By sunnyla (65.238.6.25) on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 10:35 pm:

Does anyone out there remember The Fascinations? A girl group from the 60's. I just got their Curtis Mayfield produced recordings on the CD "Girls Are Out To Get You". I believe they were from Detroit.

By sunnyla (65.238.6.25) on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 10:58 pm:

I forget to ask.....does anyone know where they are today?

By medusa9e (66.73.0.192) on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 11:35 pm:

Well, one of the members I know, goes 2 the same church I attend, not sure of the whereabouts of her sister...The one I know, her name is Bernadine.

By Marc Forrest (145.243.194.67) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 07:39 am:

I thought they were from Chicago ? At least I only have them on Mayfield Records, the label that carries the name of their mentor, the great Curtis Mayfield. Wasn`t one of the (three) members Jan Bradley ? Well at least they made a version of her "Mama Didn`t Lie".

By medusa9e (66.73.6.42) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 08:15 am:

yesss, I believed Bernadine & her sister sung background.

By RD (63.188.33.86) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 08:59 am:

The Fascinations came from Detroit. The members were Bernadine Smith, Shirley Walker, Fern Bledsoe and Joann Leavell. Jan Bradley was never a member.

By Flynny (81.135.14.202) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 09:51 am:

The Fascinations were indeed from Detroit, with their roots being traced back to Shirley Walker and Martha Reeves! They started off a group called The Sabre-ettes, and soon added Joanne & Bernadine Boswell (of the Gospel Boswell Sisters, not the pop act!), and then later by Fern Bledsoe who was a secretary at Motown. At this point the Detroit five-piece changed name to "The Fasinations". Martha left in 1960 to join The Del-Phis. The quartet were introduced to Curtis Mayfield in '62, with Bernadine taking the lead vocal part for most of the recordings. It was not until '66 that their name became "The Fascinations".

By RD (63.188.33.86) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 10:00 am:

Note: Joanne and Bernadine Boswell current surnames are Leavell and Smith respectively.

By MEL&THEN SOME (217.14.178.82) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 10:09 am:

Flynny,
how Fas-ci-nat-ing(boom,boom).
Must go
the girl's are out to get me!!!!!!
mel.

By acooolcat (61.58.181.126) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 10:37 am:

Shirley Walker is aka Shirley Lawson; she recorded solo for the Enterprise and Back Beat labels.
Graham

By Randy Russi (169.139.180.100) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 11:10 am:

I think Sandra Tilley of the Vandellas was once
a member of this group.

By RD (63.188.33.77) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 11:27 am:

Hmmm, Sandra Tilley seems to have gotten around, most knew about the Velevelettes and Martha & the Vandellas. Now she's rumored to have been an Orlon and a Fascination.

Could be true but why hasn't this info surfaced anywhere else? It goes back to what constitutes being a member of group, filling in for a few gigs, cutting a record with a group but never touring with them (which has happened), or, touring with them, sometimes for years, but never cutting a record with them because you entered after their recording days? Or, all of the above.

By Randy Russi (169.139.180.100) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 12:12 pm:

Martha has mentioned it several times and probably
has it in her book. Sandy DID work with the
Orlons, Velvelettes, and, I believe, the Fascina-
tions.

By MEL&THEN SOME (217.14.178.115) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 12:19 pm:

Fascinations.

co-founded by
Shirley Walker&Martha Reeves.

Held auditions and chose gospel singers
Joanne and Bernadine Boswell to join them in the line-up.

Shortly later the group expanded with another member named
Fern Bledsoe.

Also around then,1960.
Martha Reeves left the group to better things and the group also changed there name from
The Sabre-ettes
to the
Fascinations.

Around 1962
the quartet met two members of
The Impressions group,
Fred Cash and Sam Gooden.

The two guy's then introduced the girl's
to
Curtis Mayfield.

Curtis got them signed up to the
ABC-Paramount Record Label.

Unfortunatley for the girl's
things didnt go as they would of liked and so the label finally lost interest in the girl's.

