A Motown Timeline: 1987
A PROSPEROUS MOMENT, BUT FATE AWAITS
Having decided at the last minute – as the sun set on 1986 – not to sell off his record company, Berry Gordy appeared to throw himself back in the game.
“He’s more involved in this particular project than he has been in anything in a long, long time,” Smokey Robinson told Associated Press during the opening days of ’87, talking about his forthcoming album, One Heartbeat. “For him to be this involved in what I’m doing is really great for me. I’m enjoying it very much.”
Whatever Gordy’s sale motivations, Motown Records had achieved a decent 12 months in 1986, with profits of more than $8 million, fuelled in part by the success of Lionel Richie’s third solo album, Dancing On The Ceiling, and compact disc sales worth $15 million. Yet despite this, Gordy’s relationship with music group president Jay Lasker was deteriorating, and the morale of staff was low because of limited bonus payments – or none.
The firm was struggling to establish new talent, too, while existing stars didn’t always deliver. The Four Tops departed, and Rick James began legal proceedings to do the same. Stevie Wonder promised Lasker he would turn in a new album by April 1, but that date came and went.
One of the would-be stars signed by an energised Gordy was singer Carrie McDowell, who had been something of a child celebrity. For her, the Motown founder tapped Willie Hutch to write and produce “Uh Uh, No No Casual Sex,” and even talked to the Los Angeles Times about it. “Willie impressed me when he said, ‘This is the most important song I’ve written. I can’t cure AIDS. But I can try to create a hit song to make people conscious of it.’ ” Gordy added, “I like to help people achieve their goals.”
In the event, McDowell’s single didn’t achieve much, for which Lasker was largely blamed. By July, he had been fired by Gordy, and soon enough, his duties were assumed by attorney Lee Young Jr. and artist relations executive Skip Miller. Their task was to strengthen the firm and break acts like McDowell, Georgio and General Kane with the help of a reported $38 million development budget. British singer/songwriter Chris Rea was also recruited.
Ironically, business was boosted by an act brought in under Lasker – TV star Bruce Willis – and by Smokey Robinson’s first substantial solo hit in six years (“Just To See Her”), its Top 10 follow-up (“One Heartbeat”) and a gold-selling album, also entitled One Heartbeat. The flow of catalogue titles on CD continued apace, and Stevie Wonder finally delivered his long-player for November release – although this turned out to be his first studio album since 1973 not to reach the Top 10.
‘I WAS JUST TIRED’
Abroad, the popularity of Motown’s stars seemed undimmed. Both Wonder and Lionel Richie toured the southern hemisphere to resounding effect in 1987, while even somewhat-faded acts such as Martha Reeves and Mary Wells attracted loyal audiences in Britain. There, writer/producer Ian Levine began recruiting any number of former Hitsville acts to record for his new enterprise.
Nonetheless, it soon became evident to Berry Gordy that, after all, he had to get out of the record business. His major-label competitors had become powerful forces, including in the black music sector that Motown had ruled for so long, while technology was changing the overall landscape. “My company was in no position to take advantage of these new developments,” he wrote in To Be Loved. “We had too much overhead and had to gross $40 million a year just to break even.” Then Gordy made an honest admission. “The real reason was, I was just tired. I didn’t want to do it anymore. It had long stopped being fun for me.”
Six months into 1988, he sold.
Now, to the detail. Below is an account of ’87, subjective rather than exhaustive, to convey its flavour at the hands of Motown’s music makers and backroom believers. It’s divided into three sections: the first, a chronological run-down of significant dates during those 12 months, followed by examples of the year’s notable single and album releases. If a 45 or album topped the Billboard R&B or pop charts, that entry is shown in bold-face italics.
MOTOWN 1987
January 3: A reissue of Jackie Wilson’s “Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet)” is Number One in the U.K., its popularity sparked by use in a Claymation video and a TV commercial for Levi’s. The song was originally co-written by Berry Gordy.
January 8: Stevie Wonder is the sole Motown act among the 1986 Grammy nominees announced on this date for his part in “That’s What Friends Are For” with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight and Elton John. When the winners are revealed on February 24, the recording is voted Best Pop Vocal Performance by a duo or group.
January 15: Rick James (under his real name, James A. Johnson Jr.) files suit in U.S. District Court in New York to end his recording deal with Motown Records and to have the firm account for royalties due.
January 18: Lionel Richie kicks off the Australian leg of his “Outrageous” tour in Melbourne. He last appeared Down Under with the Commodores, ten years earlier.
January 21: Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, as is Jackie Wilson. The ceremony takes place at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria; the rock hall is expected to be open in Cleveland before the decade’s end.
January 26: Diana Ross is host of the American Music Awards, broadcast by ABC-TV, during which Lionel Richie is announced as the winner of four prizes.
