Diana Ross & The Supremes Pt.2

             “Record-breaking Success in the Guinness Book of Records”

The group's final UK Pop number one album
and certified recording project.

The vocal group’s final compilation number one was the greatest hits album “Diana Ross

and the Supremes 20 Golden Greats”, at the top week-ending 17^th September 1977 (7 weeks). The label received a gold disc from the BPI for over 100,000 copies sold in the UK.

They are also the recording act with the most number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in America (with 12) and on the Cash Box Pop Singles Chart (with 14)! The Supremes only managed to have 8 singles at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B and Soul Singles Chart from 1964 to 1970, with “Stoned Love” the last of these, week-ending 26^th December 1970 (1 week).

Gold certified greatest hits compilation
in the UK

They are also the recording act with the most number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in America (with 12) and on the Cash Box Pop Singles Chart (with 14)! The Supremes only managed to have 8 singles at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B and Soul Singles Chart from 1964 to 1970, with “Stoned Love” the last of these, week-ending 26^th December 1970 (1 week).

“Diana Ross’ Greatest Hits”, consisting of ten of Ross' greatest hits as a solo artist, became her second album in 1976 to hit the Top Five in the UK. It was certified gold in the UK for sales in excess of 100,000 copies on 1^st January 1976.                  

Platinum certified album
 for over 300,000 copies in the UK
according BPI.

Miss Ross has managed to achieve the number one position on the Official UK Pop Albums and Singles Charts from the 1960s into the 1990s for a duration of 18 weeks in total!          














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Norman Whitfield Musical Legacy Lives On Pt.1

The mastermind Norman Whitfield

Norman Whitfield was born on 12^th May1940 in Harlem, New York and passed away on 16^th September 2008 in Los Angeles at the age of 68. He founded Whitfield Records in Los Angeles after his departure from Motown Records. He was known as the father of the “Psychedelic Funk” sound. Longer songs, heavy bass line, distorted guitars, multi-tracked drums and inventive vocal arrangements became the trademarks of Norman’s production outputs, mainly with The Temptations.

The Grammy Award studio project and
first for Motown Records and
Norman Whitfield

He developed the sound with the help of the Motown studio band “The Funk Brothers”, with the assistance of the legendary Paul Riser as conductor and strings and horns arranger. His innovative music production concentrated more on instrumentation and put less focus on vocals, which was a major departure from the Motown signature sound, the “Sound of Young America”, that made production and song-writing team Holland, Dozier and Holland famous.

Prior to Norman Whitfield’s departure from Motown Records, he produced and co-wrote with Barrett Strong the majority of The Temptations’ recording projects during the first ten years of the label’s operation into the early 1970s, with such songs as “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)”, “Ball Confusion”, “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “I Can’t Get Next to You”. All these singles achieved platinum certification in America for selling over two million plus copies each. "Cloud Nine" won Motown Records its first Grammy Award, for Best R&B Vocal Group Performance of 1969. The Temptations’ recording projects produced by Norman featured the funky psychedelic sound which eventually created a large body of gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications that still continue in the UK and America into the 21^st Century, making The Temptations the most certified black male vocal group in music history. He also produced the last major single at the old Studio A recording studio before it was turned into  museum.The single was "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" which received platinum award by RIAA for over two million copies sold in America and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart week-ending 2nd December 1972 (1 week).

The gold certified album "All Directions"
that features "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"

This demonstrates the excellent production ability of Whitfield and the sound engineer at the time, the legendary Russ Terrana (a white man who was responsible for the sound engineering and mixing of over 89 number one records for Motown Records from the mid 1960s to early 1970s) and the brilliance of The Funk Brothers studio band. The musical compositions of Norman and Barrett reflected the social unrest and violent disturbances that took place across America’s inner cities after the death of Martin Luther King and also America’s involvement in the Vietnam War during the late 1960s. Musically they were totally in tune with the current events of that time.     


