A varied chinwag this month as I’m highlighting a couple of books, and bringing news of Stevie Wonder entering the political ring in the US to support the current vice-president Kamala Harris in her presidential run to live in The White House. But, first things first.
Back in 2005, Bank House Books published the hardback “The Real Tammi Terrell:My Sister Tommie” by Ludie Mongomery and Vickie Wright. It was a must-have fascinating read, and answered so many nagging questions about the lovely young singer who died far too soon. Unfortunately, once the initial publishing run was exhausted, copies became scarce, until non-existent. For people like myself, who devour Motown like a melting bar of chocolate, this was a super reference book which I regularly visited, and thanks to the nicer side of the internet, was able to exchange messages with both authors.
As a quick aside here, Bank House Books was a small independent publishing house, spearheaded by Motown/R&B stalwart and published author, Dave Randle. Through his operation, he published books by several artists and musicians who might otherwise not have been given the chance to put print to paper. Jack Ashford, Ralph Terrana, The Andantes, and Bob Babbitt, immediately spring to mind. For myself, BHB published my “Chinwaggin” and “Mighty Real” books. The first was a compilation of some of my “Blues & Soul” interviews, while Sylvester was the subject of the other.
Dave was criticised by certain UK authors for his lack of attention to their work, yet not once did it cross their minds that his was a small publishing outfit that ran on an extremely tight budget, with him often bank rolling the books. Also, to keep costs to a minimum, he would involve himself in every aspect of a book’s life, from birth to death, while his wife, Sue, added her artistic talent by designing the artwork. Due to Dave’s failing health, BHB stopped trading, but he’s got a lot to be proud of and we’ve got a lot to be thankful for. “Dave and Sue were so special to me,” Louvain Demps told me. “Dave was awesome as he helped me sell my books. We sat up all night, just having a nice time. I kept him laughing doing my different voices of artists.”
And this leads me to “My Sister Tommie: The Real Tammi Terrell” re-published two months ago. Vickie Wright explained to me why they took this action: “We wanted (the book) to remain available for her fans. This price is cheaper than the previous book. It’s basically the same story of her life but some added pictures and an expanded chapter about what has happened in the past years for her legacy since the first book came out.” I never met Tammi, nor did I manage to secure an interview with her as it just wasn’t an option for British journalists, so I’m forever grateful to her sister Ludie, and Vickie for not letting the book become a memory.
Once again, we’re able to follow the young singer’s life, the good and bad times, either through Ludie’s words or via interviews with Tammi’s friends and workmates. Each step of her life is accompanied by exclusive, personal pictures, showing a happy, smiling Tammi. Ludie explained that the story was a true, sincere history of her sister who lived for twenty-four short years: “You will not read the glitz and glamour on which most celebrity stories expound. What you will read…is not often pleasant. There were good times in the early years of her career: she accomplished so much…This is a pure, simplistic viewpoint to give my account of my only sibling’s short, but fully lived existence.”
Inevitably, the moment arrived in the book when the brutal truth of her failing health leading to her passing, was hard to read again. Johnny Bristol: “She left her legacy, and I know she is happy in heaven.” Claudette Robinson: “Even after Tammi was ill, you couldn’t tell because she had that inner light……The grief that Marvin seemed to suffer after Tammi’s death….was painful to watch. He seemed to want to give up his career and was sad to the point of depression.” Ashford & Simpson are included in the book with their memories of Tammi recording the “Easy” album. Val: “She would come in there and we might not get but a line or two in, then she would rest and would come back in. It was her work. I was there to bring her on and fix a little something. but that’s Tammi Terrell, and those were her songs.” Nick: “Tammi was so glad to get through it, and when she heard… herself played back she was happy. She was thrilled with the finished product and said. ‘Oh my God, I did it.’ It was just beautiful seeing her get through this with her illness. It was incredible.”
I can only imagine the relief that bounced off the studio walls when the sessions for “Easy” were finished. If you’re now looking for music to accompany your reading, I can only remind you that “Come On And See Me: The Complete Solo Collection”, issued in 2010, is a fabulous collection of Tammi’s extraordinary talent. Her music is broken into sections: “The Tammy Montgomery Recordings,” her solo Motown album “Irresistible,”a couple of non-album singles, “Rare Motown” and “Live At The Roostertail”. Having now advertised the release, um, I’m hoping it’s still available. (Note: It is – only digitally, however!) So, to round this off, my thanks to Ludie and Vickie for persevering with their book which is now available from Amazon and other similar sites. A highly recommended read!
The other day I chanced to come across Ray Coleman’s 1989 book, “Brian Epstein:The Man Who Made The Beatles”, and found some interesting snippets about the Four Tops. which I thought I’d share with you. After a trip to America, which included a visit to Motown in Detroit, Brian Epstein secured a British tour for the Four Tops. His negotiating skills were notoriously poor because his enthusiasm this time was to the group’s benefit, as he agreed to pay their taxes, first-class air fares and offered other unnecessary concessions. Apparently, Brian meddling with deals once they had been satisfactorily agreed by both parties, caused havoc time and again, so now, the resulting amended contract meant that even if the Four Tops’ tour sold out, NEMS would lose £10,000. North End Music Stores (NEMS) as it was known, was the management company of The Beatles and other acts in and around Liverpool. Just in case you wondered!
