A Motown Timeline: 1964
BREAKTHROUGHS AT HOME AND ABROAD; $10m IN THE CASH REGISTER
This was, of course, the year when everything changed.
The momentum which Motown Records had developed during 1963 turned into an extraordinary surge of activity and achievements in 1964, including:
The Supremes’ three consecutive Number One hits
The company’s international breakthrough with “My Guy”
The introduction of its Soul and V.I.P. subsidiary labels
The first major hits for the Temptations and the Four Tops
Motown’s initial U.K. Number One with “Baby Love”
Its first double-sided Top 20 pop hit, by Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye
The recruitment of etiquette queen Maxine Powell
Million-dollar revenues in double figures for the first time
The breakthrough of the Supremes at home and abroad confirmed Holland/Dozier/Holland as Motown’s hottest team of songwriters/producers, but the firm’s creative depth was reiterated by the global success of “My Guy,” authored and produced by Smokey Robinson, and by Norman Whitfield’s first hit as a writer/producer: the Velvelettes’ “Needle In A Haystack.”
The Supremes in the world, with Dutch TV producer Theo Ordeman (photo courtesy of Frans de Beer)
All of this in a nation – and a world – hypnotised by John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Then again, royalties from the use of three Jobete songs on With The Beatles (known in the U.S. as The Beatles’ Second Album) would have earned Berry Gordy’s music publishing arm more than any other previous covers of its copyrights. In Billboard, the album spent five weeks at Number One in the spring of ’64, and more than a year on the charts; in the U.K., it stayed at the summit for 21 weeks.
Another significant event was the renewal of Motown’s international deal with Britain’s EMI Records. The two firms had cut a one-year deal in 1963, but it was renewed as a three-year pact on September 1, 1964, paving the way for the worldwide launch of the Tamla Motown label the following year.
Not all the news was good. Mary Wells’ Motown contract expired on May 13, 1964, when she came of age – and she did not renew, despite the global popularity of “My Guy.” The 21-year-old was also embroiled in a gunfire incident in July, when her ex-husband, Herman Griffin (himself a former Motown recording artist), shot and critically injured fellow Detroit music man Robert West over remarks the latter had made about Wells. She was present when the brouhaha happened at New York’s Savoy Plaza Hotel in July.
As if that wasn’t enough, “My Guy” was the centre of attention when bootleg copies of the 45 surfaced in New York that summer, and Berry Gordy’s estranged wife, Raynoma, was arrested for her involvement. (It didn’t help that Motown’s official distributor in New York was Mafia-connected Morris Levy.) The whole affair led to the shutdown of Motown’s New York office, which “Miss Ray” had been running after her separation from Gordy. The two subsequently settled out of court over the bootlegging.
‘A MOANING, EERIE SOUND’
Returning to the matter of music, the Supremes’ big-time breakthrough with “Where Did Our Love Go” underscored the dynamism and originality emerging from the basement studio at 2648 West Grand Boulevard. Motown’s impact on the R&B market had been evident for some time, but to many in the wider world, the sound was new. Nothing illustrates that better than the review upon release of “Where Did Our Love Go” by widely-syndicated music columnist Charles Schreiber. “An interesting, hand-clapping opening – the kind of sound you expect to hear in a war movie when the hero marches to his dungeon cell – leads off the work,” he wrote. “The vocal is a moaning and eerie sound. This one could sell a million, it is so weird.”
And as we know, a million – and more – were sold.
Mary Wells in London, 1964, celebrating “My Guy”
Meanwhile, Motown’s first West Coast star had a Supremes connection of her own. Brenda Holloway, whose Los Angeles-recorded “Every Little Bit Hurts” had charmed the charts that spring, was sought by the William Morris Agency for Dick Clark’s “Caravan of Stars” tour package. Leveraging that, the record company got the trio on the bill, too. As “Where Did Our Love Go” exploded, the Supremes moved up the nationwide roadshow’s ranks.
Other Motown acts played all over the U.S. during 1964 – and kept the faith at home, too. The Temptations joined the Miracles on a week-long bill at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. in March, while the latter also played for a week at Detroit’s 20 Grand in April. The same month, Marvin Gaye appeared there. The Spinners joined him at the Michigan State Fair in September, along with Martha & the Vandellas. And the Motortown Revue was booked for its first Christmas extravaganza at the Motor City’s Fox Theatre, running from Christmas Day to New Year’s Eve, with four shows daily.
