By mcwm (68.40.179.145 - 68.40.179.145) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 10:02 am:

I'm working on a paper for college and need to find out what the "popular" Motown songs were before and during the unrest (riots) of 1967. Detroit specific, Detroit radio.

Thanks for your wise recollections and help in advance.

mcwm

By LTLFTC (12.245.225.79 - 12.245.225.79) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 10:13 am:

Try www.keener13.com - under "The Music" on that page , it will give you the weekly chart listings for that station. I don't remember if it lists record labels, but if you're familiar with artist's names you'll be able to tell whats Motown. Also type CKLW 1967 into your search engine and you'll get weekly lisitings for that station.
Steve K.

By mcwm (68.40.179.145 - 68.40.179.145) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 10:34 am:

That's helpful, thanks.

By HW (12.110.192.128 - 12.110.192.128) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 12:28 pm:

You might also want to speak with Scott Regan, who was the top DJ at Keener13 in Detroit and who was helped home during the riots by several of the Motown staff. Email me privately at harryweinger@yahoo.com and I can get you in touch with him.

By mcwm (68.40.179.145 - 68.40.179.145) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 12:48 pm:

Thanks. I just emailed you.

By LTLFTC (12.245.225.79 - 12.245.225.79) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 01:40 pm:

One thing this thread brings to mind is the absence of regionalism in music today. I don't remember if we've gotten into this before but I think a perusal of the keener and cklw charts drives home how different the all-around musical environment is today. Remember traveling to even different parts of a state and how you'd hear different stuff on the radio? Thats almost systematically illegal in the rigid formats today. One of the best examples of this is the March 9, 1970 cklw chart. The number one record that week is Funkadelic's "I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing...." on Detroit's own Westbound Records, recorded at Tera Shirma, undoubtedly featuring a couple forum participants as session musicians....I mean this 45 probably sold a few hundred copies outside of Michigan and yet here it is, number one ahead of stuff like "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Let it Be", "ABC", "Spirit in the Sky" "Love Grows.." etc etc (Actually the chart's full of good stuff). Of course the regionalism issue applies more to non-Motown Detroit product, but could you imagine something like this today? Local flavor has been levelled by Mass Marketing.
Steve K.

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2 - 206.135.204.2) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 12:30 pm:

MCWM; INTERESTING SUBJECT, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT HBO SPECIAL ON THE 1968 DETROIT TIGERS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE CITY FOLLOWING THE DISTURBANCES OF 1967. AN INTERESTING ANICDOTE...DURING THE RIOTS, FEDERAL TROOPS...I BELIEVE THE 101ST AIRBORNE UNIT WERE SENT TO DETROIT TO HELP QUELL THE DISTURBANCE. MY GROUP WAS CALLED AND ASKED TO PERFORM A SHOW FOR THE TROOPS WHO WERE STATIONED AT THE STATE FAIRGROUNDS. WE WERE GIVEN PERMISSION TO BYPASS THE CURFEW, AND DID A SHOW FOR THE TROOPS AT THE BANDSHELL.

By Sue (64.244.93.44 - 64.244.93.44) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 12:42 pm:

Steve,
Excellent example -- I may borrow that example from you ...'Zat OK?

By LTLFTC (12.245.225.79 - 12.245.225.79) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 01:19 pm:

Sue;
By all means, borrow away. Are you planning to write on this topic? I'd be real interested to read what you have to say relating to this.
Steve K.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80 - 64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 02:31 pm:

LTLFTC:
Interesting thought regarding the regionalization of music and radio. Radio station playists did vary from city to city until the mid 1970s when MusicRadio (as we used to call it in the biz) became corporate, consulted and sadly homogonized across the country. As a child I remember hearing tunes that were "local hits" (such as Wilmer & the Dukes' "Give Me One More Chance" - revved up Stax-like tune from 1968) and while in Chicago I saw my late aunt's 45 collection which included locally manufactured & distributed singles of the Esquires' "Get On Up" and Mel & Tim's "Backfield In Motion" (before Scepter/Wand picked up both for national distribution). That was when radio and music was so unique and special.
Regards,
KevGo

By Livonia Ken (136.2.1.153 - 136.2.1.153) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 04:40 pm:

Hey, mcwm. Any chance of sharing your paper with the rest of us after it's done and graded? It sounds interesting.

Regards,
Ken

By David Meikle (62.252.128.6 - 62.252.128.6) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 05:10 pm:

I was going to ask him that too Ken.

If not outside your spec, nclude a piece on the Dramatics and the Algiers Motel incident.

By Ed Wolfrum (165.121.214.56 - 165.121.214.56) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 06:07 pm:

Hello LTLFTC,

The "I got a thing you got a thing" session was recorded at United Sound. I was the engineer. It was mixed by Mylan Bogdan at GM recording. Part of the vocal OVD was done by Russ at Shirma and part at Artie Field. The masters were cut at GM by Mylan. This is typical of many of the sessions done around town because we were all so booked that a solid block of time to finish a project completely was hard to find.

I also want to read the story about the music during the riots. I have some pictures of the National Guard guys around the city at that time if those would help. Please let me know via this thread if that would help and I will make some arrangment to scan and send you .jpg images.

