Sylvester Potts was a singer and composer as well as an off and on member of

The Contours The Contours is one of the early American soul singing groups signed to Motown Records. The group is best known for its classic chart-topping 1962 hit, "Do You Love Me", which sold over 1 million copies and became a major hit again in 1988. His ...

and a one time member of

The Four Sonics James "Jay" Johnson established himself as one of the top bass-baritone singers in the Detroit doo-wop and soul music scene during the pre-Motown years. He was a member of the Detroit group Nolan Strong & The Diablos and can be heard on the group ...

. Songs that he has either composed or co-composed have been recorded by

, Mamie Galore,

Jimmy Ruffin Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...

and

The 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 ...

Personal

Sylvester Potts was on January 22, 1938, and attended North Eastern High, the same school where Martha Reeves, Mary Wilson, and Bobby Rogers were educated at. Owing to his love of the music and the excitement he got from it once said he wanted to die on stage.

Career

1950s

In the late 1950s, Sylvester Potts was a member of a group called The Hi-Fidelities whose line up consisted of Huey Davis, Potts, Juanita Davis and Tony York. They released two singles, "Street Of Loneliness" bw Pott's own composition, "Help Murder Police" on Hi-Q 5000 in 1957, and "Last Night I Cried" bw "Just Go" on Fortune 528 in 1958. In 1959 late 1950s, Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs,

Joe Billingslea Joseph Billingslea, Jr. (born November 14, 1937) is an American singer and performer. He is most noted for being the lead singer and the founder of the R&B band The Contours in 1959. The Contours were best known for its 1962 hit single, "Do You L ...

, Potts and Hubert Johnson formed The Blenders in 1959. They would later rename themselves as The Contours. His old friend from The Hi-Fidelities, Huey Davis, also joined the Contours as the group's guitarist.

1960s to 1990s

Potts was a member of The Contours in 1961, replacing member Bennie Reeves who was drafted. In 1963, the Contours single "Don't Let Her Be Your Baby" bw "It Must Be Love" was released. Potts and Joe Billingslea had co-composed the B side. In 1965, a song "How Can I Say I'm Sorry" he had co-composed with Johnny Gilliam and

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s.allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motow ...

was the B side of a

single, "As Long As There Is L-O-V-E Love". In 1966, a song "It Ain't Necessary" he co-composed with Council Gay and

Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (born December 8, 1939) is an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and retired politician. He was the original lead singer of the Rhythm and blues, R&B vocal group the Impressions, inducted into the Rock and Rol ...

was the A side of a Mamie Galore single released on St. Lawrence Records 1012. During the 1970s, Potts had joined

and when he was a member of the group, besides himself, the lineup consisted of Johnson, Bill Frazier, and Vernon Williams. This line-up recorded one single There's No Love" bw "If It Wasn't for My Baby", released on JMC 141. In 1984, Potts rejoined The Contours which had been restarted by Joe Billingsea in the 1970s. Potts arranged the backing vocals for the ''Grazing In The Grass'' by The Monitors which was released on Motorcity Records MOTCLP 28 in 1990. The 1999 CD version of the ''Gettin' Ready'' album by

which was originally released in 1966 featured "Give It Up" as one of the album's 2 bonus tracks featuring Paul Williams on vocals. Potts was the producer and co-wrote it with

Mary Wells Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 – July 26, 1992) was an American singer, who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s. Along with The Supremes, The Miracles, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and the F ...

2000s

In 2004 he left the group and either joined or started a group with Leroy Searooks, Kim Green, Tony Womack and Darrell Nunlee called Upscale. Very shortly the group changed its name to The Contours and legal action followed with Joe Billingsea and Potts suing each other. The result was one group being allowed to perform as The Contours with Joe Billingsea and the other going by the name of The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts. In 2010 at the age of 71 Potts was still on the road with his group and in October 2010 was to appear at the Harmony Hall Regional Center in Fort Washington.

Death

Potts died on January 6, 2017, aged 78, at a local Detroit hospital. His funeral was held on Friday, January 13, 2017, at the Historic Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit.''urweb'', January 9, 2017
Sylvester Potts of Motown’s Legendary Group The Contours Dies (VIDEO) - By Larry Buford
/ref>

Credits (selective)

References

External links

F'book The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potts, Sylvester 1938 births 2017 deaths American baritones American soul singers Motown artists Musicians from Detroit Songwriters from Michigan African-American songwriters The Contours members 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people American male songwriters