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| ISBN-13: | 9781477276334 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 06/21/2013 |
| Pages: | 642 |
| Sales rank: | 944,912 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x 1.29(d) |
Read an Excerpt
Girl Groups
Fabulous Females Who Rocked The World
By John Clemente
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2013 John ClementeAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-7633-4
CHAPTER 1
THE ANDANTES
Members: (1961-72) Marlene Barrow 2nd Soprano
Louvain Demps 1st Soprano
Jackie Hicks Alto
A well-rounded backing vocal should be smooth as silk, cool as ice, hot as a branding iron and as full as a slice of homemade apple pie. Motown Records had such a group singing backing vocals. They sometimes accompanied Marvin Gaye, Kim Weston, The Four Tops, Vandellas, Supremes, Marvelettes, Temptations and Holland-Dozier, among others. The Andantes were Motown's first female group that was used almost exclusively for backing vocals, most of the time with no credit on the label; a most prominent entity on vinyl, yet the existence of The Andantes remained fairly anonymous.
Berry Gordy had started Motown Records with a few hundred dollars borrowed from family members. Through his talents as a songwriter and the intuitive ability to spot talent, he built his company from a small independent label to one of the most influential and fastest growing businesses in the entertainment industry. When the company first began, however, everything was run on a shoestring. Motown cut corners by having the staff do anything and everything they were capable of doing, write songs and make the coffee; handle distribution and answer phones; operate the recording equipment and be a chauffeur. Gordy learned early on to utilize everything (and everyone) to the fullest potential.
Louvain Demps came to Motown Records in 1959, just as the company was getting started. Louvain had been out of Pershing High School a couple of years. Her parents knew of her vocal abilities and wanted her to study opera. Much to their vexation, Louvain elected to sing Rhythm & Blues, the music that all the teenagers were listening to. At the insistence of her friend, Little Willie John, Louvain started going to auditions. Motown put out the word that they would record anyone who had the money to pay for the session. Louvain and a friend took the offer.
"When Marv Johnson's record came out, they were offering recording contracts, or anybody that wanted to cut a record to pay $100. My girlfriend, Rhoda Collins (Howard) had written a song but she couldn't sing. She wanted me to do it. I cut my record, which really didn't do anything."
Although the song that Louvain recorded was not released, Motown offered her a job as one of the backing vocalists for the few artists they had on the roster at the time, Barrett Strong, Amos Milburn, Marv Johnson, The Satintones and Mabel John. One of her first assignments at Motown was singing on "Money", a big hit for the company. From then on, it seemed like the sessions were endless.
"We would go to Motown in the morning and stay the whole day. The Rayber Voices did most of the work."
As The Rayber Voices, Raynoma Gordy, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman and William "Sonny" Sanders, both of The Satintones, sang the backing vocals on many early singles at Motown. After their writing and administrative duties took precedence, those voices included anyone available on staff who could sing. Louvain replaced Ray. This way, costs were kept to a minimum by having artists doing double duty. Ultimately, as the company grew, the result Gordy was getting from The Rayber Voices was no longer what he preferred. Berry wanted smoother, well-rounded sounds on his recordings.
In 1960, Richard "Popcorn" Wylie came to Motown to record some demos in the hopes of signing with the company. "Popcorn" brought three friends with him to help out with the vocals. Judith (Marlene) Barrow, Jackie Hicks and Emily Philips came along to help out their friend. Popcorn did record a handful of singles for Motown as Popcorn and The Mohawks, but didn't care for the long- term deal he was offered, so he left the company, taking his friends with him. Wylie would again record for Motown later in the 60s when Motown absorbed the company for which he was recording. Jackie remembers that they were just there to lend their friend a helping hand, but wound up with an offer that they were not expecting.
"He (Popcorn) was trying to get a contract. Things didn't work out for him, so he went elsewhere. When he left, we left too, but they started contacting us. They wanted us for vocals and handclaps. We weren't interested, but they wore us down."
The young ladies had provided backing vocals for local artist Billy Kent. When this trio who called themselves The Andantes had come to Motown, Berry Gordy was struck by the fact that the group learned their parts quickly. He finally recruited the capable trio for his company. Emily Philips and Marlene were married and Marlene was expecting her first child. Emily's husband was in the service and when she decided to join him where he was stationed, it was suggested that Louvain join with Marlene and Jackie. At first, Emily's sister Edith filled in for her, but Edith was not interested in a long-term commitment, so Louvain became the third member, permanently. Marlene was satisfied with the union.
