worked as a composer of musical scores for motion pictures. He was well known for his score for the film Shaft. For the Theme from Shaft, he was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1972 and he became the third African-American, after Sidney Poitier and Hattie McDaniel, to win an Academy Award in any competitive field covered by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also won two Grammy Awards for that same year, later, he was given his third Grammy for his music album Black Moses. In recognition of his work there Hayes was crowned honorary king of the Ada. He acted in motion pictures and television, such as in the movies Truck Turner and Im Gonna Git You Sucka and he voiced the character Chef from the animated Comedy Central series South Park from its debut in 1997 until 2005. On August 5,2003, Hayes was honored as a BMI Icon at the 2003 BMI Urban Awards for his influence on generations of music makers. Throughout his songwriting career, Hayes received five BMI R&B Awards, as of 2008, his songs generated more than 12 million performances. Isaac Hayes, Jr. was born in Covington, Tennessee and he was the second child of Eula and Isaac Hayes, Sr. After his mother died young and his father abandoned his family, Isaac, Jr. was raised by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Wade. The child of a family, he grew up working on farms in Shelby County, Tennessee. At age five Hayes began singing at his church, he taught himself to play the piano, the Hammond organ, the flute. Hayes dropped out of school, but his former teachers at Manassas High School in Memphis encouraged him to complete his diploma
33.
Johnny Griffith (musician)
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John Ellis Johnny Griffith, Jr. was an African-American musician. Born in Detroit, Griffith played piano and keyboards for Motown Records in-house Funk Brothers studio band, among the hundreds of Motown recordings Griffith played on are I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye, I Cant Help Myself by Four Tops, and Stop. In the Name of Love by The Supremes, Griffith played the Steinway grand piano, the Hammond B-3 organ, the Wurlitzer electric piano, the Fender Rhodes, and the celeste and harpsichord. His musical influences included Bud Powell, Glenn Gould, and Oscar Peterson, Griffith died of a heart attack in a Detroit hospital on November 10,2002. Standing in the Shadows of Motown at the Internet Movie Database
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