| Author | Message | ||
  The Chosen One (the_chosen_one) 1-Arriviste Username: the_chosen_one Post Number: 1 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 152.163.252.166 |
As I sit here and listen to the wonderful musicians of Motown, I always wondered who were the string players. I kinda figure its the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, but I know the whole entire orchestrat didn't play on all the songs. So who where the string players for Motown? To me those string musicians had soul because if it wasn't for there add-in part,some of the songs may have not sounded as good. Can anyone give me any info? | ||
Ron Murphy (ron_murphy) 2-Debutant Username: ron_murphy Post Number: 23 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.42.90.140 |
the very first Motown tracks with strings were recorded in Chicago and arranged by Riley Hampton such as "Way Over There"-Miracles "My Beloved"-Satintones, then they used a string section from Wayne State College for some other very early cuts such as "Tommorrow & Always" and "I Know How It Feels/My Kind Of Love"-Satintones..the first one using strings from the Detroit Symphony was "Jamie"-Eddie Holland, but still most early Miracles cuts had strings overdubed in Chicago such as "Everyone's Gotta Pay Some Dues", "I'll Try Something New" again with Riley Hampton arranging..starting in1963 all the strings were cut using a string section from the Detroit Symphony and being conducted by concertmaster Gordon Staples, they played what was written on the charts by various arrangers if they sounded soulful it was due to the arrangers and what they wrote as the string players rolled it off with ease on one take. | ||
The Chosen One (the_chosen_one) 1-Arriviste Username: the_chosen_one Post Number: 4 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 205.188.116.138 |
Thank you for enlighting me on that. Before you even told me what you just said, I was going to go to Wayne State and have some college students play on some of my arrangements. Very Interesting I was thinking the same thing you just said. When I start out I may only be able to afford college students to play on tracks then probably go to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. But I just love the way the strings are played in numerous Motown songs, especailly Gladys Knights & the Pips "I Don't Want To do Wrong". Thank you. Waymon | ||
Lady Mystique (ladymystique) 5-Doyen Username: ladymystique Post Number: 214 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 66.33.227.122 |
Actually I always thought that Motown had their own string section like how PIR had MFSB. Thanks for the info! | ||
dvdmike (dvdmike) 3-Pundit Username: dvdmike Post Number: 35 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.253.178.83 |
It seems we had this discussion before. It sure would be nice to have all the session info in detail. And to know which songs were cut at Universal and which ones were done at RCA. | ||
SteveS (steves) 2-Debutant Username: steves Post Number: 30 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.41.250.190 |
I've pasted in a copy of the liner notes to "Strung Out", by Gordon Staples and the String Thing. I talked to Felix Resnick a few weeks ago and he said the personnel on the record was pretty representative of the usual Motown crew. He played on everything from the earliest string sessions to the very end, and he has a lot of interesting Motown stories. The string folks would do a lot of their recording in the middle of the night, after their concert gigs. Felix's wife talked about him coming home in the early 60's raving about this amazing blind kid who played the harmonica. I what ever happened to that kid? ============================== =============== Gordon Staples & The String Thing - Motown 722 Side 1 1 - Strung Out (P Riser) 2 - Toonie (P Riser) 3 - Sounds Of The Zodiac (P Riser) 4 - The Look Of Love (B Bacharach/H David) Side 2 1 - Get Down (P Riser) 2 - If Your Love Were Mine (P Riser) 3 - It's Got To Be Alright (P Riser) 4 - From A Heart That's True To Only You (P Riser) 5 - Someday We'll Be Together (R Beavers/J Bristol/H Fuqua) 6 - The April Fools (H David/B Bacharach) Produced by Paul Riser TO All Young Out Lovers: In a Symphony Orchestra of 105 musicians, 65 are string players. There is hardly a musical composition that is not enhanced by the string section. The sound of strings has a wide range of color that is without boundaries - all the way from Mahler to Leroy Anderson. Come along with us and get "STRUNG OUT", for the sound you will hear in this album is yet another example of our "STRING THING". Gordon Staples combines his recording activities at the Motown Record Corporation with the role of Concertmaster of The Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He started concertizing at the age of 13 and has developed a reputation as a widely acclaimed concert artist throughout the North American Continent. PERSONNEL Violins Zinovi Bistritzky Beatriz Budinsky Lillian Downs Virginia Halfmann Richard Margitza Felix Resnick Alvin Score Linda Snedden Smith James Waring Violas Nathan Gordon David Ireland Edouard Kesner Anne Mischakoff Meyer Shapiro Cellos Italo Babini Edward Korkigian Thaddeus Markiewicz Marcy Schweickhardt Harps Carole Crosby Pat Terry Percussion Robert Pangborn (Message edited by steves on April 25, 2004) | ||
Dennis Coffey (dennis_coffey) 1-Arriviste Username: dennis_coffey Post Number: 3 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 64.12.116.138 |
Hello everyone. Gordon Staples was a great violinist. He was our concert master on all of our string dates too. In those days he played a Stradivarous. Gordon and his Strad added a warmth to our string sections. You would miss his sound when he wasn't in the section. I haven't heard the Strung Out album in a lot of years, but Paul Riser told me last year, I was playing a lot of parts on it. I would like to hear it again. Has it been reissued? | ||
The Chosen One (the_chosen_one) 1-Arriviste Username: the_chosen_one Post Number: 5 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 152.163.252.166 |
This is wonderful, I thank you SteveS for the info. I like listening to the strings in all kinds of music, brings more life and feeling to a song. Waymon | ||
P.J. (pj1) 1-Arriviste Username: pj1 Post Number: 2 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 24.3.123.111 |
Sad to say, Dennis, it has never been re-issued. | ||
Robbert (robbert) 1-Arriviste Username: robbert Post Number: 3 Registered: 5-2004 Posted From: 145.53.28.52 |
But it should, do we agree on that? Dennis, so nice to see your post, have admired you since the 70's. Why was Melvin Ragin's nickname "Wah wah"? I remember you doing a lot of Wah wah too... ;-))? | ||
ralph (ralph) Moderator Username: ralph Post Number: 126 Registered: 3-2004 Posted From: 209.240.205.61 |
Robbert, Melvin came along a little later in the game. Basically, his strong point was his ability with a Wah Wah pedal. Hence the nickname. I don't think he was any better at it than Dennis and he most certainly didn't have the other musical skills to offer that Dennis did, but somehow ( which I thought somewhat strange at the time ) he began showng up on rythym dates. Maybe Dennis wasn't always available. I really don't remember all the reasons with this. Hopefully Dennis can shed more light here. | ||
Eli (phillysoulman) 5-Doyen Username: phillysoulman Post Number: 180 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.236.48.154 |
Lady M, The "MFSB" string section was not just limited to PIR sessions. They played on ALL of the Philly records which featured strings. Don Renaldo--R.I.P. June,1989 |
