Otis Williams
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 surviving original member of the Motown vocal group The Temptations, a group in which he continues to perform. Williams was born Otis Jr. in Texarkana, Texas to Otis Miles and Hazel Louise Williams. The couple separated shortly after their son's birth. While he was still a toddler, his mother married and moved to Detroit, leaving the younger Otis Miles to be raised by both of his grandmothers in Texarkana. Hazel Williams moved her son to Detroit when he was ten years old, where he lived with his mother and his stepfather. Becoming interested in music as a teenager, Otis Miles, Jr. adopted his mother's maiden name for his stage name, as Otis Williams put together a number of singing groups. These groups included the Siberians, the El Domingoes and the Distants. 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, after an offer from Berry Gordy of Motown Records and his friends/bandmates Elbridge "Al" Bryant and Melvin Franklin quit the Distants. Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams from The Primes joined Williams and Franklin to create the Elgins, who signed to Motown in March 1961 as "The Temptations"; the Temptations became one of the most successful acts in black music over the course of its nearly five-decade existence, over which time notable singers such as David Ruffin, Dennis Edwards, former Distant Richard Street, Damon Harris, Ron Tyson, Ali-Ollie Woodson, Theo Peoples, Ray Davis and former Spinners singer G. C. Cameron have all been members. In fact, the group's lineup changes were so frequent and troublesome that Williams and Melvin Franklin promised each other they would never quit the group. Franklin would remain in the group until 1994. Franklin died on February 23, 1995, leaving Otis Williams 53, as the last surviving original member of the Temptations quintet.
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 the book was adapted into a NBC television miniseries The Temptations. Williams was portrayed by actor Charles Malik Whitfield. Although he has served the longest tenure in the Temptations, Williams sings lead, focusing instead on his role as the group's leader and organizer, as the background "baritone in the middle"; the Smokey Robinson and Eddie Kendrick written track "Don't Send Me Away" from the LP The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul, the intro on early group song "Check Yourself" and the Norman Whitfield-penned tune "I Ain't Got Nothing" from 1972's All Directions are rare showcases for Williams singing lead. Williams has provided non-singing contributions to some Temptation songs, including "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", during the opening verse of "Masterpiece". In 1989, Otis Williams was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Temptations.
Williams received an honorary doctorate from Stillman College in May 2006. Williams married Josephine Rogers in 1961, he and Josephine divorced in 1964. Otis Lamont Williams was a construction worker who died in a workplace accident in Detroit in 1983. Williams was engaged to Patti LaBelle, she ended the engagement when he wanted her to quit music and become a house wife. Williams was married to Ann Cain from 1967 to 1973, he married his third wife, Arleata "Goldie" Williams, in 1983. Arleata Williams' daughter Elan Carter became 1994's Playboy's Playmate of the Month for June 1994. Charles Malik Whitfield portrayed Williams in the 1998 NBC-TV miniseries The Temptations. Aint Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, a musical based on Williams' memoir The Temptations premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theater in September 2017. Williams was played by Derrick Baskin; the show reached Broadway's Imperial Theater, opening March 21, 2019. Otis Williams' official website Otis Williams interview by Pete Lewis,'Blues & Soul' March 2010 Otis Williams on AngelFire Interview with Otis Williams by Gary James at Classic Bands
G.I.T. on Broadway
G. I. T. on Broadway known as Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations on Broadway, is a 1969 television special produced by Motown Productions and George Schlatter-Ed Friendly Productions. The special, a follow-up to 1968's successful TCB program, is a musical revue starring Motown's two most popular groups at the time, Diana Ross and the Supremes with the Temptations. Containing Broadway showtunes, the special was taped in mid-1969 and broadcast November 12, 1969 on NBC. Like TCB, the title of the program was derived from an acronym, this one standing for "Gettin' It Together". A soundtrack album for the special, titled Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations on Broadway, was issued five days before the program aired. Though there were no singles released from this album in the USA, "The Rhythm of Life" did become a Top 10 hit for the ensemble in Australia. Two months after its release, Diana Ross left The Supremes to embark upon a solo career. Diana Ross & the Supremes: Diana Ross Mary Wilson Cindy Birdsong The Temptations: Dennis Edwards Eddie Kendricks Paul Williams Melvin Franklin Otis Williams "G.
