{"id":43,"date":"2017-11-13T12:09:13","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T17:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/?post_type=chapter&p=43"},"modified":"2017-11-27T15:24:14","modified_gmt":"2017-11-27T20:24:14","slug":"detroit","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/chapter\/detroit\/","title":{"raw":"Detroit","rendered":"Detroit"},"content":{"raw":"

August 14 - 20, 1968 <\/span><\/p>\r\n

When I arrived it took a while to find a hotel that suited my financial situation. But I could afford room No. 129 at the Virginia Hotel at 921 South Grand Ave. It cost $8 per week. The hotel was in a large detached house and the hotel operation was more like a \u201cbed without breakfast.\u201d I was thoroughly tired and felt the early stages of a cold. Next day I woke up at two in the afternoon because of time zone difference and jet lag. It was not until the following day I could start my research.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Berry Gordy\u2019s Motown was on top of my list. But they had moved from the intimate little building, known as \u201cHitsville USA\u201d at 2648 W. Grand Blvd, Detroit 8 (Ph. 871- 3340) to a modern office building at 2457 Woodward Rd, Meadowbrook (Ph. 965-9250). There, under the name of International Talent Managementt, their artists were also booked (Ph. 313-871-5611), and Pat Alexander was responsible for the PR. The door was locked and the front desk did not answer the door bell. It was impossible to get in. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

I had been admitted with open arms at all other record companies, but here I was met by a closed door. I waited a long time but there was no one who either entered or left.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Returning home, I tried to call but ended up in a switchboard that connected me to the wrong people. I remember a tired man who apparently edited music at a high volume, but after three attempts I had still not managed to make myself understood or explain what I wanted. I never managed to talk to Pat Alexander or to Mr. Selzer who was responsible for the studio recordings, when I tried again after the weekend. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

At this time rumors were spread that Tamla-Motown, the fastest growing and most profitable company of all sectors and branches in the US, had been taken over by organized crime. They had made an offer the company could not refuse. Maybe they didn\u2019t want to talk to journalists then. They had six or seven years of exceptional, profitable growth behind them. They were the Apple or Google of that era. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

I continued to browse through the phone book, and spoke to Mrs. Burt of Magic City Records at 8912 Grand River Ave. Allen Metnick was promo man at London Records (15470 Schafr. Phone: 273-6740). They distributed small soul-labels like Tribe and Watch but the Rolling Stones were their biggest artists. I think it was at Revilot they said that J.J. Barnes, later one of the great Northern Soul artists in England, performed at 2-12 Local Union Hall on Mack Avenue in Detroit\u2019s eastern parts along with Pat Lewis and The Holidays. Dean Jackson (<\/span>Love Makes The World Go Around<\/span>) was in town and performed at the Casino Royale (at Wyoming) on Friday-Saturday. The Intruders (<\/span>Cowboys To Girls<\/span>) was in another place. But I never got a real overview of Detroit\u2019s soul scene. No one mentioned the Flame Showbar which used to be Detroit\u2019s best black nightclub. It was here Billy \u201cPrince of the Blues\u201d Wright, Little Richard\u2019s mentor, staged shows and Berry Gordy worked as a cloakroom attendant and tried to sell his compositions to visiting artists like Jackie Wilson.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Saturday-Sunday Monday-Tuesday (August 17th to 20th)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The cold hit with full force over the weekend. The only thing I could do was walk around in record shops. During my roundtrip so far I had neither had the time nor money to do this, but overall spending so little in Detroit I could prioritize disc purchases. The record market in Detroit was very well supplied. Lots of records were available on sale. At a flea market there were perhaps 50 meters of tables with tons of singles of soul and white groups on small Detroit companies. I wrote up names and addresses directly from the labels for future research visits. From the phone book, I got additional information:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Diamond Jim Records (Riley Prod.), 12328 Dexter, Detroit Ph: 833-7688 (Artists: E. J. & The Echos)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

D-Town, 3040 E. Grand Blvd, Phone: 874-3080<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Falcon Records, Fortune Records<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Golden World (their group The Reflection\u2019s <\/span>Just Like Romeo and Juliet<\/span> had entered the Swedish Top Ten)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Inferno 16265 Wyoming Ph: 863-2030 (distributed by Motown)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Revilot (Solid Hitbound Prod) 8832 Puritn Ph: 342-7206<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Ric Tic Records, 4039 Buena Vista, Detroit Ph: 313 WE-1-0048<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Thelma, 6519 Gd River, Ph: 894-2282<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Tri-Phi (artist Harvey (Fuqua))<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Wheel City Records<\/span><\/p>\r\n

WheelsVille<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Wingate productions - (Ed Wingate worked with Golden World and Ric Tic and could be reached on Ric Tic\u2019s address).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

