The Contours is one of the early American
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
singing groups signed to
Motown Records
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...
. The group is best known for its classic chart-topping 1962 hit, "
Do You Love Me
"Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 1988 ...
", which sold over 1 million copies and became a major hit again in 1988.
History
Establishment and "Do You Love Me"
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 ...
(born November 14, 1937) and Billy Gordon founded a singing group called the Blenders in their native Detroit, Michigan in 1959. They completed the group with Billy Hoggs and Billy Rollins, who had responded to an ad placed in the local newspaper by Billingslea. The group soon added Leroy Fair (in place of Billy Rollins), and bass singer
Hubert Johnson, and changed the name to "The Contours". In the fall of 1960, the group auditioned for
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...
's
Motown Records
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...
. Gordy turned the act down, prompting the group to pay a visit to the home of Johnson's cousin, R&B star and Gordy associate
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 mas ...
. Wilson in turn got the Contours a second audition with Gordy, at which they sang the same songs they had at the first audition, the same way, and were signed to a seven-year contract.
Each artist at Motown Records received its own guitarist. Huey Davis was the guitarist assigned to the Contours. The group's first single, "
Whole Lotta' Woman," was released in January 1961 and failed to chart. Within months of its release, Leroy Fair was replaced by Benny Reeves, brother of
Martha Reeves
Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas which scored over a dozen hit singles, including " Come and Get These Memories", " Nowhere to R ...
. Shortly thereafter, Benny Reeves left to serve in the United States Navy and he was replaced by
Sylvester Potts. In 1961 the group's second single, "The Stretch", was released and it also failed to chart. In early 1962, Gordy had the Contours record "
Do You Love Me
"Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 1988 ...
," a composition allegedly originally meant for
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 ...
. But, in a 2008 interview for ''
MOJO Magazine
''Mojo'' is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that would cater for the bur ...
'', original Contour Joe Billingslea stated that this was not the case. In the article, Billingslea stated to author Phil Alexander that the song's author, Motown founder Berry Gordy, offered the song to the Contours ''first'', only intending to give The Temptations the song after he saw that the Contours were having trouble with it. However, after practicing the tune again, Gordy gave the nod—and the song—to the Contours.
The resulting record, with its shouted lead vocals from Billy Gordon, hit No. 1 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s R&B chart and crossed over to No. 3 on the Hot 100 in 1962. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a
gold disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
.
Mid-to-late 1960s career
Although the Contours never quite repeated the extraordinary success of "
Do You Love Me
"Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 1988 ...
," they returned to the charts four times during 1963 and 1964 starting with "
Shake Sherry." They also charted on the R&B Charts with the "
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
" to "
Can You Jerk Like Me
"Can You Jerk Like Me" (Gordy G7037) is a 1964 R&B song by Motown Records group The Contours, issued on its Gordy Records subsidiary. It charted on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #47, and a Top 20 hit on its R&B chart, reaching #15. A single-on ...
," the Smokey Robinson-penned "
That Day When She Needed Me
"That Day When She Needed Me" (also known as "I was a Thousand Miles Away That Day When She Needed Me"), is a 1964 R&B song by the Motown Records group The Contours, on the label's Gordy Records subsidiary imprint. Issued as the "B" side of thei ...
." In 1964, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, Hubert Johnson, and Sylvester Potts all left Motown. Berry Gordy hired Council Gay, Jerry Green and Alvin English to back Billy Gordon, making the Contours a vocal quartet (with Davis remaining the group's guitarist throughout their stint at Motown). During this period, tracks recorded by both line-ups were being put together for a second album for Motown entitled ''The Contours: Can You Dance'' (Gordy 910).
However, for unknown reasons, this album was never released by Motown. Within a year, Sylvester Potts returned to the group (replacing Alvin English), and Billy Gordon departed shortly thereafter. Gordon was replaced by
Joe Stubbs
Joe Stubbs (born Joseph Stubbles; December 9, 1942 – February 5, 1998) was an American R&B/soul singer who became the lead singer of four different groups throughout his recording career. He was the younger brother of The Four Tops' lead Levi ...
, brother of
Four Tops
The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes.
Founded as the ...
lead singer
Levi Stubbs
Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B group the Four Tops, who released a variety of Motown hit records during the 1960s and 1970s. He h ...
. Stubbs soon quit the act and was replaced by
Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards Jr. (February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the frontman in The Temptations
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a serie ...
