NBA Quiz: 1) What six players averaged double figures in
scoring for the 1987-88 NBA Champion Lakers? [Hint: This
team beat Detroit, 4-3, for the title.] 2) What five players
averaged double figures for the Celtics” 1985-86 NBA
Championship team? [Defeated Houston, 4-2.] Answers below.
Berry Gordy
Born and raised in the Lower East Side ghetto of Detroit in 1929,
Berry Gordy, one of 8 children, had a burning desire to escape
the poverty that surrounded him.
Gordy was a good athlete as a youth and he had to learn how to
defend himself in the rough and tumble streets of Detroit. So he
got involved in boxing and actually turned professional, fighting
in the featherweight class where he compiled a respectable 10-4
record.
But Gordy was no dummy. He decided boxing wasn”t worth the
grind and, anyway, featherweights didn”t make the big money.
So he decided it was time to get a real job and Berry found work
on the Ford Assembly line as a chrome trimmer, earning $85 a
week.
Actually, the job was perfect because it allowed him to pursue
his first passion, music, at the same time. Gordy wrote songs and
spent his spare time hanging out in the clubs in Detroit, listening
to the local talent. Finally, he decided to head to New York City,
the big time, to see if he could make it as a songwriter.
Of course there is the obligatory story of him being turned down
a few times (who isn”t), but by the mid-50s, he had placed some
tunes for Jackie Wilson, including “Lonely Teardrops.”
Unfortunately, just as in being a featherweight, Gordy soon
realized that he could write a couple of hits, but this didn”t result
in a gold mine for the songwriter. Plus it took the record
companies months to pay him, and he was broke.
So Berry Gordy headed back to Detroit, where he sought to
produce records himself. That was the only way he figured he
could get rich in the game. Berry borrowed $800 from his family
and set up a makeshift recording studio in a two-story apartment.
He called his new firm Motown Records (for Motor Town) and
sought to apply some of the lessons he learned from his days on
the assembly line. Gordy thought the efficiency of it could be
used to his advantage in the music biz.
Soon, Gordy was auditioning for talent and his timing couldn”t
have been better. In 1959, a 19-year-old by the name of Smokey
Robinson impressed Berry. Smokey hooked up with some local
teenagers who called themselves the Miracles and Gordy signed
them. A year later they had a #2 hit with the tune “Shop
Around.” [Which has aged magnificently, mused the editor.]
Gordy was able to take the profits from this tune to find more
talent. Just imagine, during 1961-62 he signed the Supremes, the
Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Temptations and
Marvin Gaye. Then he hired songwriters Eddie Holland, Lamont
Dozier, and Brian Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland) and
scooped up Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops and Junior Walker &
the All Stars. [Just to digress, why does every DJ insist on
talking over the beginning of Junior Walker”s “What Does It
Take,” possibly the best beginning to a tune ever?]
Berry Gordy demanded that his stars shine in all ways. He sent
everyone to finishing school for beauty and charm, choreography
and vocal. All of this was designed to improve their stage
presence. And boy did it work.
With Smokey contributing his own considerable songwriting
talents (“My Girl,” “The Way You Do The Things You Do”),
Motown became “Hitsville USA.” From 1961-72, Gordy”s
artists combined for over 100 Top Ten hits, including 31 #1”s.
Gordy was demanding, there is no doubt. But he wanted the
“Motown Sound” to represent quality, not quantity, and through
his finishing school he helped ensure that his stars continued to
improved in every facet of the business. The result was that the
music crossed racial boundaries.
Motown didn”t stagnate during the chaotic days of the late 60s
and early 70s. Edwin Starr”s “War” became an anthem for those
who protested the Vietnam War and, in 1971, Marvin Gaye”s
groundbreaking “What”s Going On” album commented on
everything from war, to the ecology, to racism and urban
violence.
Of course there were moments of tension within the Motown
organization. Gordy, “Big Daddy,” was autocratic and when
royalties rolled in, the cash was placed in banks and paid out to
the performers in weekly allowances. Gordy would argue he was
doing everyone a favor. The artists would say they were being
ripped off. But then there were those like Stevie Wonder, whom
Gordy had signed as a 12-year-old back in 1962. By 1976,
Wonder had renegotiated his Motown contract into a $13 million
pact whose terms filled some 120 pages.
