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Gordon Keith (producer)
Gordon Keith (aka William Henry Adams Jr.) (August 12, 1939 – November 17, 2020) was an American record producer who was the first person to sign a recording contract with the Jackson 5 and release their records. In 1966, he and four friends founded Steeltown Records in Gary, Indiana, with each able to manage, record, and sign local talent themselves in and around Gary. The quality of the music and dance scene was high in and near Gary. Vivian Carter, founder of VeeJay Records, and the Spaniels, a prominent doo-wop group, are examples of Gary's musical culture. Keith states that each Steeltown partner individually discovered, signed, and took the responsibility and any profit for each signed individual or group, using Steeltown Records (Steeltown label) as an umbrella to promote name recognition. Keith also points out that he had himself went solo as a vocalist in the 1960s because he wearied of the lack of discipline and commitment of so many of the young singers he sang doo-w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most of their career consisted of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. They were managed by their father Joe Jackson. The group were among the first African American performers to attain a crossover following. The Jackson 5 performed in talent shows and clubs on the Chitlin' Circuit, then signed with Steeltown Records in 1967 and released two singles. In 1968, they left Steeltown Records and signed with Motown, where they were the first group to debut with four consecutive number one hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with the songs "I Want You Back", " ABC", " The Love You Save", and " I'll Be There". They also achieved sixteen Top-40 singles on the chart. The group left Motown for Epic Records in early 1976, with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Jackson (musician)
Johnny Porter Jackson (March 3, 1951 – March 1, 2006) was an American drummer, noted for being the drummer for The Jackson 5 from their early Gary, Indiana days until the end of their famed career at Motown. Career The label promoted Jackson and keyboardist Ronnie Rancifer as the cousins of The Jackson Five The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ..., however neither Ronnie Rancifer nor Johnny Jackson are actually related to the Jacksons. On March 1, 2006, Jackson died at a home in Gary after being stabbed by his girlfriend, Yolanda Davis, following a quarrel. Davis was later pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 2 years in prison. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
My Girl (The Temptations Song)
"My Girl" is a soul music song recorded by the Temptations for the Gordy ( Motown) record label. Written and produced by the Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, it became the Temptations' first U.S. number 1 single, and is currently their signature song. Robinson's inspiration for writing "My Girl" was his wife, Miracles member Claudette Rogers Robinson. The song was included on the Temptations 1965 album '' The Temptations Sing Smokey''. In 2017, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant". Recording and release The recorded version of "My Girl" was the first Temptations single to feature David Ruffin on lead vocals. Previously, Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams had performed most of the group's lead vocals, and Ruffin had joined the group as a replacement for former Temptation Elbridge Bryant. While on tour as part of the Motortown Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temptations
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 10 hit single " Cloud Nine" in October 1968, pioneered psychedelic soul, and was significant in the evolution of R&B and soul music. The band members are known for their choreography, distinct harmonies, and dress style. Having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are among the most successful groups in popular music. Featuring five male vocalists and dancers (save for brief periods with fewer or more members), the group formed in 1960 in Detroit under the name ''the Elgins''. The founding members came from two rival Detroit vocal groups: Otis Williams, Elbridge "Al" Bryant, and Melvin Franklin of Otis Williams & the Distants, and Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams of the Primes. In 1964, Bryant was replaced by David Ruffi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief songwriter and producer. He led the group from its 1955 origins as "the Five Chimes" until 1972, when he announced his retirement from the group to focus on his role as Motown's vice president. However, Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the following year. Robinson left Motown Records in 1990, following the sale of the company two years earlier. Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and was awarded the 2016 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music. In 2022, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame. Early life and early career William Robinson Jr. was born to an African-American father and a mother of African-American and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cold Sweat
