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MOTOWN SNAPSHOT FLASHBACKS: MARVIN GAYE, ’71

RELEASED IN MAY, 1971, MARVIN GAYE‘S ‘WHAT’S GOING ON‘ was the 11th album he recorded for the Tamla label. It was also his very first LP he was credited in having solely produced  — in its entirety. The album’s origin centered when Gaye began work on the single, “What’s Going On” (Pop #2; R&B #1), (released in January 1971; album titled as same) in June, 1970. Three other tracks from the LP would be released as singles. “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) (Pop#4; R&B #1),” “Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler) (Pop #9; R&B #1),” and “Save The Children (UK only; #41).”  The album would become Gaye’s biggest of his career at the time, until 1973. It was also Gaye’s first album having cracked Top 10 (#6) in the Billboard Top LP chart, and, having charted there for almost a year. The British music publication New Musical Express ranked the LP #1 in their ‘All-Times Top 100 Albums’ in 1985. According to Wikipedia, “Gaye was the first male solo artist to place three top ten singles on the Hot 100 off one album, as well as the first artist to place three singles at number-one on any Billboard chart (in this case, R&B), off one single album.” In a 1999 poll conducted by The Guardian, it named the LP the “Greatest Album of the 20th Century”. 
MARVIN GAYE April 1971 (photo credit: Jim Hendin)

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THE MIRACLES! MOTOWN ’60s SNAPSHOT FLASHBACKS

‘GOING TO A GO-GO,’ was the 8th album the Miracles recorded for the Tamla label. Released in November 1965, the album was the first LP headlining the group’s new billing, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. The album produced four Top 20 singles. “OOO Baby Baby” (Pop; #16), “The Tracks Of My Tears” (Pop; #16), “My Girl Has Gone” (Pop; #14) and “Going To A Go-Go” (Pop; #11), their biggest selling single from the album. All four singles released were produced by Smokey Robinson.  All songs (except one track in the LP) were written by Smokey Robinson and credited named members of the Miracles. All four singles off the album were released in 1965. ‘Going To A Go-Go,’ the LP, became the only album in their career to break Top 10 (#8) and would remain on the Billboard LP chart for 40 weeks before dropping off the album chart, September 1966. The LP was produced by Smokey Robinson, Frank Wilson and William “Mickey” Stevenson.
SMOKEY ROBINSON and the MIRACLES, performing on stage in the U.K., in Motown’s first European Tamla-Motown tour, 1965.

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TWENTY-YEARS AGO. IN REMEMBRANCE. TOM KNIGHT.

Saturday, October 18, 1997

A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE

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DETROIT FREE PRESS: ‘Slain Brighton Deejay’s Music Collection Is Huge – And Valuable’ 

IN MEMORY of TOM KNIGHT

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I still recall when having received stunning word Tom Knight passed away. It was June 5, 1997.

For those of us familiar with Detroit oldies radio from 30-35 years ago, Tom (Knight Train Productions) was an invaluable asset in having produced and provided some of the finest programming on Detroit radio when it came to 50s and ’60s oldies music. His resume comprised largely having worked on Detroit radio stations WHNE-FM, WHND-AM, WMJC-FM and WKSG-FM during the 1980s and early-1990s.

Personally, I knew Tom for some 14-years, having first met Tom at a records meet at the Southgate Civic Center, Southgate, Mi., in 1983. And after several meets of such, a friendship developed and grew from there. On several occasions, he invited me over to his modest brick home in Dearborn, on Raymond St., near Outer Drive. I can still remember the first time when Tom and I went down to the basement. I was in complete awe – having seen firsthand for the first time his massive collection of pristine records, albums, all shelved in protective sleeves. It was amazing. He once told me his interest in record collecting began early on in his teens while having worked for some years at a record store shop located on Ford Rd., near Middlebelt, in Garden City, Mi.

The last several times I saw Tom, prior his passing, he was still at WMJC and WHND (Greater Media). Tom was working on his ‘oldies’ production shows there, and I saw his production skills at work. (I still have my “Honey Radio All Oldies 560” blue wind-breaker Tom gave me during a Honey Radio Car Club Cruise-cast in Wyandotte back in 1985, lettered in gold with their famous ‘milk shake fountain glass’ logo blazoned across the back). One Saturday, April 1994, I stopped by to see him in his new home in Holly, Michigan. He just purchased a large home there, with much larger quarters that would accommodate his massive collection of records, CDs, music artifacts, jukeboxes, Detroit radio paraphernalia, and a vast library of books about the music he, loved so much. Now all housed in a climate-controlled environment as he always wanted for his life’s entire collection. While there I met his estranged wife, Linda, for the first time. Tom introduced me to her, she simply nodded and walked up the stairs saying nothing. Never saw her again while I was there. Now having moved some distance away, I saw less of him. But we kept in touch.

Tom Knight was one of the most kindest, generous person I was blessed having met. He was a music and radio production genius. He was my friend.

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Twenty years ago today. Tom Knight, we miss you still.

Tom Margellar (1980s; J. Feliciano)
Tom Margellar (card; b-side)

(Above TOM KNIGHT related article is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2017. Newspapers.com).

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THE FOUR TOPS! MOTOWN SNAPSHOT FLASHBACKS ’66

IN JULY 1967 THE FOUR TOPS released their 6th LP, ‘Reach Out,’ for the Motown label. It would become the group’s most successful album of their career. The album produced 7 singles, including “Standing In The Shadows Of Love,” “Bernadette,” “Walk Away Renee,” “7-Rooms Of Gloom,” “I’ll Turn To Stone,” “If I Were A Carpenter,” (1968) and the album’s self-titled #1 single, “Reach Out.” It was also their last album produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland. The song-writing trio having left Motown in late-1967. The album was recorded at Hitsville Studio A between 1966 and 1967. ‘Reach Out,’ the album, peaked #11 on the Billboard LP chart, 1967.
THE FOUR TOPS performing live at the Detroit Roostertail Supper Club ‘The Upper Deck,’ 1966.

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WKNR DETROIT RADIO: ’65 NEWSPAPER AD FLASHBACK

Monday, May 17, 1965

A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE AD

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DETROIT FREE PRESS: “New On WKNR”

(Above WKNR ad courtesy freep.com newspapers archive. Copyright 2017; Newspapers.com).

Thursday, May 20, 1965

A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE AD

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DETROIT FREE PRESS: “’R’ Is For Regen”

(Above WKNR ad courtesy freep.com newspapers archive. Copyright 2017; Newspapers.com).

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A DETROIT WKNR-AM 13 NEWSPAPER 1966 FLASHBACK

Monday, October 17, 1966

A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE

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DETROIT FREE PRESS: WKNR-AM ‘Scott Regen: Sort Of ‘Hipburger” ’ 

(Above WKNR related article is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2017. Newspapers.com).

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