And I haven”t mentioned the Jackson 5, whom Berry signed in
1969. Actually, all of these aforementioned artists deserve their
own Bar Chat, but suffice it to say that the Jackson 5 had their
monster success while on the Motown label. It”s incredible to
think that their first six hits were either #1 or #2. For his own
part, Michael scored a few Top Ten”s as a solo artist while under
Gordy”s control, including “Got To Be There” and “Ben.”
As for “Ben,” most people didn”t really know the song was about
a boy and his rat. Author Timothy White interviewed Jackson in
1977, before Michael totally weirded out on all of us. White
asked him about the tune. “I love rats,” said the soon-to-be
gloved one. I”m assuming then that White proceeded to wash
his hands.
In March 1976, the Jackson 5 left Motown and moved to Epic
Records, all except Jermaine who had married Berry Gordy”s
daughter. [Jermaine was then replaced by Randy.] Since
Motown owned the original name, the group had to call
themselves the Jacksons. Lawsuits followed and Motown
eventually received $600,000 in damages as well as the sole
rights to the name.
No, Gordy didn”t come close to his earlier success as the 70s and
80s wound on. Who could, after all? And in 1988, he sold
Motown to MCA for $62 million.
[Source: “Pop, Rock & Soul,” Irwin Stambler; “Rock Lives,”
Timothy White; “Africana,” Appiah and Gates.]
Stuff
–Harry K volunteered that with the initial ratings success of the
XFL, perhaps there is room for the XPGA (Extreme Golf),
complete with quicksand traps, crocodile pits, rutting elk (Harry
has to deal with this in Canada quite a bit), the occasional
cougar, and wild packs of dogs. The caddies would be swimsuit
models. We both await a response from the networks.
–Last time I casually mentioned the story of the Hyannis, MA,
high school student biting into her sandwich only to discover a
small piece of human thumb in it. The next day I”m glancing at
Pravda, the former Communist Party mouthpiece in Russia, and
they mention the same AP story. But you won”t believe how
they butchered it.
The high school became a local college, not in Hyannis, MA, but
in “Yannis, Mississippi.” The thumb tip became a finger, and
the girl who discovered it turned into a guy. Just a little got lost
in the translation. Ergo, Hyannis doesn”t have to worry about
ever coming under nuclear attack…but as for Yannis, MS, or
anywhere in the state for that matter, you”re all in a heap of
trouble.
–Jay Leno commented Monday night on the Mark Chmura trial.
When Chmura was acquitted, Leno noted that he and his wife
were about to go out to celebrate, but they couldn”t get a
babysitter.
Top 3 songs for the week of 2/4/67: #1 “I”m A Believer” (The
Monkees) #2 “Georgy Girl” (The Seekers) #3 “Snoopy vs. The
Red Baron” (The Royal Guardsman).
–The Beatles CD “1” has now sold over 20 million copies
worldwide. I believe Michael Jackson”s “Thriller” is still the all-
time sales champ at 40 million.
–Beatles expert Steve Turner was asked if Ringo wrote many
songs.
“In chronological order Ringo”s songs were “Don”t Pass Me By”
(White Album) and “Octopus”s Garden” (Abbey Road). His
problem, as he often explained, was that he would get a good
idea but when he played it back to the others, he would realize
that the song had already been written by someone else.” Dohh!
[Source: London Times]
NBA Quiz Answers: 1) 1987-88 Lakers: Byron Scott (21.7 ppg),
James Worthy (19.7), Magic Johnson (19.6), Kareem (14.6),
Mychal Thompson (11.6), A.C. Green (11.4) 2) 1985-86
Celtics: Larry Bird (25.8), Kevin McHale (21.3), Robert Parish
(16.1), Dennis Johnson (15.6), Danny Ainge (10.7).
1981 NCAA East Regional Semis: BYU trails Notre Dame by
one with 10 seconds left. BYU”s Danny Ainge takes the inbound
pass and dribbles around 3 ND defenders at mid court, going
behind-the-back, zips past a 4th at the free throw line and then
lays the ball over the 5th at the buzzer for a 51-50 win.
Next Bar Chat, Friday…a little baseball.
