By phillysoulman (64.12.101.161 - 64.12.101.161) on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - 03:26 am:

DOES ANYONE KNOW THE CONDITION OF LEVI? I WAS TOLD THAT HE HAS PROSTRATE CANCER. WHAT A PITY. I AM GLAD THAT I GOT TO KNOW HIM AND ALMOT DID SOME ROAD GIGS BUT AT THAT TIME THERE WAS RACIAL UNREST WITH THE RIOTS SO DUKE PHONED TO APOLOGISE AND FELT BAD ABOUT IT. I MUST ORGANISE ALL MY PHOTS OF M,Y LIFE AND I SURE HAVE MANY INCLUDING ME WITH THE TOPS BACKSTAGE AT PHILLY CONVENTION HALL IN THE LATE SIXTIES COMPLETE WITH ME WEARING A BERET!!!! I CAN TRULY SAY THAT MY LIFE HAS BEEN COLORFUL IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
I MET MARTIN LUTHER KING AT THAT SAME SHOW AND HE GAVE A SPEACH. IT WAS SOMETHING CALLED THE FREEDOM SHOW. HE WAS KILLED ABOUT SIX WEEKS LATER.
I KNW ALL THIS SOUNDS LIKE SOME FORREST GUMP TYPE OF S**T BUT I CAN DO A FILM ON MY EXPERIENCES AND IT WOULD BE HILARIOUS AND BITTER SWEET AS WELL.

GOTTA RUN. SEE YOU ALL SOON

B. ELI

By Ade (193.129.220.205 - 193.129.220.205) on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - 07:37 am:

Bobby.

I know that I speak for everybody on this forum when I say that if they made a film about your life we would queue (sp) up in rain sleet or snow for a hell of a long time to see it! The stories that yourself and our other friends are bringing to this list are just incredible, and just get better by the day. Keep it up!
Anyone know any film producers!?

By Carl Dixon London (195.153.219.170 - 195.153.219.170) on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - 05:02 pm:

I agree Ade. We are priviliged to know about and like the music and blessed that this forum and its distinguished guests can liven up our knowledge even more. The 'tit-bits' are very useful, especially when I want to escape from the hum drum bordom of television and sport! I can go into a world of my own and pretend I am a famous musician playing on my favourite records or even a technical bod tinkering with the mixer!. It helps me visualise 'scrotum' equipment in the studio control room and like yesterday morning, makes me get my bass guitar out and dream I can play it! Definately keep the stories coming and I think those telling the stories have to offically document them in a book or moving pictures. I am convinced this type of stuff can be aired on channels like VH1, Biography, History and the like.

Ade, the all-nighter stuff was on BBC Choice TV. My colleague last night saw it on their web page as a streaming video. I cannot find it, as I think it has been removed already. If I find the URL I will mention it here and then if anybody wants to see for themselves how important all this is, they can. I hope I can find it!

By Carl Dixon (62.31.40.173 - 62.31.40.173) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 12:46 pm:

I got my tickets for The Four Tops & Temptations, here in London on the 28th March at The Royal Albert Hall. I hope Mr Levi Stubbs can make it, if he cannot, I wonder who will sing lead and match up to his persona?

John Lester - are you going to this? We are row 6, which will just do me fine....

By Carl Dixon London (62.31.40.173 - 62.31.40.173) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 12:48 pm:

Ade - I never heard from the BBC re The Metropolitan. Sorry - it looks like it has blown out.

By Ade (193.129.220.205 - 193.129.220.205) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 01:35 pm:

Carl - The film crew were from Blenheim Films. They were recording footage for part of an 8 part series for channel four, which will be shown in the autumn. The subject, "black music in the UK".
I've asked them for copies of the footage but they've been a bit shy in replying.!!

get your video's out!

By Ralph Terrana (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 03:21 pm:

My brother tells me the story of the time in the 80's he was in Detroit to do the sound for some sort of Motown TV special.
He and Levi went over to Studio A together to have a look at the place after so many years away. He told me when they stood at the top of the stairs leading into the studio ( The Snake Pit ) they started to laugh. They had forgotten, and couldn't get over how small the place was. You have to wonder what the ratio of square footage to dollars earned from that small place was.