I. T On Broadway" Broadway Medley "The Rhythm of Life" "Malteds over Manhattan" Medley: "It Ain't Necessarily So" "Summertime" "Fiddler on the Roof Medley" "The Student Mountie" "Leading Lady Medley" "Let the Sunshine In" "Funky Broadway" "G. I. T. On Broadway Reprise" "G. I. T On Broadway" Broadway Medley "Malteds over Manhattan" "Leading Lady Medley" Fiddler on the Roof Medley "The Student Mountie" "The Rhythm of Life" Finale: "Let the Sunshine In" "Funky Broadway" "G. I. T. On Broadway" The show won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design - Bob Mackie. Various clips are available for viewing online by streaming media sites, including YouTube. In 2017, the vinyl LP soundtrack album has been remastered and reissued on CD in the U. S.. G. I. T. on Broadway on IMDb
Puzzle People
Puzzle People is the eleventh studio album released by American soul quintet The Temptations for the Gordy label in 1969. Produced by Norman Whitfield, Puzzle People takes the next step along the path that Cloud Nine started, takes the Temptations further away from a classic soul sound, more towards the realm of psychedelic soul. Although a few ballads, including "Running Away," are still present, the album is composed of Sly & the Family Stone/James Brown-derived proto-funk tracks such as the lead single "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down," and the number-one Billboard Pop hit "I Can't Get Next to You." Included are psychedelic-styled covers of contemporary songs such as The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing," The Beatles' "Hey Jude," and Roger Miller's "Little Green Apples." As opposed to the recordings of the David Ruffin/"Classic 5" era, the lead vocals here are traded back and forth between the group members, with each of the two singles featuring all five Temptations on lead, Dennis Edwards, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams dominating most of the leads on the album tracks.
The lyrics on some of the original numbers, written by former Motown artist Barrett Strong, were becoming socially conscious and political. "Slave" deals with the injustice in the prison system, while "Message From a Black Man" is a Black power song with a militant refrain: "no matter how hard you try/you can't stop me now." "Message From a Black Man" was a popular radio request in 1969, although the Temptations themselves, who thought the record too forward, never performed it live. Puzzle People was released on the same day as Together, a duets album of covers by the Temptations and labelmates Diana Ross & the Supremes, it peaked into the Top 5 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, spent fifteen weeks at number one on the R&B Albums chart. All selections produced by Norman Whitfield. "I Can't Get Next to You" 2:55 "Hey Jude" 3:32 "Don't Let The Joneses Get You Down" 4:45 "Message From A Black Man" 6:02 "It's Your Thing" 3:13 "Little Green Apples" 3:45 "You Don't Love Me No More" 2:35 "Since I've Lost You" 2:43 "Running Away" 2:48 "That's the Way Love Is" 3:20 "Slave" 7:30 Dennis Edwards - vocals Eddie Kendricks - vocals Paul Williams - vocals Melvin Franklin - vocals Otis Williams - vocals Norman Whitfield - producer, songwriter Barrett Strong - lyricist The Funk Brothers - instrumentation List of number-one R&B albums of 1969 List of number-one R&B albums of 1970
I'll Be Doggone
"I'll Be Doggone" is a 1965 song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye and released on the Tamla label. The song talks about how a man tells his woman that he'll be "doggone" about simple things but if she did him wrong that he'd be "long gone", it became his first million-selling record and his first number-one single on the R&B chart, staying there for two weeks, was the first song Gaye recorded with Smokey Robinson as one of the songwriters of the record. The song was co-written by Robinson's fellow Miracles members Pete Marv Tarplin; the Miracles sang background on this recording,along with Motown's long-standing female back-up group, The Andantes,and Miracle Marv Tarplin played lead guitar. "I'll Be Doggone" gave Marvin his third top-ten pop hit, where it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, with that number matched by his follow-up record, "Ain't That Peculiar". Lead vocals by Marvin Gaye Background vocals by The Miracles & The Andantes Guitar by Marv Tarplin of The Miracles Other instrumentation by The Funk Brothers Paul Revere & the Raiders covered the song in their 1966 studio album Just Like Us!.