The Supremes were on the Fox bill, but also flew to New York for their debut on CBS-TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show, performing “Come See About Me.” It was the first of many such Sullivan appearances for the group, reaching tens of millions of Americans on a Sunday night and fuelling their breakthrough. Equally significant on the world stage was the ascent of “Baby Love” to the top of the British charts, Motown’s first Number One there.
Soon, Berry Gordy made a substantial commitment to overseas markets, particularly in Europe. The Supremes flew into London early in October for radio and television promotion, including a turn on the hip Ready Steady Go! show. This was followed by radio and TV dates in Holland and Belgium. Shortly afterwards, Martha & the Vandellas did the same in the U.K., then Marvin Gaye jetted in for appearances in London, Amsterdam and Brussels. Kim Weston, backed by Earl Van Dyke, joined a tour of British hitmakers Gerry & the Pacemakers in late November, and in December, the Miracles arrived in London for a variety of broadcast dates.
30 RECORDS, PLUS ONE
The backroom believers came, too. Accompanying the Supremes in October were Gordy, his sister Esther Edwards (who ran Motown’s international business), sales chief Barney Ales and attorney George Schiffer.
But who won that night at the Graystone?
In London, Martha & the Vandellas recorded a session for Radio Caroline, the “pirate” radio station which had begun broadcasting that year from a ship outside U.K. jurisdiction. This rapidly became popular with British youngsters, although local record companies were not allowed to deal with it. (Motown would arrange for its latest releases to be discreetly shipped to the seaborne broadcaster.)
Just as Caroline juiced U.K. listening habits, radio station WKNR upended the Detroit market when it introduced a tight Top 40 playlist (“30 records, plus one”). Previously known as WKMH with a middle-of-the-road music format, it became “Keener 13” in October 1963, and swiftly rose in the ratings during 1964. The outlet also had “highly identifiable air personalities,” noted Billboard, including Gary Stevens and Robin Seymour. Motown releases figured frequently on ’KNR playlists, while Seymour gave its acts invaluable exposure when he hosted a new show, Teen Town, on CKLW-TV from April.
At Hitsville U.S.A., the hits kept coming. As noted, the Temptations and the Four Tops gained their first Top 20 entries, and Martha & the Vandellas secured their most successful side with “Dancing In The Street,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October. That month was also when the Miracles and the Temptations played New York’s Apollo Theater, and Smokey Robinson used the opportunity backstage to introduce David Ruffin and his fellow bandmates to a new song, the track for which he had cut the previous month. A completed “My Girl” was released on December 21, taking the Temptations in the new year.
As for “Dancing In The Street,” its lyrics – at the time, and even more so in retrospect – reflected the evolving cultural, social and political climate of the United States in 1964. The historic Civil Rights Act had been signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, outlawing racial discrimination in public places, employment and schools. And on December 10, Rev. Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
During the same week when MLK was honoured, Motown had seven singles in the top 100 in both Billboard and Cash Box, with “Come See About Me” climbing the Top 10. By year’s end, the record company’s annual revenues – excluding Jobete – has reached $10 million (roughly equivalent to $100 million today) for the first time.
So 1964 was, indeed, life-changing – and a powerful pointer to the future.
Finally, the detail. Below is an attempt, selective rather than exhaustive, to convey 1964’s endeavours and progress at Motown. It’s divided into three sections: the first, a chronological run-down of significant dates during those 12 months, followed by examples of 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 1964
January 4: Motown opens the year with Martha & the Vandellas’ “Quicksand” in the Billboard Top 10. Five other 45s are on the Hot 100. By year’s end, the company scores a total of four Number Ones, and a further eight Top 20 entries.
January 18: The Supremes’ “When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes,” released last October, becomes the group’s first Top 20 hit in Cash Box. In Billboard, it peaked at No. 23 the previous week.
January 23: The opening release on Motown’s V.I.P. label is the Serenaders’ “If Your Heart Says Yes,” produced by “Miss Ray.” The record is not a hit. Eight more V.I.P. singles follow this year, and the Velvelettes’ “Needle In A Haystack” is the first to make the pop and R&B charts, in October.
