A Motown Timeline: 1970

MORE THAN 50 HOT 100 HITS IN ITS “TENTH” YEAR

It wasn’t Motown Records’ real tenth anniversary, of course.

It wasn’t even the tenth anniversary of the Motown label. That debut occurred in September 1959, when Berry Gordy’s tiny team released the Miracles’ “Bad Girl” – and then promptly licensed the 45 to Chess Records for national distribution.

Still, no matter. By 1970, Motown was entitled to celebrate its success whenever and however it wanted, such was the popularity and influence of the young music makers schooled in those modest quarters on Detroit’s West Grand Boulevard.

The company placed a remarkable 53 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in that year, garnering a market share by that measure of 11.4 percent – ahead of industry giants CBS, Capitol and RCA. It also had a 6.9 percent share of the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, with 44 titles making the grade. And Jobete was the leading music publisher of Hot 100 hits, having secured an 11.2 percent grip on the sector.

In 1970, Motown marked its self-proclaimed “tenth anniversary” in various ways, including the firm’s largest-ever sales convention in San Francisco in August, and later a special supplement in trade magazine Cash Box. “In the decade of its existence,” declared the supplement’s introduction, “Motown Records might be regarded as having blossomed on the wings of the black man’s often-successful struggle for equality.

“In truth, it has been the very exposure and acceptance of its sound – the vaunted Motown Sound – that has played a role in the black man’s achievements. A non-violent, common-denominator role of music, so capable of conveying a sense of good-will and unique musical creativity that it has helped reduce the idea of a color-line to absolute absurdity.”

On a more business-oriented level, 1970 saw Motown send seven singles to the Billboard summit – the most it would ever achieve in one year – and which in total ruled there for 18 weeks. On the Cash Box Top 100, that number rose to ten singles, for 13 weeks. On Billboard’s R&B best-sellers, Berry Gordy’s business occupied the Number One slot for no less than 31 weeks.

The year was alive with other milestones. The departure of Diana Ross from the Supremes for a solo career was an obvious one. Stevie Wonder’s advance towards adulthood was another, with Signed, Sealed & Delivered being his first album with so many self-produced tracks (although he hated the LP sleeve). The explosion of the Jackson 5 into a commercial and cultural phenomenon was a third.

BLACK FORUM DEBUTS

Other significant developments in ’70 were off the public radar, such as Marvin Gaye’s evolution from a hit-making heartthrob to a social commentator for the ages, as he worked on what was to become “What’s Going On.” He also prepared songs for an album by Sammy Davis, Jr., newly signed to Motown – although it never came to be recorded. One unusual development which did make the news was the October launch of the company’s so-called “educational and cultural label,” Black Forum — a rare excursion into racial politics.

Meanwhile, Berry Gordy’s own ambitions, particularly in Hollywood, were becoming more apparent, as Motown Productions increased its output there of network TV specials, such as those featuring Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross.

***The Jackson 5 take off for their first tour***

Across the Atlantic in Britain and Continental Europe, Motown acts were working and prospering. Martha Reeves & the Vandellas ventured to Cannes, France to perform at the international music industry’s annual MIDEM conference, for instance, while the Four Tops took part in the Netherlands’ prestigious Grand Gala du Disque. Towards the end of the year, Stevie Wonder returned to Japan to perform.

Jimmy Ruffin and Edwin Starr became evident Anglophiles – the former scoring three U.K. Top 10 singles during 1970 – while other acts gained substantial acclaim at venues like London’s Talk of the Town (where both Wonder and the Temptations played on separate occasions, followed by live albums recorded there). No wonder 3.5 million Motown singles were sold in Britain during the year – a high watermark.

Not all the news was good. Rumours about leaving Detroit continued to circulate. In the spring, executive VP Barney Ales told staff that Motown would stay put. “Expanded operations are taking place in California,” he noted, “which add to the overall diversification and, therefore, the overall stability and progress of our company, to the benefit of all of us.”

Then in July, New York tabloid Rock ran an article entitled “The Motown Mob,” contending that the Mafia controlled the firm. In time, the allegations faded, but Berry Gordy subsequently admitted that he should have made more effort to refute them. “You know, [Barney] never really minded that too much,” the Motown founder told me years later about his right-hand man, “because we got our money a little quicker from distributors.” Gordy did have a cordial meeting with FBI agents in Detroit, which appeared to end the matter.