. Stubbs would later go on to become lead singer of the 1970s non-Motown R&B group,
100 Proof (Aged in Soul).
During the mid-1960s the Contours recorded several records which received R&B radio play, notably "Can You Do It," "Don't Let Her Be Your Baby", "
Can You Jerk Like Me
"Can You Jerk Like Me" (Gordy G7037) is a 1964 R&B song by Motown Records group The Contours, issued on its Gordy Records subsidiary. It charted on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #47, and a Top 20 hit on its R&B chart, reaching #15. A single-on ...
," and its charting flip side, the Smokey Robinson written-and-produced "
That Day When She Needed Me
"That Day When She Needed Me" (also known as "I was a Thousand Miles Away That Day When She Needed Me"), is a 1964 R&B song by the Motown Records group The Contours, on the label's Gordy Records subsidiary imprint. Issued as the "B" side of thei ...
," "
First I Look at the Purse
"First I Look At the Purse" (G7044) is a 1965 song recorded by R&B group the Contours on Motown Records' Gordy label. It was written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers, the authors of the Temptations' first hit single, "The Wa ...
" (written by
Miracles
A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
members
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 ...
and
Bobby Rogers
Robert Edward Rogers (February 19, 1940 – March 3, 2013) was an American musician and tenor singer, best known as a member of Motown vocal group the Miracles from 1956 until his death. He was inducted, in 2012, as a member of the Miracles to t ...
)" and "
Just a Little Misunderstanding
"Just a Little Misunderstanding" (G7052) is a 1966 song by Motown Records R&B group The Contours on the company's Gordy subsidiary label. It was composed by Stevie Wonder, along with Motown staff songwriters Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax. T ...
" (the only single featuring Stubbs on lead, and was co-written by Stevie Wonder),. Still they were considered secondary to Motown's major male vocal groups:
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 ...
,
the Four Tops
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, and
the Miracles
The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...
. The group's seven-year contract with Motown expired in 1967 and when lead singer Dennis Edwards was recruited to replace the departed
David Ruffin
David Eli Ruffin (born Davis Eli Ruffin;Ribowsky, p. 88 January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations (1964–68) during the group's "Clas ...
as lead singer of the Temptations in mid-1968, the Contours disbanded. Edwards later became a solo hits maker as well.
Although they
charted up a
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in 1970 with a re-release of "Just a Little Misunderstanding,"
The Contours' real claim to fame lies with "
Do You Love Me
"Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 1988 ...
." Both these tracks and others Contours work can be found on various Motown compilation albums.
After Motown
In the early 1970s, Joe Billingslea resurrected the group with himself, Arthur Hinson, Martin Upshire, C. Autry Hatcher and former Motown Contour Council Gay as its members, and began performing at local clubs around Detroit. During the seventies and early eighties, the group's popularity increased and they began playing dates throughout the US and even some international dates. In 1984, Charles Davis replaced Hinson and a week later Potts rejoined the group replacing Gay. In 1987, Hatcher left the group and Arthur Hinson returned. In 1988, Darell Nunlee was added when Martin Upshire left. The same year, "
Do You Love Me
"Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 1988 ...
" was prominently featured in the film ''
Dirty Dancing
''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...
''. In 1988, a reissue of "Do You Love Me" sent the song back to the Billboard top 40 charts for eight weeks, peaking at number eleven. The movie and the record spawned a 1988 "Dirty Dancing Concert Tour" followed by a new recording contract for
Ian Levine
Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, and DJ. A moderniser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of Hi-NRG, he has written and produced records with sales totalling over 40 million. ...
's
Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists.
History
Levine, a Motown fan since his childhood in the 1960s, was offered a chance to recor ...
where the group recorded two albums ''Flashback'' and ''Revenge'' although the latter was not released, though the songs would later be featured on the later compilation, ''The Best of the Contours''.
In 1992, Hinson left the group, and it continued as a quartet until 1993 when Nunlee left. Al Chisholm (formerly with the Falcons) and Gary Grier were recruited in 1993. This configuration – Joe Billingslea, Chisholm, Davis, Grier and Potts – continued from 1993 until 2004.
In 2004, Sylvester Potts left to form his own group with the four members (Leroy Seabrooks, Kim Green, Tony Womack and Darell Nunlee) of a local Detroit group named Upscale, which immediately began performing as "The Contours". Billingslea sued and Potts countersued, each claiming the rights to the name. Because the service mark, "The Contours" was jointly owned by Billingslea, Potts and their manager, these suits were resolved in an out-of-court settlement which provided for the existence of both groups to be identified as "The Contours with Joe Billingslea" and "The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts," respectively. Within months of the founding of the Potts group, Seabrooks left making it a quartet. In 2011, Nunlee left Potts' group and was replaced by Tee Turner.
In April 2011, the unreleased second album's tracks, along with fourteen unreleased original Contours 1960s Motown recordings, and new 2011 interviews with the Contours' founder Joe Billingslea as well as with Sylvester Potts, was released as part of the CD compilation collection, ''Dance with the Contours'' on the import label, Kent Records. It featured the chart hits, "Can You Do It", "Can You Jerk Like Me", and several other tracks. It was released under legal license from, and with the full approval of, the owners of the Motown catalogue.
![The contours 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/The_contours_2017.jpg)
In 2005, Billy Hoggs, who left the Contours in 1964 to become a minister, made his first and only appearance since 1964, joining ''the Contours with Joe Billingslea'' for the taping of ''Motown: The Early Years'' for the Public Broadcasting System. This performance is occasionally rebroadcast on various PBS affiliates. In January 2007, Motown Records released the DVD of the performances. In 2006, ''the Contours with Joe Billingslea'' filled the vacant bass singing spot created by Potts' departure with Odell Jones. In March 2010, the Contours were inducted into the Doo-Wopp Hall of Fame of America. The induction show featured a performance by ''the Contours with Joe Billingslea''.
Hubert Johnson committed suicide in Detroit, on July 11, 1981, at age 40.
Mid-1960s member,
Joe Stubbs
Joe Stubbs (born Joseph Stubbles; December 9, 1942 – February 5, 1998) was an American R&B/soul singer who became the lead singer of four different groups throughout his recording career. He was the younger brother of The Four Tops' lead Levi ...
– brother of
Levi Stubbs
Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B group the Four Tops, who released a variety of Motown hit records during the 1960s and 1970s. He h ...
, died on February 5, 1998.
Afterward, several original members died within a ten-year period. Billy Gordon died on May 10, 1999.
Guitarist Huey Davis (who was pictured on the ''Do You Love Me'' album cover, but was not an official member of the Contours although he was pictured in virtually all of Motown's publicity shots of the group) died on February 23, 2002, at his home in Detroit.
Leroy Fair died in December 2004.
In 2014, Jones left ''the Contours with Joe Billingslea'' and was replaced by Lyall Hoggart. In late 2014, Potts' group made its last performance. In 2015, Dwjuan Brock replaced Charles Davis. Also in 2015, the Contours were inducted into the R&B Hall of Fame. The induction show featured a performance by ''the Contours with Joe Billingslea''. Later that year, after it became clear that Potts' group had disbanded, Billingslea's group reclaimed the name "The Contours". In 2016, the Contours were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2017, the service mark, "The Contours" was assigned solely to Joe Billingslea.
Sylvester Potts died on January 6, 2017.
On November 4 2022, before a sold-out crowd at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan, Joe Billingslea announced his retirement 10 days short of his 85th birthday, with that performance being his last, concluding with a mike drop to a standing ovation.
Members timeline
Discography
Albums
*''
Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)'' (Gordy 901, 1962)
*''The Contours: Can You Dance'' (Gordy 910, 1964 – unreleased)
*''The Contours Sing It's So Hard Being a Loser'' (Gordy G921, 1967 - unreleased)
*''Baby Hit and Run'' (Music for Pleasure, 1974)
*''Flashback'' (Motorcity Records, 1990)
*''The Very Best'' (Hot Productions, 1995)
*''The Very Best of the Contours''
riginal Recording Remastered(Motown, 1999)
*''Essential Collection'' (Spectrum, 2000)
*''A New Direction'' (Orchard, 2000)
*''20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection'' (Universal, 2003)
*''Live II'' (Middle Earth, 2003)
*''Dance with the Contours'' (Kent/Universal/Motown, 2011)
Singles
References
External links
*
The Contours". ''History-of-rock.com''Motown Legends Entertainment Agency". ''motownlegends.net''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Contours, The
Doo-wop groups
American soul musical groups
Motown artists
Musical groups from Detroit
Musical groups established in 1959
Musical groups disestablished in 1968
Northern soul musicians
1959 establishments in Michigan
American rhythm and blues musical groups