pplpod
- Épisodes
- 2 669
- Parution
- quotidienne
- Dernier épisode
- 9 Nov 2026
À propos du podcast
pplpod is a podcast about people, places and lots of other stuff. Each episode takes a deep dive into the lives, choices, and legacies of fascinating figures from history, culture, music, and beyond. From icons who shaped entire generations to hidden stories that deserve the spotlight, pplpod brings you closer to the people behind the headlines and the legends.
Thoughtful, engaging, and story-driven, pplpod explores what makes these lives extraordinary—and what we can learn from them today.
Licence : pplpod
Épisodes 2 669
The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow older. When …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow older. When we're young, friendships often revolve around constant communication, shared activities, and the desire to be included in everything. But as adulthood brings careers, families, responsibilities, and geographic distance, maintaining that same level of contact becomes increasingly difficult. Does talking less mean a friendship is fading, or can it actually reflect a deeper level of trust? Through a thoughtful examination of relationships and emotional maturity, we discover why the strongest friendships aren't necessarily the ones that demand the most attention.
The episode examines the difference between constant access and dependable consistency. We discuss why meaningful friendships can survive months without conversation, how genuine friends support one another through difficult circumstances, and why celebrating someone else's success without jealousy is an important measure of loyalty. We also explore the emotional burden of maintaining large social circles, the guilt associated with losing touch, and the importance of building relationships that can adapt to life's inevitable changes.
Ultimately, this conversation challenges us to reconsider how we measure friendship. Rather than counting contacts, messages, or social invitations, perhaps the better question is whether the people closest to us will genuinely show up when it matters. Just as importantly, are we willing to do the same for them? Growing older doesn't necessarily mean losing friends. Sometimes it means discovering which relationships are built to last.
In this episode we cover...
- How friendship evolves from childhood and adolescence into adulthood, shifting from constant communication toward trust and dependability
- The impact of careers, families, geographic distance, and changing responsibilities on maintaining meaningful relationships
- Why genuine friendship allows people to reconnect without guilt, resentment, or the expectation of daily contact
- The importance of showing up during difficult times, celebrating others' successes without jealousy, and practicing mutual support
- Why smaller social circles can offer stronger relationships, how to recognize dependable friends, and the value of consistency, trust, and effort
Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, vacations …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, vacations, outdoor adventures, and childhood memories. But when does summer actually begin? The answer depends on whether we follow the movement of the Earth, changes in temperature, or centuries of cultural tradition. We examine the differences between astronomical and meteorological summer, explain why the longest day of the year marks the beginning of one definition but the middle of another, and investigate seasonal lag, the scientific reason the hottest days often arrive weeks after the summer solstice.
The episode also explores how different civilizations have defined summer throughout history. From ancient Roman calendars and Celtic celebrations of Beltane to traditional Chinese astronomy, societies developed seasonal boundaries based on agriculture, daylight, and local environmental conditions. We examine how summer varies across the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, why tropical regions experience monsoons instead of dry weather, and how seasonal heating contributes to thunderstorms, hurricanes, and other extreme weather.
Beyond the science, we discover how summer shapes everyday life around the world. School vacations, national holidays, tourism, blockbuster movies, and popular music all reflect the influence of longer days and warmer temperatures. We also consider how changing climate patterns could eventually reshape our traditional understanding of summer, including when communities choose to work, travel, and celebrate.
In this episode we cover...
- Astronomical versus meteorological summer, the summer solstice, Earth's axial tilt, and why the longest day marks the beginning of summer in some calendars
- Seasonal lag, heat absorption by land and oceans, and the scientific explanation for why peak summer temperatures occur after the solstice
- Ancient Roman seasonal calendars, Celtic Beltane celebrations, Chinese solar terms, Midsummer traditions, and the historical relationship between agriculture and daylight
- Summer weather around the world, including Asian monsoons, North American thunderstorms, Atlantic hurricanes, tropical cyclones, and the midnight sun
- School vacation schedules, cultural holidays, summer tourism, entertainment traditions, differences between hemispheres, and the potential influence of climate change
Source credit: Research for this episode included transcript materials and supporting historical sources accessed November 7, 2026. Content is summarized and adapted for commentary and educational use.
Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaimed British …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaimed British actor whose commanding voice, classical training, and unforgettable performances made him a cultural icon. Born in Yorkshire in 1940, Stewart grew up in a working-class household marked by poverty and domestic violence. Encouraged by an inspiring teacher, he discovered Shakespeare and found refuge in acting. After leaving school and briefly working as a newspaper reporter, he pursued professional training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His dedication eventually earned him a place in the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he established himself as one of Britain's most respected classical performers.
The episode follows Stewart's unexpected transformation into an international star when he accepted the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. Initially skeptical of science fiction and convinced the series would fail, Stewart brought Shakespearean discipline and emotional depth to a character who became one of television's most admired leaders. His subsequent portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films introduced him to another generation of audiences. Despite the challenges of typecasting, Stewart continued performing onstage, developed an unexpected talent for comedy, and formed a celebrated friendship with fellow actor Ian McKellen.
Beyond his acting achievements, we examine how Stewart transformed painful childhood experiences into meaningful advocacy against domestic violence and support for military veterans experiencing psychological trauma. His work with charitable organizations, commitment to civil liberties, and willingness to discuss deeply personal experiences revealed a compassionate individual behind his authoritative public image. Stewart died on October 28, 2026, at age 86, following Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. His remarkable legacy extends beyond the characters he portrayed, reflecting a lifetime dedicated to storytelling, artistic excellence, and using his influence to help others.
In this episode we cover...
- Stewart's childhood in Yorkshire, his father's military service and domestic violence, the influence of teacher Cecil Dormand, and his early discovery of Shakespeare
- His training at Bristol Old Vic, extensive career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, classical performances, and breakthrough into British television
- The unexpected casting of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, early challenges on Star Trek: The Next Generation, his acting philosophy, and the franchise's extraordinary success
- His portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier, theatrical productions of A Christmas Carol and Othello, comedic performances, and enduring friendship with Ian McKellen
- His advocacy against domestic violence, support for veterans, charitable work, personal interests, knighthood, and lasting legacy following his death in 2026
Source credit: Research for this episode included transcript materials and supporting historical sources accessed November 7, 2026. Content is summarized and adapted for commentary and educational use.
Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, and …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, and producer who transformed everyday annoyances into some of television's most influential comedy. Born in Brooklyn in 1947, David developed a distinctive comedic style built around social discomfort, personal grievances, and an unwillingness to accept unwritten rules without questioning them. After struggling through stand-up comedy, odd jobs, and an unsuccessful stint writing for Saturday Night Live, he partnered with Jerry Seinfeld in 1989 to create Seinfeld. Drawing heavily from his own experiences, David helped shape George Costanza, one of television's most memorable characters, and established a comedic approach that challenged traditional sitcom conventions.
The episode follows David's evolution from behind-the-scenes writer to the star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO's largely improvised comedy series that ran for 12 seasons. We examine how David turns minor social disagreements into elaborate conflicts, why audiences identify with his exaggerated television persona, and how his enormous financial success created new opportunities for comedy. We also explore his famous Bernie Sanders impersonation, the controversy surrounding his FTX cryptocurrency advertisement, and his later ventures into political and historical satire. From Seinfeld's groundbreaking episodes to Curb Your Enthusiasm's painfully recognizable social encounters, David's career raises a fascinating question: Is he funny because he behaves badly, or because he says what everyone else is thinking?
In this episode we cover...
- Larry David's Brooklyn upbringing, comedic influences, Army Reserve experience, early stand-up career, and memorable struggles at Saturday Night Live
- The creation of Seinfeld, George Costanza's real-life inspiration, Kenny Kramer's influence, and landmark episodes including The Contest
- The development of Curb Your Enthusiasm, improvised dialogue, cringe comedy, social etiquette, and the psychology behind Larry's confrontations
- David's financial success, Seinfeld syndication, his controversial FTX advertisement, and his portrayal of Bernie Sanders on Saturday Night Live
- His later political essays, historical satire, collaboration with Higher Ground Productions, and enduring influence on television comedy and popular culture
Source credit: Research for this episode included transcript materials and supporting historical sources accessed November 6, 2026. Content is summarized and adapted for commentary and educational use.
Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, energetic …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, energetic herding dog whose name disguises its American origins. Developed in the western United States during the 19th century, the breed emerged from European herding traditions and sheepdogs associated with livestock imported from Australia and New Zealand. Australian Shepherds became indispensable ranch workers, prized for their endurance, agility, and ability to manage stubborn livestock across difficult terrain. Their popularity expanded during the 1950s when rodeo performer Jay Sisler introduced audiences to their remarkable intelligence through elaborate tricks and acrobatic performances. Despite their long American history, the breed did not receive American Kennel Club recognition until the 1990s.
The episode examines the distinctive characteristics that make Australian Shepherds exceptional working dogs and demanding household companions. We explore their merle coat patterns, athletic abilities, natural herding instincts, and the importance of providing meaningful physical and mental exercise. Activities such as agility, flyball, dock diving, and structured herding offer opportunities to channel their energy and intelligence. We also investigate the breed's genetics and health considerations, including hereditary eye conditions, the MDR1 mutation that can cause dangerous medication sensitivities, and the serious risks associated with breeding two merle dogs together. From responsible breeding practices to the challenges of raising a working dog in a modern household, this episode explains why Australian Shepherds require more than affection and exercise. They need structure, stimulation, and opportunities to put their remarkable abilities to work.
In this episode we cover...
- The Australian Shepherd's American origins, European herding ancestry, California's Gold Rush, and the livestock trade that contributed to the breed's misleading name
- The breed's development as a Western ranch dog, Jay Sisler's famous rodeo performances, and the debate surrounding American Kennel Club recognition
- Australian Shepherd anatomy, coat colors, merle patterns, natural bobtails, tail docking, athletic abilities, and distinctive herding behavior
- Managing high energy and natural herding instincts through obedience training, agility, dock diving, flyball, tracking, and structured livestock activities
- Lifespan and hereditary health concerns, the MDR1 medication sensitivity mutation, double-merle breeding risks, and the importance of responsible ownership
Source credit: Research for this episode included transcript materials and supporting historical sources accessed November 5, 2026. Content is summarized and adapted for commentary and educational use.
Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of the world's …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of the world's most beloved and versatile dog breeds. Its story begins not in Labrador, but along the rugged coast of Newfoundland, where the St. John's Water Dog worked alongside fishermen retrieving nets, ropes, and fish from the freezing North Atlantic. During the 19th century, British aristocrats recognized these dogs' extraordinary swimming abilities, endurance, and trainability. Through selective breeding, they developed the modern Labrador Retriever, an exceptional hunting companion distinguished by its water-resistant double coat, powerful otter tail, and gentle retrieving instinct known as a soft mouth.
The episode follows the Labrador's transformation from working retriever into an indispensable military, law enforcement, and assistance dog. We examine the genetics behind black, yellow, and chocolate coats, the differences between field-bred and show-bred Labradors, and the extraordinary capabilities of their sense of smell. From Zanjeer's explosives detection work in Mumbai to Lucky and Flo's efforts against counterfeit DVDs, we discover how these dogs have served in remarkably different roles. We also explore the achievements of service dogs such as Endal, Sully, Salty, and Roselle, whose intelligence, training, and loyalty made a profound difference in human lives. Finally, we examine the health challenges associated with selective breeding, including joint disorders, inherited diseases, obesity, and genetic variations affecting appetite. The Labrador's story reveals how centuries of human decisions shaped an extraordinary working animal and raises important questions about preserving its health and well-being in modern life.
In this episode we cover...
- The Labrador's origins in Newfoundland, the St. John's Water Dog, 19th-century fishing communities, and the breed's development through British aristocratic breeding programs
- The Labrador's distinctive anatomy, waterproof double coat, otter tail, soft mouth, coat color genetics, and differences between field-bred and show-bred dogs
- Military and police service, extraordinary scent detection abilities, and notable working dogs including Zanjeer, Lucky, Flo, Sarbi, Sadie, and Sasha
- Guide and assistance dog training, the achievements of Endal and Sully, and the lifesaving actions of Salty and Roselle during the September 11 attacks
- Labrador health and longevity, hip and elbow dysplasia, inherited eye diseases, exercise-induced collapse, appetite-related genetics, and the responsibilities of modern ownership
Source credit: Research for this episode included transcript materials and supporting historical sources accessed November 4, 2026. Content is summarized and adapted for commentary and educational use.
Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, do less …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, do less, and notice more. From the towering Cliffs of Moher and the ancient stone forts of the Aran Islands to the extraordinary limestone terrain of the Burren, we discover a country shaped by geology, centuries of history, and enduring cultural traditions. Our journey continues through Dingle, the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, and Cork, examining the natural beauty, local food, music, and historical landmarks that make each destination distinctive. Along the way, we explore the challenges of navigating Ireland's narrow coastal roads, the engineering behind ancient fortifications, and the remarkable stories preserved in castles, monasteries, and maritime communities.
The episode also examines Ireland's complicated political history, including the Williamite War, British administration at Dublin Castle, and the events surrounding the 1981 Northern Ireland hunger strike. We discuss the competing political perspectives, the prison protests, Bobby Sands' election to Parliament, and the lasting consequences of the conflict. Beyond these historical struggles, we discover the traditions that continue to define Irish life, from communal pub music sessions and the influence of the Chieftains to traditional dishes such as coddle, boxty, colcannon, and Irish stew. Whether exploring the maritime history of Cobh, visiting Phoenix Park, discovering Irish whiskey traditions, or searching for a castle to inherit, this journey offers a deeper appreciation of Ireland's extraordinary connection between place, history, and culture.
In this episode we cover...
- The philosophy of slow travel, the Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands, Dún Aonghasa, the Burren, and Ireland's distinctive geology and ancient monuments
- Dingle's music and culinary traditions, the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, Skellig Michael, and the challenges of navigating narrow coastal roads
- Cork's cultural identity, the English Market, Cobh's connection to the Titanic and Lusitania, Spike Island, and Ireland's extensive collection of historic castles
- The Williamite War, Dublin Castle, the Troubles, the 1981 hunger strike, Bobby Sands, and the historical tradition of fasting as a form of protest
- Phoenix Park, Irish whiskey, traditional pub music, the Chieftains, regional foods, Irish languages, literature, and the importance of cultural preservation
Source credit: Research for this episode included transcript materials and supporting historical sources accessed November 3, 2026. Content is summarized and adapted for commentary and educational use.
Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where he sang in …
Notes de l’épisode
William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where he sang in the teenage choral group the Ambassadors and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1962. As Willie Hutch he began recording in 1964 on the Soul City label, then returned to Los Angeles, where he wrote and arranged for the 5th Dimension. In 1969 he signed with RCA and released Soul Portrait and Season for Love. Motown producer Hal Davis then called him late one night needing lyrics for a Jackson 5 song. Hutch wrote them overnight, the group recorded them the next morning, and the song became I'll Be There.
Berry Gordy signed him as a staff writer, arranger, producer and musician, and he worked with Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and Marvin Gaye. In 1973 he released the solo album Fully Exposed and the soundtrack to The Mack, followed by the 1974 Foxy Brown score, setting funk and layered vocals to Blaxploitation films. He moved to Norman Whitfield's Whitfield Records in 1977, returned to Motown in 1982 with the club hit In and Out, and contributed to The Last Dragon in 1985.
- The Mack soundtrack included Brother's Gonna Work It Out and Slick.
- He released at least six Motown albums in the mid-1970s, and Love Power reached No. 41 on the Hot 100 in 1975.
- His Last Dragon songs were Keep On Jammin' and The Glow.
- Manager Anthony Voigt remembered him as kind, giving and considerate.
- He returned to Dallas by 1994 and died there in September 2005 at 60, and his nephews include Cold 187um of Above the Law and Kokane.
Songs in the Key of Life: Stevie Wonder's Ghana Plan and a $13 Million Deal
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In early 1975, at 24 and after Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First …
Notes de l’épisode
In early 1975, at 24 and after Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale, Stevie Wonder was planning a farewell concert and a move to Ghana to work with children with disabilities, driven by frustration with the U.S. government and social inequality. On August 5, 1975, he called off the move. With Arista and Epic circling, he signed a seven-year, seven-album Motown deal with $13 million up front, bonuses, a 20 percent royalty, total artistic control and ownership of his publishing, the largest recording contract to that point.
He then spent a year making the album, first called Let's See Life the Way It Is, mainly at Crystal Sound in Hollywood, plus the Record Plant in Los Angeles and Sausalito and six weeks at New York's Hit Factory, with about 130 people involved. Released in September 1976 as Songs in the Key of Life, a double LP with a bonus four-song EP, it became the first album by an American artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and held the top spot for 14 weeks. Wonder missed the 1977 Grammys while in Nigeria, and a failed satellite link left Andy Williams asking, "Stevie, can you see us?"
- Bassist Nathan Watts got home at 3 a.m. and was called straight back to work on the bass line for I Wish.
- Wonder sang upbeat leads into an Electro-Voice RE20, and Motown staff wore shirts reading "We're almost finished."
- Gary Byrd co-wrote Village Ghetto Land and Black Man, and brother Calvin Hardaway co-wrote Have a Talk With God.
- Paul Simon thanked Wonder at the 1976 Grammys for not releasing an album that year.
- Will Smith reworked I Wish and Coolio turned Pastime Paradise into Gangsta's Paradise, and the episode says a 2026 anniversary tour and an EP of four 1976 outtakes followed.
Super Freak's Afterlife: Alonzo Miller's Edit, Beat Freaks and Nicki Minaj
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Super Freak was recorded in winter 1980 and early 1981 for Rick James' fifth album, Street Songs, at the …
Notes de l’épisode
Super Freak was recorded in winter 1980 and early 1981 for Rick James' fifth album, Street Songs, at the Record Plant in Sausalito and Motown's Hitsville studio in Hollywood. The episode says James set out to make a pragmatic crossover hit that white audiences would dance to. Oscar Alston played the bass line, Daniel LeMelle of the Stone City Band took the tenor sax solo, and Taborah Johnson and the Temptations, including James' idol Melvin Franklin, sang backing vocals. Los Angeles DJ Alonzo Miller toned down the raw, improvised lyrics so radio would play the song and earned a co-writing credit.
The single topped the Billboard dance chart, reached No. 3 on the soul chart and No. 16 on the Hot 100, and went gold in the U.S. and Canada and platinum in the UK and New Zealand. Its 1982 Grammy nomination came for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. In 2006 the Dutch group Beat Freaks released Just Super Freak, built from a sample replay by Mark Summers in Barcelona, and it reached No. 7 in the UK. Alston's syncopated bass riff has since anchored hits across four decades.
- The song reached No. 2 in Belgium and the Netherlands.
- MC Hammer built U Can't Touch This on the riff in 1990.
- Jay-Z sampled it on Kingdom Come in 2006, and the Black Eyed Peas used it on Vida Loca in 2020.
- Nicki Minaj, who appeared on a Big Sean remix built on Hammer's sample, scored Super Freaky Girl in 2022.
- Rolling Stone moved the song from No. 477 in 2004 to No. 153 in 2021 on its 500 greatest songs list.
What's Going On: Obie Benson's Berkeley Bus Ride and a Smuggled 1971 Single
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!What's Going On began in May 1969, when the Four Tops' Renaldo "Obie" Benson watched the Bloody Thursday …
Notes de l’épisode
What's Going On began in May 1969, when the Four Tops' Renaldo "Obie" Benson watched the Bloody Thursday clash at People's Park in Berkeley, California, from the group's tour bus. Troubled that the country sent young people to war while armed authorities attacked them at home, he wrote the song with Al Cleveland. The Four Tops rejected it as too controversial, and Marvin Gaye at first thought it suited the Originals before taking it on and adding his own lyrics. Gaye was carrying guilt about singing romantic pop after the 1965 Watts riots, his brother Frankie's three years in Vietnam, and the death of a cousin in the military.