February 6: The Miracles begin a four-night run at Leo’s Casino in Cleveland, Ohio.
March 2: Martha & the Vandellas record “Jimmy Mack” at Hitsville. The song remains in the can until 1967, when it’s used for an album track, then breaks out to become a Top 10 pop hit for the trio.
March 7: Detroit’s Graystone Ballroom, now owned by Berry Gordy, features its latest “Battle of the Stars,” pitting the Temptations against the Contours.
March 23: “Devil With The Blue Dress” by Shorty Long is the first release on Motown’s new Soul label, co-written by the singer with A&R chief Mickey Stevenson. It makes the Top 30 of the R&B best-sellers. Five Soul singles follow this year.
March 28: Radio Caroline begins regular broadcasting from international waters off Britain. The so-called “pirate” ship’s music output regularly features Motown releases. Its daytime audience is reckoned to be around seven million.
April 6: The Miracles begin a week of shows at the 20 Grand in Detroit, with ventriloquist Willie Tyler (& Lester) as the opening act. The latter’s Tamla album, Hello Dummy!, comes out the following year.
April 8: The Supremes record “Where Did Our Love Go” at the Motown studio on West Grand Boulevard with producers Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland.
April 10: Jobete Music’s Janie Finney (a/k/a Bradford) confirms to Capitol Records the discounted royalty rate for the three songs recorded by the Beatles on their second Capitol LP.
April 11: Stevie Wonder plays the Rosslynn Grove in Waterloo, Ontario. The nightclub burns down two weeks later.
April 11: Hosted by Robin Seymour, Teen Town makes its debut on Canada’s CKLW-TV, viewable on both sides of the Detroit River. A show devoted to Motown is taped eight months later.
April 17: Marvin Gaye plays Detroit’s 20 Grand, with the Spinners and Hattie Littles as opening turns.
May 11: Mary Wells’ last Motown recording session takes place, when she cuts “When I’m Gone.” It’s subsequently released on a 1966 album, Vintage Stock.
May 13: Raynoma Liles Gordy and Ed Singleton are arraigned in New York for bootlegging “My Guy.” The case is later settled out of court.
May 14: Taylor Cox is reported to be joining Motown’s talent management arm, ITMI. He was previously “the first Negro ever to hold a position in management at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company,” according to one newspaper report.
May 16: Mary Wells’ “My Guy” climbs to Number One in Billboard, dislodging Louis Armstrong’s “Hello, Dolly!” Two weeks later, she yields to the Beatles’ “Love Me Do,” but occupies the top of the Cash Box charts.
June 1: Tamla Motown Appreciation Society secretary Dave Godin welcomes Vicki Wickham of television’s Ready Steady Go! as a new member: “a genuine fan and a charming person, too,” he writes in the club’s newsletter.
June 24: Dorsey Burnette’s single, “Jimmy Brown,” is out on Mel-O-Dy, one of the Motown country label’s nine 45s this year, and also the only one released in Britain – 15 months later.
June 24: Mary Wells’ “My Guy” reaches its No. 5 peak on the U.K. charts.
July 4: Marvin Gaye & Mary Wells’ “Once Upon A Time” enters the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, just as its flipside, “What’s The Matter With You Baby,” did one month earlier.
July 14: Motown publicist Al Abrams orchestrates a publicity stunt for Tommy Good outside Hitsville, with fans “protesting” the lack of releases by the young singer.
July 15: The Tamla Motown Appreciation Society’s Dave Godin travels to the U.S. to visit Motown at the invitation of Margaret Phelps, who heads the company’s international fan club.
July 18: Motown sales VP Barney Ales tells Billboard that Mary Wells is still under contract to the company, while adding that “a group of young ladies called the Supremes” will soon top the U.S. charts. “Where Did Our Love Goes” does so four weeks later.
July 22: Former Motown singer Herman Griffin critically injures Detroit talent manager and label owner Robert West in a shooting incident in New York. Also present is Mary Wells, previously married to Griffin.
August 10: The last two Workshop Jazz albums are released: Pepper Adams’ Compositions Of Charlie Mingus and Roy Brooks’ Beat.
August 22: “Where Did Our Love Go” is Number One on the Billboard, Cash Box and Record World charts. On this date, the Supremes perform at the National Association of Radio Announcers’ convention in Chicago.