By Carl Dixon London (62.31.40.173 - 62.31.40.173) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 04:03 pm:

Ralph

You mention 'At the top of the Stairs' - that's one of the singles I have in a glass case on the wall here! A favourite Philly tune of mine from 67.

I think everybody is shocked when they see where it was all done, even those that did it! It certainly was a thrill walking up those stairs and going inside for the very first time. The taxi driver that took us to the studio could not understand how I had promised to come to Detroit and see it with my own eyes. He could not see the attraction. I had to educate him, you see, he was from Chicago and he was a brother!

By Ralph Terrana (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 04:27 pm:

Carl,
I loved that little room. I loved the feel of it...the smell of it...the way it looked. I remember my first session with the Funk Brothers. My brother, Mike Valvano and I were just starting the Stony and Meatloaf album. Mike warned me that the Brothers could be irrascible at times, and my being the new producer on the block may catch a little good humored flack from them. Well Mike had just bought a new house and was going to be doing some painting. We had driven to the studio together that morning and he stopped at a hardware store to by some paint rollers and things. For some reason he brought the bag of painting equipment into the studio with him when we arrived.
Jamerson asked Mike what the paint equipment was for. Mike replied.." If you don't do a good session I'm going to paint your ass white " Well everyone broke up laughing and the session went down just fine.

By recordboyusa (208.61.5.193 - 208.61.5.193) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 04:54 pm:

I've heard that Ronnie McNeir is filling in for Levi Stubbs in the 4 Tops -- maybe someone can confirm that report.

Jeff Lemlich

By Carl Dixon London (62.31.40.173 - 62.31.40.173) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 04:56 pm:

Nice story Ralph. Yes, the control room is small. I cannot believe the state of the Steinway in the studio. It does need some tender lovin' care - or was that an MFSB track? Did I mention that I dropped in to Steinway London and said they should give it a service as a publicity stunt? After all, if it is the original piano, we are constantly hearing it.

We sometimes have our studios and gallery control rooms empty for days on end until a sporting event takes place for the TV. It is a crime, but that's the way things are. Can you imagine if Hi8 video recorders had been around then? Footage of you all, making the songs happen for us all to witness and enjoy now!

By Ralph Terrana (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 07:02 pm:

Ironically Carl, today I help support myself and my music production as a piano
tuner. A trade I picked up from Paul Gelinas who was the tuner for Motown. The last time I visited Studio A ( 1995 ) I couldn't help but notice the sad state of the good old Steinway D.

By Ian W (213.122.128.221 - 213.122.128.221) on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 11:13 pm:

Jeff

I heard the same! What a guy to choose for the 4 Tops!

Ian

By John Lester (213.1.132.120 - 213.1.132.120) on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 08:10 am:

Karen Karbritz appeared to confirm that Levi WAS not on this UK tour.

FYI..I gather that Karen was married to James Jamerson's youngest son......I believe his name was Phillip.

By Carl Dixon London (195.153.219.170 - 195.153.219.170) on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 09:26 am:

Ralph - do you tune by ear, or do you have this sophisticated electronic gear? When I was in Philly in 1993, I bought the lever thingy 'cause I fancied learning too. The shop was down the road from a record shop called 'Plastic Fantastic' which was just outside the city somewhere. I gave the guy my VISA card and he swiped it for about $20. Then VISA stopped the transaction going through and I had to spend 10 mins on the phone with the UK office to clarify the charge. The day before I had spent something like $300 on clothes and other stuff. When I got it home, it did not fit the 'whateveryoucallthem' on the strings. So, I never bothered! So now we know the name of the Motown piano tuner - so he has tuned a few hits then?

By Ralph Terrana (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 02:49 pm:

Carl,
I tune by ear. What amazes me to this day is that after years of blasting my poor old ears in the recording studios I can still hear the higher partials in a piano. Paul Gelinas was a saint of a man. He was French-Canadian and it was he that suggested I should be a piano tuner. This suggestion came from him after a conversation we had where I told him I was going to leave Motown but was uncertain what I was going to do next. So when he first suggested this to me I laughed.
After a while it started to make a lot of sense though. My office had been re-located to Golden World after the Donavan buiding was closed. I had a piano in my office and it was there that I took my first tentative steps learning to be a piano tuner.From there Paul would introduce me to members of The Piano Technician's Guild and I would become involved in a very intensive training period of about three years.For some reason I was extremely gifted in this work and have been doing it ever sense. It has allowed me a high level of independence to continue to pursue musical endeavors. I remember the first time I told Harry Balk of my interest in learning to be a piano tuner, he told me that was the smartest thing I could do.