Berry Gordy dismissed the idea, so Gaye produced the track himself at Hitsville USA in June 1970, using the Funk Brothers and outside players in a loose, smoke-filled session. Gordy hated the finished record's jazz feel and scat singing and refused to release it, and Gaye went on strike. In January 1971 executives Harry Balk and Barney Ales pressed 100,000 copies without Gordy's knowledge and sent them to radio. The run sold out within days and became Motown's fastest-selling single to that point, and Gordy then demanded a full album by the end of March.
- Eli Fontaine's opening alto sax line was a warm-up that Gaye kept as the take.
- James Jamerson, drunk on Metaxa, played the bass part lying flat on his back on the studio floor.
- Engineer Ken Sands accidentally played two vocal takes at once, and Gaye kept the layered effect.
- Detroit Lions players were brought in to chat in the background, giving the track its party atmosphere.
- Later versions included Cyndi Lauper's 1987 cover, charity records for the 1989 Armenian earthquake and Rwanda in 1994, and a 2001 all-star version that aided 9/11 relief.
Dreamgirls 2006: Whitney's Lost Deal, 783 Effie Auditions and an Oscar Snub
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!The 2006 film of Dreamgirls spent 25 years in development. David Geffen, who co-financed the 1981 Broadway …
Notes de l’épisode
The 2006 film of Dreamgirls spent 25 years in development. David Geffen, who co-financed the 1981 Broadway show that won six Tony Awards, guarded the rights to protect director Michael Bennett, who died in 1987. A late-1980s deal with Whitney Houston as Deena collapsed when she wanted Effie's showstoppers, including And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going. In the late 1990s Warner Bros. planned a version with Lauryn Hill as Deena and Kelly Price as Effie, then dropped it after the Frankie Lymon film Why Do Fools Fall in Love flopped. After Chicago's success, its screenwriter Bill Condon won Geffen over.
Jamie Foxx turned down Curtis Taylor Jr. over salary, then took less once Eddie Murphy and Beyonce, who had to screen test, were cast. Condon auditioned 783 women for Effie and chose American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson over Fantasia Barrino. Beyonce dropped 20 pounds on a liquid diet while Hudson gained 20, and Condon held private sessions telling Hudson to arrive late and act out to find Effie's resentment. The film, budgeted at about $75 million to $80 million, grossed over $155 million and drew eight Oscar nominations, the most that year, without a Best Picture or Best Director nod.
- Filming And I Am Telling You took four days instead of one, as Hudson sang live until her voice gave out.
- Album covers for the fictional Dreams copied real Supremes records, and a prop Martin Luther King Jr. LP matched a 1963 Motown release.
- Smokey Robinson objected to Curtis's payola and mob-loan story as a slur on Berry Gordy.
- DreamWorks and Paramount publicly apologized to Gordy and Motown alumni about a week before the Oscars.
- Hudson won Best Supporting Actress in her film debut, while Murphy lost Best Supporting Actor to Alan Arkin.
Eddie Holland: A Top 30 Hit With Jamie, Then the Pen Behind 143 Hits
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Edward James Holland Jr. was born in Detroit in October 1939. In 1958 he sang You, You, You, You, You for …
Notes de l’épisode
Edward James Holland Jr. was born in Detroit in October 1939. In 1958 he sang You, You, You, You, You for Mercury Records, a track Berry Gordy co-wrote and produced, and when Gordy launched Motown in 1959 Holland was among its first artists. His 1961 single Jamie reached the U.S. top 30 and No. 6 on the R&B chart, followed by the 1962 album Eddie Holland. Just as his career was taking off, he found he disliked performing and the spotlight, and he gave up singing to focus on writing.
With his younger brother Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier he formed Holland-Dozier-Holland, with Brian and Dozier handling music and production and Eddie writing the lyrics for Martha and the Vandellas, the Supremes, the Four Tops and the Isley Brothers. At Motown he received songwriting credit but no producer credit, which the episode ties to the label's assembly-line division of roles. In 1968 the trio left Motown to found Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, where Eddie finally shared production credits.
- Eddie wrote or co-wrote 143 U.S. chart hits and another 80 in the UK.
- With Norman Whitfield he wrote the lyrics for Too Many Fish in the Sea and Beauty Is Only Skin Deep.
- Holland-Dozier-Holland entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers.
- In 2009 he wrote songs for a stage musical of The First Wives Club.
- His 2019 memoir with Brian and Dave Thompson, Come and Get These Memories, came amid court cases over taxes, loans and publishing in 1985, 1988, 1996, 2017 and 2020.
Detroit 1967 Riot: Willie Horton's Plea, Guard Panic and Phantom Snipers
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!At 3:45 a.m. on Sunday, July 23, 1967, Detroit police raided an after-hours blind pig in a 12th Street …
Notes de l’épisode
At 3:45 a.m. on Sunday, July 23, 1967, Detroit police raided an after-hours blind pig in a 12th Street printing office and found 85 people celebrating two GIs back from Vietnam. The episode traces the pressure behind that night: federal redlining that gave Black areas D ratings, restrictive covenants written into deeds, urban renewal that leveled Black Bottom and Paradise Valley for the Chrysler Freeway, roughly 150,000 jobs lost to the suburbs, and a city about 30 percent Black patrolled by a force 93 percent white, including the feared Big Four squads.
A bottle thrown during the slow arrests, which William Walter Scott III later admitted throwing, set off looting that began in a carnival atmosphere. Local media tried a news blackout, while Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, Governor George Romney and President Lyndon Johnson delayed over troops. By Monday nearly 500 fires burned. The mostly white, rural Michigan National Guard fired at perceived snipers, while integrated 82nd and 101st Airborne paratroopers kept rifles unloaded and killed one civilian. Of more than 7,000 arrests, 26 were for sniping and none led to a successful prosecution, pointing to friendly fire.
- Tigers left fielder Willie Horton drove into the riot zone in uniform and pleaded with crowds from the hood of a car.
- Four-year-old Tanya Blanding was killed when a Guard tank fired a .50 caliber machine gun at a window where someone lit a cigarette.
- Joe's Record Shop on 12th Street, where early Aretha Franklin tracks were recorded, was ruined and never reopened.
- The toll was 43 dead, more than 2,000 buildings damaged and $40 million in losses, and 173,000 white residents left within two years.
- Romney passed a fair housing act, and Coleman Young became mayor in 1974 and abolished the STRESS decoy unit.