In 1973, Penny DeHaven released a Country version on a single only. Albert King covered the song on his 1972 album I'll Play the Blues for You. Twiggy covered it in her album Please Get My Name Right. Bob Weir covered, he performed it live with his band during that time. List of number-one R&B singles of 1965 Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics To improve this article, add in what hit it was preceded and followed by
Music genre
A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from musical form and musical style, although in practice these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Academics have argued that categorizing music by genre is inaccurate and outdated. Music can be divided into different genres in many different ways; the artistic nature of music means that these classifications are subjective and controversial, some genres may overlap. There are varying academic definitions of the term genre itself. In his book Form in Tonal Music, Douglass M. Green distinguishes between form, he lists madrigal, canzona and dance as examples of genres from the Renaissance period. To further clarify the meaning of genre, Green writes, "Beethoven's Op. 61 and Mendelssohn's Op. 64 are identical in genre – both are violin concertos – but different in form. However, Mozart's Rondo for Piano, K. 511, the Agnus Dei from his Mass, K. 317 are quite different in genre but happen to be similar in form."
Some, like Peter van der Merwe, treat the terms genre and style as the same, saying that genre should be defined as pieces of music that share a certain style or "basic musical language." Others, such as Allan F. Moore, state that genre and style are two separate terms, that secondary characteristics such as subject matter can differentiate between genres. A music genre or subgenre may be defined by the musical techniques, the style, the cultural context, the content and spirit of the themes. Geographical origin is sometimes used to identify a music genre, though a single geographical category will include a wide variety of subgenres. Timothy Laurie argues that since the early 1980s, "genre has graduated from being a subset of popular music studies to being an ubiquitous framework for constituting and evaluating musical research objects". Among the criteria used to classify musical genres are the trichotomy of art and traditional musics. Alternatively, music can be divided on three variables: arousal and depth.
Arousal reflects the energy level of the music. These three variables help explain why many people like similar songs from different traditionally segregated genres. Musicologists have sometimes classified music according to a trichotomic distinction such as Philip Tagg's "axiomatic triangle consisting of'folk','art' and'popular' musics", he explains that each of these three is distinguishable from the others according to certain criteria. The term art music refers to classical traditions, including both contemporary and historical classical music forms. Art music exists in many parts of the world, it emphasizes formal styles that invite technical and detailed deconstruction and criticism, demand focused attention from the listener. In Western practice, art music is considered a written musical tradition, preserved in some form of music notation rather than being transmitted orally, by rote, or in recordings, as popular and traditional music are. Most western art music has been written down using the standard forms of music notation that evolved in Europe, beginning well before the Renaissance and reaching its maturity in the Romantic period.
The identity of a "work" or "piece" of art music is defined by the notated version rather than by a particular performance, is associated with the composer rather than the performer. This is so in the case of western classical music. Art music may include certain forms of jazz, though some feel that jazz is a form of popular music. Sacred Christian music forms an important part of the classical music tradition and repertoire, but can be considered to have an identity of its own; the term popular music refers to any musical style accessible to the general public and disseminated by the mass media. Musicologist and popular music specialist Philip Tagg defined the notion in the light of sociocultural and economical aspects: Popular music, unlike art music, is conceived for mass distribution to large and socioculturally heterogeneous groups of listeners and distributed in non-written form, only possible in an industrial monetary economy where it becomes a commodity and in capitalist societies, subject to the laws of'free' enterprise... it should ideally sell as much as possible.