For a dollar you got around ten 45s. I had a decent stack in the end. A few days later I sent these and other records I had gotten for free during the trip. There were a total of 112 singles and 10 LPs. Postage cost $7.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

One Stop, Inc., 13254 Linwood Nr, Davison, Detroit distributed new singles. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

I bought the books <\/span>Black Like Me<\/span> and <\/span>Go Down Dead<\/span> about the situation of afro America in the United States. In <\/span>Black Like Me<\/span> the white John Howard Griffin alters his appearance and skin color and becomes a black man in the South. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

I also sent letters to people in the record business that I had met at different record companies in the United States with the hope that I would receive their mailings of new soul discs.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I listened to the radio, perhaps more than in any other city; and mainly to two stations; WCHD (Which probably just then had moved from 278 East Forest to 32790 Henry Ruft Rd) and WJLB (3100 David Broderick Tower).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

While Detroit was best known for its polished soul productions there were music from many parts of the United States on the radio. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

These were the best (*) songs I heard: <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Johnny Nash - <\/span>La La La<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Bull & The Matadors - <\/span>Funky Judge (Judge Sure is Funky)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Fredd \u2026 <\/span>Too Much Monkey Business Going On<\/span> \u2026(*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Chuck Jackson - <\/span>Ordinary Man<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Mighty Hannibal - <\/span>Good Time <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Fantastic Four - <\/span>I Love You Madly<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Parliaments - <\/span>Good Old Funky Music<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Lee Dorsey - <\/span>Four Corners <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Toys - <\/span>Sealed With A Kiss <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Johnny Nash - <\/span>Hold Me Tight<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cFour Dells\u201d - <\/span>If I Didn\u2019t Love You<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Jerry Combs & The Mannix - <\/span>It Takes A Whole Lotta Woman<\/span> ( *)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Jerry Butler \u2013 <\/span>Hey, Western Union Man<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Staple Singers - <\/span>Long Walk To D.C.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Jimmy \u2018Soul\u2019 Clark - <\/span>Moonie Moonie<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Jimmy Delphs - <\/span>Please Have Mercy, Mrs Percy <\/span><\/p>\r\n

And a very fine (almost talking) soul blues-ballad about having only 36 cents left and getting a cold by E.J. & The Echoes - <\/span>If You Just Love Me, Love Me <\/span>(Diamond Jim Records) (**) <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Leroy Briggs - <\/span>Going Out To Nowhe<\/span>re (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Sly & The Family Stone - <\/span>My Lady <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Detroit Emeralds - <\/span>Showtime <\/span><\/p>\r\n

(Oh Lord) Why Am I Treated So Bad<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Charles Conrad - <\/span>Isn\u2019t It Amazing<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Jackie Beavers - <\/span>I Need My Baby<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Dynamics - <\/span>Ain\u2019t No Sun (Since You\u2019ve Been Gone)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Brenda & The Tabulations - <\/span>Get Out Of My Life<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Joe Simon - <\/span>Message To Maria<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Jimmy Cober - <\/span>Cloudy Day <\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Ernie Dean - <\/span>I\u2019m Alright Now <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Bobby Womack - <\/span>Take Me<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Freddie Scott - <\/span>Where Does Love Go <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Mel Brown - <\/span>Ode To Billy Joe<\/span> (instrumental) <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Gladys Knight & The Pips - <\/span>I Wish It Would Rain<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Jerry-O - <\/span>Funky Four Corners<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I Only Get To See You On The Weekend (On The Weekend)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Gene Chandler - <\/span>Good Old Days <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Barbara Lewis - <\/span>Peacemaker Girl <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Ricky Lewis - <\/span>Cupid <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Soul Brothers - \u2026 <\/span>around <\/span> (instrumental) <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Andre Williams - <\/span>Cadillac Jack (*)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

When I See Her I\u2019m Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Musically nothing much had happened in Detroit. But on the other hand, I had cured my cold, avoided drinking and gathered strength. In New York later, I saw many Detroit and Tamla Motown Recording artists at the Apollo theatre. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Perhaps it was fortunate that I did not go into the Detroit ghetto. Tensions built up during the summer exploded almost simultaneously during the riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago.<\/span><\/p>","rendered":"

August 14 – 20, 1968 <\/span><\/p>\n

When I arrived it took a while to find a hotel that suited my financial situation. But I could afford room No. 129 at the Virginia Hotel at 921 South Grand Ave. It cost $8 per week. The hotel was in a large detached house and the hotel operation was more like a \u201cbed without breakfast.\u201d I was thoroughly tired and felt the early stages of a cold. Next day I woke up at two in the afternoon because of time zone difference and jet lag. It was not until the following day I could start my research.<\/span><\/p>\n