Ed

By Vickie (64.236.243.243 - 64.236.243.243) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 06:19 pm:

I am so glad there is a thread on this topic.
I have heard but have been unable to confim yet that it was Tammi Terrell that called Berry to tell him the riots were close to Hitsville, I know I'll find more info on this when I do the archive work. I do have to cover it to some degree since it's part of my time line....
Any info on the riots is something I'd like to read as well...I hope I find it to be true that Tammi did that..
Thanks
Vickie
TammiProject@aol.com

By LTLFTC (12.245.225.79 - 12.245.225.79) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 06:33 pm:

ED;
Thanks for the recording info. By the way, I'm more than happy to listen to any and all Westbound-era Funkadelic details (recording etc) that you may care to offer. I realize this is on the outer edge of what we usually discuss timewise, but I think the way their early material partakes of and yet tweaks earlier soul conventions is totally Detroit-centric.
Steve K.

By matt (208.130.56.167 - 208.130.56.167) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 06:38 pm:

i did a radio show on this very subject back in july 1997 for the 30th anniversary of the riots. according to my research, the songs listed below were all being played on detroit stations that week. note that my show is strictly soul; all the records I played are soul records (though some crossed over onto the pop charts and were being played on wknr and cklw...the parliaments' testify, interestingly, was no. 1 that week on, i think, knr, but had already fallen out of the top 40 on wchb and wjlb). also, the cecil washington is on there based on hearsay: someone told me that stations stopped playing it during the riots because of possibly "inflammatory" lyrical content. (which is a stretch.) and the willie horton is interesting because it came out a couple weeks before the riots, but if you think about it, there's NO WAY any station would have continued to play it once the rioting began, since willie says: DETROIT IS *HAPPENING* THIS SUMMER!!!...then there's "shoot your shot"...

DOWNTOWN SOULVILLE with Mr. Fine Wine
Fridays 6PM-7PM, WFMU - FM 91.1 East Orange, NJ
July 25, 1997
Detroit Riot soundtrack!

Gladys Knight & the Pips, "Everybody Needs Love"
Marvin Gaye, "Your Unchanging Love"
Andre Williams, "Pearl Time"
Jimmy Delphs, "Almost"
Jean & the Darlings, "How Can You Mistreat the One You Love"
The "Group" Featuring Cecil Washington, "I Don't Like to Lose"
The Miracles, "More Love"
Bunny Sigler, "Let the Good Times Roll/Feels So Good"
Lewis Clark, "Dog (Ain't a Man's Best Friend)"
The Parliaments, "(I Wanna) Testify"
Kris Peterson, "Mama's Little Baby (Is a Big Girl Now)"
The Esquires, "Get On Up"
Bonnie Brisker, "Someone Really Loves You (Guess Who)"
The Isley Brothers, "That's the Way Love Is"
Jr. Walker & the All Stars, "Shoot Your Shot"
Jimmy Ruffin, "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby"
Slim Harpo, "Tip On In (Pt. 1)"
Jimmy Mack, "My World Is on Fire"
Willie Horton & the Supremes, "Detroit Is Happening"

By LTLFTC (12.245.225.79 - 12.245.225.79) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 06:40 pm:

Matt; Is there a site that lists charts for chb and jlb? Cool list
Steve K.

By matt (208.130.56.167 - 208.130.56.167) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 06:48 pm:

steve: not that i know of. i had to scrounge around quite a bit and rely on the kindness of some collectors whose names and e-mail addresses are long gone...

By thecount (64.53.143.173 - 64.53.143.173) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 08:00 pm:

HOW YOU DOIN ED?hey man,in reading your post I noticed the name MYLAN BOGDAN.If thats the same MYLAN I've known,I never knew he was that heavy into studio work back then.I was drafted in 1965 and lost contact with the world till 1967.Anyhow,I knew the whole Bogdan famaily.We all attened the same schools together and hung around at the same sweet shop(FLIPS)in the late fifties and early sixties.I remember them as MYLAN,STEVE and DIANN BOGDONAVITCH.Then their name was changed to BOGDAN.When STEVE was wanting to play drums,he had borrowed my SNARE DRUM a few times,until I had to have mine full time when we THE 5IVE INVICTAS were finially being the nieghbors complaint(practicing day and knight)How kool it is if this is the same BOGDANS.Terry and THE TOPICS used to play at the Grandale bar and on THRUSDAYS,George Sheehan bowled till 10pm and I would sit in on drums for George till he arrived.Much to my surprise,there was MYLAN on guitar.This went on for about three months.That was really kool,and that was about the last time I seen MYLAN.I would always ask George Sheehan if he has had any contact with MYLAN since the band days and I remember him saying MYLAN was doing studio work,but I had no idea it was this big.I hope this is the same MYLAN,because "HATS OFF TO YOU MYLAN"A real kool genious and handy man.(sometimes I think a hammer was his favorite)
STEVE "THE COUNT"

By Ralph (209.240.198.62 - 209.240.198.62) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 08:31 pm:

Count,
I think that's the Milan you think it is. He did play bass with Terry and the Topics. He was chief engineer for me at Tera Shirma. He would eventually re-locate to Nashville where he had a very successful studio career. I understand that he recently retired from studio work and has gone into the publishing business. I never knew his original name was Bogdonovich. thanks for the info.