In my recent featured 45 post on Frank Howard – Judy I mentioned a link to a video, well I’ve found it on youtube so I thought I’d bung it up here.
The backing track sounds really familiar, particularly that horn riff. Racking my brains to remember what it is. Let me know if you recognise it.
Cheers.
Not one of the least known songs on youtube but this is my favourite video of Marvin and Tammi doing this classic.
There is another video of this tune up on youtube but it seems a bit more commercial; slicker production and a bit of a staged feeling. This one looks like it is recorded live and the chemistry between the two of them really comes through.
This one has about a million and a half views so it is hardly unknown but the other is at nearly 9 million so it is probably the one everyone has seen.
Marvin Gaye Sings With ....
This isn’t an uncommon tune, it sold in its millions, but it did have a bit of a revival on the Northern Soul scene a couple of years ago and got to about £25 in price for a US issue – £10 to £15 is about right though.
For the elitists; the copy to have (if you can’t get the UK Green and White demo) is this Aussie EP – Marvin Gaye Sings with Tammi Terrell, Mary Wells and Kim Weston.
Sorry about that blatant chuff about having this EP but I just can’t help myself at times ! 
A piece of Detroit magic that hails from Hollywood, LA. At least that’s my take on Sonny Daye’s beautiful tune “Long Long Road To Happiness” on Power 008.
Sonny Daye - Long Long Road To Happiness - Power 008
Just listen to that introduction; it sounds just like Mike terry on saxaphone and the whole record has a Detroit “feel” to it.
Click here to listen
The probable reason for this is that Sonny Daye is really none other than Frank Wilson of “Dee-Da-Doo” fame. Frank had teamed up with Sherlie Matthews and they wrote some songs together. This one they released on the Power Records label with Frank also credited as the producer. Presumably he recorded under a pseudoynm so as not to harm his reputation as a writer and producer. Frank went to work at Motown, introducing Sherlie who later moved to Mirwood to write and also perform with her group The Belles.
I heard this on the Goldmine CD On Top Of The World – The Stafford Story
Eventually one came along on ebay and I shelled out for it, a lot of moola but much less than the book price of £250. This is one of those records that isn’t mega-rare but is really hard to turn up as people don’t let go of them when they find one. Mine’s safely in my play box!
Received a record the other day that I knew the title of but hadn’t seen this version before: Johnnie Mae Matthews – Lonely You’ll Be – Jam 103.
Turns out it’s quite a rare one (books at £150) but mine is not exactly mint (the seller described it as a filler copy!) but it only cost me just short of £25 quid (thanks again )
Click here to listen.
Now, Johnnie Mae released this at least 2 more times; first on Art 002 and then on a national release on Atco 6528. The Jam and Art labels are both local Detroit labels so they may well be different versions, if so it begs the question which version got the national release on Atco? (If you know please add a comment below.)
Calvin Williams also released the tune twice. First up on the Northern Del-La Record Co label (501) and then on a national release on Atco 6399. 
I have both these versions (in fact 2 copies of the Del-La version so one is on my sales list) and to my ears they are different versions.
Click here to listen to Calvin on Del-La.
Click here to listen to Calvin on Atco.
This is born out by the credits on the label; the writer is obviously the same (Melvin Davis) but the producer credits are different. The Del-La copy credits it as a “Matthews and Marshall production” but on the Atco label this changes to “Produced by J. Hunter Marshall – Matthews”. I’m assuming J Hunter is an extra person and it looks like Mr Marshall has been demoted.
The Detroit music scene at the time was a pretty incestuous place and this looks like a tune that got bounced around a number of artists. Calvin Williams worked as a writer on some of Johnnie Mae Matthews labels so that’s probably how he got to record this tune after her.
On a lighter note (anorak off), All the versions I know are all excellent and I’m really please to get a copy of the Jam one as they don’t come up very often. If anyone knows of any other versions or can comment on the others by JMM please let me know.
JOHNNIE MAE MATTHEWS northern soul 45 LONELY YOU’LL BE ~JAM VG to VG+
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I’ve been meaning to put together a few podcasts for some time as it is a fairly easy thing to do with the right tools. So after spending yesterday tiring myself out with some emergency plumbing, I thought I’d have a rest today and play some records.
The result is the first episode in what will become a series of Detroit Northern Soul podcasts. It will become a series because I can only fit around a dozen tunes in each and ended up sitting surrounded by records when putting this one together as there are so many Detroit soul records to choose from.
In this podcast I’ve deliberately not included any Motown tracks as I feel Motown hogs the limelight a bit (for obvious reasons) and a lot of the other records are just as good, if not better, but didn’t get the same exposure. I’ll put a couple of Motown tracks in the next one though.
RARE NORTHERN SOUL+LISTEN+THE FOUR SONICS+DETROIT+SPORT RECORDS
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