The New Sensations, Detroit - The Full Story by MD Records

MD 117 – Blinded by Pride / I Found A Love – The Sensations

At MD Records, our main mission has always been to ensure that the music we release is handled fairly and ethically. We put a significant amount of effort behind the scenes to ensure that all legal requirements are met before we make a release public. Sometimes, this task can become challenging when dealing with tracks that come with limited information. This challenge becomes even more pronounced when many of the people who contributed to the music have unfortunately passed away. In these instances, we engage in extensive ancestry research to locate their descendants or next of kin, which can be quite intricate. It's like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle, where the pieces have been missing for over 50 years. We admit that this process can be frustrating at times. However, when all the puzzle pieces finally fit into place, it brings us immense joy. Sharing the complete story and providing the families of the artists or groups with their musical heritage is truly gratifying. This process assures us that we've taken the necessary steps, not only to honour the creators' legacy but also to bring positive recognition to our label.

We count ourselves lucky because Gary Rubin of Pioneer Studio meticulously chronicled his experiences in yearly diaries. These diaries aren't just recordings of daily studio visits; they also contain a wealth of information at the back—a directory of group names complete with their names, old phone numbers, and often addresses. Having access to this unprocessed information always gives us a solid starting point. It enables us to delve into old telephone and address directories, allowing us to follow trails to find the artists or families associated with these musicians. For example, when we found the unreleased Tomangoes tracks, we found two uncredited names, associated with The Tomangoes, but that’s another story… 

Through our research efforts, we've overcome challenges and successfully located Detroit talents like Tommy Rodgers, The Gambrells, and even established connections with the families of the late Dr. Brockington, James Lately and Lamar Thomas. Our continuous dedication stems from our desire to uncover more of these hidden gems and ensure that they're aware of our ongoing project, leaving our conscience is clear. 

Promotional Photograph of The New Sensations

In April 2022, we announced an incredible double-sided release from a previously unknown group named 'The Sensations’. The Sensations were set to have a release on the Pioneer label alongside The Gambrells in 1966. Unfortunately, Gary informed us that Milt Olsson, the arranger, had recorded the "Blinded by Pride" and "I Found A Love" band tracks in a way that was considered too fast. It was almost impossible to sync the vocals and instrumentation using the technology available at that time. As a result, these tracks remained locked in the vaults until we restored, mixed, and mastered them using modern technology, which allowed us to finally release them back in April 2022.

Our label partner, Jordan Wilson, took on the task of tracking down the lead singer of The Sensations—Greg Glazer. Gary Rubin had vivid memories of Greg because he really stood out among the other groups he was recording at the time. Greg was a remarkably talented Jewish, white male, with a voice that held the soulful richness of a black man's. However, Gary found it challenging to recall the other members of The Sensations. His diaries only contained Greg's name, followed by “and The Sensations” with no other finer details. 

Gary was determined to gather the additional information we needed. He eventually returned with news that he had discovered the original contract that had been signed when The Sensations were brought on board Pioneer's publishing Tru-Soul. This contract listed the names Greg Glazer, Lawrence Bliss, Jack Wiener, and Richard Berk as members of the group. 

It also revealed the group was in fact called ‘The New Sensations’ as there were other groups already using the name 'The Sensations'.

Contract signed by The New Sensations on 21st November 1966

Gary's memory continued to jog further, as he recollected that he thought some members of the group may had been students at Mumford High School and their musical style was heavily influenced by the early street corner doo-wop harmonies that were popular at the time. Delving even deeper into Gary's extensive archive of song composition sheets, we found evidence that Greg Glazer was not only the lead singer but also the songwriter behind the two tracks we were eager to release by The New Sensations - so we then knew our priority was to find Greg Glazer. 

With the surname 'Glazer' being quite distinctive, we quickly managed to connect with the delightful Sarah and Dan Glazer, who still reside in Detroit, Michigan. They were genuinely moved that we, all the way from the UK, had successfully located them after all these years. 

