It can be overwhelming to even try and count the many talented and charismatic musicians of Motown. But Tammi Terrell, with a voice that paired perfectly with Marvin Gaye's and the strikingly beautiful looks of an ingenue, stands out as a diamond among the gems.
Terrell would have celebrated her 68th birthday Monday. The young star died tragically at age 24, just several years after she was discovered by Motown Records' Berry Gordy.
See her here in 1966, a year after she signed with his label:
Photo by James Kriegsmann/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
She would have been around 21 and was already churning out hits.
Terrell had 15 singles peak on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. According to NPR, she was born Thomasina Montgomery and first recorded as Tammy Montgomery, being groomed at a teen by Scepter Records to become a girl-group vocalist. Motown founder Barry Gordy discovered her singing in a...
Terrell would have celebrated her 68th birthday Monday. The young star died tragically at age 24, just several years after she was discovered by Motown Records' Berry Gordy.
See her here in 1966, a year after she signed with his label:
Photo by James Kriegsmann/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
She would have been around 21 and was already churning out hits.
Terrell had 15 singles peak on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. According to NPR, she was born Thomasina Montgomery and first recorded as Tammy Montgomery, being groomed at a teen by Scepter Records to become a girl-group vocalist. Motown founder Barry Gordy discovered her singing in a...
- 4/29/2013
- by Kate Abbey-Lambertz
- Huffington Post
The American Idol Season 12 Top 8 will be faced with a tricky theme this Wednesday (8/7c on Fox): Detroit: The Music of Motor City.
Yep, it’s essentially another way of saying Motown Week, and as such, I’m gritting my teeth bracing for an onslaught of songs we’ve already heard one too many times in prior Idol seasons — “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and “Let’s Get It On” to name a few.
Related | American Idol: 22 Fresh Theme Nights That Need to Happen Right Now
Still, hope springs eternal,...
Yep, it’s essentially another way of saying Motown Week, and as such, I’m gritting my teeth bracing for an onslaught of songs we’ve already heard one too many times in prior Idol seasons — “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and “Let’s Get It On” to name a few.
Related | American Idol: 22 Fresh Theme Nights That Need to Happen Right Now
Still, hope springs eternal,...
- 3/24/2013
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
On this day in history...
Marvin Gaye scored his first #1 hit with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine."
The Motown Records ditty was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and had been recorded previously by at least two other groups on the label: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and Gladys Knight & The Pips.
But it was Gaye who took the song and made it his own. Released on October 30, 1968, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" reached the top of the Billboard chart on December 14, 1968. Listen closely, and you can hear the Funk Brothers, the famed Detroit sessions band, playing on the track, as well as strings performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which had been arranged by Detroit's own Paul Riser.
Writes This Day In Music:
The session featuring Gaye led to arguments between the producer and singer; Whitfield struggled to convince Gaye to perform the song in a high rasp,...
Marvin Gaye scored his first #1 hit with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine."
The Motown Records ditty was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and had been recorded previously by at least two other groups on the label: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and Gladys Knight & The Pips.
But it was Gaye who took the song and made it his own. Released on October 30, 1968, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" reached the top of the Billboard chart on December 14, 1968. Listen closely, and you can hear the Funk Brothers, the famed Detroit sessions band, playing on the track, as well as strings performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which had been arranged by Detroit's own Paul Riser.
Writes This Day In Music:
The session featuring Gaye led to arguments between the producer and singer; Whitfield struggled to convince Gaye to perform the song in a high rasp,...
- 12/14/2012
- by Ashley Woods
- Huffington Post
Soul legend Bettye Lavette got an early start in music. She made her first album at 16, which is why she's already celebrating her 50th anniversary in recording.
And boy is she celebrating. There's a new album on deck, Thankful N' Thoughtful. The disc features Lavette's reinterpretations of hits by the likes of Bob Dylan, The Black Keys, Neil Young, Gnarls Barkley and many more. Early reviews have lauded her bold reworkings of "I'm Not the One" by the Keys and "Crazy" by Barkley.
But the singer isn't content with just another record. She's also releasing her autobiography (written with David Ritz). Lavette has had quite the colorful life, and she spares no detail or hair-raising experience in A Woman Like Me. The music drops Sept. 25 on Anti-Records, with the book following on Sept. 27 (Blue Rider Press/Penguin).
The singer will also tour the country between September and the end of...
And boy is she celebrating. There's a new album on deck, Thankful N' Thoughtful. The disc features Lavette's reinterpretations of hits by the likes of Bob Dylan, The Black Keys, Neil Young, Gnarls Barkley and many more. Early reviews have lauded her bold reworkings of "I'm Not the One" by the Keys and "Crazy" by Barkley.
But the singer isn't content with just another record. She's also releasing her autobiography (written with David Ritz). Lavette has had quite the colorful life, and she spares no detail or hair-raising experience in A Woman Like Me. The music drops Sept. 25 on Anti-Records, with the book following on Sept. 27 (Blue Rider Press/Penguin).
The singer will also tour the country between September and the end of...
- 8/23/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Ballroom dancing pro and amateur leprechaun Tristan MacManus will be checking in with EW.com each week as he and partner Gladys Knight go for the coveted mirrorball trophy.
On Motown Night: This was a reuinion of sorts for Gladys. Berry Gordy came, which was unreal. I got to meet him tonight, and Duke, the one who’s left in the Four Tops. The Temptations then, some of the Supremes, and of course Martha Reeves and Smokey Robinson. Such a good tribute to Motown. It was unreal to dance to the real artists singing the songs. Everyone has fond memories...
On Motown Night: This was a reuinion of sorts for Gladys. Berry Gordy came, which was unreal. I got to meet him tonight, and Duke, the one who’s left in the Four Tops. The Temptations then, some of the Supremes, and of course Martha Reeves and Smokey Robinson. Such a good tribute to Motown. It was unreal to dance to the real artists singing the songs. Everyone has fond memories...
- 4/24/2012
- by Tristan MacManus
- EW.com - PopWatch
As the coroner's report made official Thursday, Whitney Houston's sudden death at age 48 was the result of an accidental drowning caused by heart disease and the old devil cocaine. Here are five other singers whose passings were linked to the drug: 1. David Ruffin: From a crack house to a limo to a hospital. That was the tragic route the iconic Temptations lead ("My Girl," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg") took on a fateful night in Philadelphia in 1991. Pronounced dead at the hospital, Ruffin was 50. 2. Layne Stayley: The Alice in Chains star was dead for two weeks from an overdose of cocaine and heroin before his body was found in his Seattle home in 2002. He was 34. His...
- 3/23/2012
- E! Online
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