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35-872: The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas , the Temptations , Stevie Wonder , the Four Tops , Jimmy Ruffin , Edwin Starr , the Supremes , the Marvelettes , Marvin Gaye and

70-493: A Motown fan since his childhood in the 1960s, was offered a chance to record Kim Weston on his Hi-NRG label Nightmare in 1987. The result Signal Your Intention topped the UK Hi-NRG charts and met with enthusiasm from Motown fans. Kim Weston brought other former Motown acts to the label, including Mary Wells (of My Guy fame), The Velvelettes and Marv Johnson . Mary Wilson of The Supremes followed next and during 1988,

105-620: A brief demo song, or as long as several weeks if an album or film score is being recorded. Musicians' associations and unions often set out the remuneration terms. Some musicians may get the minimum scale rate set out by the union. Heavily in-demand session musicians may earn much more. The union rates may vary based on whether it is a music recording versus a film/television recording. While the film/television rates may be lower, there may also be residual payments to compensate them for reruns, DVD sales, streaming usage, and so on. Session musicians often have to bring their own instruments, such as in

140-663: A full Motown reunion began to take shape. In April 1989, more than 60 artists gathered in front of the Hitsville studios in Detroit , receiving ample media coverage. Later in the year, Levine changed the label name to Motorcity Records. Joined by former Motown writers like Sylvia Moy , Johnny Bristol and Ivy Jo Hunter , Levine and his crew wrote and produced around the clock, getting the backing tapes recorded in London while vocal sessions took place in both Detroit and Los Angeles , but despite

175-519: A hit single with "Footsteps Following Me" – performed, ironically, by one of the least known artists, Frances Nero , which made it to No. 17 in the UK singles chart . Her dream was short-lived: after recording constantly and receiving no royalties from Levine, she severed her relationship and pursued other ventures. Still most releases continued to sell disappointingly: "Some of the Motorcity albums sold less than

210-496: A live rhythm section as much as they did the outstanding unimpaired vocals of many veteran soul singers", former Motorcity employee Ralph Tee said. "At the time it meant that much of the music didn't unfortunately reach its potential". (Quote from The Strange World of Northern Soul box set, 2003.) Levine relentlessly continued during 1990–91 with the number of artists growing to 108 former Motown acts signed while sinking deeper into financial problems. In 1991, however, Motorcity had

245-528: A nuanced sense of the playing styles and idioms used in different genres. For example, a sax player who mainly plays jazz needs to know the R&;B style if they are asked to improvise a solo in an R&B song. Similarly, a bass player asked to improvise a walking bassline in a rockabilly song needs to know the stock lines and cliches used in this genre. Regardless of the styles of music session musicians play, some qualities are universal: punctuality in arriving at

280-512: A part to fill a last-minute time slot. In the 1960s, Los Angeles was considered the top recording destination in the United States — consequently studios were constantly booked around the clock, and session time was highly sought after and expensive. Songs had to be recorded quickly in the fewest possible takes. In this environment, Los Angeles producers and record executives had little patience for needless expense or wasted time and depended on

315-418: A string of bad luck with shifting distributors (PRT, Pacific and Charly) early on. Furthermore, the records, although heavily supported by UK magazine Blues & Soul , were often criticized for having the music recorded with Fairlight samplers rather than using real musicians, which Levine himself regretted years later. "The sound of these records often didn't sit well with old Motown fans that wanted to hear

350-405: A sub-specialization within trumpet session players is "high note specialist." The working schedule for session musicians often depends on the terms set out by musicians' unions or associations, as these organizations typically set out rules on performance schedules (e.g., regarding the length of sessions and breaks). The length of employment may be as short as a single day, in the case of recording

385-523: A thousand copies each", Levine revealed in an interview in Manifesto magazine in September 2007 as a response to later royalty disputes with some of the artists who claimed not to have been paid. After a deal with Total/BMG, everything began to fall apart during 1992. After a final single "Darling Darling Baby" (MOTC 114) with Edwin Starr , it was all over, Levine close to being declared bankrupt. By that time,

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420-548: A total of 770 songs had been recorded. Levine managed to get a US deal with Miami -based Hot Productions which began releasing a Motorcity anthology plus Best of compilations by the artists and succeeded in getting much of the previously unreleased material out. 20 Best of Motorcity Records volumes were released over the years 1993-96 and 30 more had been planned to follow during 1997–98, including 80 new tracks Levine would record with Pat Lewis and Brenda Holloway during those years. Hot Productions, however, closed down towards