The two Pioneer tracks we unearthed had a profound impact on them, bringing them to tears as they heard their father's youthful voice recorded for the very first time. Sadly, they shared news that their dad, Greg, had passed away some years back. However, they did have knowledge that he had been part of a singing group during his early musical journey but was not aware that the group had ever been recorded. 

Through collaboration with Dan, Sarah, and Gary, we devoted ourselves to meticulously arranging the details of song writing and publisher royalties. But an unusual challenge emerged. Dan and Sarah had come into the world much later than their father's days in his teenage singing group. As a result, they lacked any information about the fate of the other group members. Nevertheless, the connections we established allowed us to proceed with releasing the song on MD. 

When we initially released The New Sensations tracks, we made an effort to find the other members of the group - Lawrence Bliss, Jack Wiener, and Richard Berk - but unfortunately came up empty-handed. The common nature of the names, combined with a lack of prior address or telephone details, hindered our search efforts. Additionally, since these other names were not the songwriters of the two tracks and instead served as group members, the names were not registered as songwriters with BMI music or ASCAP.

After a year since introducing 'Blinded by Pride' and ‘I Found A Love’ to the UK soul scene, and adding it to the MD Records catalogue, we are now thrilled to announce our successful discovery of another group member of The New Sensations - Lawrence Bliss - who goes by the name 'Larry'. He still continues to reside in Detroit, Michigan.

On Sunday 13th August, Jordan telephoned Larry and during this conversation, he shared the details about our ongoing project centered around the Pioneer master tapes. Larry, having been located, was now able to provide the missing pieces of the puzzle. We can now share the complete story behind The New Sensations group. 

On the 9th of April, 1948, Lawrence Bliss made his entrance into the world. His early days were spent in Oak Park, Michigan, his hometown, where he grew and flourished. His educational journey led him to Oak Park High School, a place where his passion for music began to take root. It was within the school's music programs that he crossed paths with Rick Wiesend, lead singer of Tim Tam and The Turn-On’s who influenced his style in music.  

Other groups like The Valadiers and The Reflections of Golden World Records, also left an indelible mark on Larry. These 'blue-eyed' ensembles drew inspiration from early black doo-wop harmony, serving as evidence that soulful singing wasn't confined by racial boundaries – a testament to the fact that one’s skin colour did not define their ability to evoke soulful emotions.

As the mid-1960s unfolded, Larry Bliss found himself captivated with the melodies that churned out from groups like The Contours, The Supremes, and The Temptations - groups that blasted through the airwaves of Detroit at the time. He attended The Motortown Revue’s at The Fox Theatre in Detroit, and enjoyed 45s being released by the various independent soul labels during that era.

Larry was a familiar face at the Pool Halls in Detroit, a place where teenage guys gathered to socialise, indulge in games of pool, pinball and plan their evening night spot destinations. The parking lot served as a focal point, attracting the attention of girls who recognised it as the central hub for the boys to meet. Beyond the confines of the halls, groups would assemble outside, comprised of street corner soul and doo-wop singers, who captivated passers-by with their harmonious performances. 

It’s at the Pool Hall is where Larry met Stuie Avig, a notable figure as a member of The Valadiers, the first all-white soul group on Motown Records. Interestingly, for us, Stuie also has gained recognition in the UK's rare soul circles under the alias 'Stewart Ames,' famous for his track 'Angelina, Oh Angelina.' Remarkably, this track shared its backing with ‘Jock Mitchells - Nomad Women,' another recording accomplished at Pioneer Studio. 

Even though Larry had not previously recognised himself as a vocalist, he found himself irresistibly drawn to singing along with the well-loved soul melodies. It was amid these occasions that his path intersected with certain individuals whose influence would prove pivotal, notably Greg Glazer and Richard Burke. Larry recounted to us that his initiation into singing was somewhat unexpected, almost forced, as his friends acknowledged his natural ability to harmonise and offered him the opportunity to become part of the group ‘The New Sensations’. Around this time, Stuie Avig would also socialise around the Pool Hall and would join in, singing with The New Sensations. 

