SECTION D


November 10-16, 2010 A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY Reflections By Steve Holsey


The king of ‘Hip Hop Abs’ Seems only yesterday that you couldn’t turn


on the television without seeing Billy Blanks demonstrating his popular exercise creation, Tae Bo.


Today the exercise infomercials of choice


are those of Shaun T, exuberantly showing viewers his 2007 invention, “Hip Hop Abs.” It became the No. 1 fitness program on TV and since then there have been suc- cessful follow-ups.


New Jersey-born


Shaun Thompson had danced in numer- ous stage musicals, television programs


and movies. That’s in ad- dition to being hired by Nike, Radio Shack and other companies.


Good for Shaun! In


addition to helping a lot of people improve themselves physi- cally, by now he is probably a mil-


Shaun T


and overreactive as he is talented. In the past he has been publicly angry with Eminem and “In Living Color’s” Tommy Davidson, for a remark and a spoof, respec- tively. Now he’s mad at Jay-Z and has taken retaliation too far.


Calling himself “King


Hammer,” he has a video you may have seen titled “Better Run Run,” in response to Jay-Z, on a Kanye West song, making disparaging reference to Hammer’s financial troubles of the past. He even goes so far as to strongly sug- gest that Jay-Z “made a deal with the devil” in order to have the remarkable success he now enjoys.


M.C. Hammer One would think that a 48-year-old man


would be mature enough to take the high road in such matters.


YOU HAVE TO give it to the Pointer Sisters.


They had the first of many hits in 1973 and today they are still going strong. The ladies — Anita, Ruth and Issa — performed recently at the Motor City Casino Sound Board.


Former Miss America VANESSA WILLIAMS with her first husband, RAMON HERVEY, in Detroit. At the time (1988) Williams was emerging as a recording artist.


An icon of


American popular music: SAM COOKE. The


classics include “You Send Me,”


“Having a Party,” “A Change Is


The Pointer Sisters: Issa (left), Anita and Ruth at the Motor City Casino Sound Board. —Barbara Orto photo


When June Pointer passed in 2006, many


assumed that Bonnie would rejoin the group. What blocked that from happening was the big falling out Ruth and Anita had with her. June, a wonderful, energetic person, had developed a serious drug problem and, surprisingly, Bonnie sold her story to one of the tabloids. Anita and June were beyond furious.


Issa is the daughter of Ruth. Her father is


Dennis Edwards from the Temptations who was married briefly to Ruth.


SPEAKING OF relationships, the public is


not generally aware of the fact that Darryl M. Bell, who played Ron Johnson on “A Differ- ent World,” and Tempestt Bled- soe, who was Vanessa Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” have been a couple for 16 years. They live together too.


Like the song


Darryl M. Bell and Tempestt Bledsoe.


says, “everything must change,” but even so, it is hard to accept the fact that the legendary Smokey Robin- son’s new album, “Now and Then,” is only being sold at Cracker Barrell


Old Country Store/Restaurants. Dionne Warwick, another music legend, has


written her autobiography, titled “My Life, As I See It: An Autobiography.” Should be interest- ing.


See Reflections Page D-2


Gonna Come” and “Chain Gang.”


THE DETROIT EM- ERALDS had many national hits in the ’70s, including “You Want It, You Got It” and “Do Me Right.” From top are Abe Tilmon, James Mitch- ell and Ivory Tilmon.


When this sexy publicity photo was taken in 1990, JASMINE GUY (best known for “A Different World”) had a hit record with “Try Me.”


For many decades singer/pianist JO THOMPSON has been a stellar per- former, and she is still going strong.


LL COOL J paid a visit to the Michigan Chron- icle in 1995 to promote the first movie in which he starred, “Out-of-Sync.”


Not related: Raunchy R&B star MILLIE JACKSON and civil rights leader JESSE JACKSON.


lionaire (at least). But hey, I could


have Hip Hop Abs if I wanted to! (Yeah, like that’s going to happen!)


M.C. HAMMER is apparently as sensitive GEORGE CLINTON, as conservative as ever.


ERYKAH BADU got the attention she sought when she went bald.


It was a mutual admira- tion society whenSTEVIE WONDER and CICELY TYSON came together at a special event.


There had never been a showman like JACKIE WILSON, who believed in giving his audiences everything he had to offer.


