Motown Spotlight: March 2025 - Diana Ross, West Grand Label, Scherrie Payne

Seven months after her marriage to Robert Silberstein, aka Bob Ellis, Diana Ross enjoyed for first UK solo chart topper with “I’m Still Waiting” lifted from her US album “Surrender” which was later re-titled after the hit single for British release during October 1971.

Prior to this Berry Gordy’s first television spectacular for Diana was screened. In fact, it was the show her management claimed wasn’t being filmed when her leaving The Supremes was leaked to the media. Titled Diana!, the special was recorded on 5 December 1970 but wasn’t aired until Sunday, 18 April 1971 – five months later on BBC2. Diana’s guests included comedians Bill Cosby and Danny Thomas, and the Jackson 5. This was the first presentation from the $15 million budget allocated for various projects within Motown’s new television/theatrical division. Producers Bernard Rothman and Jerry McPhie assisted Berry, with director Kip Walton overseeing six scriptwriters.

Suzanne de Passe was creative consultant, Gil Askey arranger/conductor, while Paul Riser worked on staging the musical numbers. It just had to be a success because the intention was to launch Diana’s solo career; it worked splendidly as Jet magazine’s reviewer gushed – “In her first tv opus, Diana mirrors camera motion so innovative and transitions so smooth and effective that one is drawn into the flow of magic.”

The hour-long spectacular showcased the ex-Supreme’s talents as a soloist and an all-round entertainer. She promoted her hits “Remember Me”, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” although this was omitted from the soundtrack. Other songs included “(They Long To Be) Close To You”, “Love Story”, “Don’t Rain On My Parade”, while the Jackson 5’s contribution was a medley “Mama’s Pearl”/”Walk On By”/”The Love You Save” among others.

The young brothers added a fresh vitality by bouncing through their repertoire, but it was a short number featuring a solo Michael, dressed in tuxedo and tails, singing an alternate “It Was A Very Good Year” that is probably best remembered, particularly because the adult-themed lyrics were changed to fit his young age. However, the most remarkable sequence belonged to Diana herself and her transformation into some of Hollywood’s greatest, Charlie Chaplin, Harpo Marx and W C Fields. My, I remember that well! She was brilliant…

The romance between Diana and her future husband was said to have blossomed when they met in a Los Angeles’ men’s store during 1969. They subsequently secretly dated for two years, and would occasionally go out with Cindy Birdsong and her boyfriend (and future husband) Charles Hewlett, who, like Bob, was also white. One assumed Diana wanted to keep Bob under wraps as she was unsure if she had a future with Berry Gordy who, at the time was dating Chris Clark and had no intention of giving her up.

Eventually, Diana decided to move on with her life, so married Bob, again in secrecy, on 20 January 1971 at the Silver Bells Chapel, Las Vegas, before the Reverend Hutchinson. According to close friends, included in Bob’s marriage vows were the words “I will never manage Diana”. Suzanne de Passe was Diana’s witness – another secret. Their honeymoon was postponed as the singer had television commitments in Los Angeles.

Bob Ellis’s family were successful garment manufacturers in Elberton, New Jersey. He graduated from West Virginia University to become a teacher but resigned following a dispute with the principal. Prior to becoming an artists’ manager, he dabbled in real estate and worked as a publicist. Life wasn’t easy for the family as Diana’s attitude to inter-racial marriages was quite controversial for this time, as she told Woman’s World magazine: “People discriminate without even knowing what they are doing. I’m married to a white Jewish man, everyone keeps pointing it out to me and it bugs the hell out of me. Even talking about differences in race or religion becomes a kind of discrimination… My husband is a wonderful man whose skin happens to be a different colour from mine. I suppose my children are going to go through this too, having people ask them what it’s like to have a black mother and a white father. I don’t want that.” Within two weeks of the marriage Diana discovered she was pregnant. Author J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote in Diana Ross: An Unauthorised Biography that as Bob was absolutely unconditional in his love for Diana, “it didn’t matter that she was pregnant with another man”s child.”

OK, let’s move on to the present day and a change of subject. As briefly mentioned last month a new record label, West Grand, has been launched. I didn’t have room then to go into detail, but the time lapse gave me chance to catch up with Paul Nixon who is involved with the label, and to discover who had the idea for it in the first place. Basically, he said, he had shopped ideas around with majors and smaller independent labels for some time, but most decided working with Motown wasn’t on their agenda. “Brenda’s ‘Spellbound’ set for Cherry Red (through SoulMusic Records) had been the last project I had seen through to fruition, although there were plenty more still in my head and lurking around the office either on my computer or on memo pads. Getting clearance has in the past been a problem and the waiting time from application to the go-ahead has stretched into years for reasons I don’t know, and so many were not willing to take part.”

It was a determined Paul who discussed his plans with his good friend Andy Rix who, in turn, spread the word which led to an introduction to Glenn Gunton and Neil Rushton. “True to his word I heard from the pair who shopped the idea of a new collaboration around with yet another independent who unfortunately was not able to take the project forward. But Neil and Glenn had another trick up their sleeves and bless them – between them they have set up West Grand.”

