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The Contours
The cover to the Contours' only Motown LP, Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)
The cover to the Contours' only Motown LP, Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)
Background information
Origin Detroit, Michigan U.S.
Genre(s) R&B
Years active 1959 - 1968; 1971 - present
Label(s) Motown
Members
Joe Billingslea and The Contours:
Joe Billingslea *
Al Chisholm
Charles Davis
Gary Grier
Odell Jones

The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts:
Sylvester Potts
Kim Green
Darrell Nunlee
Tony Womack
Former members
Billy Gordon *
Billy Hoggs *
Billy Rollins
Hubert Johnson *
Leroy Fair *
Council Gay
Jerry Green
Alvin English
Joe Stubbs
Dennis Edwards
Arthur Hinson
Martin Upshire
C. Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance was the only LP issued by The Contours during their career at Motown Records. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Dennis Edwards (born February 3, 1943) is an American soul and R&B singer most noted for being one of Motown act Autry Hatcher

*Original Members

The Contours were one of the early soul singing groups signed to Motown Records. Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. The group is best known for its singular Billboard Top 40 hit, "Do You Love Me. "Do You Love Me" is a 1962 hit single recorded by The Contours for Motown 's Gordy Records label "

Contents

History

Establishment and "Do You Love Me"

Joe Billingslea, Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, and Billy Rollins founded a singing group called The Blenders in their native Detroit, Michigan in 1959. The group soon added Leroy Fair (in place of Billy Rollins) and bass singer Hubert Johnson and changed the name to The Contours. In the fall of 1960, the group auditioned for Berry Gordy's Motown Records. Berry Gordy Jr (born November 28, 1929, Detroit Michigan) is an American Record producer, and the founder of the Motown "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Gordy turned the act down, prompting the group to pay a visit to the home of Johnson's cousin, R&B star and Gordy associate Jackie Wilson. Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr ( June 9, 1934 &ndash January 21, 1984) was an American singer Wilson in turn got The Contours a second audition with Gordy, at which they sang the same songs they had at the first audition, the same way, and were signed to a seven-year contract.

The group's first single, "Whole Lotta Woman," was released in January 1961 and failed to chart. Within months of its release, Leroy Fair was replaced by Benny Reeves, brother of Martha Reeves. Shortly thereafter, Benny Reeves left to serve in the United States Navy and he was replaced by Sylvester Potts. In 1961 the group's second single, "The Stretch", was released and it also failed to chart. In early 1962, Gordy had The Contours record "Do You Love Me," a composition originally meant for The Temptations. The Temptations (sometimes abbreviated as The Temps or The Tempts) are a Grammy -winning vocal group that achieved fame as one of the most successful The resulting record, with its shouted lead vocals from Billy Gordon, became a number-two hit in1962. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Mid-1960s career

Although The Contours never quite repeated the extraordinary success of "Do You Love Me," they returned to the charts three times during 1963 and 1964 with "Shake Sherry," "Can You Do It" and "Can You Jerk Like Me. " In 1964, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, Hubert Johnson, and Sylvester Potts all left Motown. Berry Gordy hired Council Gay, Jerry Green and Alvin English to back Billy Gordon, making the Contours a quartet. Within a year, Sylvester Potts returned to the group (replacing Alvin English), and Billy Gordon departed shortly thereafter. Gordon was replaced by Joe Stubbs, brother of Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs. The Four Tops are an American vocal Quartet, whose repertoire has included Doo-wop, Jazz, Soul music, R&B, Disco Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles) (born June 6, 1936) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist of the famed Motown R&B Stubbs soon quit the act and was replaced by Dennis Edwards. Dennis Edwards (born February 3, 1943) is an American soul and R&B singer most noted for being one of Motown act

With all of the original members gone by the mid-1960s, The Contours recorded several records which received R&B radio play (notably "First I Look At The Purse" and "Just a Little Misunderstanding"), but were considered secondary to Motown's major male vocal groups: The Temptations, the Four Tops, and The Miracles. The Miracles (known from 1965 to 1972 as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) is an American Rhythm and blues group from Detroit Michigan, notable The group's seven-year contract with Motown expired in 1967 and when lead singer Dennis Edwards was recruited to replace the departed David Ruffin as lead singer of The Temptations in early 1968, The Contours disbanded. David Ruffin (Davis Eli Ruffin ( January 18, 1941 &ndash June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer most famous for his work Edwards later became a solo hits maker as well.

Although they charted up a hit in the U. K. in 1970 with a rerelase of "Just A Little Misunderstanding," The Contours' real claim to fame lies with "Do You Love Me. " Both these tracks and others Contours work can be found on various Motown compilation albums.

After Motown

In the early 1970s, Joe Billingslea resurrected the group with himself, Council Gay, Arthur Hinson, Martin Upshire and C. Autry Hatcher as its members, and began performing at local clubs around Detroit. During the seventies and early eighties, the group's popularity increased and they began playing dates throughout the US and even some international dates. In 1984, Charles Davis replaced Hinson and a week later Potts rejoined the group replacing Gay. In 1987, Hatcher left the group and Arthur Hinson returned. In 1988, Darell Nunlee was added when Martin Upshire left. The same year, "Do You Love Me" was prominently featured in the film Dirty Dancing. Dirty Dancing is a 1987 Romance film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein, the film features Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze In 1988, a reissue of "Do You Love Me" sent the song back to the Billboard pop charts for eight weeks, peaking at number eleven. The movie and the record spawned a 1988 "Dirty Dancing Concert Tour" followed by a new recording contract for Ian Levine's Motorcity Records where the group recorded two albums Flashback and Revenge although the latter was not relased although the songs came out on a later compilation. Ian Levine is an English Songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known (and often controversial fan of the long-running television Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989.

In 1992, Hinson and left the group, and it continued as a quartet until 1993 when Nunlee left. Al Chisholm (formerly with The Falcons) and Gary Grier were recruited in 1993. This configuration - Joe Billingslea, Chisholm, Davis, Grier and Potts - continued from 1993 until 2004.

In 2004, Sylvester Potts left to form his own group with the four members (Leroy Seabrooks, Kim Green, Tony Womack and Darell Nunlee) of a local Detroit group named Upscale, which immediately began performing as 'The Contours'. Billingslea sued and Potts countersued, each claiming the rights to the name. These suits were resolved in an out-of-court settlement which provided for the existence of both groups to be identified as "Joe Billingslea and The Contours" and "The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts," respectively. Seabrooks has since left the Potts' group making it a quartet. In 2006, Joe Billingslea and The Contours filled the vacant bass singing spot created by Potts' departure with Odell Jones. Both groups are currently performing. Joe Billingslea and The Contours are among the acts featured in a DVD released by Motown in January 2007 called "Motown: The Early Years," featuring their appearances on the Public Broadcasting System specials.

Where Are The Original Members Today?

Joe Billingslea continues to perform with "Joe Billingslea and The Contours. " Original member Billy Hoggs left The Contours in 1964 to become a minister. Today he is retired and lives in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. In 2005, Hoggs made his first and only appearance since 1964, singing with Joe Billingslea and The Contours for the taping of "Motown: The Early Years. " Hubert Johnson committed suicide on July 11, 1981, Billy Gordon died in 1999 and Leroy Fair died in December 2004. Guitarist Huey Davis (pictured on their Do You Love Me album cover, but never officially a member of The Contours) died February 23, 2000.

Discography

Singles

All singles were issued on Gordy Records unless otherwise noted

Albums

References

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