                                         



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The Year Was 1965: Significant Events in Motown’s History Pt. 2

I

Marvin Gaye's first number one hit single

In the month of May Smokey Robinson produced his magic formula again with Marvin Gaye, as the latter stepped out of his studio drumming role and turned to singing as the label’s leading up-and-coming male vocalist. Robinson also found time to compose the song “I’ll Be Doggone” with guitarist Marv Tarplin and Pete Moore, founding members of The Miracles, whilst on tour. Marvin Gaye was an emerging genius who co-wrote his first three hit records, “Stubborn Kind of Fellow”, “Hitch Hike” and “Pride and Joy”. He was one of the first artists at Motown to do so. Gaye became brilliant at interpreting other song-writers’ material, improvising and improving on the original song and making it his own in the process. “I’ll Be Doggone” was certainly one of those songs. It topped the Billboard Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles Chart week-ending 22^nd May 1965 (1 week). Each member of The Funk Brothers added their own momentum and richness to the song’s groove helping to send the song to the top! 

The Supremes' album  containing
 the 1965 single "Come See About Me"

The Motown organisation was by now a winning brand and a major player within the industry. In the eleven months from August 1964 to June 1965, The Supremes had five number one singles on several singles chart listings. The five consecutive number one hits were “Where Did Our Love Go”, “Baby Love”, “Come See About Me”, “Stop! In the Name of Love”, and “Back in My Arms Again” The industry was now aware of the fact that Berry Gordy Jr. had tremendous power within his hit-making teams, with the credentials for consistent success. The key leading act The Supremes were performing a musical fusion of gospel and rhythm and blues which was sophisticated, innovative and intoxicating, with a high level of musical excellence. It also helped that the women were beautiful and well-dressed as leading fashion icons of the era!  

The fourth of the hit run, the power house song “Stop! In the Name of Love”, knocked The Beatles song “Eight Days a Week” off the number one position with a big bang and started its reign week-ending 27^th March 1965 (2 weeks). The Supremes became the first group in Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart history to have four chart topping singles in succession!

The hit album featuring the number one
 singles "Stop! In the of Love"
 and "Back In My Arms Again"

The label then released another monster classic recording called “Back in My Arms Again”, which reached the number one position week-ending 29^th May 1965 (1 week), once again produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland. It thus became the fifth consecutive number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart week-ending 12^th June (1 week). A new record! The track vocals were laid down on the 22^nd December 1964, followed by the dynamic and thunderous bass line of James Jamerson Jr. with Mike Terry’s excellent performance on saxophone and James Gittens’s ringing and driving vibes giving the song its special touch. Studio A was packed with musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performing strings, located on a built-up stage up again the wall, until the company acquired more studio space.

By 1965 many experts in the industry were trying to define the sound’s musical elements but Adam White, a British former music editor of Billboard Magazine, captured the essence brilliantly: “ A bedrock bass line; an emphatic beat accentuated by tambourines performed by both Jack Ashford and James Gittens; pounding percussions, drums and piano tracks; saxophone-driven brass charts; shrill femme backup vocals in the classic call-and-response mode of gospel performances; and those swirling, riff-reinforcing strings of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Motown had finally broken down racial barriers. The musical sophistication spread around the world. When you listen to ‘Back in My Arms Again’ you do not think about the track in terms of black or white sound; the music was an international language with a powerful spiritual force that changed the atmosphere all around you.

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Significant Achievements in the Detroit Sound Pt.4

"TCB"
Diana Ross & The Supremes with
The Temptations

Did know that Motown Records became the first label in America music history to have a soundtrack TV special album at number one on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart week-ending 8 ^th February 1969 (1 week) which temporarily dislodged self-title album "The Beatles" from the top position! The album "TCB" features Diana Ross & the Supremes with The Temptations"

First album released  performed 
by both groups

Also in 1969, the album "Diana Ross and the Supremes Join the Temptations, which showcased the combined forces ot the groups, climbed to number two on 11th January 1969, but was denied the top position by the The Beatles.

The  album also topped the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Albums Chart the following week after  an album performed by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles entitled “Special Occasion”, which stayed at number one for two weeks, week-ending December 7^th 1968 and was followed by Diana Ross & the Supremes’ album “Diana Ross and The Supremes Join The Temptations” week-ending 21^st December 1968 (2 weeks). 