February: The divorce between Smokey and Claudette Robinson, after 27 years of marriage, is finalised.
February 17: Former Marvelette Katherine Anderson Schaffner, together with the estate of the group’s Georgeanna Tillman, files suit against Motown in Wayne County Circuit Court. The action claims inadequate royalty accounting.
February 24: Onetime Detroit club owner George Kelley is sentenced to 15 years in prison for heroin smuggling. He was married to singer Frances Burnett, who recorded songs written by Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson, and he once sought a financial stake in Motown Records.
March: The Four Tops sign to Arista Records. Some tracks cut for Motown appear on the group’s first album for their new label as the result of a deal between the two companies.
March 24: Bruce Willis’ Motown album, The Return Of Bruno, is certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
March 30: On the televised Academy Awards show, Levi Stubbs sings “Mean Green Mother From Outer Space,” the Oscar-nominated tune from Little Shop of Horrors, which he performs on the movie soundtrack.
April 12: The Four Tops and Martha Reeves & the Vandellas appear at Boston’s Berklee Performance Center.
April 26: A one-hour special, Motown On Showtime: Marvin Gaye, is televised on the Showtime network, with Smokey Robinson hosting. Executive producer for Motown Productions is Suzanne de Passe.
May 12: London-born jazz musician Victor Feldman, who played vibes on Frank Wilson’s “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” dies in Los Angeles at age 53.
May 14: Berry Gordy and Stevie Wonder attend a fundraising banquet organised by the NAACP’s Los Angeles chapter, at which Frank Sinatra is honoured with a lifetime achievement award.
May 17: At Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel in Atlanta, Stevie Wonder is honoured with an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Morehouse College.
May 20: ABC-TV broadcasts Diana Ross…Red Hot Rhythm & Blues, a one-hour special, which also includes guests Etta James, Billy Dee Williams and Bernadette Peters.
May 21: Lionel Richie’s 1986 album, Dancing On The Ceiling, is certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
May 26: The Supremes featuring Mary Wilson (as it’s billed) play the Beck Theatre in Hayes, just outside London. Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Marv Johnson and the “Original” Velvelettes appear at the venue five nights later on their current “Sounds of Motown” tour.
June 6: Songwriter Willie Hutch, who wrote “Casual Sex” for new Motown signing Carrie McDowell, tells the Los Angeles Times that its original title was “Mr. Promiscuity.” Berry Gordy suggested renaming the composition.
July: The first album by a reconfigured DeBarge, now featuring Bobby as lead singer, is released by Striped Horse Records, which is headed by former Motown president Barney Ales.
July 4: ABC’s “When Smokey Sings” attains its No. 11 peak in the U.K. charts.
July 4: Smokey Robinson’s “Just To See Her” reaches the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, to become the singer/songwriter’s biggest-selling single in six years.
July 15-19: Diana Ross plays the Golden Nugget, Atlantic City.
July 18: Kim Weston’s “Signal Your Intention,” released by Ian Levine’s Nightmare label in the U.K., is Number One on the Record Mirror Hi-NRG Top 30. He goes on to record dozens of former Motown artists for his Nightmare and Motor City imprints.
July 30: The “Dancin’ In The Street” package – featuring Martha Reeves, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick, and Mary Wells – plays the Montgomery Civic Center, Alabama. Other tour dates take in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Houston and Chicago.
August 2: Martha Reeves and Mary Wells are among the acts featured in a Legendary Ladies special on TV’s Cinemax channel. The show was taped earlier at New York’s Latin Quarter nightspot.
August 13: Stevie Wonder’s Black Bull Music reports that the musician needs to have right index finger surgery to correct “years of excruciating pain.” As a result, the 37-year-old postpones a European concert tour.
August 14: The Four Tops and Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons play Nashville’s Starwood Ampitheatre, including a Tops vs. Seasons three-song a capella doowop challenge.
August 20: Motown Records announces a new, $38 million plan to develop established and new artists. In addition, Lee Young Jr. is appointed president of the firm’s music group and Skip Miller advances to label president.
August 29: Wilson Pickett tells Billboard that his recently-signed contract with Motown “is a seven-year dream deal.” His first album for the label was issued two weeks earlier; he does not make a second.
September 8: Smokey Robinson’s album, One Heartbeat, is certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
September 18: Wilson Pickett is sentenced to two years’ probation for taking a loaded shotgun into a New Jersey tavern after a fight. He is also fined $1,000. The incident occurred in 1984.
October 2: The New York Post reports that RCA Records is expected to buy out the final years of Diana Ross’ contract with the label. She was signed in 1981.
October 6: El DeBarge is jailed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for failing to present plans for a local benefit concert to satisfy terms of a court sentence. He was originally charged with creating a public disturbance.