By Carl Dixon London (195.153.219.170 - 195.153.219.170) on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 04:30 pm:

In addition Ralph, it would get you into areas you were familiar with - studios, and see what the competition was up to.

Are you able to tune my piano over the internet - I could send you a remittance by return!! Sometimes, I hear out of tune pianos on some of the old soul stuff. It is quite nice to hear certain tracks like that. I can imagine a budget for the recording and a studio with a piano that needs attention, but only gets it once every three months rather than once a week. Tell me the piano sound I hear on the invictus stuff/hot wax stuff, it sounds strange. I cannot put my finger on it, so to speak.

By Ritchie Hardin (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 04:46 pm:

Carl

Just had to throw this in as we're on the subject... When I worked at the recording studio in Manchester we had a tuner come in every Monday morning to see to the two pianos - an upright and a grand. It was my job to get him safely down the stairs to the studio, as he was blind. Though I was really supposed to be lining up the machines, I usually stayed to chat with him, and he once told me something really funny.

Each week, he also tuned the Steinway at Granada TV (across the road from our studio). In 1960 Granada hired this particular piano, and all those years later were still paying the weekly rental on it. It often made me wonder how many pianos they could have bought with the accumulated hire charges!

By Ralph Terrana (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 05:11 pm:

Carl,
As a matter of fact, I tuned United's piano for quite some time after my Motown days. If I could figure a way to tune yours over the internet I won't charge you. Also, if you are tuning your piano every three months you are taking VERY good care of it. Most tuners are happy if their customers tune annually.What make do you own?

By Carl Dixon London (195.153.219.170 - 195.153.219.170) on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 05:51 pm:

It is an old black upright I bought for £400 about 8 years ago in Milton Keynes of all places. It does not have original bodywork but sounds good to me. There is no manufacturer on it as it has been touched up. The guy that refurbished it had to replace some strings and all those 'nuts (?)' at the top, but what I found they were a different size/caliber, like the imperial or metric size snooker table scam! So the tool I bought fitted some, but not the others. I love the sound from it. My mum was born in 1920 and plays like Charlie Kunz. When she comes down she gives it a hammering to all those wonderful melodies from the 30's and 40's. I try and play like her, but she does it by ear and must know hundreds of songs. The Motown and Philly stuff I play I have to be prompted by the sheet music I'm afraid, especially The Four Tops stuff, featuring Levi Stubbs!! (Do you like the way I have got back to the thread title?)

Granada? - Is that the piano that's in the 'Rovers Return'??

By Ralph Terrana (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 09:21 pm:

Carl,
The " nuts " at the top are called tuning pins. If the size varies, some have probably been replaced due to a pin block problem. The tool you bought is called a tuning hammer, or by some, a tuning lever. A good one should fit all size pins.I know some music stores sell a beginners type tuning hammer which is virtually useless. That may be what you bought. Also, if this is a older upright you more than likely do not need to tune it more than once or twice a year, ( apologies to your tuner ) unless there is something drastically wrong with the pin block, which as I have indicated is suspect because of the over-sized pins.
OK back to the business at hand.....

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 11:09 pm:

ralph
thanks for taking the forum on to yet another level. quite typically, i must add.

great stuff!

By brianday (212.137.227.136 - 212.137.227.136) on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 11:17 pm:

`i can confirm that levi stubbs will not be here for the tour and ronnie mcneir is his stand in
my source is the tour promoter,however the good news is that levi is on the mend and i hope he is in all your prayers

By John Lester (213.122.196.52 - 213.122.196.52) on Monday, March 11, 2002 - 07:40 am:

He is in everyone's thoughts....

If ever there was a man who can sing, Levi is the man!

His brother Joe, had a voice to die for too!