GOLD IN 1999

Regardless, the company continued to toast its anniversary and success. In September, sales director Phil Jones noted that Motown’s singles business had increased by 2,400 percent since 1960, and album sales by 5,600 percent since 1961. But because it was not – by choice – a member of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), those numbers were never independently verified. (Ironically, some of its claims were validated when the firm was no longer independent. In 1999, Motown’s latest owner, Universal Music, had three 1970 Temptations albums gold-certified by the RIAA for U.S. sales of 500,000 copies: Christmas Card, Greatest Hits II and Psychedelic Shack.)

It wasn’t always about profit. In October 1970, the Loucye Gordy Wakefield Scholarship Fund bankrolled 13 inner-city students’ entry to Michigan colleges – the single largest group to receive such support. “This program more than any other is one in which Berry Gordy, Jr. and the entire Gordy family take a strong personal interest,” declared Esther Gordy Edwards at the time.

Ultimately, though, Motown’s year is judged by the calibre of its music made in Michigan and California. And in such respects, 1970 offered much to praise: the electrifying hits of its second-generation superstar act, the Jackson 5; the growing musical independence of Stevie Wonder; the continuing innovation of producer Norman Whitfield; the imaginative elegance of a solo Diana Ross, pushing forward.

As long as all of that progress continued, who counted the years?

Now, to the detail. Below is an effort, selective rather than exhaustive, to convey 1970’s endeavours at Motown. It’s divided into three sections: the first, a chronological run-down of significant dates during those 12 months, followed by examples of notable single and album releases. If a 45 or album topped the Billboard R&B or pop charts, that entry is shown in bold-face italics. Other Motown timelines can be found here. Oh, and if you’re wondering about Motown’s seventh Number One of ’70 (because it doesn’t show below), it was the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” released the previous October and at the summit by the end of January.

MOTOWN 1970

January 2: Producer Frank Wilson cuts the initial track for “Up The Ladder To The Roof,” the Supremes’ first single with Jean Terrell as lead vocalist.

January 12: The Temptations open a two-week run at London’s Talk of the Town nightclub. The shows are recorded and released on LP in the U.K. in April and the U.S. in July. While in England, the group meets with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

January 14: Diana Ross performs for the last time with the Supremes at the final show of the group’s run at the Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas.

January 20: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas perform in Cannes, France, during the annual MIDEM music industry conference. The set includes their versions of the Beatles’ “Something” and Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’.”

February 5: Beans Bowles and his 10-piece “Swinging Dashikis” back Jackie Wilson for five nights at the Phelps Lounge, Detroit.

February 9: The latest issue of Soul features the Supremes’ Cindy Birdsong as its cover star. She is “the vibrant, witty, easy-to-talk-to, outgoing and funny one,” writes Walter Burrell in an extensive interview.

February 11: Esther Edwards joins the board of Detroit’s Central Business District Association, the only woman on its 40-man board. Berry Gordy “always appreciated and recognised women’s brains,” she says in a Detroit Free Press interview. “I never suffered as a woman, because I always helped my men, whoever they were – bosses or brothers.”

February 13: Jr. Walker & his “All Star Revue” kick off ten nights at Detroit’s Phelps Lounge.

February 14: British Motown Chartbusters Vol. 3 spends a week at the top of the U.K. album charts. The fourth volume repeats the trick in October.

February 15: On television’s The Ed Sullivan Show, the Supremes make their first appearance with Jean Terrell as the group’s lead singer.

February 15: Edwin Starr plays the C-Side Soul Scene at Cleethorpes’ Winter Gardens, a date on what’s reported to be his tenth U.K. tour. The singer’s latest Tamla Motown single, “Time,” was released in January.

February 22: For two shows at the 3,500-seat Florida A&M University’s Gaither Gymnasium in Tallahassee, the Temptations top the bill. The Originals and Blinky are the opening acts.

February 26: Diana Ross introduces her first solo show in a ten-night tryout at Caesar’s Monticello in Framingham, Massachusetts. The opening act is ventriloquist Willie Tyler (and Lester).

February 27: The Four Tops are among the acts taking part in this year’s Grand Gala du Disque at the RAI Congress Hall, Amsterdam.

March 11: The 1969 Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville and Chicago. Album of the year is Blood, Sweat & Tears, which includes the band’s version of “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” written by Brenda and Patrice Holloway, Frank Wilson and Berry Gordy.

March 13: Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops appears at Bow Street Magistrates Court in London, charged with illegally possessing cocaine and live ammunition. At the subsequent trial, a jury acquits the singer.

March 13: Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson begin sessions to record and produce “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” for Diana Ross.

March 19: Stevie Wonder opens a two-week booking at the Copacabana, New York, and the shows are recorded. Motown emphasises the 19-year-old’s adulthood in its advertising: “If you liked the boy, don’t miss the man…Mr. Stevie Wonder.” First-night guests include Laura Nyro and Ann-Margret.

March 26: Michigan congressman John Conyers Jr. cites the Temptations in the Congressional Record for their music and their work as “ambassadors of goodwill and understanding.” He adds, “They have become great but have remained humble and loyal to the concept of raising the standards of those less fortunate.”

March 27: Marvin Gaye delivers a tearful eulogy at the funeral service for Tammi Terrell, held at Philadelphia’s James Memorial Methodist Church. An estimated 3,000 mourners stand outside in driving rain. The singer died of a brain tumour on March 16.

April 9: In partnership with Sammy Davis Jr., Motown announces the formation of Ecology Records. Its first LP release is said to be Sammy Davis Jr. At Carnegie Hall – Live, recently taped in New York. At a Los Angeles press conference, the singer touts the deal as adding “a whole new dimension to where it’s at for me.”

April 10: To counter rumours that Motown is planning to move to Los Angeles, executive VP Barney Ales issues an internal staff memo, which includes this line: “The Detroit offices are and will remain the home office of our company.”

April 16: Currently on tour, the cast of hit musical Hello, Dolly! (including Cab Calloway) attend a party in their honour at Berry Gordy’s home in Detroit, hosted by the Motown founder’s parents. The musical is currently playing at the city’s Fisher Theatre.

April 17: Motown executive Fuller Gordy does magic tricks and hands out balloons at Detroit’s Children’s Learning Center, reprising his earlier appearance for the birthday of his nephew, Kennedy Gordy. Fuller’s granddaughter, Karla Dawn Bristol, attends the learning centre.

April 18: A reissue of the Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” reaches the U.K. Top 10.

April 30: To keep emphasising Stevie Wonder’s adult image, Motown asks its international licensees to notify newspapers and other media to destroy all existing file photos of the star. “New photographs are available,” it adds.

May 2: The Jackson 5 open their first national tour of the U.S. at the Spectrum, Philadelphia, to an audience of 16,000. At one point, hundreds of fans at the venue rush the stage. “It was like the beginning of a small earthquake,” wrote Jermaine Jackson in his autobiography, You Are Not Alone, “a first tremor felt in the balls of our feet.”

May 2: On the main Billboard album charts, the Temptations’ Psychedelic Shack becomes their eighth Top 10 success.

May 3: A rare interview with Berry Gordy is syndicated by United Press International, in which he talks about Motown’s talent-seeking strategy. “The kids are looking for a message in the lyrics,” he says. “Some of them are inspirational messages and have a gospel sound. At Motown we try to put three elements together: quality, originality and courage. Plus, a little soul.”

May 4: Stevie Wonder records vocals for his self-produced “Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer” at Motown’s Studio B. The final result is included in his Where I’m Coming From the following spring.

May 5: The Four Tops record “Simple Game” with producer Tony Clarke at London’s Wessex Sound Studios. When released in September 1971, the single reaches the U.K. Top 3.

May 7: Diana Ross makes her solo debut in Las Vegas at the Frontier Hotel. Press reports suggest the star has a new $250,000 wardrobe (equivalent to $2 million today)

May 19: “Someday We’ll Be Together” is among the songs honoured at the annual awards ceremony of performing rights organisation BMI. Co-writers Johnny Bristol and Jackie Beavers are on hand to receive their prize.

June 1: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, David Ruffin and Yvonne Fair play the Apollo Theater in New York.