"We were quick studies. We had good memories and we could sing. Louvain had a high voice, so she slipped right into the top spot. It was a perfect blend."
Together, the trio had a beautiful, irresistible blend, with overtones that were almost operatic. The Andantes were lending their voices to recordings for other artists, but they never ruled out having their own name on a recording.
One of The Andantes' first assignments was providing backing vocals for Eddie Holland's "Jamie". On Mary Wells' "Laughing Boy", The Andantes receive billing on the record label, but more often than not, The Andantes did not receive a label credit, unlike other groups who did vocal backing like The Love Tones or The Vandellas. Attempts at single releases were novelty items like "What Goes Up, Must Come Down", released under the name Holland-Dozier. Motown also used The Andantes to experiment with sounds made popular by other companies. Motown tried to achieve the Phil Spector sound by pairing The Andantes with The Marvelettes on "Too Hurt To Cry, Too Much In Love To Say Goodbye" and billing the single as The Darnells. The Andantes sang the harmonies while The Marvelettes sang the unison behind a duet lead by Gladys Horton and Wanda Rogers.
Over the next few years, numerous, outstanding examples of The Andantes' presence on recordings were the opening chords to The Four Tops' "Ask The Lonely" and the cresting line in the superb B-side by The Supremes, "Standing At The Crossroads Of Love". As far as having a career of their own, the trio would have welcomed it, but the chance never came. In fact, only one single appeared under The Andantes' name during their tenure at Motown. In 1964, "Like A Nightmare" was released on Motown's VIP records. Anne Bogan, who had come to the label with Harvey Fuqua, was brought in to sing the lead on the dynamic song, which possessed a driving beat and forceful vocals. Louvain thinks that Motown made too many assumptions concerning The Andantes capabilities as lead singers.
"They didn't even ask any of us if we could sing the lead."
The single had much potential, but was allowed to languish in favor of groups who made live appearances. Motown did not consider The Andantes a performing group. Motown valued them in the studio. As a result of Motown's apathy toward the single, few copies exist today. "Like A Nightmare" is considered one of the rarest Motown singles on the collectors' market.
The existence of The Andantes on recordings by other artists was part of Berry Gordy's plan to have a sound that no other company could duplicate. Andantes' vocals were utilized the same way that Motown used their session musicians, for specific enhancements particular to the Motown sound. All Motown musicians and vocalists were forbidden to record for any other record company. This did not stop Jackie and Marlene from recording backgrounds for Jackie Wilson on some of his big hits, including "Higher and Higher". Marlene expresses the sentiment that The Andantes felt at the time,
"Berry did not want anyone else to have his sound, but if you want anything exclusively, you have to pay exclusively."
In addition to backing Jackie Wilson, The Andantes did much work in Chicago with The Dells, John Lee Hooker, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Jerry Butler. Louvain recalls even taking Supreme Mary Wilson to sing on a John Lee Hooker session. Louvain did not join Jackie and Marlene on the sessions for Jackie Wilson. The third person was singer Pat Lewis, a former member of The Adorables, who recorded for the rival Detroit label, Ric-Tic/Golden World. When that company was taken over by Motown, Lewis became a substitute Andante, along with future Dawn member Telma Hopkins. Louvain recalls preparing the ladies for sub work,
"Pat Lewis and Telma Hopkins started with us; they were groomed under us."
The Andantes often shone on recordings behind Motown's solo artists. Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar" and Brenda Holloway's "When I'm Gone" are just a handful of examples of The Andantes' exemplary work. Mary Wells' recording of "My Guy" was the first smash single with Andantes backing. The only chance that the group had to sing at a live performance was with Kim Weston, whom they backed regularly, in addition to her recordings. The Andantes' abilities would serve the Motown machine in other ways, as well.
