Motown Top Selling Singles Part 1

Motown Record Corporation was founded in 1959 by Berry Gordy, Jr., in Detroit, Michigan. The name was, in fact, a nod the Detroit, known as the Motor City. At the time, Gordy was a songwriter of note, writing for stars like Jackie Wilson. Gordy felt like he was making little money writing songs, and the real money was in running a label. The first songs were put out on the Tamla label, in 1959. The first act signed by the fledgling company was a group called the Matadors. They changed their name to the Miracles, and the lead singer was William 'Smokey' Robinson.

With that bit of history written, I thought it would be interesting to look at what the top-selling singles for Motown Record Corporation, and it's subsidiaries, from 1959 until 1975, what I would call the heyday of the label. Of course, I was surprised when I discovered the top five-selling singles for the label didn't come from that period, but from the 1990s and one from the 1980s. However, I will take the top ten from the era I picked out, and unveil them today and tomorrow. To kick off this trip down memory lane, I will being with the #10-#6 songs according to Billboard. The #10 selling single is a group who had three songs in the top 10, and one more from the lead singer after she went solo. I am of course referring the great Supremes, with lead singer Diana Ross. In 1964, the group had the utterly charming "Baby Love", written by the brilliant team of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. It was said Gordy suggested the writers to give Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson a song similar to their last hit, "Where Did Our Love Go?" The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in the fall of 1964, just what Gordy was looking for.

In 1956, The Aims were signed by Chess Records to record, having been 'discovered' while performing in and around Detroit. Only they had to change their name, for fear they might be confused with the Ames Brothers. So Levi Stubbs, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, and Lawrence Payton called themselves The Four Tops. Their time at Chess, as well as a few other record companies, didn't work out, and in 1963, Gordy signed them for Motown. With the brilliant Levi Stubbs on lead vocals, the group were a great success for Motown, including on their great single, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)". It was the #9 song on this list, once again written by the songwriting team of Holland - Dozier - Holland. The son was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 1965, so enjoy this clip of the Four Tops singing it live.

The ever-brilliant Miss Diana Ross has the #8 song on the list with what was only her second solo single, and her first solo #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was written by another incredible team of writers in the Motown stable, the husband/wife team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. They wrote it as a duet for the first release, featuring the ample talents of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. It was a big hit for them in 1967, but was also a great hit for Ross in 1970, making it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Watch as 'The Boss' performs "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", a song that quickly became one of her signature songs.

While we are at it, the #7 entry on the list is another great song from The Supremes. In fact, it was the song that inspired the previous entry. "Where Did Our Love Go" was also the first Billboard #1 for Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson. It was also the first of five singles in a row by the ladies to make it to the top of the charts. Again, it was written by Holland - Dozier - Holland, men who definitely put their stamp on the music world. Here is the great 1964 hit, "Where Did Our Love Go?"

Now it is time to visit with the #6 song on the list. It was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Strong was the first member of the Motown roster to have a radio hit, with "Money (That's What I Want)", in 1959. He remained with the label, writing and performing. Teaming up with the bold vocals of Edwin Starr, "War" went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was not only a popular song, it was also one of the most popular protest songs of all time. Oddly, after the attacks of 9-11, media powerhouse Clear Channel put this song on a list of inappropriate songs. This is still a great song, so enjoy Edwin Starr on "War".

Look for the Top 5 tomorrow!

Billboard Top 5 • 1966

Clockwise: Question Mark & the Mysterians; The Association; The Four Tops; Staff Sargent Barry Sadler; and The Righteous Brothers.

The year was 1966, and I was a young lad of 6, living in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, starting elementary school. And while I was finding my way through 1st grade at Delcroft Elementary School, on the other side of the country San Fransiscans were experiencing the first of the Acid Tests, a party structured around the experimentation and use of LSD. President Lyndon B. Johnson was continuing the US presence in Vietnam, despite overwhelming disapproval of the public. The Reverend Martin Luther King is struck by a rock while marching for civil rights in Chicago. Chicago Black Hawk Bobby Hull set a single season scoring records with 51 goals. In June, the final episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show aired. On the other hand, the first episode of Star Trek airs. The National Organization for Women, known as NOW, is founded. Building began on the World Trace Center in New York City. In a press conference in Chicago, John Lennon announces that the Beatles are "more popular than Jesus," sending religious zealots into a tizzy. Soon he meets Yoko Ono at an art gallery, and Beatles fans everywhere start to groan. The Baltimore Orioles win the World Series, the Montreal Canadians win the Stanley Cup, England wins the World Cup, and the Kansas City Chiefs win the American Football League championship, and the Green Bay Packers win the National Football League Championship. The AFL & NFL merge, giving the first Superbowl the following year. And, last but not least, How The Grinch Stole Christmas makes it's broadcast debut on December 18th.

An band form Michigan broke all kinds of boundaries when Question Mark & the Mysterians had a #1 hit on the Billboard chart with 96 Tears, written by lead sing Rudy Martinez, aka "Question Mark". The garage band sound was harkening to a new era in music, and the band was one of the first to be labelled at punk rockers. The are also one of the first Latino rock bands to claim the top spot on the charts. They were also one of the first #1 acts to claim they were from Mars, and to have arrived here via time travel. Check them out...



With lead singer Levi Stubbs on the vocals, it was hard to beat any record put out by The Four Tops. The Motown band topped the Billboard charts with another hit written by the producing team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Edward Holland with the exciting Reach Out I'll Be There. The song was later covered by the great Diana Ross. But it all started with the Four Tops...



The Los Angelos-based The Righteous Brothers were spreading their blue-eyed sould all across the country during the 60s, and this year was no different. Bill Medley and the late Bobby Hatfield, not actual brothers, scored a #1 hit with (You're My) Soul And Inspiration, written by the amazing songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.



Yet another California-based group was spending time atop the charts in 1966, as The Association wowed the public with their harmozing love song, Cherish. The song was written by Terry Kirkman, a member of the band. The song was on top of the charts for three consecutive weeks.



But the #1 song for the year was from an actual soldier, a real member of the famed Green Beret. Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler. He was wounded in action while fighting in South Vietnam. While recovering from the injury, he made a promise that he would give away the rights to a song he had written if he would recover. He did recover, and went on to record The Ballad of the Green Beret. It took the airwaves by storm, and was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks. It was also his only hit song.

Worth Another Listen • Four Tops

Detroit natives Levi Stubbs, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton first sang as a group while all were still high school students, and the sound was so good, they decided to stick together. They called themselves The Aims, and set their sights on success. They were first signed in 1956 to the Chess Records label, the first in a series of unsuccessful contracts with label. But it was there they did decide to change their name so as to not get confused with the Ames Brothers. Soon they were being billed as The Four Tops, a name that stuck with them. Finally, in 1963 Berry Gordy, Jr. signed the group to his roster at Motown Records.



It didn't take long for the magic to start to happen. In 1964, Gordy put them to work with the legendary songwriting team of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr., and the boys scored a #11 on the Billboard US Pop chart with their first single of their Motown career. Baby I Need Your Loving is just the type of song that became synonymous with the group, as Levi's heartfelt lead vocals charmed all.



Berry Gordy was never one to play with a working model, and with the career of the Four Tops, it was no different. Once again the were singing a song written by the team of Holland - Dozier - Holland and in 1965, The Four Tops had their first #1 song on the Billboard Pop chart with I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch). With the perfect vocals and the slick choreography that were the trademark of the Motown men, it is now wonder this song shot to the top.



Later that same year, the Four Tops returned to the charts with a song that is very much a classic for them, It's The Same Old Song. One of the things that sets a song like this apart is the vocal performance by Stubbs, who just ours his heart and soul into every song. And another great song written by Holland-Dozier-Holland, scoring #5 on the Billboard Pop chart.



Proving that the Four Tops truly deserved to be recording at Hitsville, USA, they were quickly back on top of the charts. In 1966 they released another Holland-Dozier-Holland song, Reach Out I'll Be There. Once again having the benefit of the great vocals of Levi Stubbs, and the song soared to #1 on the Pop chart.



Needless to say this was not the end of this group. In fact, it was only the beginning. I am sure I will be revisiting the Four Tops again!