|
Up-Tight
''Up-Tight'' (shown as ''Up-Tight Everything's Alright'' on the cover) is a 1966 album by American singer Stevie Wonder, released by Motown on the Tamla label. It was his fifth studio release. Production ''Up-Tight'' was recorded at Motown's studio Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit. It includes two earlier recordings, the 1962 single "Contract on Love" and the un-issued 1964 single "Pretty Little Angel". Also included on the album are "Nothing's Too Good for My Baby", another Wonder co-write, and a cover of folk star Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind", which made Wonder popular with crossover audiences, and a cover of the standard,'' Teach Me Tonight'', featuring vocals by The Four Tops. Stevie was backed by the Funk Brothers, the legendary, but uncredited, early period Motown Records studio musicians, creators of the famous, recognisable '60s Motown sound. Motown's in-house female backing group, The Andantes, also accompany Wonder on the album. Backing vocalist Pat Lewis stepped in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uptight (Everything's Alright)
"Uptight (Everything's Alright)" is a 1965 hit single recorded by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder for the Tamla (Motown) label. One of his most popular early singles, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" was the first hit single Wonder co-wrote. A notable success, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart in early 1966, at the same time reaching the top of the ''Billboard'' R&B Singles chart for five weeks. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the 59th biggest American hit of 1966. An accompanying album, ''Up-Tight'' (1966), was rushed into production to capitalize on the single's success. It also garnered Wonder his first two career Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance. Background The single was a watershed in Wonder's career for several reasons. Aside from the US number-one "Fingertips" (1963), only two of Wonder's singles, "Workout, Stevie, Workout" (1963) and "Hey Harmonica Man" (1964) had both peaked ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Down To Earth (Stevie Wonder Album)
''Down to Earth'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released on November 16, 1966 on the Tamla (Motown) label. The album was a departure from Wonder's earlier, teen pop-driven albums, and, along with its predecessor, ''Up-Tight'', it re-established the sixteen-year-old Wonder, whose voice had recently changed, as a Motown hitmaker. The album features the hit single " A Place in the Sun". Another single, " Hey Love", became a hit for Detroit soul singer Bettye LaVette the following year. Track listing Side One #" A Place in the Sun" ( Ron Miller, Bryan Wells) - 2:52 #"Bang Bang" (Sonny Bono) - 2:42 #"Down to Earth" (Miller, Avery Vanderberg) - 2:50 #"Thank You Love" (Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy, Stevie Wonder) - 2:55 #"Be Cool, Be Calm (And Keep Yourself Together)" (Cosby, Moy, Wonder) - 2:43 #"Sylvia" (Cosby, Moy, Wonder) - 2:34 Side Two #"My World Is Empty Without You" ( Holland-Dozier-Holland) - 2:53 #"The Lonesome Road" (Gene Austin, Nat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, Gospel music, gospel, funk, and jazz. A virtual one-man band, Wonder's use of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970s reshaped the conventions of Contemporary R&B, R&B. He also helped drive such genres into the album era, crafting his LP record, LPs as cohesive and consistent, in addition to socially conscious statements with complex compositions. Visual impairment, Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder. Wonder's single "Fingertips" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1963, at the age of 13, making him the List o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teach Me Tonight
Teach Me Tonight is a popular song that has become a jazz standard. The music was written by Gene De Paul, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was published in 1953. Early recordings Five versions charted in 1954 and 1955: *Janet Brace was apparently first, making the Billboard chart on October 23, 1954, and eventually reaching No. 23First recording from 1953*Jo Stafford — No. 15 in 1954 *Dinah Washington — a No. 4 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hit in 1954, inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 *Helen Grayco — No. 29 in 1954 *The DeCastro Sisters ("It's Love" / "Teach Me Tonight", Abbott Record Co. 3001) — No. 2 in 1955. In addition, a 1959, re-recording entitled, "Teach Me Tonight Cha Cha" went to No. 76 on the Hot 100. Other recordings *In 1982, Al Jarreau included his version on " Breakin' Away" In the US, this version went to No. 70 on the Hot 100 and No. 51 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. In addition, it went to No.19 on the Adult Contemporary chart. *A cover of the re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pat Lewis
Pat Lewis is an American soul singer and backing vocalist since the 1960s. Biography Patsy Lewis was born October 23, 1947 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States, and moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1951. In the early 1960s, Pat, her sister Dianne, and two friends (Betty and Jackie Winston) formed the group, The Adorables, who recorded a record and began singing backing vocals for Golden World Records. Lewis debuted as a solo artist in 1966 with ''Can't Shake It Loose'' while also beginning to do outside backing vocals sessions. She met Motown Records' in-house backing group The Andantes, and one day when one of the girls could not make the session for Stevie Wonder's "Up-Tight", Lewis stepped in and did it as well as several other Motown sessions. She signed to Solid Hit Bound Records and released a string of singles, including "Look At What I Almost Missed", "Warning", "No One to Love", "No Baby No", and "The Loser". From the late 1960s on, she became a permanent backing singe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stevie At The Beach
