Mary Wells Disappeared After “My Guy”

by Kevin Burton    In my alternate Motown universe there is a lot more Martha Reeves and a lot less Diana Ross. There is also at least a little more Mary Wells.    It’s Wells we focus on today. Sixty years ago, Wells’ “My Guy” became the first Motown record to hit number one on …

Motown’s Move To LA Stifled The Magic

by Kevin Burton    There is more than a little irony in the 1971 Jackson 5 song “Going Back To Indiana.” That makes for an easy choice to make Indiana a destination for our summer rock and roll road trip, Coast to Coast.    For Coast to Coast we are talking rock and roll history, …

“Rescue Me” Imitated The Detroit Sound

by Kevin Burton    From the heart of the Motown era came a million-selling hit that typified the Detroit sound.     But the song has been doubly mistaken through the years, shortchanging the artist whose vocal command made it a classic.    That song was “Rescue Me,” and it was a bit of a rescue …