“Record-breaking Success in the Guinness Book of Records”
The group's first number one album
on the UK Official Pop Albums Chart
Did you know that Diana Ross and the Supremes are the only Motown Records recording act to have three number
one compilation and greatest hits albums on the Official UK Pop Albums Chart? They
were also the first act to have a number one single for the label in the UK with
“Baby Love”, week-ending 19th
November 1964 (2 weeks). The single achieved similar success by reaching the
number one positions on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, week-ending 31st
October 1964 (4 weeks) and on the Cash Box Pop Singles Chart, week-ending 14th
November 1964 (2 weeks).The group’s first “Greatest Hits” compilation album peaked
at number one, week-ending 11th February 1968 (3 weeks) on the UK
Official Pop Albums Chart and again on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart,
week-ending 28th October 1967 (5 weeks).
The group's second UK compilation album at
number one in the UK Official
Pop Albums Chart
The group’s second greatest hits package or compilation album “Diana Ross and the Supremes Join The Temptations” reached the number one position on the Official UK Pop Albums Chart week-ending 9th February 1969 (4 weeks). The album made it to number one on the Billboard R&B and Soul Albums Chart week-ending 21st December 1968 (4 weeks).
The group's second compilation became tremendous success in collaboration with The Temptations
Rose Royce first successful studio album
produced by Norman Whitfield
Whitfield's record company achieved several gold and platinum records with Rose Royce while they were signed to his label, in the process
generating millions in gross earnings between the USA and the UK in which he produced the "In Full Bloom" (1977) and "Strikes Again" (1978). The first album studio features the legendary Jack Ashford former member of The Funk Brothers and Paul Riser conducting strings arrangements. Former Motown studio musicians Melvin "Wah Wah" Watson, Cornelius Grant with legendary Gene Page on
Rose Royce second most successful studio
album also produced Norman Whitfield
strings arrangements (also famous for working with the late Barry white). are featured on the second studio album. The single "Love Don't Live Anymore" from the second studio album managed to achieve gold certification in the UK for over half-a-million copies on the 1st October 1978 and peaked at number two on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart week-ending 16th September 1978 (1week) .The album "In Full Bloom"also peaked at number one on the Billboard Soul and R&B Albums Chart week-ending 1st October 1977 (3 non-consecutive weeks). Further success was achieved by the band's greatest hit album "Rose Royce Greatest Hits" which obtained platinum certification in the UK from BPI and topped the Official UK Pop Albums Chart week-ending 1st March 1980 (2 weeks).
Whilst at
Motown, in addition to his success with the Temptations, Norman produced gold
singles and albums for Rare Earth, a white rock band. “I Heard It Through the
Grapevine”, in the version performed by the late Marvin Gaye, was also inducted
into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical,
artistic and significant" value. In 1986, two years after Gaye's death,
the song was re-released in the UK and peaked at number eight on the UK
official Pop Singles Chart, thanks to a Levi's commercial.
The song also charted successfully in Germany, peaking
at number five on the chart. The song also achieved chart success twice on the Irish Singles Chart, reaching number seven on
its initial release in 1969 and peaking at number four on its 1986 re-release.
Marvin Gaye's
version of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” has since become a landmark in Pop
music. In 2004,
it ranked at number 80 on Rolling
Stone's list of
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
On the
commemorative 50th Anniversary of the Billboard Hot 100 issue of Billboard magazine in June 2008, Marvin Gaye's version was
ranked as the 65th biggest song on the chart. It was also inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and
significant" value.
Before Norman
left the Motown organisation, he received several Grammy Awards. "Cloud
Nine" won Motown Records its first Grammy Award in1969. He received a second Grammy award for
“Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone" for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group and
he finally received Grammy awards for the instrumental B-side to “Papa Was A
Rollin’ Stone" with the legendary Motown strings arranger Paul Riser for
Best R&B Instrumental Performance and a joint award with co- writer Barrett
Strong for Best R&B Song “Psychedelic Soul” the same year at the Grammy
Ceremony.
The legendary Motown strings arranger
Paul Riser received a Grammy with Norman for Best R&B Instrumental
Performance and joint award with co-writer Barrett Strong for Best R&B Song
“Psychedelic Soul” the same year at the Grammy Ceremony.
"Car Wash" soundtrack
After his departure from Motown Records he went
on to have tremendous success with a film sound track called “Car Wash” which
was his first major project after leaving Motown Records. The album and single
were certified gold and platinum by the RIAA (Record Industry Association of
America). The single went on to achieve number one both on the Billboard Pop
and R&B single chart listings, whilst the album went to number 14 on the Billboard
Pop album chart listings. The soundtrack won a Grammy award in 1977 for Album of Best
Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special at
the 19th Grammy Award Ceremony. The film cost less than $2 million
to make and generated over $20 million at the box office. By the end of the 1970s,
it is interesting to note that black soundtracks and films generated over $100
million in estimated revenue, marketed
mainly to black audiences.
Norman
Whitfield was born on 12th May1940 in Harlem, New York and passed
away on 16th 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 toNorman Whitfield’s departure fromMotown
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 Performanceof 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 21st 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.
Did you that overthirty years ago in the month August 1986 two Female artists who dominated the
American Billboard R&B Singles Chart for the entire month of August with singles produced and recorded in the city of Philadelphia, at different
recording studios. These two female recording solo artists were Shirley Jones and Jean Carne.
Both artists shared the number one
position for two weeks each, beginning with Jean Carne taking a run at the top of
the Billboard Soul and R&B Singles Chart week-ending
The album recorded by Jean Carne
featuring the classic hit single "Closer Than Closer"
2nd August 1986 (2
weeks) with “Closer than Closer” Omni 99531. Which was produced by the late Grover
Washington, Jr. Also Jean was once signed to Philadelphia International
Records during the 1970s to the early 1980s.
The album by recorded by Shirley Jones
featuring the number one
"Do You Get Enough Love"
Shirley Jones achieved the top position on 16th August
1986. Co-Produced by Kenny Gamble and Bunny Sigler. The
single “Do You Get enough Love” on Philadelphia International Records 50034, was
the second single for Philadelphia International Records to have achieved one
during the 1980s, with Patti LaBelle’s single been the first in
1984 for “If Only You Knew”, Philadelphia International Records 04248, 28th January
1984 (4 weeks). The single was extracted “I’m In Love Again” album, been the
last gold certified album to be distributed CBS Records for label for PIR
(Philadelphia International Records) before expiration of distribution deal with
label and CBS Records around 1985.
Kevin Tomlin has over 34 years of teaching experience in Jamaica, England and America, including 15 years teaching music history of black origin and visual art in South Florida, U.S.A., through Arts in Education.
Tomlin created special training programmes and workshops for music teachers in South Florida schools, using music history as the foundation, to build exciting programmes of study and support materials for education professionals.
Since 2000, he’s taught music history, geography, religious education, history, visual arts and performing arts at schools in Hertfordshire and Essex, at both primary and secondary levels.
He conducts research and provides consultancy services for multi-media organisations, schools, recording artists, cultural and faith-based groups and entertainment professionals.
