1964 – The Year Billboard Abandoned R&B.

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A few singles that get a mention in the article ... 

It was a taken that record company promotion men would try to influence what radio DJ's would play on their shows back at this time. So much so, that the music mags used to announce where these DJ's could be tracked down and impacted ...

In Chicago, where the top local R&B radio jocks were hosting dances, was one linked piece of information published ... ... as Tom & Jerrio had gotten the idea for their big hit from attending such an event, Jerrio would be at one of those venues alongside one of the top DJ's ....  

When Billboard reintroduced it's R&B chart, there were even more ways to check out the inconsistencies in what soul 45's were doing well on a certain week ... to illustrate this fact I've picked the week commencing 13th February 1965 ...

A few 45's on the music mag & radio charts that week ...

THE LARKS -- The Jerk ... ... not on the WWIN or KGFJ radio charts BUT #14 Billboard, #13 Cashbox & #29 Record World

FONTELLA BASS & B McCLURE -- Good Thing  ... ... #13 on the WWIN & KGFJ radio charts ALSO #17 Billboard, #19 Cashbox & #28 Record World

LITTLE ANTHONY & I's -- Hurt So Bad ... ...  ... ...  #36 on WWIN,  #6 KGFJ radio charts AND #15 Billboard, #29 Cashbox & #25 Record World

DOBIE GRAY -- In Crowd ... ...  ... ... #24 on WWIN, #3 KGFJ radio charts ALSO #11 Billboard, #30 Cashbox & #15 Record World

BILLY STEWART -- I Do Love You  ... ...  #3 on WWIN's chart & #36 on Billboard (2nd week on their chart), not showing elsewhere

LASTLY ... Carolyn Crawford's "Smile" was #39 on Billboard's chart but not showing elsewhere PLUS Willie Tee's "Teasin You" was #42 on Cash Box but nowhere else that week.

NOLAN CHANCE ... his 45 before "JUST LIKE THE WEATHER" aka "SHE'S GONE" was being tipped by a Philly DJ and was also an ACTION R&B 45 for BILLBOARD ...   

Edited May 1May 1 by Roburt

A selection of R&B radio jocks 45 picks at the end of January 1965 ... (+ a DJ SPOTLIGHT on WSID's Fat Daddy) ...

you can easily see how diverse their selections were this week ... THOUGH why an Oakland, Calif DJ would be picking a 45 from a 'unknown' Philly based group on an indie label without a history of hits  . . .AND .... a Miami DJ would be picking an obscure funky 45 on a small Chicago label is any body's guess 

 

Nice work Roburt.  Very well researched and documented.  Thank you sharing your insights.

I believe this extract from a 1964 Hot 100 chart sums that year up perfectly ...

there are 4 'British Invasion' singles showing (including one from the instigators -- the Beatles -- & a soul cover from the Stones). There's a 45 from the biggest US white group of those times (the Beach Boys), also 3 Motown cuts rapidly climbing the chart & 3 'star climber' soul sides & lastly 2 other soul singles.

Martha & the Vandellas "Dancing In .." is a perfect example to show how well Motown 45's were selling to pop / white audiences. That week it had reached the #25 place on the Hot 100 -- so it was already enjoying major pop chart success (quite soon after getting released).  On black radio, it was also charting; WDAS had it entering their top 15, as did WSID. On the national R&B charts, Cash Box had it @ #14 R&B (#22 on their pop chart) -- I don't have the Record World mag data for that week. So this single was climbing the pop charts almost as quickly as it was climbing in R&B circles ... NOT SOMETHING most soul 45's did on a regular basis. FOR INSTANCE ... Willie Mitchell's "20 - 75" had just crossed over to the pop charts but was catching on at a fast rate. So Hi Records had quickly placed ads for the 45 in the national music press to help it along.

An example of a new R&B label that would have struggled to get it's new 45's played on US pop radio stations ... 

GOLDEN WORLD's RIC - TIC label ...  a false start was made in 1962 but the label was reactivated at the start of 1964. It's 1st release (Jan 64) was Gino Washington's "Gino Is A Coward". That made a little impact and made a few radio charts (both R&B + pop in April/May/June/July). The 45 didn't actually sell that many copies, especially to pop fans. A few weeks later (September 64) the labels next release was put out; Freddie Gorman's "In A Bad Way". This struggled to make much impact at all but it gained radio airplay in St Louis. It caught on with the listeners to KATZ and actually made their chart (late October 64). 

AT ALMOST THE SAME TIME, Golden World 45's were themselves were doing well via the likes of the Reflections "Romeo & Juliet" which was a massive R&B + pop radio hit. From their it sold well to both black & white US record collectors and gained a relatively high placing on the Hot 100 and on Cash Box's Top 100 (#9 @ end of May 64).

