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Gwen Gordy Fuqua
Gwen Fuqua (born Gwendolyn Gordy; November 26, 1927 – November 8, 1999) was an American businesswoman, songwriter and composer, most notably writing hit songs such as "Lonely Teardrops", "All I Could Do Was Cry" and "Distant Lover". She acquired her full name after marrying Harvey Fuqua and kept the name after their divorce. Biography Early life and career Gwen Gordy was born to Berry Gordy Sr. and Bertha Ida (née Fuller) Gordy in Detroit. She was the youngest of the four Gordy sisters (Esther, Anna and Loucye) and the third youngest of the entire family (brothers Berry and Robert were born after her). Following graduation from high school, Gwen owned the photo concession at Detroit's popular Flame Show Bar, which helped to make her a celebrity in Detroit's nightlife. By the late 1950s, Gordy had also become a cheerleader for brother Berry's musical efforts. She provided Berry with his first important music business contact when she introduced him to the manager of the cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area, and the 14th-largest in the United States. Regarded as a major cultural center, Detroit is known for its contributions to music, art, architecture and design, in addition to its historical automotive background. ''Time'' named Detroit as one of the fifty World's Greatest Places of 2022 to explore. Detroit is a major port on the Detroit River, one of the four major straits that connect the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The City of Detroit anchors the second-largest regional econo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Distant Lover
"Distant Lover" is the sixth song issued on singer Marvin Gaye's 1973 album, ''Let's Get It On'' and the B-side of the second single from that album, " Come Get to This". A live recording was issued as a single in 1974. The live version of the song was Gaye's most successful single during the three-year gap between ''Let's Get It On'' and his following 1976 album, '' I Want You''. _Song_Review_.html" ;"title=" Distant Lover > Song Review "> Distant Lover > Song Review All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2008-08-17. History Studio version Marvin composed the melody of the song with songwriter Sandra Greene during a 1970 recording session while Gaye was finishing edits of his song, "What's Going On". Recorded on November 3, 1970, Gaye first recorded a rough version simply titled "Head Title". Later in the same recording sessions, with help from his sister-in-law, Gwen Gordy Fuqua, Gaye composed more lyrics and gave it its title, "Distant Lover". Gaye would rework the song sever ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
That's What Girls Are Made For
"That's What Girls Are Made For" is the debuting single for the American R&B/Soul vocal group The Spinners, released on Harvey Fuqua's Tri-Phi Records label in 1961. The single featured most of the original members of the group including original lead singer Bobby Smith and featured a very young Marvin Gaye playing drums. Harvey Fuqua and his then-girlfriend Gwen Gordy made the song simply for them to record. Released nationally on Tri-Phi, the song reached number 27 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 5 on the Hot R&B Songs chart, starting a long successful run for the group, who later found success with neighboring Detroit label Motown Records in the mid-1960s and Philadelphia soul-based records with Atlantic Records in the 1970s. Credits *Lead vocals by Bobby Smith *Background vocals by Bobby Smith, George Dixon, Pervis Jackson, Henry Fambrough and Billy Henderson *Drums by Marvin Gaye *Other Instrumentation by Various session artists (including possibly The Funk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Etta James
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as " The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind". She faced a number of personal problems, including heroin addiction, severe physical abuse, and incarceration, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album '' Seven Year Itch''. James's deep and earthy voice bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. She won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With global sales of over 75 million records, Franklin is one of the world's best-selling music artists. As a child, Franklin was noticed for her gospel singing at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was a minister. At the age of 18, she was signed as a recording artist for Columbia Records. While her career did not immediately flourish, Franklin found acclaim and commercial success once she signed with Atlantic Records in 1966. Hit songs such as "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", " Respect", " (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Think", and "I Say a Little Prayer", propelled Franklin past her musical peers. Franklin continued to record acclaimed albums such as ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erma Franklin
Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938 – September 7, 2002) was an American gospel and soul singer. Franklin was the elder sister of American singer/musician Aretha Franklin. Franklin's best known recording was the original version of "Piece of My Heart", written and produced by Bert Berns, and recorded in 1967, for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award. A cover version of the same song was recorded the following year by Big Brother and the Holding Company, with the lead vocal by Janis Joplin. Biography Early life and family Erma Franklin was born in Shelby, Mississippi, United States, the oldest daughter of Barbara (née Siggers) and the Reverend C. L. Franklin. She was raised in Detroit, Michigan, where her father was pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church. She was raised by both parents until the age of 10, when her parents separated for the final time. Her mother took her eldest sibling, half-brother Vaughn, with her to Buffalo, New York, in 1948. Barbara Siggers-Fra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Money (That's What I Want)
