The Spinners Quietly Became One of the Most Dangerous Acts of the ’70s
RnB Vinyl
17,106 views
For nine years, The Spinners were the group Motown kept around but never pushed. They drove the Temptations, worked the shipping department, and chauffeured Berry Gordy's mother, while other acts got the producers and the hits. Even when Stevie Wonder handed them "It's a Shame," the label sat on it for a year.
Then Aretha Franklin told them to leave.
This is the story of how The Spinners became a different kind of soul group. It follows them from Motown's back seat to Thom Bell's Philadelphia studio, where a smooth crooner named Bobby Smith and a preacher named Philippé Wynne shared the same records and changed what a vocal group could sound like. Along the way are a heartbreak written on a wall, a bass singer who became famous for one line, a Dionne Warwick duet she didn't even like, and a song Thom Bell wrote to protect his son.
It also cost them. There's the lead singer who couldn't follow them out of Motown, the cousin who took his place and asked for more than the group would give, and a Hall of Fame list that left one name off.
At number one is the record that started it all, and the label hid it on the wrong side.
Where were you the first time you heard The Spinners? Tell me in the comments. If you grew up with this music, subscribe and pull up a chair. There's more on the shelf.
#TheSpinners #PhillySoul #RnBVinyl #70sSoul #SoulMusicHistory
The Spinners, The Spinners history, Detroit Spinners, The Spinners documentary, Philippe Wynne, Bobby Smith Spinners, Thom Bell, Philly soul, Philadelphia soul, Sigma Sound, I'll Be Around, Could It Be I'm Falling in Love, The Rubberband Man, Then Came You Dionne Warwick, Mighty Love, One of a Kind Love Affair, Games People Play Spinners, Working My Way Back to You, It's a Shame Spinners, G.C. Cameron, Motown history, Atlantic Records soul, 70s soul music, classic R&B, soul music stories, R&B vocal groups, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2023, old school R&B, RnB Vinyl
20 Comments
The Spinners Quietly Became One of the Most Dangerous Acts of the ’70s
RnB Vinyl
17,106 views
For nine years, The Spinners were the group Motown kept around but never pushed. They drove the Temptations, worked the shipping department, and chauffeured Berry Gordy's mother, while other acts got the producers and the hits. Even when Stevie Wonder handed them "It's a Shame," the label sat on it for a year.
Then Aretha Franklin told them to leave.
This is the story of how The Spinners became a different kind of soul group. It follows them from Motown's back seat to Thom Bell's Philadelphia studio, where a smooth crooner named Bobby Smith and a preacher named Philippé Wynne shared the same records and changed what a vocal group could sound like. Along the way are a heartbreak written on a wall, a bass singer who became famous for one line, a Dionne Warwick duet she didn't even like, and a song Thom Bell wrote to protect his son.
It also cost them. There's the lead singer who couldn't follow them out of Motown, the cousin who took his place and asked for more than the group would give, and a Hall of Fame list that left one name off.
At number one is the record that started it all, and the label hid it on the wrong side.
Where were you the first time you heard The Spinners? Tell me in the comments. If you grew up with this music, subscribe and pull up a chair. There's more on the shelf.
#TheSpinners #PhillySoul #RnBVinyl #70sSoul #SoulMusicHistory
The Spinners, The Spinners history, Detroit Spinners, The Spinners documentary, Philippe Wynne, Bobby Smith Spinners, Thom Bell, Philly soul, Philadelphia soul, Sigma Sound, I'll Be Around, Could It Be I'm Falling in Love, The Rubberband Man, Then Came You Dionne Warwick, Mighty Love, One of a Kind Love Affair, Games People Play Spinners, Working My Way Back to You, It's a Shame Spinners, G.C. Cameron, Motown history, Atlantic Records soul, 70s soul music, classic R&B, soul music stories, R&B vocal groups, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2023, old school R&B, RnB Vinyl