Larry also reminisces about the time when The Shades of Blue released their song "Oh How Happy." Larry recalls that Greg was disheartened by the release, believing that the song could have been theirs due to some connection. Although the exact details of the connection escape Larry's memory, he suspects it had something to do with the songwriter Edwin Hatcher, also known as Edwin Starr.

Remarkably, the record gained significant traction upon its release, achieving further recognition in Canada and the UK.

Individuals within the music industry would park their vehicles outside the Pool Hall, and listen to the harmonies from the gathered groups. Impressed by the musical prowess on display, they would extend a business card as an invitation, urging the talented performers to partake in a studio session. During these interactions, the prospects of more substantial opportunities were dangled before them, promising potential breakthroughs and a chance to record a vinyl record. 

In Larry's recollections, Woody Swartz remains a prominent figure – a sound engineer and partner associated with Pioneer Studio. Woody welcomed them to Pioneer Records, an instance that stands out vividly. During this period, Pioneer Records had started open auditions for groups, as advertised in the Detroit Freepress Newspaper. The primary objective was to foster the expansion of their record label, building upon prior recordings such as 'The Modernistics.' This endeavor took place prior to Gary's studio's transition from its origins in his parents' basement to the newly established studio at 20014 James Couzens. Larry fondly recalls the amusing memory of Woody playfully impersonating his father on a phone call to his high school, saying that Larry was sick and then the two of them going horseback riding for the day instead.

Previously unseen photographs of Gary Rubin and Pioneer Studio.
 

Meeting Gary Rubin marked a significant turning point for The New Sensations, as they demonstrated their singing skills. These demo recordings captured their renditions of classics like 'My Girl,' 'Sunday Kind Of Love,' and 'Keep On Walking (Don’t Look Back).' Notably, the session also showcased Greg's song writing skills with the first demo’s of 'Blinded By Pride,' 'I Found A Love,' and another track called 'Searching.' Gary Rubin's response was nothing short of impressed, and he decided to sign the group to the Pioneer repertoire. Larry still possesses an acetate of these initial demo recordings made at Pioneer.

Acetate of The New Sensations demo’s curiosity of Larry Bliss.
 

On 21st November 1966, Greg Glazer, Larry Bliss, Richard Burke, and Jack Wiener officially inked their contract with Pioneer and Tru-Soul Publishing, marking a significant step in their exciting musical journey. Notably, Larry was the youngest member of the group and had to have his father sign his contract. Just one day after on the 22nd of November, 1966, a recording session took place at United Sound Studio, orchestrated by Danny Dallas who managed the engineering controls. The immensely talented Motown Funk Brothers were brought in for a ‘moonlit’ session, crafting the musical foundation for the next anticipated releases for The Gambrells: 'Jive Talk' and 'Find A Love', and in the same session they recorded the band tracks for The New Sensations' - 'Blinded By Pride' and 'I Found A Love'. The arrangement of the track was skillfully conducted by Milton Olsson, who had previously worked with Tim Tam & The Turn On’s. However, a hiccup emerged when the final master tapes returned to Pioneer for vocal overdubs – it turned out that the band track sessions had been recorded at an unexpectedly faster pace than what was anticipated. 

With The New Sensations now a signed group, they embarked on participating in live performances to boost promotion in anticipation for their up-coming release. Pioneer Records arranged for the group, to make appearances at various black show bars around the city. Larry recalls how they were always embraced and appreciated and nicknamed ‘The White Temptations’. Under the guidance of Greg, The New Sensations also meticulously practiced their dance routines, striving to emulate the distinctive style of The Temptations and other Motown groups.

Larry fondly reminisces about their live show at Detroit's Masonic Temple - a renowned Detroit music venue. This particular event, a sold-out benefit, featured The Tomangoes providing backing support for The New Sensations. The headliner of the show was Billy Daniels. It's essential to recollect that prior to The Tomangoes release of 'I Really Love You' on Washpan, the Tomangoes were also under contract with Pioneer Records. The group recorded three tracks registered to Tru-Soul Publishing that were mixed and planned for release but ultimately remained confined to the vault. Among these tracks were 'Love's Got A Hold On Me' and the original Pioneer version of 'You've Been Gone Too Long,' both of which were complemented by the backing vocals of The Gambrells.