"Money (That's What I Want)" is a rhythm and blues song written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, which was the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise. Barrett Strong recorded it in 1959 as a single for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. Many artists later recorded the tune, including the Beatles in 1963, the Rolling Stones in 1964, and the Flying Lizards in 1979. Composition and recording The song developed out of a spontaneous recording session at the Hitsville studio A in Detroit. Gordy and Strong began by improvising on piano and vocals and were joined by Benny Benjamin on drums and Brian Holland on tambourine. Authors Jim Cogan and William Clark only identify the guitarist and bass guitarist as "two white kids walking home from high school hoheard the music out on the street and wandered in to Hitsville ndasked if they could play along." They add "Strong claimed he never saw the two boys who played bass and guitar again." Howev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong (born February 5, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best known for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfield. Among his most famous work at Motown, Strong wrote the lyrics for many of the songs recorded by the Temptations. He was born in West Point, Mississippi. Career Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry Gordy's fledgling label, Tamla Records, and was the performer on the company's first hit, "Money (That's What I Want)", which reached No. 2 US R&B in 1960. The single was originally released on Tamla, Motown's first label, but was then leased to the Anna label as it was getting airplay, and it was on the Anna label that it was a hit. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. "Money" was later recorded by a number of acts, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Kingsmen, R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History From 1916 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing products ranging from pianos to sporting equipment since 1845. The company first began producing phonographs in 1916, then began marketing their own line of records as an afterthought. These first Brunswick records used the vertical cut system like Edison Disc Records, and were not sold in large numbers. They were recorded in the United States but sold only in Canada. 1920s In January 1920, a new line of Brunswick Records was introduced in the U.S. and Canada that employed the lateral cut system which was becoming the default cut for 78 discs. Brunswick started its standard popular series at 2000 and ended up in 1940 at 8517. However, when the series reached 4999, they skipped over the previous allocated 5000s and continued at 6000. When t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
That's Why (I Love You So)
"That's Why (I Love You So)" is a song written by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. and Billy Davis (songwriter), Tyran Carlo and performed by Jackie Wilson. It reached #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, U.S. R&B chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, U.S. pop chart in 1959. It was featured on his 1959 album ''Lonely Teardrops''. The song was arranged by Dick Jacobs. The song ranked #90 on Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1959, ''Billboard's'' Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1959. Other versions *Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers released a version of the song on their 1966 album ''Drivin' You Wild''. *Steve Goodman released a version of the song on his 1979 album ''High and Outside''. *The Temptations released a version of the song on their 1995 album ''For Lovers Only (The Temptations album), For Lovers Only''. *Syl Johnson released a version of the song on his 2015 album ''Complete Twinight Records 45s''. *John Eddie, John Eddie and The Front Street Runners released a version o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll, and jazz and comedy recordings, released on the Chess and its subsidiary labels Checker and Argo/Cadet. The Chess catalogue is owned by Universal Music Group and managed by Geffen Records. Established and run by two Jewish immigrant brothers from what was then Poland, Leonard and Phil Chess, the company produced and released many singles and albums regarded as central to the rock music canon. The musician and critic Cub Koda described Chess as "America's greatest blues label". Chess was based at several locations on the south side of Chicago, initially at South Cottage Grove Ave. The most famous was 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, from May 1957 to 1965, immortalized by the Rolling Stones in " 2120 South Michigan Avenue", an instrumental re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LaVern Baker
Delores LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American R&B singer who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedle Dee" (1955), " Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I Cried a Tear" (1958). Baker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. The Hall remarked that her "fiery fusion of blues, jazz and R&B showcased her alluring vocals and set the stage for the rock and roll surge of the Fifties". Between 1955 and 1965, 20 of her songs made the R&B charts. Over the years, Elvis Presley recorded eight Baker songs. Early life Baker was born Delores Evans in Chicago. She was raised in Calumet City, Illinois. Under her mother's new surname, McMurley, Delores – on December 23, 1948, at age , in Cook County, Illinois – married Eugene Williams.Goldberg, Marv (2009)"Lavern Baker". ''Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks'' Retrieved May 25, 2014. Career Baker began singing in Chicago clubs such as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