Berry Gordy\u2019s Motown was on top of my list. But they had moved from the intimate little building, known as \u201cHitsville USA\u201d at 2648 W. Grand Blvd, Detroit 8 (Ph. 871- 3340) to a modern office building at 2457 Woodward Rd, Meadowbrook (Ph. 965-9250). There, under the name of International Talent Managementt, their artists were also booked (Ph. 313-871-5611), and Pat Alexander was responsible for the PR. The door was locked and the front desk did not answer the door bell. It was impossible to get in. <\/span><\/p>\n

I had been admitted with open arms at all other record companies, but here I was met by a closed door. I waited a long time but there was no one who either entered or left.<\/span><\/p>\n

Returning home, I tried to call but ended up in a switchboard that connected me to the wrong people. I remember a tired man who apparently edited music at a high volume, but after three attempts I had still not managed to make myself understood or explain what I wanted. I never managed to talk to Pat Alexander or to Mr. Selzer who was responsible for the studio recordings, when I tried again after the weekend. <\/span><\/p>\n

At this time rumors were spread that Tamla-Motown, the fastest growing and most profitable company of all sectors and branches in the US, had been taken over by organized crime. They had made an offer the company could not refuse. Maybe they didn\u2019t want to talk to journalists then. They had six or seven years of exceptional, profitable growth behind them. They were the Apple or Google of that era. <\/span><\/p>\n

I continued to browse through the phone book, and spoke to Mrs. Burt of Magic City Records at 8912 Grand River Ave. Allen Metnick was promo man at London Records (15470 Schafr. Phone: 273-6740). They distributed small soul-labels like Tribe and Watch but the Rolling Stones were their biggest artists. I think it was at Revilot they said that J.J. Barnes, later one of the great Northern Soul artists in England, performed at 2-12 Local Union Hall on Mack Avenue in Detroit\u2019s eastern parts along with Pat Lewis and The Holidays. Dean Jackson (<\/span>Love Makes The World Go Around<\/span>) was in town and performed at the Casino Royale (at Wyoming) on Friday-Saturday. The Intruders (<\/span>Cowboys To Girls<\/span>) was in another place. But I never got a real overview of Detroit\u2019s soul scene. No one mentioned the Flame Showbar which used to be Detroit\u2019s best black nightclub. It was here Billy \u201cPrince of the Blues\u201d Wright, Little Richard\u2019s mentor, staged shows and Berry Gordy worked as a cloakroom attendant and tried to sell his compositions to visiting artists like Jackie Wilson.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday-Sunday Monday-Tuesday (August 17th to 20th)<\/span><\/p>\n

The cold hit with full force over the weekend. The only thing I could do was walk around in record shops. During my roundtrip so far I had neither had the time nor money to do this, but overall spending so little in Detroit I could prioritize disc purchases. The record market in Detroit was very well supplied. Lots of records were available on sale. At a flea market there were perhaps 50 meters of tables with tons of singles of soul and white groups on small Detroit companies. I wrote up names and addresses directly from the labels for future research visits. From the phone book, I got additional information:<\/span><\/p>\n

Diamond Jim Records (Riley Prod.), 12328 Dexter, Detroit Ph: 833-7688 (Artists: E. J. & The Echos)<\/span><\/p>\n

D-Town, 3040 E. Grand Blvd, Phone: 874-3080<\/span><\/p>\n

Falcon Records, Fortune Records<\/span><\/p>\n

Golden World (their group The Reflection\u2019s <\/span>Just Like Romeo and Juliet<\/span> had entered the Swedish Top Ten)<\/span><\/p>\n

Inferno 16265 Wyoming Ph: 863-2030 (distributed by Motown)<\/span><\/p>\n

Revilot (Solid Hitbound Prod) 8832 Puritn Ph: 342-7206<\/span><\/p>\n

Ric Tic Records, 4039 Buena Vista, Detroit Ph: 313 WE-1-0048<\/span><\/p>\n

Thelma, 6519 Gd River, Ph: 894-2282<\/span><\/p>\n

Tri-Phi (artist Harvey (Fuqua))<\/span><\/p>\n

Wheel City Records<\/span><\/p>\n

WheelsVille<\/span><\/p>\n

Wingate productions – (Ed Wingate worked with Golden World and Ric Tic and could be reached on Ric Tic\u2019s address).<\/span><\/p>\n

For a dollar you got around ten 45s. I had a decent stack in the end. A few days later I sent these and other records I had gotten for free during the trip. There were a total of 112 singles and 10 LPs. Postage cost $7.<\/span><\/p>\n

One Stop, Inc., 13254 Linwood Nr, Davison, Detroit distributed new singles. <\/span><\/p>\n