The progress of The New Sensations' tracks was momentarily halted as The Gambrells mixes took place, adding their overdubbed vocals and promotion began for the Gambrells first 45 on Pioneer. As the calendar turned over to the new year, precisely on the 1st of January, 1967, Gary Rubin's diaries unveiled the day's recording sessions. The line-up featured The Moniques, The Perfections, The Plus Two, and The Famous Brothers. The last session of the day saw The New Sensations in the studio in to conclude for vocal overdubs and mixing at 8pm. Numerous vocal takes of 'Blinded By Pride' were undertaken, yet a persistent issue persisted: the band track's tempo was just too fast. The evident frustration came across in the studio, notably embodied by Greg Glazer, the lead vocalist. He repeatedly found himself disoriented within the accelerating tempo, causing his lyrics to slip away as the pace surged forward.

After the session concluded, The New Sensations departed, leaving Gary to embark on the task of creating a mix for the track. However, the technological constraints of that era hindered the alteration of the band track's speed, as any attempts to slow it down resulted in an eerie and distorted quality. A rough mix was created, at an incredibly fast tempo. Each member of The New Sensations received a rough mix of the track on an acetate dub. These dubs were subsequently distributed to the local disc jockeys who had supported 'Jive Talk’ release. 

The dubs reached the few disc jockeys in Detroit and at that juncture, Jack Wiener made the determination to pursue an independent path, which ultimately led to the dissolution of the group. The master tapes found themselves set aside, left dormant on a shelf, awaiting their destined moment. 

Pioneer Vocal Overdub Tape and United Sound Band Track Tape

It wasn't until April 2022 that MD Records finally had the opportunity to digitise the long-lost master tapes from the Pioneer studio, unveiling the raw, unpolished mixes of The New Sensations' recordings. As we listened, the immense potential for a remarkable release became evident. With the invaluable possession of multi-track united sound masters, a decision was made to collaborate with Kevin Fingier, renowned for his involvement with 'Fingier Records' and his association with Acid Jazz in London.

Kevin's expertise proved pivotal as he embarked on the task of restoring and refining the tracks. With finesse, he meticulously adjusted the pacing of the backing track and seamlessly intertwined the vocal layers, achieving what Gary had struggled to accomplish all those years ago. Upon the completion of the remixing process, the two tracks underwent a transformative journey to GoldenMastering in Los Angeles, where JJ's mastering was harnessed to render them impeccably clear and primed for modern vinyl pressing. 

Larry embarked on a journey to forge a career in architecture. Amidst his professional pursuits, he has maintained his love for music, singing karaoke and playing his harmonica. Fond memories of the Detroit music scene come alive whenever he reunites with his old friend, Jack Wiener. Regrettably, Larry remains unaware of the current whereabouts of Richard Berk.

We, the MD Records collective, extend our gratitude to Larry for his invaluable contribution in helping us tell the story of yet another Pioneer Records group.

Its great to be able to keep bringing forwards more of the forgotten story of Detroit music scene and the Pioneer studio – which remains an important player in the story of Detroit, albeit one that was overlooked due to its closure in the mid-seventies.

We have no doubt that more and more links and connections will be uncovered as we continue to work through the tapes and stories, some are not soul but still tell an important part of the Detroit musical melting pot story.

We are looking at bringing through some album releases possibly both CD and Vinyl to capture some of the songs that have a wider appeal to music fans and to help support the work of digitising and archiving this fabulous history. We will of course carry on with the singles too.

Don’t forget if you missed any of the releases pop over to the website and have a listen before picking up a single or two www.mdrecords.co.uk

We are looking at getting alternative payments methods to PayPal on the site so watch this space.

All the best the MD collective.

Listen here: