MOTORCITY LEGEND JACKIE WILSON A/K/A "MR. EXCITEMENT" Born on June 9, 1934...

June 9, 1934:

Jackie Wilson was born in Detroit, MI.

"Lonely Teardrops" was written by Berry Gordy, and as much as Jackie's recording of it was the first of a string of hits (it went to #7 on the pop charts in December of 1958), the song did even more for Gordy...much of the money he made from this song went to bankrolling the start of Motown Records…

"Stop Doggin' Me Around"

"That´ s why I love you so"

“Baby Workout”

“Higher And Higher”

 

 “Whispers (Gettin' Louder)”

His final hit, "You Got Me Walkin' ", written by Eugene Record of the Chi-Lites, was released in 1972 with the Chi-Lites backing him on vocals and instruments…

On September 29, 1975 Wilson was on stage in the middle of singing "Lonely Teardrops" when he suffered a massive heart attack, during the middle of the line: "My Heart is Crying"…

Medical personnel worked nearly 30 minutes to stabilize his vitals, but the lack of oxygen to his brain caused him to slip into a coma...

Jackie Wilson, still in a coma,  died on January 21, 1984 at the age of 49 from complications of pneumonia…

 Initially, he was buried in an unmarked grave at Westlawn Cemetery near Detroit. This was corrected in 1987 when a fundraiser collected enough money to purchase a headstone: The inscription on that headstone reads “Jackie Wilson; No More Lonely Teardrops” and, also “The Complete Entertainer”

In 1999, Wilson's original version of "Higher and Higher" and "Lonely Teardrops" were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and both are on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987

In 2005, Jackie Wilson was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame. Two of his recordings have been voted Legendary Michigan Songs: "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher" in 2008, and "Lonely Teardrops" in 2011…

Jackie Wilson Biography

R.I.P. JACKIE WILSON...

“MR. EXCITEMENT”

THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 & 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED 

March 25, 1983: Motown tapes an all-star concert at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California in order to celebrate the label's anniversary. Performers include Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Commodores, Martha Reeves, and Jr. Walker. Also appearing, in what would be his last TV performance, is Marvin Gaye. A very brief Supremes reunion (and an altercation between Diana & Mary which never made the airing) and a Jackson 5 performance top off the night, but when the show is broadcast on May 16, 1983, it is Michael Jackson's solo performance of his new single "Billie Jean" -- complete with moonwalk -- that would steal the show, kicking off the Thriller juggernaut and turning Michael from a superstar to a megastar overnight…

 A 1983 television special to commemorate Motown's twenty-fifth year of existence, even though Motown was founded in January 1959, meaning that a twenty-fifth anniversary special should have aired in 1984, not 1983…

OK, guess it was the anniversary of Berry Gordy's vision of what would become "Hitsville U.S.A."

Regardless, a LOT of great music was aired that night and you can check it all out here…

Smokey Robinson opened the show and introduced Richard Prior

the host

Richard then introduced Smokey and The Miracles segment which included an old clip of the original group doing “Shop Around,” which segued into the group doing it live, then doing abbreviated  versions of “You Really Got a Hold on Me, Tears of a Clown and Going to a Go-Go” as a medley…

Bobby White was absent due to family matters

Dick Clark gave a pretty good “history lesson” on Motown’s impact on American music…

Stevie Wonder’s segment opens with that great old clip of the 13 year old Stevie doing “Fingertips”

In his live part of the program he’s accompanied by his band and his girl group Wonderlove sang several of his greatest hits, including "I Wish", "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", "My Cherie Amour", "Sir Duke" and others…

—Stevie also sincerely and emotionally  gives thanks to Motown and the fans for making it possible for him to make it…

All that, and more, is included in

Motown 25:

Yesterday, Today, Forever (part 1)

—Check it out!

And, this is only Part 1 of a six part series: Coming up later is Part 2 of the show with excerpts from the early songwriters, a bit about all that awesome choreography, a segment with Marvin Gaye and a whole lotta MOTOWN MUSIC…

THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 & 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED   

CHRISTMAS EVE 1954 IN THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK 'N ROLL!

Geeze, if we could just get into the time machine and rocket back to Christmas Eve in  1958 we could catch  Deejay Alan Freed's Christmas Rock'n'Roll Spectacular on its first night of ten days  at Loew's Theatre, New York City

STARRING…

 Bo Diddley

Chuck Berry

 Eddie Cochran

Dion

Jackie Wilson  

The Everly Brothers

 Johnnie Ray, Covering the Little Willie John classic (penned by Otis Blackwell) 

Frankie Avalon

and The INCREDIBLE Moonglows hipping us all to THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE and they probably did some of the MEAN OLD BLUES, too…

THOSE WERE THE DAYS!!!

BERRY GORDY, JR, BORN ON NOVEMBER 28, 1929

  

Berry Gordy, Jr had seven older siblings--all prominent black citizens of Detroit.  Young Berry, however, had dropped out of high school in the eleventh grade to become a professional boxer--He'd hoped to become rich quick!!!--That was a career he followed until 1950 when he was drafted by the United States Army for the Korean War.

After his return from Korea in 1953, he married Thelma Coleman. He developed his interest in music by writing songs and opening the 3-D Record Mart, a record store featuring jazz music. The store was unsuccessful and Gordy sought work at the Lincoln-Mercury plant, then he met Al Green (not the singer), owner of the Flame Show Bar talent club

That's where Green introduced Berry to Jackie Wilson...
In 1957, Wilson recorded Reet Petite, a song Gordy had co-written with his sister Gwen and writer-producer Billy Davis. It became a modest hit but had more success internationally, especially in the UK where it reached the Top 10 and even later topped the chart on re-issue in 1986.




 Wilson recorded four more songs co-written by Gordy over the next two years, including "Lonely Teardrops", which topped the R & B charts and got to #7 on the pop chart.  

 

Berry and Gwen Gordy also wrote "All I Could Do Was Cry" for Etta James at Chess Records. 

Gordy reinvested his songwriting success into producing.       In 1959, at Miracles leader Smokey Robinson's encouragement, Gordy borrowed $800 from his family to create an R&B label, Tamla Records.

  After a couple of “near hit” productions, Berry's third release was "Bad Girl" by The Miracles, and was the first-ever release for the Motown record label. "Bad Girl" was a solid hit in 1959 after Chess Records picked it up. 
 


Barret Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" initially appearing on Tamla and then charted on Gordy's sister's label, Anna Records, in February 1960.

The Miracles' hit "Shop Around" peaked at #1 on the national R&B charts in late 1960 and at #2 on the Billboard  pop charts on January 16, 1961, which established Motown as an independent company worthy of notice.
 


Later in 1961, The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" made it to the top of both charts. 

In 1960, Gordy signed an unknown named Mary Wells who became the fledgling label's first star, with Smokey Robinson penning her hits "You Beat Me to the Punch,"
"Two Lovers" and "My Guy". The Tamla and Motown labels were then merged into a new company Motown Records--The rest, including the movies, is history... 

Gordy's gift for identifying and bringing together musical talent, along with the careful management of his artists' public image, made Motown initially a major national and then international success. Over the next decade, he signed such artists as The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Jimmy Ruffin, The Contours, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Commodores, The Velvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5.

Although Motown continued to produce major hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s by artists like the Jacksons, Rick James, Lionel Richie and long-term signings, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson, the record company was no longer the major force it had been previously. Gordy sold his interests in Motown Records to MCA and Boston Ventures on June 28, 1988 for $61 million. He also later sold most of his interests in the Jobete publishing concern to EMI Publishing. 

Happy Birthday Berry Gordy, Jr.