I bought the books <\/span>Black Like Me<\/span> and <\/span>Go Down Dead<\/span> about the situation of afro America in the United States. In <\/span>Black Like Me<\/span> the white John Howard Griffin alters his appearance and skin color and becomes a black man in the South. <\/span><\/p>\n

I also sent letters to people in the record business that I had met at different record companies in the United States with the hope that I would receive their mailings of new soul discs.<\/span><\/p>\n

I listened to the radio, perhaps more than in any other city; and mainly to two stations; WCHD (Which probably just then had moved from 278 East Forest to 32790 Henry Ruft Rd) and WJLB (3100 David Broderick Tower).<\/span><\/p>\n

While Detroit was best known for its polished soul productions there were music from many parts of the United States on the radio. <\/span><\/p>\n

These were the best (*) songs I heard: <\/span><\/p>\n

Johnny Nash – <\/span>La La La<\/span><\/p>\n

Bull & The Matadors – <\/span>Funky Judge (Judge Sure is Funky)<\/span><\/p>\n

Fredd \u2026 <\/span>Too Much Monkey Business Going On<\/span> \u2026(*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Chuck Jackson – <\/span>Ordinary Man<\/span><\/p>\n

Mighty Hannibal – <\/span>Good Time <\/span><\/p>\n

Fantastic Four – <\/span>I Love You Madly<\/span><\/p>\n

Parliaments – <\/span>Good Old Funky Music<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee Dorsey – <\/span>Four Corners <\/span><\/p>\n

Toys – <\/span>Sealed With A Kiss <\/span><\/p>\n

Johnny Nash – <\/span>Hold Me Tight<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFour Dells\u201d – <\/span>If I Didn\u2019t Love You<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Jerry Combs & The Mannix – <\/span>It Takes A Whole Lotta Woman<\/span> ( *)<\/span><\/p>\n

Jerry Butler \u2013 <\/span>Hey, Western Union Man<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Staple Singers – <\/span>Long Walk To D.C.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jimmy \u2018Soul\u2019 Clark – <\/span>Moonie Moonie<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Jimmy Delphs – <\/span>Please Have Mercy, Mrs Percy <\/span><\/p>\n

And a very fine (almost talking) soul blues-ballad about having only 36 cents left and getting a cold by E.J. & The Echoes – <\/span>If You Just Love Me, Love Me <\/span>(Diamond Jim Records) (**) <\/span><\/p>\n

Leroy Briggs – <\/span>Going Out To Nowhe<\/span>re (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sly & The Family Stone – <\/span>My Lady <\/span><\/p>\n

Detroit Emeralds – <\/span>Showtime <\/span><\/p>\n

(Oh Lord) Why Am I Treated So Bad<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Charles Conrad – <\/span>Isn\u2019t It Amazing<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Jackie Beavers – <\/span>I Need My Baby<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dynamics – <\/span>Ain\u2019t No Sun (Since You\u2019ve Been Gone)<\/span><\/p>\n

Brenda & The Tabulations – <\/span>Get Out Of My Life<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Simon – <\/span>Message To Maria<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Jimmy Cober – <\/span>Cloudy Day <\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Ernie Dean – <\/span>I\u2019m Alright Now <\/span><\/p>\n

Bobby Womack – <\/span>Take Me<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Freddie Scott – <\/span>Where Does Love Go <\/span><\/p>\n

Mel Brown – <\/span>Ode To Billy Joe<\/span> (instrumental) <\/span><\/p>\n

Gladys Knight & The Pips – <\/span>I Wish It Would Rain<\/span> (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

Jerry-O – <\/span>Funky Four Corners<\/span><\/p>\n

I Only Get To See You On The Weekend (On The Weekend)<\/span><\/p>\n

Gene Chandler – <\/span>Good Old Days <\/span><\/p>\n

Barbara Lewis – <\/span>Peacemaker Girl <\/span><\/p>\n

Ricky Lewis – <\/span>Cupid <\/span><\/p>\n

Soul Brothers – \u2026 <\/span>around <\/span> (instrumental) <\/span><\/p>\n

Andre Williams – <\/span>Cadillac Jack (*)<\/span><\/p>\n

When I See Her I\u2019m Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got <\/span><\/p>\n

Musically nothing much had happened in Detroit. But on the other hand, I had cured my cold, avoided drinking and gathered strength. In New York later, I saw many Detroit and Tamla Motown Recording artists at the Apollo theatre. <\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps it was fortunate that I did not go into the Detroit ghetto. Tensions built up during the summer exploded almost simultaneously during the riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"menu_order":11,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-43","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43\/revisions\/129"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=43"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=43"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks-dev.library.yorku.ca\/soulodyssey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=43"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}