Motown West: Sunrise
HUSTLING IN HOLLYWOOD, BUILDING AT THE BEACH
Frank (“Do I Love You”) Wilson took his leave from us more than ten years ago, but his work as a songwriter lives on, and earlier this month, his catalogue was the subject of a deal involving an American publishing firm, Raleigh Music. Its hopes are to bring more attention – not to mention revenue – to the legacy of this singular Motown music maker.
Naturally, the Raleigh PR release cited “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” given new impetus by Bruce Springsteen’s recent remake, as well as a number of Wilson’s other copyrights. These include “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” initially a hit for its co-writer, Brenda Holloway, and subsequently sealed into rock history by way of Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Stevie at the beach (photo: LaMonte McLemore)
Since this month also marks the 60th anniversary of Berry Gordy’s first sight of a visually-arresting Holloway during the National Association of Radio Announcers’ convention in Los Angeles, what better time to recall the people involved?
The principals were Hal Davis and Marc Gordon, who had arranged for the talented teen to sing and, as importantly, be seen at the Ambassador Hotel by disc jockeys and record business folk. Singer/songwriter Davis had been involved with the careers of Brenda and her younger sister, Patrice, for some time. Gordon was his friend and colleague with a business flair.
At that point, the two were still part-time in music: Davis, 30, held down a job as a cook for Los Angeles County, Gordon, 27, was an engineer at the Hughes Aircraft Company. At the NARA convention, Davis “was the only guy there without a suit,” recalled Kay Lewis of the Lewis Sisters, years later. “He had to come straight from work with signs of dough still on his hands.” She also noted that he wore a “loud, lime green shirt and pants, no socks, barely combed hair.”
That Holloway’s assets caught Gordy’s attention is well-known in Hitsville history, but he was similarly impressed with Davis and Gordon, recruiting them shortly afterwards to set up and run Motown’s first Los Angeles outpost. They were to handle A&R and music publishing, and to place Motown music (and artists) into Hollywood TV and movie projects. This included Little Stevie Wonder, “whom Gordon has obtained a spot for in the forthcoming film, Muscle Beach Party,” reported Billboard that November.
And it’s Marc Gordon who is the primary focus of this WGB post. His success in steering the 5th Dimension to the stars in the second half of the ’60s has been widely recognised. His earlier career at Motown, less so. It’s inextricably linked to that of Hal Davis, of course. In California, the pair produced sessions for a significant number of Motown artists, ranging from top-tier talent such as Stevie, the Supremes and Marvin Gaye to minor contenders such as Connie Haines, Dorsey Burnette and Liz Lands.
SONG PLACEMENT ELSEWHERE
Gordon also merits mention as a songsmith. His co-writes for Jobete Music include “Castles In The Sand” (as cut by Wonder), “Sweeter As The Days Go By” (the Four Tops, Chris Clark, Marvin Gaye) and “We’ll Be Satisfied” (the Temptations, Gaye with Tammi Terrell).
Just as interesting are the Jobete songs co-authored by Gordon which were cut by non-Motown acts, including “I’m So Thankful,” a Top 20 R&B hit for the Ikettes; “Somebody (Somewhere) Needs You,” a modest chart item for Darrell Banks, following his classic “Open The Door To Your Heart”; and “You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet,” Mary Love’s near-hit.
There are other, obscure titles, too, such as Eddie Wilson’s “Just Call On Me” (released on VeeJay’s Tollie subsidiary) and Chester St. Anthony’s “Together” (on A&M). Frank Wilson was the singer of both, under a pseudonym, and co-wrote the songs with Gordon. He had become a key member of the Hollywood team.
Marc Gordon, left, with Marvin Gaye and Hal Davis
As record producers, Gordon and Davis are forever shackled to “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” while their mainstream album projects during 1964-65 included Stevie At The Beach, Brenda Holloway’s Every Little Bit Hurts, Marvin Gaye’s A Tribute To The Great Nat King Cole, and a Supremes triple: A Bit Of Liverpool, We Remember Sam Cooke and Merry Christmas. In general, the pair would cut tracks in Los Angeles with a blue-chip core of local studio musicians, with the vocals taped and overdubbed in Detroit.
“The Los Angeles-meets-Detroit fusion proved a perfect match for The Supremes’ seventh studio album,” wrote Joe Marchese in liner notes for the 2017 expanded-edition reissue of Merry Christmas. “The expansive, string-laden charts lent a lush, timeless quality matched by [Diana] Ross’ alternatively sophisticated and playful lead vocals.”