For Once in My Life: Billie Jean Brown's Fight to Free Stevie Wonder's Take
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!For Once in My Life was written in 1965 by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown's publishing wing as a …
Notes de l’épisode
For Once in My Life was written in 1965 by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown's publishing wing as a slow, sentimental ballad. Connie Haynes recorded it first in July 1965, but that version stayed unreleased for 50 years until a 2015 digital compilation. Miller had Jean DuShon cut a demo, and Chess Records issued her version on its Cadet label in October 1966. After Detroit's WXYZ named it a pick hit of the week, Berry Gordy, learning his contracted writer's song was rising on a rival label, forced Chess to drop its promotion. DuShon removed it from her nightclub act and said it no longer felt like hers.
Motown then tried the ballad with Jack Soo, Barbara McNair, the Four Tops and the Temptations, whose version became a showcase for Paul Williams, while Tony Bennett's 1967 ballad took the song onto the pop charts. That summer, Stevie Wonder and producer Henry Cosby recorded a fast, harmonica-driven version. Gordy hated it and shelved it until quality control head Billie Jean Brown pushed him into releasing it in October 1968. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard pop and R&B charts, held off by Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through the Grapevine, another track Gordy had first rejected.
- Jack Soo, one of Motown's first non-Black artists, claimed to be the first man to record the song.
- Paul Williams' 1968 performance on the TCB television special is called the peak of his career.
- Frank Sinatra recorded the song in 1969.
- James Jamerson improvised the bass line so that no two bars repeat, with Uriel Jones on drums and Earl Van Dyke on piano.
- Bennett and Wonder recorded a 2006 duet that won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration.
Wanda Young: From Nursing Student to Marvelettes Lead and a 1989 Comeback
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Wanda LaFaye Young was born in August 1943 and raised in Inkster, Michigan, one of ten children of Ford …
Notes de l’épisode
Wanda LaFaye Young was born in August 1943 and raised in Inkster, Michigan, one of ten children of Ford plant worker James and homemaker Beatrice. She was studying for nursing exams when classmate Gladys Horton asked her to audition after Georgia Dobbins left the group because her father forbade secular music. The group, then called the Casinyets, auditioned for Berry Gordy with Please Mr. Postman, which Dobbins had co-written. Renamed the Marvelettes, they took the song to No. 1 in late 1961 as Motown's first No. 1 pop single, and it held No. 1 on the R&B chart for seven weeks.
Wanda sang the B-side, So Long Baby, and gradually became the main lead on hits including Don't Mess With Bill, I'll Keep Holding On and The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game. The group passed on Where Did Our Love Go for Too Many Fish in the Sea, which stalled at No. 25. By 1970 the group had broken up, her Smokey Robinson-produced solo album was released as The Return of the Marvelettes, and Motown's 1972 move to Los Angeles left her behind. She divorced Miracles member Bobby Rogers in 1975, endured family violence and years of alcohol and drug addiction, and lost custody of her children.
- Florence Ballard of the Supremes filled in for Wanda during her 1962 maternity leave.
- Her sister was murdered at the family home in Inkster, and her brother was badly hurt in a separate shooting.
- In 1989 Ian Levine's Motorcity Records brought her back to the studio, where Kim Weston helped her through the sessions.
- She and Gladys Horton released The Marvelettes Now, with a cover modeled on their 1967 pink album.
- Her daughter Miracle was murdered in Inkster in 2015, and Wanda died of COPD in Garden City, Michigan, in December 2021 at 78.
Raynoma Gordy Singleton: Miss Ray's 5,000 Bootleg Copies of My Guy
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Raynoma Mayberry was born in Detroit in March 1937, the eighth child of her mother Lucille and the first …
Notes de l’épisode
Raynoma Mayberry was born in Detroit in March 1937, the eighth child of her mother Lucille and the first of her father Ashby, a Cadillac janitor. After a marriage to musician Charles Liles and the birth of son Cliff in December 1955, she auditioned in 1958 with her sister Alice for a young songwriter named Berry Gordy. He passed on their singing, but she told him she could write lead sheets and arrange, and he hired her. She organized the backing group the Rayber Voices, with Brian Holland, Robert Bateman and Sonny Sanders, and the pair formed the Rayber Music Writing Company.
With Smokey Robinson, she pushed Gordy to start his own label, found the house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard that became Hitsville USA, and ran the Jobete publishing arm with her brother Mike Ossman and receptionist Janie Bradford. She married Gordy in 1960 and had son Kerry, but the marriage ended in a Mexican divorce by mail after his affair with Margaret Norton. She then opened a Jobete office in New York, and when funding from Detroit fell short she had 5,000 bootleg copies of Mary Wells' My Guy pressed and sold. Gordy was furious but did not press charges.
- Her later husband Eddie Singleton warned her against the bootleg scheme.
- Gordy loaned the couple the money to start Shrine Records in Washington, D.C., which did not succeed.
- She returned to Detroit and Motown in 1968 and later worked under a Gordy-funded arrangement called Super 3.
- She executive produced Rockwell's 1984 album Somebody's Watching Me and its 1985 follow-up Captured, made by Gordy's son Kennedy.
- She died of brain cancer in Woodland Hills, California, in 2016 at 79.
Yvonne Fair: The Singer Whose I Found You Became James Brown's I Feel Good
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Yvonne Fair was born Flora Yvonne Coleman in Richmond, Virginia, in October 1942. She left high school in …
Notes de l’épisode
Yvonne Fair was born Flora Yvonne Coleman in Richmond, Virginia, in October 1942. She left high school in 11th grade, married Leroy Fair and had a son, Leroy Jr., and her husband pushed her to join the vocal group the Chantels. By 1961 she was a featured singer in the James Brown Revue, and in 1962 she recorded I Found You for King Records. Three years later Brown sped it up, added staccato horns and released it as I Got You (I Feel Good). Fair and Brown were also involved and had a daughter, Venisha Brown, who died in 2018 at 53.
With help from Chuck Jackson she moved to Motown, opening for the Temptations, the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder and singing in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues. Producer Norman Whitfield paired her raw voice with his hard funk on singles such as Love Ain't No Toy and Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On, leading to her 1975 album The Bitch Is Black. Her 1976 version of It Should Have Been Me barely touched the U.S. Hot 100 but reached No. 5 in the UK, where the Northern Soul audience embraced it.
- Brown's revue docked pay for missed cues and unpolished shoes.
- She lip-synced It Should Have Been Me in the 1991 British TV film Mister Roadrunner with Jools Holland and Stephen Fry.
- The song featured in a 2006 Christmas special of The Vicar of Dibley.
- She sang backing vocals on Patti LaBelle's You Are My Friend and the Commodores' Jesus Is Love, worked as Dionne Warwick's wardrobe coordinator and married Sammy Strain.
- She died of pancreatic cancer in Las Vegas on March 6, 1994, at 51, and Tika Sumpter played her in the 2014 film Get On Up.