                               



                                                                            

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Significant Achievements in the Detroit Sound Pt.2



Marvin Gaye Trans-Atlantic hit

Motown Records went on to have further trans-Atlantic success with the single “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” which dominated the Billboard singles chart listings, starting on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles Chart at number one week-ending 14^th December 1968 (7 weeks), then on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart week-ending 14^th December 1968 (7 weeks), followed by the Cash Box Pop Singles Chart week-ending 21^st December 1968 (5 weeks) and finally number one on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart week-ending 18^th February 1969 (3 weeks). The very same week-ending 14^th December 1968 that Gaye was at number one, Diana Ross & the Supremes were at number two with the single “Love Child” which was at number one previously week-ending 2^nd November 1968 (2 weeks). Also Stevie Wonder was at number three with the single “For Once in My Life.” Marvin Gaye managed to achieve further success on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart with the single “Too Busy Thinking ‘Bout My Baby” week-ending 29^th July 1969 at the number five position for one week. The single was extracted from the album entitled “M.P.G” which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Albums Chart week-ending 21^st June 1969 (2 weeks).

The Temptations and Diana Ross &
 the Supremes platinum certified single.

“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” was a joint monster hit for Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations, going all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart week-ending 11^th January 1969 (2 weeks). It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles Chart and made it to number one on both the US “Record World” Top Singles and US Cash Box Pop Singles Chart week-ending 25^th January 1969 (1 week), dethroning “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” which held the number one position for the previous three weeks, beginning week-ending 4^th January 1969. The single was finally certified by the RIAA in the 1990s as a platinum record for selling over two million copies in America. It also did very well on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart, reaching number three week-ending 4^th February 1969 (1 week).

UK Pop number one
 album for both groups.

The parent album “Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations” did very well in America and the UK albums charts. It peaked at number one on the UK Official Pop Albums Chart week-ending 9^th February 1969 (4 weeks) and also spent one week at number two on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart week-ending 11^th January 1969. It was also at the top of the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Albums Chart week-ending 4^th January 1969 (2 weeks). During the same period Diana Ross & the Supremes with The Temptations had another big hit with a soundtrack album called “TCB Diana Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations” which climbed to the top position on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart week-ending 8^th February 1969 (1 week), with the album “Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations” at number five at same time. The “TCB” album did very well on the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Albums Chart, reaching number one week-ending 18^th January 1969 (6 weeks). All these singles and albums featured the great talents of The Funk Brothers accompanied by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra string section, led by concertmaster Gordon Staples, with vocal support from The Andantes.

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Paul Riser Creative Impact with Strings and Horn Arrangements.

Paul Riser

Paul Riser, probably the most prolific arranger of hit songs of all time.
Chief architects for strings and horn arrangements at Motown.
Among Riser's biggest hits as an arranger are, "My Girl" (The Temptations),
"Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" (The Temptations), for which he won a Grammy
Award, both versions of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (Marvin
Gaye)(Gladys Knight & The Pips), "My Cherie Amour," (Stevie Wonder),
both versions of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Diana Ross) (Marvin Gaye &
Tammy Terrell), "If I Were Your Woman" (Gladys Knight & The Pips) and "Tears
of A Clown" (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles). He is also composer of "What
Becomes of The Brokenhearted" (Jimmy Ruffin).

Also outside the Motown organisation he achieved hits records for such artist as
“Car Wash” (Rose Royce) Certified gold and platinum by RIAA and BPI
"Never To Much" (Luther Vandross), Certified gold and platinum by RIAA
"Two Hearts" (Phil Collins) Silver certification by BPI
“Believe I Can Fly" (R. Kelly). Certified gold and platinum by RIAA and BPI

His arrangements is also heard on recording projects for such artist as
The Carpenters,
Carly Simon,
Quincy Jones, T
The Doobie Brothers,
Tom Jones,
Natalie Cole,
Pharoah Sanders,
Kiki Dee,
Johnny Mathis,
Patti LaBelle,
Stephanie Mills,
Anita Baker,
Roberta Flack,
Michael McDonald,
Aretha Franklin,
Mary J. Blige.

As we fast forward to the 1990s and the early 21st century, we witness other great achievements by Paul Riser, callobarating with R. Kelly on the album “Chocolate Factory” which has sold 2.5 million copies in America since its release in 2003.
He was responsible for the string arrangement on Keith Washington’s R&B number one single; “Kissing You”(1991) , extracted from the gold album “Making Time For Love” on the Qwest label.He is one of few arrangers to have achieved hit records over four decades.
BPI (British Phonographic Industry) RIAA (Record Industry Association of America)

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