For his part, Stevie Wonder travelled west for his At The Beach sessions: literally, to the California seashore for a photo shoot and, in the case of one track, for inspiration. Gordon and Davis took the teenager for a break to Hermosa Beach, where he started building sandcastles. Thus, “Castles In The Sand” was birthed. As for the album’s memorable front cover, that was the work of a photographer who was then handling various shoots for Motown in Los Angeles: LaMonte McLemore.
McLemore – a future member of the 5th Dimension – recalled in his 2014 memoir that Wonder asked him, “LaMonte, can you get me some wine?” His first response? “You’re underage, and I don’t want to go to jail.” Then he whispered, “OK, but don’t tell nobody.” The two sat on the sand, “sipping the grape, and to this day, every time I know someone is going to be seeing Stevie, I’ll request, ‘Just walk up to him and say, “Now, about that wine!” Stevie always laughs.”
JIMMY JOINS JOBETE
The other strand in this story draws in songwriter Jimmy Webb. As Marc Gordon, Hal Davis and Frank Wilson hustled for Motown in Hollywood, the teenager impressed them enough to offer him a Jobete contract.
The conventional wisdom is that “My Christmas Tree” on the Supremes’ holiday album was Webb’s first recorded song, but in his autobiography, he contends that it was “This Time Last Summer” by a girl-group he had assembled, the Contessas. (Hal Davis sang a version of the song in mid-1965, released on Motown’s V.I.P. label under the pseudonym of Danny Day.)
Somewhere during this same period, erstwhile Motown photographer McLemore had put together a five-member vocal group under the name of the Versatiles and sought to get them signed by his former employer. He even travelled to Detroit with demo tapes. “Man, you all sound great, but I don’t hear no hit,” Berry Gordy is said to have responded. “The group,” recalled McLemore, “was terribly disheartened.”
Regardless of trade-press advertising, being first doesn’t always deliver
In Los Angeles, meanwhile, Motown West was industrious – but apparently not living up to expectations. At the end of 1965, the branch was shuttered, and Marc Gordon left. The trades reported that he was going into artist management. By the following spring, he had produced the Versatiles’ disc debut, then their first 45 when rebranded as the 5th Dimension. Moreover, Jimmy Webb was out of Jobete and well-positioned to provide material for the Gordon-managed group. Up, up and away, indeed.
It took Motown six months to re-assess and re-open its West Coast office, hiring Shelly Berger from an old-school talent management firm, Scandore & Shayne. “Shelly stole every joke Don Rickles ever had,” said Motown sales supremo Barney Ales, who conducted the job interview. The internal memo about the appointment noted that Hal Davis and Frank Wilson “continue on the staff of Motown Record Corporation of California, Inc.” at 6290 Sunset Boulevard.
Post-Motown, Marc Gordon could hardly have prospered more. The 5th Dimension became one of America’s most popular acts over the next five years, with seven Top 10 pop hits (including two Number Ones), four Grammys for “Up, Up And Away,” six Top 20 albums, plus a perpetual television and touring schedule. “They’re what the parents think their kids should be listening to,” Gordon told Jet magazine in 1967. “They’re mother’s answer to a prayer, that’s why they’re so popular with adults as well as kids.”
Gordon acquired other clients, including Willie Hutch and Thelma Houston, and ran his own label, Rocky Road, with substantial hits by Al Wilson (“Show And Tell”) and Climax. He later managed the Staple Singers and Tony Orlando & Dawn. At age 75, he died in 2010.
Then again, there was that moment when Motown exacted revenge for the 5th Dimension’s cover of “Love Hangover,” which Gordon produced. It was 1976, and the quintet’s version had all the hallmarks of a hit – until Motown rush-released the Diana Ross album cut as a single, burying the 5th. For extra irony, consider that the producer of the Ross original was Marc Gordon’s best buddy at that Ambassador Hotel meeting with Berry Gordy, 13 years earlier: Hal Davis.
Hustling in Hollywood, no matter when, has its pitfalls.
Music notes: this latest WGB playlist includes a variety of tracks written and/or produced by Marc Gordon, Hal Davis and Frank Wilson, some of which were not released at the time. Recordings by Eddie Wilson, Chester St. Anthony and the Versatiles are linked above. Regrettably, the Contessas’ original of “This Time Last Summer” (on E Records, according to Jimmy Webb) doesn’t appear to be available.
Notes of gratitude: as always, Don’t Forget The Motor City has shown itself to be an invaluable resource for the tale above (thanks, Keith). Similarly, Robert-Allan Arno proved to be helpful once again; he co-authored From Hobo Flats To The 5th Dimension, the autobiography of the group’s LaMonte McLemore.