Al Green, Hot Line, Palmer, Peoples Choice

[Blackpoolsoul]

After a 20 year mission I finally managed to track down Curtis Rodgers who has been kind enough to allow me to let us all have the following info

"Hello, I'm sorry l haven't responded, been traveling and there's some information that I need to let you have.

Our company created Several Record Labels and used them for various Artists we had under contract.. To name a few : Hot Line Music Journal, Grandland, Wood City Natural Soul.

We convinced Al Green to sign a contract with our company.. We recorded and produced his first single & his first Album..We signed an International Distribution Contract With Bell Records in New York.They were part of CBS..They handled the international market. Al Green's first single and first Album did extremely well around the World.

The People's Cholce was a group I put together in 1966. Lead singer George Lowe , back group singers Johnny Curry and Howard Nelson

When Palmer James and I recorded the first Recording by the People's Choice , "Hot Wire" , "Easy to be True", the record caught the attention of a Record Company in Detroit Michigan . They really liked the recording & the Group and made us an offer to handle the groups next follow-up recording , in other words , we signed a record deal with this Company, We would work together on the Groups next recording . The next recording session was done in Detroit Michigan , where the "I'm Savin My Loving" record was recorded. This Company we teamed up with was run or headed by "Irv Beigel"... they actually owned the "Palmer" record label and or "Palmer Records". The People's Choice second record release , "Savin My Lovin" , was on the "Palmer" "Label" which we did not own. Irv Beigel left the Palmer Record Company and teamed up with Larry Uttal who headed Bell Records in New York , which was a division of Columbia Pictures.

The first group The People's Cholce broke up six months after the Savin My Lovin , record release. Palmer James and myself found another local group young of singers in Grand Rapids and signed them to a recording contract , we gave them the the name The People's Cholce, and recorded their song "Destruction" on our "Wood City" record label. This is the only song we recorded with this group. They were A younger group of guys and couldn't handle the popularity spotlight. We dropped the Group. We did not record any one else using that name. If you have more questions , will try to help or answer when theirs a spare moment , getting very busy with new projects.. You do have my permission to use what I have written.. Take Care From Curtis Rodgers"

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Blackpoolsoul

[HisingsMartin]

Great info!

How interesting that the original members parted ways quite early on but the group name lived on through new band members. "Savin' My Lovin' For You" is a firm favourite of mine. So much energy and emotion in that track! Another Richard "Popcorn" Wylie (and let's not forget Tony Hester & Andrew "Mike" Terry) winner! DETROIT 60's SOUL MASTERPIECE! 

 

[Blackpoolsoul]

Just to add to this thread Curtis played in The Creations at El Grotto Lounge. Gene Mason, Curtis Rogers, Lee Virgis, Jr. Walker, Al Greene, Willie Woods.  

It was at El Grotto where Jr. Walker and the All Stars were noticed by Johnny Bristol, soul singer and producer for Motown Records who was living in Battle Creek at the time. He recommended the group to Harvey Fuqua, who signed them to his label in 1962. Tri-Phi records was eventually absorbed by Motown, the label where Jr. Walker and the All Stars scored 21 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

What a fantastic name for a club, wonder if Santa ever went (topical joke)

https://eu.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/news/2019/07/11/el-grotto-club-torn-down-al-green-jr-walker-battle-creek/1671787001/

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by Blackpoolsoul

[Tlscapital]

There's a whole story behind this odd and unusual first top left copy and the later Grand Land & Amy-Mala-Bell pick-up for (inter) national distribution... With few months appart between the releases.

And ever since to my ears the striking resemblance between the People's Choice's 'easy to be true' with Al Greene's 'back up train' and his 'don't leave me' with theirs 'savin' all my lovin'' is so there.

Here's an excerpt from a 2014 OP on here in regard of my odd & unusual pressing. Turns out to be the first small run press whith the later Grand Land local re-press next to the Amy-Mala-Bell one.

One of the first groups that Grand Land Records signed People’s Choice, which featured lead singer George Lowe. The group was signed to a 2 album per year record deal and released their first single entitled “Hot Wire” in a studio in the basement of Phil Robert’s dad’s basement.

With 2000 records pressed, the song was introduced to a local black station and received immediate and constant airplay.

The group was off to Detroit to record their second release, written by Palmer James, “Saving My Lovin”. New doors began to open, including a gig at Detroit’s famed Twenty Grand Club. All of the upcoming and major stars played the Club.

Unfortunately, half way through the groups tour schedule, George Lowe decided return home to Grand Rapids, to be closer to his wife and family leaving the group without a lead singer.

Curtis called Al Green and asked him to stand in as lead singer; Al agreed and finished out the tour with the group.

“The best thing about working with Al Green is that he did what he was suppose to do and that was it,” Rodgers said. “He is a tremendous artist with a smooth as silk voice.”

After being invited to officially join the group, Al Green decided to be a solo act and signed on with Hot Line Music Journal, a label under the umbrella of Grand Land Records. His first single on the label, “Back Up Train”, was written by Curtis Rodgers and Palmer James. Palmer also wrote a song on the flip side of record entitled “Don’t Leave Me”.

To their disappointment, radio was not as kind to the label as they had hoped.