455-536: A wider range of musical situations, genres, and styles. Examples of "doubling" include double bass and electric bass , acoustic guitar and mandolin , piano and accordion , and saxophone and other woodwind instruments. Session musicians are used when musical skills are needed on a short-term basis. Typically, session musicians are used by recording studios to provide backing tracks for other musicians for recording sessions and live performances, recording music for advertising , film, television, and theatre . In

490-575: The Ian Levine 's Motorcity Records project in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Andantes were signed to the label and once again provided a service in recording backing vocals to former Motown artists. By this time, Pat Lewis had joined Jackie Hicks, Barrow and Demps (from 1989 to 1992). Levine also recorded several songs with the Andantes, issuing a new single "Lightning Never Strikes Twice", which featured Demps on lead vocals. Most other songs recorded by

525-450: The 2000s, the terms "session musician" and "studio musician" were synonymous, though in past decades, "studio musician" meant a musician associated with a single record company , recording studio or entertainment agency . Session musicians rarely achieve mainstream fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders . However, top session musicians are well-known within the music industry . Some have become publicly recognized, such as

560-529: The Andantes as either substitute or additional background vocalists on certain recordings by its girl groups beginning with the Marvelettes recordings in 1965, Martha & the Vandellas in 1966, and major part of the Supremes recordings between 1968–1969 although Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong continued to record. In 1963, the Andantes, with the Marvelettes, released the single " Too Hurt to Cry, Too Much in Love to Say Goodbye " b/w "Come on Home" as credited to

595-536: The Darnells . In 1964 they released a single of their own called " (Like A) Nightmare " b/w "If You Were Mine", though none of the actual Andantes sang lead on either track (future Marvelette Ann Bogan performed the lead vocals). The Andantes are also featured on some records that were not produced by Motown Records, the most prominent example being Jackie Wilson's " (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher " ( Pat Lewis substitutes for Louvain Demps on this track). In

630-454: The Four Tops. These releases include: They appeared as backing vocalists on seven singles for the Supremes. These releases include: They appeared as backing vocalists on twelve singles for Martha & the Vandellas. These releases include: They appeared as backing vocalists on 15 singles for the Marvelettes. These releases include: They appeared as backing vocalists on seven recordings for

665-468: The Isley Brothers , among others. It is estimated they appeared on 20,000 recordings. The Andantes provided back-up singing on Motown singles starting in 1962. The group was most prominently used on all of the Four Tops' Holland–Dozier–Holland -produced hits, including " Baby I Need Your Loving ", " I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) ", " Reach Out I'll Be There ", and more. Motown began to use

700-408: The M.G.'s . The benefit of having a regular group, an approach which typified Southern soul , is that the group has much more experience playing together, which enables them to get a better sense of ensemble. Motorcity Records Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists. Levine,

735-489: The Temptations. They appeared as backing vocalists on (at least) 15 singles for Marvin Gaye. These releases include: They also appeared as backing vocalists on these following recordings and singles for Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell: The Andantes have also appeared as backing vocalists on numerous Stevie Wonder recordings, including: The Andantes also appear on several notable recordings produced and/or released by record companies outside of Motown, including: As part of

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770-630: The UK soul scene than the first time round. A lot of these artists were recorded for the last time, many of them have since died – including Mary Wells, Herman Griffin, David Ruffin , Hattie Littles, Saundra Edwards of The Elgins , Edwin Starr, Joe Stubbs and many more. Levine was also instrumental with the several successful multi-artist package tours, similar in style and format to the 1960s Motortown Revue . A month-long tour in November 1990 featured The Elgins, Kim Weston, Syreeta, Carolyn Crawford, Marv Johnson and

805-568: The Wrecking Crew , the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and The Funk Brothers who worked with Motown Records . Session musicians may play in a wide range of genres or specialize in a specific genre (e.g., country music or jazz ). Some session musicians with a classical music background may focus on film score recordings. Even within a specific genre specialization, there may be even more focused sub-specializations. For example,

840-542: The above album: Pat Lewis Ian Levine has claimed that he has recorded more songs with Pat Lewis than with any other artist. Several songs recorded by Lewis whilst with Motorcity Records are: Cover versions Original recordings Session musician Many session musicians specialize in playing common rhythm section instruments such as guitar , piano , bass , or drums . Others are specialists, and play brass , woodwinds , and strings . Many session musicians play multiple instruments, which lets them play in