Popular music is found on most commercial and public service radio stations, in most commercial music retailers and department stores, in movie and television soundtracks. It is noted on the Billboard charts and, in addition to singer-songwriters and composers, it involves music producers more than other genres do; the distinction between classical and popular music has sometimes been blurred in marginal areas such as minimalist music and light classics. Background music for films/movies draws on both traditions. In this respect, music is like fiction, which draws a distinction between literary fiction and popular fiction, not always precise. Country music known as country and western, hillbilly music, is a genre of popular music that originated in the southern United States in the early 1920s; the polka is a Czech dance and genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the early 1950s, developed into a range of different styles in the 1960s and particular
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris, better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer, musician, record producer, multi-instrumentalist. A child prodigy, Wonder is considered to be one of the most critically and commercially successful musical performers of the late 20th century, he signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11, continued performing and recording for Motown into the 2010s. He has been blind since shortly after his birth. Among Wonder's works are singles such as "Signed, Delivered I'm Yours", "Superstition", "Sir Duke", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", "I Just Called to Say I Love You", he has recorded more than 30 U. S. top-ten hits and received 25 Grammy Awards, one of the most-awarded male solo artists, has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the top 60 best-selling music artists. Wonder is noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a holiday in the United States.
In 2009, Wonder was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2013, Billboard magazine released a list of the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's 55th anniversary, with Wonder at number six. Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, on May 13, 1950, the third of six children born to Calvin Judkins and songwriter Lula Mae Hardaway, he was born six weeks premature which, along with the oxygen-rich atmosphere in the hospital incubator, resulted in retinopathy of prematurity, a condition in which the growth of the eyes is aborted and causes the retinas to detach, so he became blind. When Wonder was four, his mother divorced his father and moved with her children to Detroit, where Wonder sang as a child in a choir at the Whitestone Baptist Church, she changed her name back to Lula Hardaway and changed her son's surname to Morris because of relatives. Wonder has retained Morris as his legal surname, he began playing instruments at an early age, including piano and drums.
He formed a singing partnership with a friend. In 1961, when aged 11, Wonder sang his own composition, "Lonely Boy", to Ronnie White of the Miracles. Before signing, producer Clarence Paul gave him the name Little Stevie Wonder; because of Wonder's age, the label drew up a rolling five-year contract in which royalties would be held in trust until Wonder was 21. He and his mother would be paid a weekly stipend to cover their expenses: Wonder received $2.50 per week, a private tutor was provided for when Wonder was on tour. Wonder was put in the care of producer and songwriter Clarence Paul, for a year they worked together on two albums. Tribute to Uncle Ray was recorded first. Covers of Ray Charles's songs, the album included a Wonder and Paul composition, "Sunset"; the Jazz Soul of Little Stevie was recorded next, an instrumental album consisting of Paul's compositions, two of which, "Wondering" and "Session Number 112", were co-written with Wonder. Feeling Wonder was now ready, a song, "Mother Thank You", was recorded for release as a single, but pulled and replaced by the Berry Gordy song "I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues" as his début single.
Two follow-up singles, "Little Water Boy" and "Contract on Love", both had no success, the two albums, released in reverse order of recording—The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie in September 1962 and Tribute to Uncle Ray in October 1962—also met with little success. At the end of 1962, when Wonder was 12 years old, he joined the Motortown Revue, touring the "chitlin' circuit" of theatres across America that accepted black artists. At the Regal Theater, his 20-minute performance was recorded and released in May 1963 as the album Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius. A single, "Fingertips", from the album was released in May, became a major hit; the song, featuring a confident and enthusiastic Wonder returning for a spontaneous encore that catches out the replacement bass player, heard to call out "What key? What key?", was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when Wonder was aged 13, making him the youngest artist to top the chart. The single was No. 1 on the R&B chart, the first time that had occurred.
