About The Artist
The Spinners is a soul music vocal group, active under that name since 1961, and popular with a long run of pop and R&B hits during the 1970s. The group, originating from Detroit, still tours regularly as of 2010.
The band is also listed occasionally as The Motown Spinners, or (after they left the Motown label) as Detroit Spinners. These group monikers were used in the UK to avoid confusion with a British group also called The Spinners.
In 1954, a group of friends who grew up together in Royal Oak Township, Michigan, just outside Detroit, came together to make music. For a time, several of the band members resided in Detroit's Herman Gardens public housing projects. Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, C. P. Spencer, and James Edwards called themselves The Domingoes. James Edwards lasted only a few weeks. He was replaced by Bobbie Smith, who sang lead on most of the Spinners' early records (and many of their biggest Atlantic hits). C. P. Spencer left the group shortly afterwards, and would later go on to be a member of the Voice Masters and The Originals. He was replaced by George Dixon. The group renamed themselves The Spinners in 1961. This name was chosen after looking at popular car hubcaps and noting how they spun around on a car's wheel.
1961–1971
The Spinners first hit the charts in August 1961 on Harvey Fuqua's Tri-Phi Records, with "That's What Girls Are Made For," peaking at number 27. Bobby Smith sang lead vocal on this track, coached by Fuqua. (Some sources report Fuqua sang lead vocal on this track, but both Smith and Fuqua have stated at various times that it was Smith.) The group's followup, "Love (I'm So Glad) I Found You" also featured lead vocals by Smith, although again some sources credit Fuqua. This track would reach number 91 that November, but none of their other Tri-Phi singles charted.
The extent to which Fuqua became a member of the group during their stay at Tri-Phi is debated. Fuqua apparently sang on at least some of the records, and at minimum considered himself a Spinner, as made explicit by the credits on Tri-Phi 1010 and 1024—the artist credit on both these 1962 singles reads "Harvey (Formerly of The Moonglows and The Spinners)". However most sources, while respecting Fuqua's contributions to the group, do not list him as an official member.
James Edwards' brother, Edgar "Chico" Edwards, would replace Dixon in the group in 1963, at which time Tri-Phi and the entire artist roster was bought out by Berry Gordy of Motown Records, Fuqua's brother-in-law. The Spinners were then assigned to the Motown label.
In 1964, the Spinners made their debut at the Apollo Theater and won instant acclaim, a rare feat at the time. But with the exception of "I'll Always Love You," which hit #35 in 1965, success mostly eluded them during the 1960s. After "I'll Always Love You", they released one single a year from 1966–1969 inclusive, but none charted on the Billboard Hot 100, although their 1966 song "Truly Yours" was a big hit on the Billboard R&B chart.
With commercial success virtually non-existent, during much of this decade the Spinners would be used by Motown as road managers, chaperones and chauffeurs for other groups, and even as shipping clerks. G. C. Cameron replaced Edgar "Chico" Edwards in 1967, and in 1969, the group switched to the Motown-owned V.I.P. imprint. (The label name is somewhat ironic, given that V.I.P. was generally considered a substandard imprint behind Motown, Gordy, Tamla, and Soul).
In 1970, after a five-year chart absence, they hit #14 with writer/producer Stevie Wonder's composition, "It's a Shame" (co-written by Syreeta Wright), and charted again the following year with another song Wonder wrote and produced, "We'll Have It Made" from their new album 2nd Time Around. However, these were their last two singles for V.I.P.
Shortly after the release of 2nd Time Around, legend has it that Atlantic Records recording artist Aretha Franklin suggested the group finish out their Motown contract and sign with Atlantic. The group made the switch—except for Cameron who elected to leave the group and remain with Motown as a solo artist. Singer Philippé Wynne (Cameron's cousin), then joined The Spinners as Cameron's replacement and the group's new lead singer. However, original lead singer Bobby Smith also retained his lead position.
The hit years with Philippé Wynne
When The Spinners signed to Atlantic in 1972, they were a respected but commercially unremarkable singing group who had never had a top-ten pop hit—despite having been a recording act for over a decade. However, under the helm of producer and songwriter Thom Bell, The Spinners would chart five top 100 singles (and two top tens) from their first post-Motown album, Spinners (1972), and would go on to become one of the biggest soul groups of the 1970s.
The Bobby Smith-led "I'll Be Around", their first top ten hit, was actually the B-side of their first Atlantic single, "How Could I Let You Get Away". Radio airplay for the B-side led Atlantic to flip the single over, with "I'll Be Around" hitting #3 and "How Could I Let You Get Away" reaching #89. "I'll Be Around" was also The Spinners' 1st million- selling hit single.
The 1973 follow-up singles "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" (led by Smith), "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" (led by Wynne), and "Ghetto Child" (led by Wynne) would cement the group's reputation, as well as further that of Bell, a noted Philly soul producer.
Following their Atlantic successes, Motown also issued a "Best of the Spinners" LP which featured selections from their Motown/V.I.P. recordings. They also remixed and reissued the 1970 B-side "Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music" as a 1973 A-side. In the midst of their Atlantic hits, it crawled to number #91 US.
The group's 1974 follow-up album, Mighty Love, featured three Top 20 hits, "I'm Coming Home," "Love Don't Love Nobody," and the title track. Their biggest hit of the year, however, would be a collaboration with Dionne Warwick, "Then Came You",(led by Smith and Warwick), which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming each act's first chart-topping 'Pop' hit. The song also reached the Top 3 of Billboard's R&B and Easy Listening charts.
The Spinners would hit the Top 10 twice in the next two years with the Smith-led "They Just Can't Stop It the (Games People Play)" (Billboard #5) and the Wynne-led "The Rubberband Man" (Billboard #2). "Games People Play" featured guest vocalist Barbara Ingram (though producer Bell disputed this in a UK based interview, claiming Barbara's line was actually group member Henry Fambrough – his voice sped up[2]) and would lead to a nickname of "12:45" for bass singer Jackson, after his signature vocal line on the song.
Information courtesy of www.wikipedia.com
Then Came You
Ever since I met ya
Seems I can't forget'cha
The thought of you
Keeps runnin' through
The back of my mind
Every time I'm near ya
I get that urge to feel ya
Just touchin you
And lovin'
You makes evrything right
(Tell me how you feel baby)
I never knew love before
(oh no)
Then came you, you,
Then came you
I never knew love before
Then came you
Then came you
...You
Now that I have found ya,
How did I live without ya?
(I don't know baby)
It's plain to see
You're all I need
To satisfy me
I'm so darned proud of ya
I wanna sing about ya
(Sing it, Sing it, Sing it baby)
All I know
Ya made a fro
By touchin my hand
Oh, uh, oh I never knew love before
Then came you -- you
, then came you, ooh
I never knew love before
Then came you -- oooh
Then came you
Hey, hey, hey, then came you
Whoa, oh, uh, oh, oh, oh
I never knew love before
Then came you
Then came you
I never knew love before
Then came you -- you,
Then came you
Whoa, oh, uh, oh, oh, oh
I never knew love before
Then came you
Then came you
I never knew love before
Hey, then came you -- you,
Then came you
Yeah, yeah
You know I never knew love before
(I got to hand it to ya)
Oh, then came you
Then came you
(I found you baby)
I never knew love before
Hey, then came you -- you,
(I gotta get you baby)
Then came you
Whoa, oh, uh, oh, oh, oh
I never knew love before
Then came you
Then came you
I never knew love before
Hey, then came you -- you,
Then came you
Whoa, oh, uh, oh, oh, oh
I never knew love before
Then came you
Then came you
I never knew love before
Hey, then came you -- you,
Then came you