As Motown Records moved forward and the company and its acts became bigger, the importance of having in-house musicians and vocalists to keep the wheels turning became more and more important. In the mid-60s, Motown was an extremely busy place. In the studio, The Andantes filled in for groups who were on the road. Therefore, the release of recordings adhered to a timely schedule. The Andantes were working so much, filling in on recordings by other Motown artists, they had their own office in the building. By 1966, The Motown sound was becoming more homogenized. The Andantes' strong voices were blended with backgrounds to fill out the sound on everyone's recordings. On some occasions, vocal accents were provided through overdubbing. On other occasions, The Andantes stood at one mike while the other group stood at another and the vocals were blended together. Many times, The Andantes' backing would be favored. Some groups were finding it hard to approximate this sound in live performance. Taking this into consideration, The Temptations asked that the existence of Andantes' vocals on their recordings be stopped. As far as artist billing was concerned, the performing groups provided the image for the public and the framework for premium recordings. The Andantes were session people, like the guitarist or the piano player. They received salaries and were paid session fees.
During 1966, there was much trouble brewing within the ranks of Motown's premier female group, The Supremes. Motown was preparing Diana Ross for her solo career. This did not sit well with Florence Ballard, who began missing performances. Many times, Marlene Barrow was often tapped to be a last minute stand-in for the ailing Ballard before her departure from The Supremes. Starting in 1967, The Andantes were used on all singles by The Supremes, replacing Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, until Diana's departure. This employment was a way of stylistically separating Diana Ross from her group mates, preparing the record buying public for Diana Ross as a separate entity. Marlene did not consider her temporary position in The Supremes as an offer to replace Florence Ballard.
"I stood in during the time that she (Ballard) formally left the group. I think that they had Cindy in mind from the start, but they had to straighten out everything with the contracts. I knew the songs, so they didn't have to teach me the songs. I also fit her gowns."
Jackie saw things a little differently. She feels Marlene could have had the spot if she so chose.
"I think they were considering Marlene, but if Marlene was to join The Supremes, she'd have to leave The Andantes and tour, which is something she didn't want to do."
Marlene came pretty close to a favored position, filling in on important dates like the dress rehearsal for The Supremes' show at The Copacabana, staged at The Basin Street East in Boston, as well as shows scheduled at other prominent venues.
As a unit, The Andantes continued to impress, particularly with their background work for Marvin Gaye and The Four Tops. They perform effortless call and response vocals on "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", a supportive chorus on "Bernadette" and the chorus of tears on Stevie Wonder's "Purple Raindrops. However, by the end of the 1960s, the work began to slow down. One of their last efforts was to supply backing vocals for Wanda Rogers, her work originally slated as a solo LP for her, but then assigned the title of "The Return of The Marvelettes". New, more self-contained artists were joining the Motown roster. Still, Louvain remembers the sessions as fairly abundant,
"Even in the final hours there, we did so much stuff; we didn't know what was coming out. We did some recordings with Rare Earth ... and did work with Ashford & Simpson. Motown never offered to take us to California."
Berry Gordy performed less as a hands-on company head and delegated more authority to others. The company was starting to diversify and the employee roster was growing. Gordy was planning more involvement in the movies. When it was evident that Motown was moving to Los Angeles for good, many of the artists were not asked to join the move. When Motown finally relocated in 1972, many of the musicians and vocalists were left in Detroit, including The Andantes. Jackie recounts how unceremonious the move was,
"It wasn't so much that they moved, because we didn't want to go, nor were we asked to go."
By 1973, The Andantes were finding work less and less frequent in Detroit. This was certainly not because nobody wanted them, but when Motown left Detroit, they took the Detroit music scene with them. The Andantes were still in demand at United Studios, but it was no match for the level of work that they received while at Motown. After Motown departed, Louvain received an offer for a contract with ABC-Dunhill Records, the label that The Four Tops signed with after Motown went west. Unfortunately, the deal fell through. Eventually, Louvain accepted work that was being offered in Atlanta, Georgia, finally splitting this cogent team that was The Andantes.