June 5: After the Apollo, David Ruffin takes his solo show to Baltimore’s The Scene nightclub for three nights.

June 7: Jeana Jackson from Hartford, Connecticut, is elevated to Motown’s Midwest promotion director, reports the Hartford Courant, with responsibility for the Chisa, V.I.P. and Rare Earth labels. She joined the Detroit firm in 1964.

June 19: Jimmy Ruffin plays Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Bolton, Lancashire, one of his many U.K. gigs this year. “I want a home in London so I can go over to Paris,” he tells a local newspaper. “When I get back to Britain, I plan to stay here a long time.” He does.

***Esther Gordy and husband George at Pier 41***

June 20: The Jackson 5 draw more than 18,000 fans to the Forum in Inglewood, Los Angeles, setting a record $105,000 gross in the venue’s ticket sales. Motown pays for nearly 200 underprivileged youngsters to attend. The concert is recorded and later issued by the company.

June 27: Unreleased as a U.S. single, Marvin Gaye’s version of “Abraham, Martin And John” reaches the Top 10 of the British charts.

July 4: Motown takes three of the Billboard Top 10 with the Temptations' “Ball Of Confusion,” Rare Earth's “Get Ready” and – at No. 1 – the Jackson 5’s “The Love You Save.”

July 6: New York tabloid newspaper Rock publishes a provocative article claiming that Motown is controlled by the Mafia.

July 10: Marvin Gaye keeps working on “What’s Going On” with arranger David Van DePitte, adding lead vocals and instrumentation at Motown’s Studio B to already-recorded parts.

July 17: As a U.K. single, EMI Records pulls “The Tears Of A Clown” from Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ Make It Happen album. It reaches Number One in September, when Motown U.S. follows suit and also scores a Number One success, in December.

July 24: The Los Angeles Times reports that Charles Moore has been appointed general counsel for Motown Records, becoming the company’s first high-ranking black attorney. He joins from Capitol Industries, parent of Capitol Records.

August 12: The Jackson 5 headline a tribute to boxing legend Joe Louis at Detroit’s Cobo Arena. Honorary chairman of the “Salute to the Champ” is Berry Gordy. The event’s initial fundraising tops $75,000. Louis is currently in Denver’s Veterans Hospital.

August 13: EMI Records in London celebrates Motown’s 10th anniversary with a party on board a Thames riverboat, with Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and Kiki Dee among the guests.

August 19: Rare Earth play at “Rock Comes To Brooklyn” in New York with the James Gang and 10 Wheel Drive.

August 28: Motown kicks off its four-day “Motown 10/70 Shanghai” sales convention at San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel. The company pitches a new-release package of 30-plus albums to its distributors and overseas licensees. Some of the events are held on a 19th century trading ship, the Balclutha, moored at San Francisco’s Pier 41.

August 31: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and Stevie Wonder open a week at the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles. Wonder’s set includes backup by female group, the Chosen Few. “Motown hasn’t produced a trio like that in years,” noted one reviewer.

September 14: Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright are married at Detroit’s Burnette Baptist Church. Among those present are Berry Gordy and his sisters Gwen Gordy Fuqua and Esther Edwards. After a reception, the couple jet to Bermuda for their honeymoon.

September 21: Arranged by Motown’s David Van DePitte, strings are overdubbed onto Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” at Studio B, thought to be the final component before the historic track’s release as a 45 on January 20, 1971.

October: Released this month are the first three albums on Motown’s Black Forum label, which is positioned as “a permanent record of the sound of struggle and the sound of the new era.” The debut titles are by Dr. Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael and Langston Hughes.

October 10: The Jackson 5 sing the National Anthem at the opening of this year’s World Series in Cincinnati.

October 19: Motown executive VP Barney Ales claims his first win as a racehorse owner when Michigan-bred steed wins the fifth race at Detroit’s Hazel Park.

October 24: The Jackson 5’s Third Album becomes their third consecutive Top 10 success this year on the main Billboard LP charts.

November 12: The Four Tops play two shows nightly at the Detroit Music Hall, for four nights. Admission is $4.

November 14: R. Dean Taylor’s self-composed, self-produced “Indiana Wants Me” reaches Number One on the Cash Box pop charts, four slots higher than on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s also the biggest hit to date for Motown’s Rare Earth label.