August 27: Martha & the Vandellas’ “Dancing In The Street” is Number One on the influential weekly playlist of Detroit’s WKNR. On the Billboard Hot 100, it moves up to No. 42.
August 31: Motown releases the Supremes’ Where Did Our Love Go album, which peaks at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top LPs chart on January 16, 1965, holding there for a month.
September 1: Marvin Gaye, the Spinners and Martha & the Vandellas perform at the Michigan State Fair, with shows at 3pm, 6pm and 10pm.
September 1: Motown signs a new, three-year international license deal with EMI Records, which covers the U.K., Ireland, Spain, Australia, India and Rhodesia, among other countries.
September 19: Nothing But A Man, which produced Motown’s first soundtrack album, gets a standing ovation at the New York Film Festival.
October 3: The Four Tops’ first Motown 45, “Baby I Need Your Loving,” reaches its chart peak in Billboard (No. 11) and Cash Box (No. 15).
October 6: Britain’s Harold Davison agency has signed a contract to represent Motown’s artists for live performances in Europe. A U.K. package tour is anticipated for early next year.
October 9: The Beatles’ latest U.K. tour begins, with Mary Wells among the opening acts. By now, she is no longer signed to Motown.
October 10: London’s Evening Standard newspaper publishes a rare interview with Berry Gordy. “There’s plenty of talent in the world,” he tells journalist Maureen Cleave. “You can go into any church choir and find talent, but not everywhere do you find humility and a warm heart. That takes character.”
October 16-22: The Temptations and the Velvelettes are on a bill at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. On October 17, the latter group’s “Needle In A Haystack” is the first V.I.P. release to make the pop and R&B charts.
October 22: Brenda Holloway is designated “Teen of the Week” by the California Eagle newspaper. “She takes great care in wearing the type of clothes that will enhance her natural beauty,” it observes.
October 27: Motown is forced to rush-release the Supremes’ “Come See About Me” as a single from the Where Did Our Love Go LP to compete with Nella Dodds’ cover version.
October 28-29: The Teen Age Music International (T.A.M.I.) show takes place at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, with Marvin Gaye, the Miracles and the Supremes among the participants. It’s released as a documentary film in December.
November 9: Marvin Gaye and Harvey Fuqua arrive in Paris for promotional duties, staying at (where else?) the French capital’s Hotel Napoleon.
November 21: On EMI’s Stateside label, the Supremes’ “Baby Love” reaches Number One on the U.K. charts.
November 27: The third Motown act to appear this month on British TV’s Ready Steady Go! is Kim Weston, singing her current U.K. single, “A Little More Love.”
November 28: Berry Gordy turns 35. Members of the Tamla Motown Appreciation Society in Britain were encouraged to send him a birthday card.
December 1: Motown announces its signing of old-school balladeer Tony Martin, four days after his first 45 for the firm, “Talkin’ To Your Picture,” is released.
December 7: The Miracles perform at London’s Royal Albert Hall on a bill with Brenda Lee, the Yardbirds and Brian Poole & the Tremeloes. The show is recorded by the BBC.
December 11: Motown attorney George Schiffer complains to EMI Records about the Fourmost’s competing cover of “Baby I Need Your Loving” on the British firm’s Parlophone label while the Four Tops’ original is striving for sales.
December 19: Raynoma Gordy has formed Ramitary Music Corp. to handle music publishing, artist management and a record label, Shrine, according to Billboard. “Miss Gordy has severed her association with the companies controlled by Berry Gordy Jr.,” the trade weekly adds.
December 19: At the “New” Graystone Ballroom in Detroit, Motown throws its annual Christmas party. A photo of Berry Gordy Sr. dancing with Diana Ross appears in the press.
December 25: The Motortown Revue plays its first Christmas show at the Fox Theatre, Detroit, with Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Marvelettes and the Miracles, plus the Headliners and Tommy Good. The Supremes appear for some of the dates.
December 27: Singing “Come See About Me,” the Supremes make their debut on CBS-TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show, the first of what turns out to be many subsequent bookings there.
