In 1965, Supremes members Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard heard the band — whose repertoire consisted primarily of Motown covers — at the Elegant Parlor in Vancouver, and alerted Motown CEO Berry Gordy, Jr.. Gordy brought the Vancouvers to Motown Records in Detroit, Michigan, and signed them to his Gordy Records imprint. For a July, 1968 engagement at Chicagos, Regal Theater, Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers had a local-area family band, The Jackson 5, as their opening act. Impressed with the group, Taylor personally brought them to Detroit and the Motown offices, arranging an audition for them with Motown executive Suzanne de Passe. de Passe and Berry Gordy were impressed with the Jacksons, and the group was signed to the label within a year. After the Jackson 5 signed to Motown in March 1969, Taylor became the groups first producer. He supervised the bulk of their first album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, recording the Jacksons on a number of soul covers, including The Miracles Whos Lovin You. Berry Gordy would later move the group to California and take personal control of their sound. Although Taylor would briefly join the Jacksons in California, he did not receive credit for working on the groups early singles such as I Want You Back and ABC alongside Gordys team known as The Corporation. Tommy Chong was a member of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers before he became famous as a comedian.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Dec 2013 03:53:45 +0000
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