875-665: The age of 73. Pat Lewis died on September 2, 2024, at the age of 76. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, the Andantes appeared as backing vocalists on many of Motown's recorded singles, as the Funk Brothers also had when providing instrumentation. Seven of these singles that they provided background vocals for would go on to chart at the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 popular music chart. The Andantes appeared on many singles for Brenda Holloway. These include: The Andantes appeared as backing vocalists on 16 singles for

910-431: The case of guitar, bass, woodwinds, and brass. It is expected that studio musicians will have well-maintained professional-tier instruments. In some cases, larger or heavier instruments may be provided by the recording studio, such as a grand piano or Hammond organ and Leslie speaker . In certain cases, a session musicians may bring some instruments or musical gear and use them with larger instruments that are provided by

945-401: The end of 1997 before all 50 volumes had been released. Levine's Motorcity recordings continue to be released on various compilations, and Levine himself has recorded new backing tracks for more than 120 of the songs to create a more authentic sound. Songs like Ronnie McNeir 's "Lucky Number", Carolyn Crawford 's "Timeless" and The Elgins ' "Don't Wait Around" have since received more praise on

980-599: The era, the two groups of musicians in Memphis, both the Memphis Boys and the musicians who backed Stax/Volt recordings, and the Funk Brothers in Detroit, who played on many Motown recordings. At the time, multi-tracking equipment, though common, was less elaborate, and instrumental backing tracks were often recorded "hot" with an ensemble playing live in the studio. Musicians had to be available "on call" when producers needed

1015-581: The group at Motorcity had Lewis on lead vocals. Original recordings Cover versions Unreleased tracks Louvain Demps – Better Times Whilst under contract to Motorcity Records, Louvain was given the opportunity to step up to the microphone and record a full album, which was released in 1992 under the title Better Times , which includes original tunes and one cover of the Diana Ross hit " Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) ". Louvain recorded two further tracks with Motorcity which did not appear on

1050-529: The late 1980s and early 1990s, The Andantes were signed to Motorcity Records , recording songs on their own, as well as once again serving as backing vocalists to fellow former Motown artists. During this time, Lewis had joined the group as a full-time member. In addition to various awards, the Andantes were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in August 2014. Marlene Barrow died on February 23, 2015, at

1085-448: The media attention and prominent artists in the roster of the likes of Martha & The Vandellas , and former Supremes Jean Terrell , Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence , it proved harder than expected to get the product released. In the U.S., the record companies were reluctant to invest in artists of yesteryear. In the UK, Levine released several singles and albums, both studio albums and various artists compilations, but ran into

The Andantes - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-427: The service of reliable standby musicians who could be counted on to record in a variety of styles with minimal practice or takes, and deliver hits on short order. A studio band is a musical ensemble that is in the employ of a recording studio for the purpose of accompanying recording artists who are customers of the studio. The use of studio bands was more common during the 1960s with groups such Booker T. &

1155-683: The session; rhythmic and intonation precision; ability to play with good ensemble and excellent blending with the other performers; willingness to take direction from bandleaders , music directors , and music producers ; and having good musical taste in regards to choices with musical ornaments and musical phrasing . During the 1950s and 1960s, session players were usually active in local recording scenes concentrated in places such as Los Angeles , New York City , Nashville , Memphis , Detroit , and Muscle Shoals . Each local scene had its circle of "A-list" session musicians, such as The Nashville A-Team that played on numerous country and rock hits of

1190-428: The studio, such as a synthesizer player, who might bring rack-mounted synth modules and connect them to the studio's MIDI controller stage piano . Similarly, if the studio has a selection of well-known bass amplifiers , and speaker cabinets, a bass player may only have to bring basses and effect units . The requirement to read different types of music notation, improvise and/or " play by ear " varies according to

1225-570: The type of recording session and the genres of music being performed. Classical musicians and many jazz and popular music musicians are expected to read music notation and do sight-reading . In jazz, rock, and many popular music genres, performers may be expected to read chord charts and improvise accompaniment and solos. In country music, performers may be expected to read Nashville Number System charts and improvise accompaniment and solos. In many traditional and folk music styles, performers are expected to be able to play by ear. Session musicians need

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