“We tried to get the radio stations in Grand Rapids to play “Back Up Train” but they refused at first,” Curtis added.

“Palmer wanted to give up, but I took the record WCHB in Detroit and within a few months, it had shot to number one, right of above Marvin Gaye’s “Heard it Through The Grape Vine”.

What Curtis Rodgers is not telling here (read that story elsewhere but where...) is that he stood on Detroit's main streets next to phone booths giving coins to bums willing to call the radio stations requesting them to play 'back up train'. And that forced the air-play to find it's way to the ears of Amy-Bell-Mala executives. Few months later.

Within those few months the young Al Green thought he gave it his best shot at it with a fabulous record that no radio would even push...When he was just about to throw it all away that Amy-Bell-Mala deal came up. Once that little "success" bulb burst out he got to meet Willie Mitchell for another leap into another music business realm...

Edited December 24, 2021 by Tlscapital

[Tomangoes]

Filling in the gaps...if thats ok.

Did big Al ever sing saving my love in his solo repertoire?

The reverend al green. Further reading should mean a film is essential on his life!

Albert Leornes Greene was born on April 13, 1946, in Forrest City, Arkansas.[9] The sixth of ten children born to Cora Lee and Robert G. Greene, Jr., a sharecropper, Al began performing with his sister in a group called the Greene Brothers at around the age of ten. The Greene family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the late 1950s.[10] Al was kicked out of the family home while in his teens, after his devoutly religious father caught him listening to Jackie Wilson.[11] He then lived with a prostitute, began hustling[clarification needed], and indulged in recreational drugs.[12]

"[I listened to] Mahalia Jackson, all the great gospel singers. But the most important music to me was those hip-shakin’ boys: Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley. When I was 13, I just loved Elvis Presley. Whatever he got, I went out and bought."[13]

In high school, Al formed a vocal group called Al Greene & the Creations.[14] Two of the group's members, Curtis Rodgers and Palmer James, formed an independent label called Hot Line Music Journal. In 1968, having changed their name to Al Greene & the Soul Mates, they recorded the song "Back Up Train", releasing it on Hot Line Music.[15] The song was a hit on the R&B charts and peaked at Number 46 in the Cash Box Top 100. However, the group's subsequent follow-ups failed to chart, as did their debut album Back Up Train.

Ed

[Mike]

mentioned a couple of posts ago

info heavy topic

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/forums/topic/317508-al-green-dont-leave-me-1st-hot-line-music-journal-issue/

 

[Seano]

I've still got the Al Green biography by Jimmy McDonough 'Soul Survivor' to read - this thread will be a good nudge to get on with it!

[Blackpoolsoul]

1 hour ago, Seano said:

I've still got the Al Green biography by Jimmy McDonough 'Soul Survivor' to read - this thread will be a good nudge to get on with it!

I will be interested to know what its says about The Creations, as it seems there is some confusion in some write ups

[Dave2]

Thanks for the hard work /effort on the info.  

Have always wondered about the 'Destruction' 45.   I could never find anything similar on the 'Wood City' label!

[Blackpoolsoul]

Image from Curtis

[The Yank]

On 24/12/2021 at 09:53, Blackpoolsoul said:

I will be interested to know what its says about The Creations, as it seems there is some confusion in some write ups

     According to Keith Rylatt's "Groovesville USA" , group members were Al Greene, Curtis Rogers, Lee Virgis, Gene Mason and Palmer James. The confusion comes from  a Chicago group with the same name that  was recording around the same time. 

Edited January 24, 2022 by The Yank

[Tlscapital]

36 minutes ago, The Yank said:

     According to Keith Rylatt's "Groovesville USA" , group members were Al Greene, Curtis Rogers, Lee Virgis, Gene Mason and Palmer James. The confusion comes from  a Chicago group with the same name that  was recording around the same time. 

The ones on Penny and Take Ten from late 1962 you mean. Or the ones on Mel-O-Dy (July 1962) from Detroit ?

Obviouly not the other ones on Globe that are later from 1966 and onward became the Contributors of soul.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Tlscapital

[The Yank]

24 minutes ago, Tlscapital said:

The ones on Penny and Take Ten from late 1962 you mean. Or the ones on Mel-O-Dy (July 1962) from Detroit ?

Obviouly not the other ones on Globe that are later from 1966 and onward became the Contributors of soul.

   You've completely lost me ! The Creations Zodiac single came out in "67 and the Globe singles are from 1966 and 1967.  The Al Greene 45 also came out in 1967.

      With that said, why are you bringing up groups that had singles in 1962/ 1963 ??

Edited January 24, 2022 by The Yank

[Tlscapital]

1 hour ago, The Yank said:

   You've completely lost me ! The Creations Zodiac single came out in "67 and the Globe singles are from 1966 and 1967.  The Al Greene 45 also came out in 1967.

      With that said, why are you bringing up groups that had singles in 1962/ 1963 ??

Yeah OK, my bad, sorry. These Fabulous Creations are never really 'dated' (mid 1965 once...) and re-reading the whole thing I got the earlier formations named the Enchanters (how less common...) mixed-up. That would have been contemporary. But you're right then about the Globe boys name forcing the change of name for Al's gang.