SELECTED SINGLES (by release date)
January 16: Little Stevie Wonder, “Castles In The Sand,” Tamla 54090
January 23: The Temptations, “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” Gordy 7028 (#1 R&B, #11 pop)
January 29: The Marvelettes, “He’s A Good Guy (Yes He Is),” Tamla 54091
February 20: Marvin Gaye, “You’re A Wonderful One,” Tamla 54093
March 11: Liz Lands, “Keep Me,” Gordy 7030
March 13: Mary Wells, “My Guy,” Motown 1056 (#1 R&B, #1 pop)
March 23: Shorty Long, “Devil With The Blue Dress,” Soul 35001
March 26: Brenda Holloway, “Every Little Bit Hurts,” Tamla 54094
March 30: Bruce Channel, “Satisfied Mind,” Mel-O-Dy 112
April 14: Mary Wells & Marvin Gaye, “Once Upon A Time”/”What’s The Matter With You Baby,” Motown 1057
May 21: Marvin Gaye, “Try It Baby,” Tamla 54095
May 21: Stevie Wonder, “Hey Harmonica Man,” Tamla 54096
June 3: The Miracles, “I Like It Like That,” Tamla 54098
June 17: The Supremes, “Where Did Our Love Go,” Motown 1060 (#1 R&B, #1 pop)
July 10: The Four Tops, “Baby I Need Your Loving,” Motown 1062
July 16: Jimmy Ruffin, “Since I’ve Lost You,” Soul 35002
July 29: Eddie Holland, “Candy To Me,” Motown 1063
July 31: Martha & the Vandellas, “Dancing In The Street,” Gordy 7033
August 4: Carolyn Crawford, “My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down),” Motown 1064
August 20: The Temptations, “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue),” Gordy 7035
August 24: Jr. Walker & the All Stars, “Satan’s Blues,” Soul 35003
August 28: The Miracles, “That’s What Love Is Made Of,” Tamla 54102
September 3: The Velvelettes, “Needle In A Haystack,” V.I.P. 25007
September 17: The Supremes, “Baby Love,” Motown 1066 (#1 R&B, #1 pop)
September 30: Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston, “What Good Am I Without You,” Tamla 54104
September 30: Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers, “Soul Stomp,” Soul 35006
October 9: The Spinners, “Sweet Thing,” Motown 1067
October 14: The Marvelettes, “Too Many Fish In The Sea,” Tamla 54105
October 27: The Supremes, “Come See About Me,” Motown 1068 (#2 R&B, #1 pop)
November 4: Marvin Gaye, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” Tamla 54107
November 6: Kim Weston, “A Little More Love,” Tamla 54106
December 21: The Temptations, “My Girl,” Gordy 7038 (#1 R&B, #1 pop)
December 21: Choker Campbell, “Come See About Me,” Motown 1072
December 28: The Velvelettes, “He Was Really Sayin’ Something,” V.I.P. 25013
SELECTED ALBUMS (by release date)
March 20: The Temptations, Meet The Temptations, Gordy 911
April 1: Marvin Gaye, When I’m Alone I Cry, Tamla 251
April 8: Various, Recorded Live: The Motortown Revue, Vol. 2, Motown 615
April 15: Mary Wells, Greatest Hits, Motown 616
April 15: Marvin Gaye, Greatest Hits, Tamla 252
April 15: Marvin Gaye & Mary Wells, Together, Motown 613
June 2: Mary Wells, Mary Wells Sings My Guy, Motown 617
June 19: Brenda Holloway, Every Little Bit Hurts, Tamla 257
June 23: Stevie Wonder, Stevie At The Beach, Tamla 255
June 23: Various, A Collection Of 16 Original Big Hits, Vol. 2, Tamla 256
August 10: Pepper Adams, Compositions Of Charlie Mingus, Workshop Jazz 219
August 10: Roy Brooks, Beat, Workshop Jazz 220
August 31: The Supremes, Where Did Our Love Go, Motown 621 (#1 R&B, #2 pop)
October 16: The Supremes, A Bit Of Liverpool, Motown 623
November 12: Marvin Gaye, Hello Broadway, Tamla 259
December 9: Various, A Collection Of 16 Original Hits, Vol. 3, Motown 624
West Grand Blog is taking a short break. See you on the other side, with luck.
Source notes: given the volume of information offered above, it’s tough to identify and credit all its origins, but there should be special mention of Joel Whitburn’s Billboard chart books, Laurent Bendele’s Go For Your Dreams website, and the help of Diana Ross aficionado Frans de Beer.