But,fortunatly for them
Curtis never lost hope in them.

Around 1966
and having success with his
Windy C label,
Curtis decided to start another record label
calling it the
Mayfield Label.


He signed the Fascinations up to the label.

The first 45 was
"say it isnt so"
which hit no.47 in the rnb charts.

The second 45 was
"the girl's are out to get you"
which hit the lower regions of the pop charts and also no.13 in the rnb chart.

To cut this short,
after never making it in the states,they decided to call it a day.Around the time of 1969.

Then,
like a lot of records,
enter the uk rare/northern soul scene.
"The girls are out to get you"
was a big dancer in and at the all-nighters etc club scene.

It was on the uk Stateside label,
and was re-issued on the uk Sue Logo and also on
uk polydors Mojo Label.

Because of this,
it enabled the girls to briefley do a uk tour
where as ever the group were met and treated as they deserved to be by the frantic hordes of the uk dance scene.

But sadly,
it all had to end,but at least they had a bit of recognition.
Sadly in the history of Detroit music
they are only mostly remembered as only the first ever group that had Martha Reeve's as a member.

Ah well,
wheres my Stateside demo,
I will never forget you Ladies,
Thanks for the Music.

Mel.
For the Record.
girls are out to get you/you'll be sorry-Mayfield Records(no.7714).
I'm in Love/cant stay away from you-Mayfield Records(no.7716).
Say it isnt so/I'm so Lucky(she loves me)-Mayfield Records(no.7711).
you gonna be sorry/Tears in my eyes-ABC-Paramount Records(no.10443).

By LG Nilsson (213.89.29.129) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 01:18 pm:

Mel,

I have two more Fascinations singles on Mayfield:
Mayfield 7718 "Hold On� b/w �Such A Fool"
Mayfield 7719 "Just Another Reason� b/w �O.K. For You"

� and here�s the Mayfield label design:



Lars

By Randy Russi (169.139.180.100) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 01:23 pm:

I don't think Sandy Tilley WAS with this group--
I remember it was Martha. Sandy WAS with the
Orlons and Velvelettes before the Vandellas.
It was Martha with the Fascinations and the
Del-Fi's. Sorry for the alarm!

By Marc Forrest (145.243.194.67) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 02:38 pm:

Thanks to Mel and David. Never knew the Sabreettes, Martha Reeves and Shirley Walker/Lawson background. Well, you live and learn. And yes, "OK For You" is a top song.

By sunnyla (65.238.154.122) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 07:31 pm:

If anyone is interested, you can purchase the Fascinations CD on amazon.com. It's an excellent CD. Thanks for all the wonderful information everyone has shared. The CD has a booklet, but, nothing on whatever became of them.

By acooolcat (61.58.181.126) on Friday, May 23, 2003 - 08:06 am:

Mel - I could swear I used to have the UK 45 on Sue, not Stateside. Was it released on both labels?
Graham

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Friday, May 23, 2003 - 08:39 am:

Graham - "Girls" was on Stateside first, then Sue, then Mojo.

Davie

By Carl Dixon London (62.31.40.155) on Wednesday, July 02, 2003 - 05:45 am:

Have we discussed anywhere about the SoulfulDetroit evening at the Cass Cafe when one of the original Fascinations walked in and blew us off our feet? Maxine Wood, who was with the group before they recorded and with them with Martha Reeves in their very early days. She looked fantastic and was a gem. I can even say I bought a Fascination a glass of wine!

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, July 02, 2003 - 11:21 am:

Carl:
Who could forget the beautiful Maxine Wood - classy woman with beauty & grace.

You and David Meikle couldn't take your eyes off her...

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Carl Dixon London (62.31.40.155) on Wednesday, July 02, 2003 - 07:13 pm:

Kev go - you are right! Never before has a great grand mother made me stop and stare like I did that night! She was a lovely woman and wanted to talk music and Detroit to us. For her to join us that evening must have been difficult, but she came in and was friendly through and through. She chatted and made herself at home. I am so pleased she came.