October 7: Mickey Stevenson’s stage musical, The Gospel Truth, opens at the Beverly Theatre, Los Angeles, with original songs written by the former Motown A&R chief. Jennifer Holliday joins the cast in November.
November 6: Stevie Wonder’s Characters has a bonus track (“My Eyes Don’t Cry”) included only in the CD and cassette editions. He reportedly considered using it for Songs In The Key of Life, but did a re-recording for the new album.
November 28: Stevie Wonder makes a surprise appearance on stage during Michael Jackson’s final show of his Australian tour in Brisbane.
December 1: The original Motown Records building on 2648 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit is designated a historic site by the state of Michigan. Gov. James Blanchard and Detroit mayor Coleman Young attend the dedication, as does Smokey Robinson. Berry Gordy is not present.
December 8: Stevie Wonder plays the first of two nights at Honolulu’s Neal Blaisdell Arena, having flown from Australia (via Hong Kong) on a chartered 707.
December 14: Motown Productions’ Motown Merry Christmas, featuring the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Pointer Sisters, is broadcast by NBC-TV. Miami Vice’s Philip Michael Thomas is show host, with Natalie Cole and Redd Fox among the guest stars.
December 31: Britain’s Channel 4 television network broadcasts The Motown Story, presented by Paul Gambaccini. The 90-minute documentary includes candid interviews and archival footage.
SELECTED SINGLES (by release date)
January 6: Blake & Hines, “Sherry,” Motown 1878
February 3: Smokey Robinson, “Just To See Her,” Motown 1877
February 10: Chico DeBarge, “The Girl Next Door,” Motown 1879
February 13: Georgio, “Sexappeal,” Motown 1882
February 24: Carrie McDowell, “Uh Uh, No No Casual Sex,” Motown 1885
March 10: The Temptations, “Someone,” Gordy 1881
March 10: Lionel Richie, “Se La,” Motown 1883
May 12: Georgio, “Tina Cherry,” Motown 1892
May 12: Bruce Willis, “Under The Boardwalk,” Motown 1896
May 19: Smokey Robinson, “One Heartbeat,” Motown 1897
June 2: Carrie McDowell, “Uh Uh, No, No Casual Sex (Pt. 1),” Motown 1903
June 12: General Kane, “Girl Pulled The Dog,” Motown 1901
June 12: Wilson Pickett, “Don’t Turn Away,” Motown 1898
July 10: Garry Glenn, “Do You Have To Go,” Motown 1904
July 24: Chris Rea, “Let’s Dance,” Motown 1900
August 17: Ada Dyer, “I’ll Bet Ya, I’ll Let Ya,” Motown 1905
August 21: The Temptations, “I Wonder Who She’s Seeing Now,” Motown 1908
September 18: Stevie Wonder, “Skeletons,” Motown 1907 (R&B #1, pop #19)
September 18: Smokey Robinson, “What’s Too Much,” Motown 1911
October 9: Stacy Lattisaw, “Every Drop Of Your Love,” Motown 1912
October 16: Michael Jackson, “Twenty-Five Miles,” Motown 1914
October 16: Wilson Pickett, “In The Midnight Hour,” Motown 1916
December 3: The Temptations, “Look What You Started,” Motown 1920
December 10: Darryl Duncan, “James Brown – Pt. 1,” Motown 1924
December 30: Stevie Wonder, “You Will Know,” Motown 1919
December 30: Smokey Robinson, “Love Don’t Give No Reason,” Motown 1925
SELECTED ALBUMS (by release date)
January 14: Various, 25 Hard-To-Find Motown Classics Vol. III, Motown 6219
January 20: Bunny DeBarge, In Love, Motown 6217
January 20: Bruce Willis, The Return Of Bruno, Motown 6222
February 24: Smokey Robinson, One Heartbeat, Motown 6226 (#1 R&B, #26 pop)
March 17: Georgio, Sexappeal, Motown 6229
March 17: Blake & Hines, Blake & Hines, Motown 6224
April 17: Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Rodgers & Hart Collection, Motown 6233
April 17: Various, Motown Dance Party Vol. 1, Motown 6230
April 17: Various, Motown Dance Party Vol. 2, Motown 6231
April 24: Various, Motown Around The World, Motown 6232
April 24: Bobby Darin, Live At The Desert Inn, Motown 6227
July 17: General Kane, Wide Open, Motown 6238
July 24: Carrie McDowell, Carrie McDowell, Motown 6223
August 14: Wilson Pickett, American Soul Man, Motown 6244
August 14: Glenn Garry, Feel Good To Feel Good, Motown 6234
September 11: The Temptations, Together Again, Motown 6246
September 11: Chico DeBarge, Kiss Serious, Motown 6249
October 30: Michael Jackson, The Original Soul Of Michael Jackson, Motown 6250
November 6: Stevie Wonder, Characters, Motown 6248 (#1 R&B, #17 pop)
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