The Johnnie Mae Matthews Story
The Distants

Edward Hamilton and The Arabians also made their recording debut on the Northern label, as did The Distants - a five-some of Elbridge Bryant, James "Pete" Crawford, Melvin Franklin, Richard Street and Otis Williams.

Johnnie Mae remembered their first meeting as if was yesterday. "I was in the kitchen cooking and they just stopped at the window (singing). They came in and I started playing the piano - they sang harmony. I said, I'm going to record you guys." Which she did; and their rocking Come On was a local hit at the beginning of 1960 due to copious amounts of airplay from WJLB jock "Frantic Ernie" Durham. It was soon picked up by Warwick records, which also released a follow-up disc that has Albert Harrell replacing James Crawford.

On Come On you can also hear Albert Williams and the female voices of The Andantes, a trio that became Motown's key background singers and who sang on literally thousands of Detroit records. There's also Jamerson playing bass and Norman Whitfield shaking his tambourine - which all contributes to a full sound that impressed Berry Gordy at Motown. Johnnie Mae proudly told me that he once asked her, "How did you get that sound?" It was something he wanted to emulate. It wasn't long, subject to a couple of personnel changes, before the vocal quintet signed with his company and had a new name - The Temptations.

Lead singer Richard Street then formed another set of Distants with Alphonso Galloway, James Weaver, Albert Harrell and a singer simply remembered as Johnny; cutting a song titled Answer Me for a new label called Thelma.

By the early Sixties Northern had released around twenty 45s, and sister labels, Audrey, Bon and Reel had also put out records, occasionally using a common numbering system.

Notes thanks to Graham Finch