On 13 November 1966, the Four Tops performed at the Saville Theatre, their only UK concert appearance of the year. A second show was added as tickets for the first show were sold out within three days of going on sale. When Levi, Lawrence, Obie and Duke ran on stage to a thunderous welcome from an excited packed house, they had no idea how popular they were. That became all too apparent when eager fans sang alongside them through hit after hit. Duke said, “Brian told us that he had seen us perform, and [said] ‘if you give me your top performance, I’ll guarantee that when you come back, you’ll be front page news.’ We did do one of our best shows and he was so happy, he was almost crying. The audience was standing in the aisles calling for more and more – and he said ‘you guys did it!'”
After the gig, the excited Brian hosted a party at 24 Chapel Street where among the Four Tops’ guests were John Lennon, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, Keith Richard, Charlie Watts, Georgie Fame, Donovan, Eric Burdon, Hilton Valentine and Chris Curtis. A point of interest perhaps, prior to the Saville show, Brian had asked Paul McCartney to design the stage backdrop for the Four Tops. To this end, he drew a dozen sketches, whereupon number eight was chosen. For obvious copyright reasons I’m unable to reproduce the actual drawing, but – if you’re interested – during April 2023 all Paul’s stage designs went on display at the Liverpool Beatles Museum.
The runaway success of the November show crystallised Brian’s plans to stage significant pop events every Sunday at the Saville Theatre which he planned to style after the Olympia in Paris, with artists booked for a week. I’m not sure whether that happened or not. What I am sure about though, is that during negotiations for the Saville date, a deal was also struck for a future major UK tour, kicking off at the Gaumont in Southampton on 27 January 1967 and closing at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester on 5 February, a total of ten dates. (As an aside, Edwin Starr was booked to perform at the Saville on 26 February 1967, the first of several appearances.)
Let’s return to the present time now. Although I realise Stevie Wonder is no longer a member of the Motown organisation, he was for more years that I care to remember, a leading sibling in the family’s musical dynasty. When he felt the time was right, he quietly packed his bags, before announcing he had negotiated a deal with Republic Records, owned by UMG (Universal Music Group). And it was at a virtual press conference on 13 October 2020 that he confirmed that after nearly sixty years, he had officially left Motown, while, at the same time, promoting a couple of new tracks, namely, “Where Is Our Love Song” and “Can’t Put It In The Hands of Fate”.
Of these titles, Stevie said the first named “is a song that I really started working on when I was eighteen, not even knowing what the song was going to be about, but I had the melody. Then this year came all the confusion and all the hate and all the east versus west, left versus right….It’s just a heartbreak. And those who say, ‘This is what God has said…this is my religion’, it’s just a lot of confusion. I’m watching all this and say ‘Hold up, how can you be talking about God and there be hate in your spirit?”
Of “Can’t Put It In The Hands Of Fate”, he explained “I was thinking about where we are in the world. And I was thinking about how this is a most crucial time. Not just Black people or people of colour – but young people everywhere are going ‘This is not acceptable’. Change is right now. We can’t put it in the hands of fate. Ain’t nobody got time to wait.”
It’s true to say that Stevie has always been on the frontline when it comes to political, racial and social statements. And, this is proven yet again, with the recent press release that announced a last minute tour of the US next month “at the height of a critical election season and a pivotal juncture in American politics and culture.” His shows will be a call for “joy over anger, kindness over recrimination, peace over war.”
The release also stated “that as a special thank you” Stevie plans to offer a designated number of complimentary tickets “to those in our communities who are already working tirelessly to fix our nation’s heart.” When he recently publicly endorsed Kamala Harris in the upcoming US elections, he decided to go one step further to try to sway voters who are still undecided, so the hastily arranged tour was announced.
As you may be aware, the singer had previously performed at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in August, where he delivered a speech praising the presidential candidate and her running mate, Tim Walz. The news items also praised Stevie when he told the crowd, “I love you. Every song that I’ve sung, every song that I’ve written is because of my love for you right here. But this year, I prayed very hard for peace to come to our world’s nations…. even though our hearts have been beaten and broken beyond prayer, I know the importance of action. Now is the time to understand where we are and what it will take to win. Win the broken hearts, win the disenchanted, win the angry spirits. Now is the time.” He then sang “Higher Ground”. Hah – Trump stands no chance now!
When his new single called “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” arrived with no prior warning last month, we knew he wanted to make a statement, to take a stand for what he believed was right. “As we stand between history’s pain and tomorrow’s promises, we must choose courage over complacency. It is time to get up and go vote.” I’ve seen Stevie sing his single and the lyrics are pretty powerful as you can imagine. Will he be able to sway any votes? Not for me to say, but with performances that will take in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Detroit, Atlanta and others, before ending on 30 October at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Raids, Michigan, it won’t be for want of trying.
And finally, we said a very sad farewell to Pat Lewis and Tito Jackson this month. Pat was seventy-six; Tito, seventy. Decades divide these two wonderful talents but between them they commanded respect and love, and enjoyed a solid, loyal fan base. Among other things, Pat was a Northern Soul icon, while Tito enjoyed a crazy ‘pop’ career until his music matured. On behalf of David Nathan and myself, we send our heartfelt condolences to their families and friends. Thank you both for your music, and it goes without saying, you will be sorely missed.
Sharon Davis
“My Sister Tommie: The Real Tammi Terrell” (UK LINK) (US LINK)
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