Under licence from Universal Music, I wondered what restrictions the music giant had put in place. “As far as I’m aware there are no restrictions apart from the fact that everything has to be done above board – but these were my restrictions as well – because I was not prepared to work with, or for any label, that didn’t operate fully ethically, morally or legally. There are too many (well not so many nowadays) so- called labels releasing product they have not officially licensed. They pay no royalties and no fees to the repertoire owners, and I could not work with anyone who does that.

“You hear the excuses ‘oh a producer in Detroit gave me this to do what I wanted with’ or ‘oh I have had this for years’ and ‘if the record company doesn’t want to do anything with them then I will – the fans deserve it’. Absolute rubbish. These guys are in it for self-glorification and the money, this is why ‘Cellarful’ was set up in the first place to give these guys a run for their money. And I hoped this was what West Grand would carry on, but I certainly needn’t have worried as my two working partners are fully on board with the project and have been since day one.”

Paul is also hoping to be fully involved with the label’s future releases, as he explained: “I came up with the brand name and its logo, and of course the name of ‘Cellarful’ being on some of the product further emphasises my commitment and involvement. Obviously releases have to be financially viable and my two working partners will be the ones who decide upon what will work and what won’t. Having worked with various labels on various Motown projects, I think I know what projects the fans will want, and Glenn and Neil are the Northern [soul] experts and have far more knowledge of the scene and what is trending that I have, so I respect their knowledge an awful lot.”

Paul admitted he still had many projects kicking around in his head, but was concerned there wasn’t sufficient time to release them all. Getting older was the enemy here, both for him (and me!) and, what he called “the rapidly ageing fandom.” However, his prime intention was to carry on with the “Cellarful Of Motown” series either on vinyl or CD. “I have a real ambition to give those artists who never got an LP, such as The Velvelettes, Kim Weston etc, and of course there are those planned LPs that never happened like Ivy Jo (a two disc set on him has been rattling around in these old grey cells for umpteen years now).

“One of my main targets will be the Ric-Tic, Golden World catalogue which I hope we will eventually be able to tap into. But everything does have to wipe its feet and if the product is to remain viable, it does have to sell. The first two singles* have sold out and the marketing expertise of Neil have seen copies go as far afield as France and the US.” (*”Tears At The End Of A Love Affair” – Marvin & Tammi/”Just Too Much To Hope For” – Marvin & Kim, and “Think It Over [Before You Break My Heart] – Brenda Holloway/instrumental version by Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers.)

I’m so grateful to my friend Paul for taking time out to chat, the first of many link ups I hope. By the way, the music I was listening to while writing last month’s blog, was “A Cellarful Of Motown: Northern Soul Love Affair” – a rather super compilation that made compulsive listening. I don’t have room to list all the tracks, but here’s a taster: “Come On And See Me” – Chris Clark; “Crying In The Night” – The Monitors; “He Who Picks A Rose” – Jimmy Ruffin; and “Baby A Go-Go” – Barbara McNair.

In case it’s of interest, there was a limited edition of promotional albums available, carrying the label design (pictured somewhere here), in a white stickered sleeve and a good old ‘vintage’ press release. Price £30 + £5 delivery. Contact Neil Rushton via his FB page or other internet page for details. The full, commercial album will be released late May/early June, and I’ve learned there are plans to release an expanded CD version of the album in the future containing four – as yet, undisclosed – additional tracks. Great news all round methinks.

Next up, the new CD release from Scherrie Payne. Titled “Vintage Scherrie – Volume Two: Celebrate The Life” and released via Altair Records, it’s a cracking compilation of tracks. Produced by the ultra-talented Rick Gianatos, they include “Losing My Mind”, “The Man That Got Away”, “A Foggy Day” and “My Love Affair”.

While talking about my dear Scherrie, she has confirmed that with Lynda Laurence and Joyce Vincent she’ll be performing at the AO Arena in Manchester, on 6 June, as part of La Discotheque -The Live Show. Their first visit in a long time. And that’s not all, other UK tours by ex-Motowners are high on the agenda this year. Diana Ross returns in June, while a month later, we say ‘welcome’ to Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie (or as my young great nephew once said ‘Lino Rich Tea’ – so cute). An extremely expensive time for fans that’s for sure.

That was to be the closing paragraph for this month! Then an email hit my inbox – an exclusive for me from Mr. Nixon about a new single to be released on West Grand Records. And I quote: “After months of research we turned up an unheard version of the Northern Soul floor filler ‘Real Humdinger’, previously released by veteran Ric-Tic performer J J Barnes. This time it’s Edwin Starr who lends his vocals to the crowd pleaser, and it’s going to be a monster. On the B-side is the very first UK release of Edwin’s tribute to DJ Scott Regan – ‘Scotts On Swingers’ with backing vocals by The Fantastic 4.” Hidden away for almost sixty years, this release is, Paul added, bound to be a summer Northern Soul hit. No release date has been included in this exclusive, but well done from us to the West Grand guys.