DeBarge: Rhythm of the Night, a Motown Split and the Siblings' Hidden Pain
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!DeBarge came out of Detroit and later Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their mother, gospel singer Etterlene Abney …
Notes de l’épisode
DeBarge came out of Detroit and later Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their mother, gospel singer Etterlene Abney, married the older Robert Louis DeBarge Sr. at 17, and the marriage, which lasted until 1974, was defined by control and physical abuse. Several children later accused their father of sexual abuse, and Bunny described abuse from ages seven to 13. Older brothers Tommy and Bobby of the Motown group Switch bought instruments for Randy, Mark, El and Bunny, and by 1979 the younger siblings were singing and playing on Switch records. In 1980 El played piano for Berry Gordy and won a contract for the DeBarges.
The 1981 debut flopped. In 1982 the group added James, shortened the name to DeBarge and broke through with All This Love. From 1983 to 1985 they earned gold albums, toured with Luther Vandross and peaked with Diane Warren's Rhythm of the Night from Motown's film The Last Dragon. As drug use spread, Motown routed resources to El, who left along with Bunny for solo deals, and dropped the remaining brothers in 1986. The 1987 album Bad Boys on Striped Horse failed to chart, and the group was finished by 1989.
- James DeBarge eloped with 18-year-old Janet Jackson in 1984, and the marriage was annulled in 1985.
- Bobby and Chico DeBarge were arrested for drug trafficking in Grand Rapids in 1988 and sent to separate prisons.
- Bobby died of AIDS complications in hospice, and Tommy died of kidney failure in 2021.
- Bunny's 2008 memoir The Kept Ones, and a 2020 book under the same title that El called fiction, set off a family feud.
- The Notorious B.I.G. sampled Stay With Me, Ashanti reworked it for Foolish, and Tupac interpolated A Dream on I Ain't Mad at Cha.
I Wish It Would Rain: Roger Penzabene's Real Heartbreak Behind the Hit
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!I Wish It Would Rain was recorded by the Temptations in Hitsville USA's Studio A in Detroit in two …
Notes de l’épisode
I Wish It Would Rain was recorded by the Temptations in Hitsville USA's Studio A in Detroit in two sessions, on April 22 and August 31, 1967, and released on the Gordy imprint on December 21, 1967. David Ruffin sang lead with Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams and Otis Williams behind him, the Funk Brothers played, and Norman Whitfield produced. Staff writer Roger Penzabene wrote the lyrics with Whitfield and Barrett Strong while he was learning that his own wife was having an affair, so the song's man begging for rain to hide his tears was drawn from his life at that moment.
Billboard called the single an easy beat blues rocker, and Cash Box praised its Bacharach-like strings and hard percussion, with neither dwelling on the lyric. Penzabene also wrote the follow-up, I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You). On New Year's Eve 1967, about a week after the release, he took his own life. The song went on to reach No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spend three weeks at No. 1 on the R&B chart in early 1968, and it anchored the album The Temptations Wish It Would Rain.
- The B-side, I Truly, Truly Believe, featured Melvin Franklin on lead.
- Studio A was a converted photography studio and garage.
- Gladys Knight and the Pips' cover reached No. 41 pop and No. 15 R&B.
- New Zealand singer John Stevens released a 1994 cover to raise money for drought-hit farmers, reaching No. 49.
- Bruce Springsteen recorded the song for his 2022 album Only the Strong Survive.
Bobby Brown: A $500 VCR Payout, New Jack Swing and a $400,000 Ransom
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Bobby Brown grew up one of eight children in Boston's Orchard Park projects, and at age three he watched …
Notes de l’épisode
Bobby Brown grew up one of eight children in Boston's Orchard Park projects, and at age three he watched James Brown perform live. After singing in church choirs, he formed New Edition around 1980 with Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell, and later Ralph Tresvant and Ronnie DeVoe. The group sold millions of records and topped charts in the UK and New Zealand, yet Brown says he received about $500 and a VCR for that early run. Rebelling against the clean-cut image by breaking choreography and singing out of turn, he was out of the group by the mid-1980s.
His 1986 solo debut made little impact, but his 1988 second album, built with Teddy Riley, Babyface and L.A. Reid, helped define New Jack Swing by laying gospel and R&B harmonies over swung TR-808 hip-hop drums. At 19 he became the youngest male artist to top the Billboard 200 with a studio album, selling 12 million copies. His 1992 marriage to Whitney Houston, a 2005 Bravo reality series and their 2007 divorce followed. Brown later said a Catholic priest sexually abused him as a child, and he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 32.
- The second album was the best-selling album of 1989 in the U.S. and won a Grammy.
- A 120-day world tour brought on-stage antics that drew trouble with local police.
- In 1993 a New York street gang kidnapped him over a $25,000 drug debt, and Houston paid a $400,000 ransom that was never reported.
- He survived a 1995 drive-by shooting that killed his sister's boyfriend beside him.
- He lost Houston in 2012, daughter Bobbi Kristina in 2015 and son Bobby Jr. in 2020, and rejoined New Edition for the 2022 Culture Tour.
The Marvelettes: A Fourth-Place Finish and an All-Night Postman Rewrite
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In the fall of 1960 at Inkster High School, west of Detroit, 15-year-old glee club member Gladys Horton …
Notes de l’épisode
In the fall of 1960 at Inkster High School, west of Detroit, 15-year-old glee club member Gladys Horton, an orphaned ward of the courts, formed a group with Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart and graduate Georgia Dobbins. They first called themselves the Casinyets because they felt they could not sing yet. The 1961 school talent show offered the top three acts a Motown audition. The group placed fourth, but teachers pushed for them, and Berry Gordy told them to return with an original song. Dobbins took an unfinished blues by local musician William Garrett, Please Mr. Postman, and rebuilt it overnight as an upbeat doo-wop number.
Dobbins's father then barred her from show business, and Wanda Young replaced her. Signed to Tamla in July 1961 as the Marvelettes, the group saw Please Mr. Postman reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1961, Motown's first No. 1 pop hit. The promised tutors never appeared, Cowart left in 1963 after a breakdown, Tillman left in 1965 with lupus, and Horton quit in 1967. Motown issued Wanda's solo album as The Return of the Marvelettes, and promoter Larry Marshak later acquired the abandoned trademark and toured imposter lineups.
- Freddie Gorman, who helped finish Please Mr. Postman, was working as a real mailman.
- Juanita Cowart, flustered on American Bandstand, said Detroit was a suburb of Inkster.
- The group passed on Where Did Our Love Go in favor of Too Many Fish in the Sea.
- Katherine Anderson refused to pose for The Return of the Marvelettes cover.
- Former members sued Motown for royalties in 1987, and Truth in Music laws passed in 33 states.
