troubleman84
Proud Member
Will the 3 "M's" of MOTOWN get inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame?
They were inarguably the first true stars to emerge out of Motown Records:
THE MIRACLES:
Motown's first star group, its rise was partially due to the songwriting talents of Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin and Ronnie White, also due to Smokey's unique falsetto/tenor (or countertenor) vocals. They scored Motown's first million-seller with "Shop Around" in 1961 and went on to score a bevy of hit singles including "Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", "You Really Got a Hold on Me", "Mickey's Monkey", "Ooo Baby Baby", "I Second That Emotion", "Tears of a Clown" and, after Smokey left in 1973, "Love Machine". However, controversy continues to surround the group as Smokey Robinson got in solely in 1987 as a "performer" and NOT a "non-performer", which technically he was. His solo career started in 1973 and he was only fourteen years into it when he got the solo induction, so why this error is not corrected? Something tells me politics are a reason why the Smoke Man got in but not his comrades.
THE MARVELETTES:
They emerged from outsiders from Inkster, Michigan, and emerged with Motown Records' first No. 1 hit, "Please Mr. Postman", in 1961. The group's hits included "Playboy", "Beechwood 4-5789", "Gonna Lock Up My Heart", "Danger: Breakdown Dead Ahead", "Destination Anywhere", "My Baby Must Be a Magician", "Don't Mess With Bill", "Too Many Fish in the Sea" and "When You're Young and In Love". This is probably one of Motown's most maligned groups. Shortly after turning down "Where Did Our Love Go?", which became a hit for The Supremes and inarguably turned them into superstars, the Marvelettes had a hard time of it which they came with few hit singles. IMHO, they also needed to be inducted long ago. I feel an induction will finally bring a closure to their tragic saga.
MARY WELLS:
One of Motown's first solo female artists, she was the first solo artist to score a top ten hit with Motown starting with 1962's "The One Who Really Loves You", which she quickly followed with "You Beat Me to the Punch" and "Two Lovers". Her subsequent follow-ups included "Laughing Boy", "What's So Easy for Two Is So Hard for One", "Your Old Standby", "You Lost the Sweetest Boy" and of course the sixties standard, "My Guy", which was the first international hit single for Motown. Shortly afterwards, Motown's first solo star left the label due to contract technicality and royalty disputes. Wells' career saw some fine moments after Motown including hits with 20th Century Fox, a creative period at Jubilee and the disco smash, "Gigolo", but her career was relegated to the oldies' circuit by the 1980s and the records she put out never got the recognition it would've probably gotten had she stayed at Motown. Whether the cause, it's still a shame the first female star of the "Motown Sound" still gets passed over as a relic and not as something of a music legend, which she is. Hopefully, they'll finally get her the recognition she deserves with this induction.
They were inarguably the first true stars to emerge out of Motown Records:
THE MIRACLES:
Motown's first star group, its rise was partially due to the songwriting talents of Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin and Ronnie White, also due to Smokey's unique falsetto/tenor (or countertenor) vocals. They scored Motown's first million-seller with "Shop Around" in 1961 and went on to score a bevy of hit singles including "Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", "You Really Got a Hold on Me", "Mickey's Monkey", "Ooo Baby Baby", "I Second That Emotion", "Tears of a Clown" and, after Smokey left in 1973, "Love Machine". However, controversy continues to surround the group as Smokey Robinson got in solely in 1987 as a "performer" and NOT a "non-performer", which technically he was. His solo career started in 1973 and he was only fourteen years into it when he got the solo induction, so why this error is not corrected? Something tells me politics are a reason why the Smoke Man got in but not his comrades.
THE MARVELETTES:
They emerged from outsiders from Inkster, Michigan, and emerged with Motown Records' first No. 1 hit, "Please Mr. Postman", in 1961. The group's hits included "Playboy", "Beechwood 4-5789", "Gonna Lock Up My Heart", "Danger: Breakdown Dead Ahead", "Destination Anywhere", "My Baby Must Be a Magician", "Don't Mess With Bill", "Too Many Fish in the Sea" and "When You're Young and In Love". This is probably one of Motown's most maligned groups. Shortly after turning down "Where Did Our Love Go?", which became a hit for The Supremes and inarguably turned them into superstars, the Marvelettes had a hard time of it which they came with few hit singles. IMHO, they also needed to be inducted long ago. I feel an induction will finally bring a closure to their tragic saga.
MARY WELLS:
One of Motown's first solo female artists, she was the first solo artist to score a top ten hit with Motown starting with 1962's "The One Who Really Loves You", which she quickly followed with "You Beat Me to the Punch" and "Two Lovers". Her subsequent follow-ups included "Laughing Boy", "What's So Easy for Two Is So Hard for One", "Your Old Standby", "You Lost the Sweetest Boy" and of course the sixties standard, "My Guy", which was the first international hit single for Motown. Shortly afterwards, Motown's first solo star left the label due to contract technicality and royalty disputes. Wells' career saw some fine moments after Motown including hits with 20th Century Fox, a creative period at Jubilee and the disco smash, "Gigolo", but her career was relegated to the oldies' circuit by the 1980s and the records she put out never got the recognition it would've probably gotten had she stayed at Motown. Whether the cause, it's still a shame the first female star of the "Motown Sound" still gets passed over as a relic and not as something of a music legend, which she is. Hopefully, they'll finally get her the recognition she deserves with this induction.
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