During the 1970s, Louvain recorded for GRC Records in Atlanta with Mike Thevis on a project called "Gatsby", in which her voice was overdubbed five times. She then joined The Richard Law Singers, making live appearances in Nashville and Atlanta and recording the soundtrack for the movie "Black Starlet" in 1974. They also sang behind the famous Harlem Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon. Louvain's memorable soprano also graced recordings by Jonathan Edwards and Loleatta Holloway. Louvain has recorded jingles for the local news and the acclaimed show "Look Up Atlanta". In addition, she worked with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent backing Joe Hinton. Louvain ultimately moved south to take advantage of the plethora of work she had found. In addition to her singing, Louvain is employed as a governess and has also found fulfillment as an evangelist. Marlene and Jackie worked for a while in Detroit, but eventually gave up singing as a full-time job. Marlene then settled down to raise her family in Detroit. Jackie also lives in Detroit. Jackie and Louvain are two of the former Motown artists who come out for the annual fundraisers that Esther Gordy Edwards sponsored for the Motown museum, housed at the original location of Motown Records on W. Grand Boulevard. In 1987, The Andantes got together with other former Motown artists, The Velvelettes, Carolyn Crawford and Mary Wilson, to record for Ian Levine's Nightmare Records, interestingly, named for The Andantes' single. They recorded a version of "Reach Out and Touch", with Pat Lewis joining them for this session and, in 1994, Louvain went to London to record as a soloist for Levine, recording the LP, "Better Times". In 2007, The Andantes finally had their say in Vickie Wright's superb biography, Motown From The Background—The Authorized Biography of the Andantes. Here, fans are treated to candid, but tasteful recollections by the trio, all honest and heartfelt thoughts, fond memories and exclusive photos. Although Jackie and Marlene have basically retired, Louvain shows no signs of slowing her pace, as she tells of her current exploits,
"For the past few years, I have been performing at Prestatyn, UK backup singer for various artist including Benny Troy (and a lot of other greats). Also, I was much honored to do a concert in Wales with the great Kim Weston. People there have been so wonderful to me ... In East Grinstead, West Sussex, at Saint Hill Manor, I had a wonderful thing take place ... a solo spot!"
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Girl Groups by John Clemente. Copyright © 2013 John Clemente. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Endorsements.................... ix
Acknowledgements.................... xi
Foreword.................... xiii
Introduction.................... xvii
The Andantes.................... 1
The Angels.................... 9
Honey And The Bees.................... 28
The Blossoms.................... 32
Patti Labelle And The Blue Belles.................... 49
The Bobbettes.................... 62
The Butterflys.................... 70
Bernadette Carroll.................... 76
The Chantels.................... 85
The Charmettes.................... 98
The Chiffons.................... 102
The Clickettes.................... 110
The Cookies.................... 123
The Crystals.................... 137
The Darlettes.................... 155
The Delicates.................... 161
The Delltones.................... 172
Reparata & The Delrons.................... 179
The Deltairs.................... 187
The Dixie Cups.................... 191
Nella Dodds.................... 197
The Emotions.................... 202
The Exciters.................... 208
First Choice.................... 218
The Flirtations.................... 224
The Go-Go's.................... 231
The Goodies.................... 237
Maureen Gray.................... 241
Mikie Harris.................... 246
The Hearts.................... 251
Hearts Lead Personnel.................... 258
The Honey Cone.................... 263
The Ikettes.................... 273
It's My Party.................... 278
The Jaynetts.................... 285
The Jelly Beans.................... 293
The Jewels.................... 296
The Joytones.................... 305
Candy And The Kisses.................... 313
Little Eva.................... 318
Love Unlimited.................... 322
The Marvelettes.................... 326
The Murmaids.................... 338
The Orlons.................... 342
The Percells.................... 357
The Pixies Three.................... 363
The Pointer Sisters.................... 372
Shirley Gunter & The Queens.................... 379
The Quintones.................... 384
The Raindrops.................... 388
Baby Jane & The Rockabyes.................... 396
The Ronettes.................... 402
The Rosebuds.................... 412
The Royalettes.................... 415
The Secrets.................... 423
The Shangri-Las.................... 431
The Sharmeers.................... 438
The Shirelles.................... 441
The Socialites.................... 453
The Starlets.................... 460
The Supremes.................... 464
The Sweet Inspirations.................... 480
The Teardrops.................... 487
The Teen Queens.................... 497
Jean Thomas.................... 501
The Three Degrees.................... 510
The Toys.................... 522
Martha & The Vandellas.................... 529
The Velvelettes.................... 544
The Veneers.................... 557
Beverly Warren.................... 563
Witches And The Warlock.................... 569
Female Groups A Through Z.................... 576
500 Most Collectible Girl Group 45s.................... 603
Discography Websites.................... 617
Artist Websites.................... 618
Bibliographies.................... 620
Interview List.................... 622