Meet the Supremes: Shrill Early Takes, Buttered Popcorn and a UK Reshuffle
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Meet the Supremes, the group's debut studio album, was recorded at Hitsville USA in Detroit between …
Notes de l’épisode
Meet the Supremes, the group's debut studio album, was recorded at Hitsville USA in Detroit between October 1960 and September 1962 and released in December 1962. Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Raynoma Liles all produced tracks, and the record moves between pop, rhythm and blues and 1950s doo-wop. Four singles, I Want a Guy, Buttered Popcorn, Your Heart Belongs to Me and Let Me Go the Right Way, failed to make a real chart impact, and the lead vocal was still shared among Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Barbara Martin.
Critics described Ross's delivery on I Want a Guy as shrill, with the backing vocals buried in the mix, while Your Heart Belongs to Me showed a tender Ross and warmer Wilson and Ballard harmonies. Buttered Popcorn, sung entirely by Ballard, was a raw, innuendo-heavy R&B novelty that reviewers are surprised got past Motown's quality control. After the 1964 Holland-Dozier-Holland hits, the UK release on Stateside EMI swapped out older tracks for the new chart toppers under the same title, and that version reached No. 13.
- Mary Wilson sings lead on Baby Don't Go, and Barbara Martin co-leads He's Seventeen.
- Florence Ballard co-leads Let Me Go the Right Way and carries Buttered Popcorn alone.
- Critics single out Time Changes Things as a precursor to the later Holland-Dozier-Holland style.
- The reworked UK edition of late 1964 spent six weeks in the UK Top 20.
- A 2010 expanded CD gathered outtakes, live recordings and both the mono and stereo mixes.
Three Times a Lady: An Anniversary Toast and a Waltz Meant for Sinatra
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Lionel Richie formed the Commodores as students at Tuskegee University, and the band built its name on …
Notes de l’épisode
Lionel Richie formed the Commodores as students at Tuskegee University, and the band built its name on dance-floor funk. Growing up in Alabama he also absorbed classical music from his grandmother Adelaide Foster, a piano teacher, and the country music around him. The spark for Three Times a Lady came at his parents' 37th wedding anniversary party, where his father toasted his mother for the many roles she had filled as partner, parent and companion. Richie realized he had not expressed that kind of gratitude to his own wife, Brenda.
He wrote the song as a waltz in three-four time and, sure it did not fit the Commodores, planned to pitch it to Frank Sinatra. While the band prepared the Natural High album, he played it for producer James Anthony Carmichael with that disclaimer, and Carmichael insisted it go on the Commodores record. Released in 1978, it climbed the Hot 100 over eight weeks to spend two weeks at No. 1 and also topped the R&B and adult contemporary charts, crossing radio formats that were strictly divided at the time.
- It was the only Motown single to reach the US top 10 that year.
- It went to No. 1 in Canada, Australia, Ireland and the UK and earned gold certification in New Zealand.
- Rolling Stone and Cash Box named the Commodores top R&B group of the year, and Billboard ranked them the No. 3 pop group of 1978.
- The song's success brought demand for Richie's writing and led to his collaboration with Kenny Rogers.
- Nate Harvell charted a country version in 1978, and Conway Twitty took his 1983 cover from Lost in the Feeling into the country top 10.
Stevie Wonder's Innervisions: A Log Truck Crash, a Coma and Higher Ground
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!By 1973 Stevie Wonder had shed the Little Stevie image through Music of My Mind and Talking Book. On …
Notes de l’épisode
By 1973 Stevie Wonder had shed the Little Stevie image through Music of My Mind and Talking Book. On Innervisions, released August 3, 1973, he played nearly every instrument himself, from drums and bass to Fender Rhodes, clavinet and the TONTO synthesizer system built by associate producers Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, who pushed him toward social and spiritual themes. The album covered drug paranoia on Too High, systemic racism on Living for the City and Richard Nixon on He's Misstra Know-It-All. For Living for the City's final verse, the producers kept interrupting his takes until he was hoarse and angry.
Three days after release, on August 6, Wonder was asleep in the passenger seat after a concert in Greenville, South Carolina, when the car, driven by friend John Harris near Durham, North Carolina, hit a logging truck. A log smashed through the windshield and struck his forehead. He lay in a coma in Winston-Salem for 10 days, his head badly swollen, until tour director Ira Tucker sang Higher Ground into his ear and Wonder's fingers began tapping the rhythm. Later, afraid his ability was gone, he hesitated before touching a clavinet Tucker brought to the hospital.
- He temporarily lost his sense of smell and took medication for a year for headaches and fatigue.
- Bandmate Michael Sembello said the accident brought his spirituality to the surface, deepening his belief in God, reincarnation and ESP.
- Wonder called surviving the crash his second chance at life and saw Higher Ground as almost a premonition.
- At Madison Square Garden in late March 1974 he pointed to his scar and thanked God before 21,000 fans.
- Innervisions reached No. 4 on the Billboard albums chart and No. 1 on Soul LPs, and won Album of the Year and Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording, with Living for the City winning Best R&B Song.
Nowhere to Run: Ivy Jo Hunter's Snow Chains, Panic Lyrics and John Wick
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Nowhere to Run, the 1965 Martha and the Vandellas single, was written and produced by …
Notes de l’épisode
Nowhere to Run, the 1965 Martha and the Vandellas single, was written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland as the follow-up to Dancing in the Street. The Funk Brothers built a dense wall of sound with Earl Van Dyke on piano, Benny Benjamin on drums, James Jamerson on bass and a full horn section. Ivy Jo Hunter added the track's most unusual sound by shaking a heavy set of automotive snow chains next to Jack Ashford's tambourine, giving the rhythm a metallic, industrial clank the episode ties to Detroit's auto plants.
The lyrics describe a woman trapped in a relationship she cannot leave, and the hosts argue the relentless tempo mirrors a racing heartbeat and a panic attack. Reviewers at the time heard mainly a dance record: Cash Box called it a rough, blues-inspired teen dance track, and Billboard praised its gospel piano. On June 28, 1965, Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford and Betty Kelly performed it on a Ford Mustang assembly line at the River Rouge plant for the CBS special Murray the K: It's What's Happening, Baby.
- The single reached No. 8 on the Billboard pop chart and No. 5 on the R&B chart.
- It first peaked at No. 26 in the UK, later earned a gold certification there and became a Northern Soul favorite.
- Its use in Good Morning, Vietnam prompted a 1988 UK reissue that charted again.
- The song also appears in Crimson Tide, Bringing Out the Dead and Baby Driver.
- Arnold McCuller covered it for The Warriors in 1979, and Lola Colette recorded a version for John Wick: Chapter 4.