''Stevie at the Beach'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder released on the Tamla (Motown) label on June 23, 1964. With the exception of the mild hit, "Hey Harmonica Man", it was a concept album of sorts, focusing on beach and surfer anthems as an attempt to get Wonder to now sing surf tunes. However, much like the label's attempts to first make him the teenage version of Ray Charles and then for one album as a lounge singer, it failed to connect with audiences. Wonder would not have another hit until 1965 when he was finally allowed to showcase his musical talents more. Track listing ;Side one #"Castles in the Sand" (Hal Davis, Marc Gordon, Mary O'Brien, Frank Wilson) - 2:11 #"Ebb Tide" (instrumental) (Robert Maxwell, Carl Sigman) - 1:45 #"Sad Boy" (Dorsey Burnette, Gerald Nelson) - 2:28 #" Red Sails in the Sunset" (instrumental) (Hugh Williams, Jimmy Kennedy) - 2:01 #"The Beachcomber" (instrumental) (Arthur Wright) - 1:46 #"Castles in the Sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clarence Paul
Clarence Otto Pauling (March 19, 1928 – May 6, 1995) better known and pen name, published as Clarence Paul, was an American songwriter, record producer and singer who was best known for his career with Detroit's Motown Records. Early life and career Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, Paul was the son of Lowman Pauling and Arsula Price. His brother was guitarist/songwriter Lowman Pauling Jr. The two brothers co-founded The "5" Royales singing group. Their father was a coal miner in Bluefield, West Virginia, where the brothers listened to country music on the town's only radio station. In Winston-Salem, the brothers formed the gospel music, gospel group, the Royal Sons Quintet, later to become The "5" Royales. Paul dropped the "ing" from his last name after moving to Detroit in the 1950s, so he would not to be confused with his older brother. Writing and production career In 1958, he had one of his first major songwriting credits. He co-wrote and recorded "I Ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry Cosby
Henry R. "Hank" Cosby (May 12, 1928 – January 22, 2002) was an American songwriter, arranger, producer and musician who worked for Motown Records from its formative years. Along with Sylvia Moy, Cosby was a key collaborator with Stevie Wonder from 1963–1970. Cosby co-wrote and/or co-produced three No. 1 US hits: Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips" (1963), The Supremes' " Love Child" (1968), and The Miracles' "The Tears of a Clown" (1968). Life and career Cosby was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1928. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he played alongside jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley in the military band. Upon his return to Detroit, he joined pianist Joe Hunter's jazz band. He played tenor saxophone in jazz clubs, as well as on records for different labels around the city. When Berry Gordy launched Motown Records in 1959 he recruited the Joe Hunter Band with Cosby, Benny Benjamin, James Jamerson, Larry Veeder, and Mike Terry, forming the basis of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sammy Cahn
Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area. He and his collaborators had a series of hit recordings with Frank Sinatra during the singer's tenure at Capitol Records, but also enjoyed hits with Dean Martin, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin, and won an Oscar four times for his songs, including the popular hit " Three Coins in the Fountain". Among his most enduring songs is "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", cowritten with Jule Styne in 1945. Life and career Cahn was born Samuel Cohen in the Lower East Side of New York City, the only son (he had four sisters) of Abraham and Elka Reiss Cohen, who were Jewish immigrants from Galicia, then ruled by Austria-Hungary. His sisters, Sadye, Pearl, Flor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene De Paul
Gene Vincent de Paul (June 17, 1919 – February 27, 1988) was an American pianist, composer and songwriter. Biography Born in New York City, he served in the United States Army during World War II. He was married to Billye Louise Files (November 23, 1924 – January 30, 1977) of Jack County, Texas. He joined the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1941, and went on to compose the music for many motion pictures. He was nominated (with Don Raye) for an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song in 1942 for the song "Pig Foot Pete" from the movie '' Hellzapoppin''. The song actually was not included in that movie, but in the 1941 feature, ''Keep 'Em Flying'', and was thus ineligible for the nomination and award. The award was given to " White Christmas". De Paul collaborated with Johnny Mercer, Don Raye, Carolyn Leigh, Charles Rinker and others at Universal Studios, Walt Disney Studios and other Hollywood companies. De Paul composed the 1953 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of studio musicians in music history. Among their hits are " My Girl", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Baby Love", " I Was Made to Love Her", "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", "The Tears of a Clown", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", and "Heat Wave". Some combination of the members played on each of Motown's 100-plus U.S. R&B number one singles and 50-plus U.S. Pop number ones released from 1961 to 1972. There is no undisputed list of the members of the group. Some writers have claimed that virtually every musician who ever played on a Motown track was a "Funk Brother". There are 13 Funk Brothers identified in Paul Justman's 2002 documentary film ''Standing in the Shadows of Motown'', based on Allan Slutsky's book of the same name. These 13 memb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua (July 27, 1929 – July 6, 2010) was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive. Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo-wop group the Moonglows in the 1950s. He is notable as one of the key figures in the development of the Motown label in Detroit, Michigan. His group gave Marvin Gaye a start in his music career. Fuqua and his wife at the time, Gwen Gordy, distributed the first Motown hit single, Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", on their record label, Anna Records. Fuqua later sold Anna Records to Gwen's brother Berry Gordy and became a songwriter and executive at Motown. He was the nephew of Charlie Fuqua of the Ink Spots and the uncle of the filmmaker Antoine Fuqua. Biography Fuqua was born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. He was the nephew of Charlie Fuqua of the Ink Spots. In 1951, with Bobby Lester, Alexander Graves and Prentiss Barnes, he formed a vocal group, the Crazy Sounds, in Louisville, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Stevie Wonder")