His next few recordings, were not successful. During 1964, Wonder appeared in two films as himself, Muscle Beach Party and Bikini Beach, but these were not successful either. Sylvia Moy persuaded label owner Berry Gordy to give Wonder another chance. Dropping the "Little" from his name and Wonder worked together to create the hit "Uptight", Wonder went on to have a number of other hits during the mid-1960s, including "With a Child's Heart", "Blowin' in the Wind", a Bob Dylan cover, co-sung by his mentor, producer Clarence Paul, he began to work in the Motown songwriting department, composing songs both for himself and his label mates, including "The Tears of a Clown", a No. 1 hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (it was first released in 1967 unnoticed as the last track of their Make It Happen LP, but became a majo
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was headquartered. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American–owned 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. Motown was the most successful record label of soul music, with a net worth totaling $61 million. During the 1960s, Motown achieved spectacular success for a small label: 79 records in the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100 between 1960 and 1969. Following the events of the Detroit Riots of 1967 and the loss of key songwriting/production team Holland-Dozier-Holland the same year over pay disputes, Gordy began relocating Motown to Los Angeles, California.
The move was completed in 1972, Motown expanded into film and television production, remaining an independent company until 1994, when it was sold to PolyGram before being sold again to MCA Records' successor Universal Music Group when it acquired PolyGram in 1999. Motown spent much of the 2000s headquartered in New York City as a part of the UMG subsidiaries Universal Motown and Universal Motown Republic Group. From 2011 to 2014, it was a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music. In 2014, however, UMG announced the dissolution of Island Def Jam, Motown relocated back to Los Angeles to operate under the Capitol Music Group, now operating out of the landmark Capitol Tower. In 2018, Motown was inducted into Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame class at the Charles H. Wright Museum, Motown legend Martha Reeves received the award for the label. Berry Gordy got his start as a songwriter for local Detroit acts such as Jackie Wilson and the Matadors. Wilson's single "Lonely Teardrops", written by Gordy, became a huge success, but Gordy did not feel he made as much money as he deserved from this and other singles he wrote for Wilson.
He realized that the more lucrative end of the business was in producing records and owning the publishing. In 1959, Billy Davis and Berry Gordy's 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 an $800 loan from his family and royalties earned writing for Jackie Wilson. Gordy wanted to name the label Tammy Records, after the hit song popularized by Debbie Reynolds from the 1957 film Tammy and the Bachelor, in which Reynolds starred; when he found the name was in use, Berry decided on Tamla instead. Tamla's first release, in the Detroit area, was Marv Johnson's "Come to Me" in 1959, its first hit was Barrett Strong's "Money". Gordy's first signed act was the Matadors, who changed their name to the Miracles in order to avoid confusion with the Matadors who recorded for Sue, their first release, "Got a Job", was an answer record to the Silhouettes' "Get a Job".
The Miracles' first, minor hit was their fourth single, 1959's "Bad Girl", released in Detroit as the debut record on the Motown imprint, nationally on the Chess label. Miracles lead. Several of Gordy's family members, including his father Berry Sr. brothers Robert and George, sister Esther, were given key roles in the company. By the middle of the decade and Anna Gordy had joined the label in administrative positions as well. Gordy's partner at the time, Raynoma Liles played a key role in the early days of Motown, leading the company's first session group, The Rayber Voices, overseeing the label's publishing arm, Jobete. In 1959, Gordy purchased the property that would become Motown's Hitsville U. S. A. studio. The photography studio located in the back of the property was modified into a small recording studio, the Gordys moved into the second-floor living quarters. Within seven years, Motown would occupy seven additional neighboring houses: Hitsville U. S. A. 1959 – administrative office, tape library, control room, Studio A.
Early Tamla/Motown artists included Eddie Holland and Mary Wells. "Shop Around", the Miracles