November 15: The Supremes appear on CBS-TV’s Merv Griffin Show, but the network edits “Stoned Love” out of their appearance, claiming the song has drug connotations.

November 21: Jimmy Ruffin’s “It’s Wonderful (To Be Loved By You)” becomes his third consecutive Top 10 single in Britain this year, following “Farewell Is A Lonely Sound” and “I’ll Say Forever My Love.”

December 5: In Los Angeles, Diana Ross begins taping of her first solo TV special, Diana! It is reported to be Motown Productions’ first major television project without other business partners.

December 11: A Motown Revue package featuring Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Four Tops and Martha Reeves & the Vandellas plays the Cincinnati Gardens, Ohio.

December 20: The Smokey Robinson Show is televised by ABC-TV. Guests on the singer’s first network special include the Miracles, the Supremes, the Temptations and Stevie Wonder. The Miracles’ latest release, “The Tears Of A Clown,” is at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

December 30: The Jackson 5’s tour concludes at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida.

SELECTED SINGLES (by release date)

January 13: Stevie Wonder, “Never Had A Dream Come True,” Tamla 54191

January 29: Jr. Walker & the All Stars, “Gotta Hold On To This Feeling,” Soul 35070

February 12: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, “I Should Be Proud,” Gordy 7098

February 12: The Spinners, “Message From A Black Man,” V.I.P. 25054

February 16: The Supremes, “Up The Ladder To The Roof,” Motown 1162

February 18: Rare Earth, “Get Ready,” Rare Earth 5012

February 24: The Jackson 5, “ABC,” Motown 1163 (#1 R&B, #1 pop)

March 3: Gladys Knight & the Pips, “You Need Love (Like I Do),” Soul 35071

March 11: Ivy Jo, “I Remember When (Dedicated To Beverly),” V.I.P. 25055

March 20: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, “The Onion Song,” Tamla 54192

March 21: The Four Tops, “It’s All In The Game,” Motown 1164

April 6: Diana Ross, “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” Motown 1165

April 10: R. Dean Taylor, “Indiana Wants Me,” Rare Earth 5013

May 7: The Temptations, “Ball Of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today),” Gordy 7099

May 13: The Jackson 5, “The Love You Save,” Motown 1166 (#1 R&B, #1 pop)

May 19: Marvin Gaye, “The End Of Our Road,” Tamla 54195

June 3: Stevie Wonder, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours),” Tamla 54196 (#1 R&B, #3 pop)

June 9: Edwin Starr, “War,” Gordy 7101 (#3 R&B, #1 pop)

June 11: The Spinners, “It’s A Shame,” V.I.P. 25057

June 17: Kiki Dee, “The Day Will Come Between Sunday And Monday,” Tamla 54193

July 7: The Originals, “We Can Make It Baby,” Soul 35074

July 9: Rare Earth, “(I Know) I’m Losing You,” Rare Earth 5017

July 16: Diana Ross, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Motown 1169 (#1 R&B, #1 pop)

July 23: Bob & Marcia, “To Be Young, Gifted And Black,” Tamla 54197

August 6: The Four Tops, “Still Water (Love),” Motown 1170

August 28: The Jackson 5, “I’ll Be There,” Motown 1171 (#1 R&B, #1 pop)

September 16: Danny Hernandez & the Ones, “As Long As I’ve Got You,” Rare Earth 5018

September 22: David & Jimmy Ruffin, “Stand By Me,” Soul 35076

September 24: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, “The Tears Of A Clown,” Tamla 54199 (#1 R&B, #1 pop)

September 24: The Jazz Crusaders, “Way Back Home,” Chisa 8010

September 29: Stevie Wonder, “Heaven Help Us All,” Tamla 54200

October 1: Hugh Masekela, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” Chisa 8009

October 15: The Supremes, “Stoned Love,” Motown 1172 (#1 R&B, #7 pop)

October 29: Gladys Knight & the Pips, “If I Were Your Woman,” Soul 35078 (#1 R&B, #9 pop)