"Cold Sweat" is a song performed by James Brown and written with his bandleader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. Brown recorded it in May 1967. An edited version of "Cold Sweat" released as a two-part single on King Records was a No. 1 R&B hit, and reached number seven on the Pop Singles chart. The complete recording, more than seven minutes long, was included on an album of the same name. Brown's lyrics describe how his woman's affections make him "break out in a cold sweat." In 2016 James Brown's "Cold Sweat" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Creation "Cold Sweat" developed from an earlier James Brown R&B song, "I Don't Care", recorded in 1962 and first released on the album ''Tour the U.S.A.''. According to Brown, "it was a slow, bluesy tune then. It was good that way, but I was really getting into my funk bag now, and it became an almost completely different tune, except for the lyrics." Arranger and co-composer Pee Wee Ellis recalled in an interview that Analysis Bui ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He starred in more than 10 Broadway and West End musicals, made 31 musical films, four television specials, and numerous recordings. As a dancer, he was known for his uncanny sense of rhythm, creativity, and tireless perfectionism. Astaire's most memorable dancing partnership was with Ginger Rogers, whom he co-starred with in 10 Hollywood musicals during the classic age of Hollywood cinema. Astaire and Rogers starred together in ''Top Hat'' (1935), '' Swing Time'' (1936), and ''Shall We Dance'' (1937). Astaire's fame grew in films like ''Holiday Inn'' (1942), '' Easter Parade'' (1948), '' The Band Wagon'' (1953), '' Funny Face'' (1957), and ''Silk Stockings'' (1957). The American Film Institute named Astaire the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of the most dynamic singers and performers in soul, R&B, and rock and roll history. Wilson gained initial fame as a member of the R&B vocal group Billy Ward and His Dominoes. He went solo in 1957 and scored over 50 chart singles spanning the genres of R&B, pop, soul, doo-wop, and easy listening. This included 16 Top 10 R&B hits, six of which ranked as number ones. On the '' Billboard'' Hot 100, Wilson scored 14 top 20 pop hits, six of which reached the top 10. Wilson was posthumously inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He is also inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. Two of Wilson's recordings were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. He was honored with the Rhythm and B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honorific nicknames "the Hardest Working Man in Show Business", "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", and "Soul Brother No. 1". In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres. Brown was one of the first 10 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at its inaugural induction in New York on January 23, 1986. Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. He first came to national public attention in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd. With the hit ballads " Please, Please, Please" and " Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a dynamic live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marlon Jackson
Marlon David Jackson (born March 12, 1957) is an American entertainer, singer and dancer best known as a member of the Jackson 5. He is the sixth child of the Jackson family. Marlon now runs Study Peace Foundation to promote peace and unity worldwide. Early life Marlon David Jackson was born on March 12, 1957, at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana, the sixth child of Joseph who was a steel mill worker, and played in an R&B band, the Falcons, with his brother Luther, and Katherine Jackson, a Jehovah's Witness. He was born seventeen and a half months before his younger brother Michael (born August 29, 1958). Growing up, Marlon was especially close to Michael, whom he considered the substitute for his lost twin brother, Brandon, who died shortly after birth. Marlon and Michael were a fun team. “We were the jokers of the family," Marlon said. They would often get in trouble, but they stuck together. By 1964, Marlon and Michael joined their brothers Tito, Jackie an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackie Jackson
Sigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson (born May 4, 1951) is an American singer best known as a founding member of the Jackson 5, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Jackson is the second child of the Jackson family, and the oldest Jackson brother. Early life Sigmund Esco Jackson was born at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana, on his mother Katherine's 21st birthday in 1951. He was given the nickname Jackie by his grandfather, Samuel Jackson. He and his siblings (Michael, Marlon, Tito, Jermaine, Randy, Rebbie, La Toya and Janet) were brought up in a two-bedroom house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial steel city south of Chicago. His father, Joseph "Joe" Jackson, worked at a steel mill, and at night he played in an R&B band called the Falcons with his brother, Luther. Their mother, Katherine, a Jehovah's Witness, played the clarinet and piano. His father, Joseph, formed the Jackson Brothers singing group, which included Jackie and his brothers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackson 5, and played bass guitar. Since 1983 he rejoined the group, now known as The Jacksons. Jermaine sang the lead on some of The Jackson Five's biggest hits,and featured in " I'll Be There" and "I Want You Back" amongst others. When the four others left and had to reform as The Jacksons, Jermaine, who had just married Motown founder Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, stayed at Motown and was replaced by his youngest brother, Randy. Jermaine had a solo career concurrent with his brother Michael's and some top-30 hits until the 1980s, produced and recorded duets with Whitney Houston at her debut in 1985, and was a producer for the band Switch. After seven years he rejoined The Jacksons and remained throughout their various breakups and reunions. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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