The legendary NAT “KING” COLE TRIO had hits like “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “It’s Only a Paper Moon” in the 1940s.


An outfit like this one could only have been worn by GRACE JONES.


A Detroit favor- ite: JAY BERRY, Channel 7/WXYZ sportscaster for many years.


Not many singers will perform sit- ting down on the stage, but then again, they aren’t PATTI LABELLE.


No Black male vocal group has ever had the impact of THE TEMPTATIONS, particularly the classic line-up. From left are Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, Otis Williams and Paul Williams.


There was a time, early in his career, when the legendary LITTLE RICHARD gave up show business to preach the Gospel. How- ever in due time, rock ’n’ roll called again and he answered yes.


MOTOWN RECORD CORPORATION …THE GOLDEN ERA


By Jason Donovan In many respects, the Michigan


Chronicle, gearing up for its 75th anniversary soirée, and Motown Record Corporation developed and flourished in tandem.


Indeed, there was a connec-


tion right from the start. In fact, Berry Gordy Jr. sold the Michigan Chronicle as a boy on Detroit’s east side, and the Chronicle is mentioned several times in his autobiography, “To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown.”


Rarely, if ever, did the company


make a move without seeing to it that the Chronicle was made aware. Some Chronicle employees worked alongside Motown on cer- tain projects.


Everyone knows the basic his-


tory of Motown, which is second only to the automobile regarding what Detroit is known around the world for. But in most cases it is basically surface knowledge.


This week we are offering an


encore, extended presentation of Motown’s history, “year by year.” The information is primarily de- rived from “Heat Wave: The Motown Fact Book” by David Bianco.


1958 Berry Gordy created Jobete


Publishing Company. The name was created using the first names of his children, Hazel Joy, Berry


and Terry. 1959 Berry Gordy Jr. borrowed $800


from his family loan fund to start Motown. His oldest sister, Esther, was highly skeptical, so much so that Gordy decided then and there that once the company became successful, he wanted Esther Gordy to handle things on the fi- nancial end.


Smokey Robinson married


Claudette Rogers, cousin of Bobby Rogers. All three were members of one of Motown’s earliest signings, the Miracles.


1960 “Shop Around” was released


and by early the next year had climbed all the way to No. 1 on the national R&B Singles chart and


No. 2 on the Pop chart. The com- pany was elated.


The Primettes auditioned for


Gordy, who thought they were tal- ented and cute, but too young. He suggested they return when they had finished high school.


Motown signed the Distants


who began making records as the Temptations the following year.


Also signed was Mary Wells,


who approached Berry Gordy Jr. in a club with a song she had writ- ten titled “Bye Bye Baby.” She thought it was perfect for Jackie Wilson, for whom Gordy had writ- ten several major hits (not for Motown). Instead, it became Wells’ first Motown recording and the first of many hits.


1961 The Marvelettes,


five high


school girls from Inkster, had a megahit with “Please Mr. Post- man,” Motown’s first No. 1 Pop hit.


Motown signed Jimmy Ruffin. The Primettes did return, and


were renamed the Supremes. Their first release was “I Want a Guy,” a very mild hit.


1962 The record industry began


paying a great amount of atten- tion to Motown, the small, minor- ity-owned company in Detroit, because of the national success


of records such as “Do You Love Me?” (the Contours) “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” (the Miracles), “You Beat Me to the Punch” (Mary Wells) and “Playboy” (the Mar- velettes).


The first Motortown Revue


hit the road, concluding with a lengthy engagement at the famed Apollo Theater in New York.


1963 The hits that year included


“Fingertips” (Little Stevie Wonder), “Heat Wave” (Martha & the Vandel- las) and “Pride and Joy” (Marvin Gaye).


Motown signed the Four Tops,


who were already a professional, polished group.


Harvey Fuqua, former lead


singer of the Moonglows, a popular group from the 1950s, became part of the Motown family as a produc- er. He brought along artists from his Tri-Phi record label, including Junior Walker & the All Stars, the Spinners and Shorty Long.


Marvin Gaye married Anna


Gordy, one of Berry Gordy Jr.’s four sisters. The fact that she was older than he was a conversation topic.


1964 Parliament, a stand-up type


group in the Temptations tradition at the time, were signed. (They


See Motown Page D-2


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