November 3: The Marvelettes, “Marionette,” Tamla 54198

November 5: The Supremes & Four Tops, “River Deep – Mountain High,” Motown 1173

November 18: Edwin Starr, “Stop The War Now,” Gordy 7104

November 23: Rare Earth, “Born To Wander,” Rare Earth 5021

November 25: The Jackson 5, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” Motown 1174

December 8: Diana Ross, “Remember Me,” Motown 1176

December 28: The Four Tops, “Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life),” Motown 1175

SELECTED ALBUMS (by release date)

January 8: Marvin Gaye, That’s The Way Love Is, Tamla 299

March 6: Stevie Wonder, Live, Tamla 298

March 6: Various, Shades Of Gospel Soul, Motown 701

March 6: The Temptations, Psychedelic Shack, Gordy 947 (#1 R&B, #9 pop)

March 6: Gladys Knight & the Pips, Greatest Hits, Soul 723

April 13: Diana Ross & the Supremes, Farewell, Motown 708

April 13: Jr. Walker & the All Stars, Live, Soul 725

April 28: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, What Love Has…Joined Together, Tamla 301

May 5: The Supremes, Right On, Motown 705

May 5: Sammy Davis Jr., Something For Everyone, Motown 710

May 8: The Jackson 5, ABC, Motown 708 (#1 R&B, #4 pop)

May 11: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Greatest Hits, Tamla 302

May 20: The Originals, Portrait Of The Originals, Soul 724

June: Rare Earth, Ecology, Rare Earth 514

June 19: Diana Ross, Diana Ross, Motown 711 (#1 R&B, #19 pop)

July: Hugh Masekela, Reconstruction, Chisa 803

July: Jazz Crusaders, Old Socks New Shoes, New Socks, Old Shoes, Chisa 804

July 16: Kiki Dee, Great Expectations, Tamla 303

July 24: The Temptations, Live At London’s Talk Of The Town, Gordy 953

August 7: Stevie Wonder, Signed, Sealed & Delivered, Tamla 304

August 7: Edwin Starr, War & Peace, Gordy 948

September: Sounds Nice, Love At First Sight, Rare Earth 512

September 8: Jackson 5, Third Album, Motown 718 (#1 R&B, #4 pop)

September 8: Jr. Walker & the All Stars, A Gasssss, Soul 726

September 8: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Natural Resources, Gordy 952

September 8: The Temptations, Greatest Hits II, Gordy 954

September 15: The Marvelettes, Return Of The Marvelettes, Tamla 305

September 18: The Supremes & the Four Tops, The Magnificent 7, Motown 717

September 18: The Supremes, New Ways But Love Stays, Motown 720

September 18: Four Tops, Changing Times, Motown 721

September 18: The Originals, Naturally Together, Soul 729

September 30: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, A Pocket Full Of Miracles, Tamla 306

September 30: Gladys Knight & the Pips, All In A Knight’s Work, Soul 730

September 30: Gordon Staples & Strings, Strung Out, Motown 722

October: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, The Tears Of A Clown, Tamla 276

October: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Why I Oppose The War In Vietnam, Black Forum 451

October: Stevie Wonder, ‘Live’ At The Talk Of The Town, Tamla Motown 1164 (U.K.)

October 15: The Jackson 5, Christmas Album, Motown 713

October 30: The Temptations, Christmas Card, Gordy 951

November 3: Diana Ross, Everything Is Everything, Motown 734

November 23: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, The Season For Miracles, Tamla 307

November 30: Various, Christmas gift ’rap, Motown 725

December: R. Dean Taylor, I Think Therefore I Am, Rare Earth 522

West Grand Blog is taking a break. See you on the other side, with luck.

Late notes: logically, Motown chose to mark its self-described tenth anniversary with a five-LP package, The Motown Story: The First Decade. It featured the voices of the company’s biggest stars, both singing their hits and talking about them. Did the boxed set come out in 1970? Well, no, it was released in February 1971. Better late than never. And on the subject of music, here’s a WGB playlist to accompany the year in review.

Source notes: credit is due to a number of websites and publications from which much of the information above was drawn. These include theconcertdatabase.com, the Joel Whitburn chart volumes, liner notes of The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 10, Constanze Elsner’s biography of Stevie Wonder, and the Diana Ross site, goforyourdreams.free.fr. Thanks to all.