The Andantes: 20,000 Tracks, Four Tops Sopranos and the Darnells Ruse
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!The Andantes, Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps, were Motown's in-house female session …
Notes de l’épisode
The Andantes, Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps, were Motown's in-house female session singers through the 1960s, credited with roughly 20,000 recordings and seven Billboard No. 1 hits while remaining anonymous. On three- and four-track tape, producers needed singers who could sight-read a chart and lock a three-part harmony in one or two takes. Under Holland-Dozier-Holland they became the uncredited high voices on Four Tops hits such as Baby I Need Your Loving, I Can't Help Myself and Reach Out I'll Be There, their sopranos set against Levi Stubbs' baritone so the records cut through AM radio.
From 1965 Motown used them as substitute or supplemental voices on records credited to its girl groups: the Marvelettes in 1965, Martha and the Vandellas around 1966, and the Supremes in 1968 and 1969, including Love Child. Their own releases were handled strangely. A 1963 single with the Marvelettes came out under the invented name the Darnells, and their 1964 single Like a Nightmare, finally credited to the Andantes, had Anne Bogan singing lead instead of any member.
- They also sang behind Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Stevie Wonder's For Once in My Life and Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.
- With Pat Lewis in place of Louvain Demps, they backed Jackie Wilson's Higher and Higher and much of its album.
- From 1989 to 1992 they recorded their own material for Ian Levine's Motorcity Records, with Pat Lewis as a full member.
- Louvain Demps released the solo album Better Times in 1992.
- They entered the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in August 2014; Marlene Barrow died in 2015 and Pat Lewis in September 2024.
Uriel Jones: The Laid-Back Drummer on Grapevine and Ain't No Mountain
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Uriel Jones, born in Detroit in 1934, entered Motown's Funk Brothers as a backup for Benny Benjamin, whose …
Notes de l’épisode
Uriel Jones, born in Detroit in 1934, entered Motown's Funk Brothers as a backup for Benny Benjamin, whose health and reliability were failing just as the label's output soared. Moving up alongside Richard Pistol Allen, Jones had to deliver radio-ready takes in the Snake Pit from charts he had never seen. Influenced by Art Blakey, he did not imitate Benjamin's pushing style. Arrangers described his playing as open, laid back and the funkiest of the studio drummers, placing the beat a hair behind the click and leaving room for James Jamerson's bass to roam.
His credits include Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through the Grapevine, the Temptations' Ain't Too Proud to Beg and I Can't Get Next to You, Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, the Miracles' The Tracks of My Tears and I Second That Emotion, and Stevie Wonder's For Once in My Life. Like Benjamin he built a mixed Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers and Gretsch kit with Zildjian cymbals to cut through dense arrangements. Decades of anonymity ended with the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown, which brought him a late-career resurgence.
- He played on both the 1967 Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Diana Ross's 1970 remake.
- On the Temptations' Cloud Nine he shared drum duties with Spider Webb.
- In 2008 he recorded at Studio A in Dearborn Heights for a Carl Dixon Band Tracks tribute session.
- That session reunited him with Spider Webb, Bob Babbitt and Dennis Coffey, with arranger David Van De Pitte leading.
- He died in March 2009 at 74 in a Dearborn hospital after complications from a heart attack.
Benny Benjamin: Big Band Roots, a Mixed-Brand Kit and the Beatles' Question
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William Benny Benjamin Jr., known in the studio as Papa Zita, was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1925 …
Notes de l’épisode
William Benny Benjamin Jr., known in the studio as Papa Zita, was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1925, officially on July 25, though headstone records suggest July 15. He learned drums in the 1940s on big band jazz, absorbing Buddy Rich and the polyrhythmic Latin jazz of Tito Puente. In 1958 he became Motown's first studio drummer and, with bassist James Jamerson, the rhythmic core of the Funk Brothers. Producers including Berry Gordy reportedly refused to run sessions unless both men were present, because Benjamin reshaped arrangements with fills and syncopation not written on the chart.
His sound came partly from a mixed kit assembled from Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers and Gretsch components with Zildjian cymbals, chosen for how each piece recorded. The episode contrasts the skipping snare taps and rim clicks of the Temptations' My Girl with the four-on-the-floor drive of Get Ready. By the late 1960s, long Snake Pit hours and drug and alcohol addiction left him missing or unable to play sessions, and Richard Pistol Allen and Uriel Jones took over much of the work. He died of a stroke in Detroit on April 20, 1969, at 43.
- When the Beatles met Berry Gordy in the UK, they asked about Motown's drummer rather than its singers.
- He also drove the Four Tops' I Can't Help Myself.
- Historians debate his credit on Stevie Wonder's Uptight (Everything's Alright), with sources pointing to Pistol Allen.
- He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the sidemen category in 2003.
- Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on its 2016 list of the greatest drummers of all time.
The Funk Brothers: Snake Pit Sessions, Ed Wingate's Cash and a Door Notice
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!The Funk Brothers, Motown's in-house studio band from about 1959 to 1972, played on more than 100 R&B No …
Notes de l’épisode
The Funk Brothers, Motown's in-house studio band from about 1959 to 1972, played on more than 100 R&B No. 1 singles and over 50 pop No. 1 hits, yet stayed unknown to the public. About 13 core players formed the backbone, including Joe Hunter and Earl Van Dyke on keys, Benny Benjamin and Richard Pistol Allen on drums, Jack Ashford on vibes and tambourine, guitarists Robert White, Eddie Willis and Joe Messina, and James Jamerson, whose melodic, syncopated lines changed what a pop bassist did. They worked in the Snake Pit, a cramped basement with cables hanging from the ceiling.
Benny Benjamin gave the band its name walking up the basement stairs, but Berry Gordy disliked the word funk and billed instrumental releases as Earl Van Dyke and the Soul Brothers. Paid union scale with no royalties or sleeve credits, the players moonlighted for rival labels. When Gordy fined musicians for playing on Edwin Starr's Agent 00 Soul for Ed Wingate's Ric-Tic Records, Wingate showed up at the Motown Christmas party and handed each one double the fine in cash. Gordy responded by buying Ric-Tic outright.
- The band was racially integrated, with white players including Joe Messina, Dennis Coffey and Bob Babbitt.
- Their moonlighting produced Jackie Wilson's Higher and Higher and the Capitols' Cool Jerk.
- Marvin Gaye forced the first printed credits for the band on What's Going On in 1971.
- When Motown moved to Los Angeles in 1972, many players learned of it from a notice taped to the studio door.
- Allan Slutsky's work led to the 2002 film Standing in the Shadows of Motown, a 2004 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a 2013 Walk of Fame star.
Voici les 40 derniers épisodes sur 2 669. Les épisodes plus anciens se trouvent dans le flux du podcast.
Podcasts similaires
Plus de podcasts : Histoire
C’est votre podcast ?
Confirmez-le avec une entrée dans votre flux : vous recevez ici un code, vous l’ajoutez comme podcast:txt dans le canal de votre flux, et nous le vérifions. Votre podcast apparaît ensuite comme « vérifié » sur SoundNode.