The Ric -Tic label stuck to the task though. Freddie Gorman's next single ("Take Me Back" -- Jan 65) made a bit of noise -- getting onto WCHB's chart low down (#25). J J Barnes was high on the same chart but he wasn't on Ric - Tic yet). It would be Edwin's "Agent OO Soul" with it's James Bond inspired topicality that would break through in a big way for the label (R&B + pop) that summer.

Edited May 11May 11 by Roburt

BACK TO THE BALTIMORE AREA in JUNE / JULY 1965 ... just over 4 months after Billboard brought back it's R&B chart ...

Baltimore was buzzing that summer. Lyndon Johnson was President and was bringing in anti-segregation legislation. The 4 Tops were #1 on the US charts with "I Can't Help Myself", Baby Washington ("Only Those In Love") was #1 on WWIN's chart. Just below Baby's 45 were Gene Chandler's "Nothing Can Stop Me" (#2), Billy Stewart's "Sitting In The Park, Kim Weston's "A Thrill A Moment" and there were also offerings from the Marvelettes, Billy Butler, Otis Redding ("Lovin You Too Long"), Tony & Tyrone, Fred Hughes, Gloria Parker, Jackie Wilson, Dee Dee Warwick, the Impressions, Edwin Starr ("OO Soul") and the Invitations.

Live show wise, it was the run up to Independence Day & so the theatres / clubs were busy. The Royal Theatre had a review on which featured Gene Chandler, Walter Jackson, Billy Butler, the Vibrations & more. In local clubs, you could catch Arthur Prysock, Winfield Parker, Ruby Johnson, Virgie Till, Betty Dorsey, Brenda Jones and more singing live. Down on Sparrows Beach & Carrs Beach there were more big review shows. The African Beavers and Buster Bron topped the bill @ Sparrows Beach. At Carrs Beach, they had 3 big shows; Marie Knight, Jimmy Hughes, Johnny Taylor, Carla Thomas, Otis Redding, Joe Tex, Billy Stewart, Gladys Knight, the Ovations, William Bell, Jimmy Tig, James Phelps, Gene Chandler, Jimmy McCracklin. Barbara Mason, Joe Simon, Willie Tee, the Marvelows, the Vibrations, Tom & Jerrio + the Royalettes all performing.

Otis Redding was very busy that year. His show on 4th July @ Carr's Beach would be his only local appearance -- though he'd headline @ the Howard Theatre in DC in late August. By then, Carr's Beach was owned by a bunch of black Balto businessmen but it's music policy / shows were organised by Ru-Jac Records owner Rufus Mitchell . Not unsurprisingly, he went to see Otis in person ahead of the show, taking a copy of the latest Ru-Jac 45's with him. Otis listened to these in his down time before the show and really liked something on one of the tracks ....

Arthur Conley had been born in Georgia but he grew up in Atlanta. He first recorded as the lead singer of Arthur & the Corvets. The group released three singles in 1963 and 1964 on Atlanta based NRC Records. In 1964, he moved to Baltimore to be with his father & became lead singer with Harold Holt's band . But times were hard for him & he spent much of his time acting as a valet for other soul singers around town. Harold Holt had a 45 out on Ru-Jac in early summer 1965 on which Arthur was lead singer. Otis Redding, in town to perform @ Carr's Beach was given a copy of the 45. He likes to voice of the singer on the "I'm A Stranger" cut and decided he'd like to record Arthur himself ...  Otis worked with Arthur in the studio, helping further refine the song. This was then cut & Arthur had his first single released on Jotis in October ... the rest is history ...  

That summer, Otis toured on the show tagged as 'THE SUMMER PARADE OF STARS' with much the same bunch of acts doing numerous shows in support of him. When that review broke up, he took his last protege on tour with him. That was his Jotis recording act Billy Young ("the Sloopy"): see DC show line--up. Later, after his Jotis 45 came out, Arthur toured with Otis's shows. "I'm A Lonely Stranger" made it onto quite a few radio stn charts & established Arthur in his own right. His later 45's ("I Can't Stop" & "Take Me"- Fame) did even better. But his career really took off in Feb 67 with "Sweet Soul Music".

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Edited Saturday at 05:044 days by Roburt

Jumping back exactly one year now: to Independence Day weekend 1964 -- so within the period that Billboard had abandoned it's R&B chart / coverage ...

A big 45 at the time was the Impressions -- Keep On Pushing. This had started out strong in Chicago but quickly spread right across the US, getting plays on both R&B + pop radio stns. The 45 had been released late in May 64 and it was getting plays from the off. By early June it was on the pop charts on stns in Vancouver, Philly plus in California, Texas & Pennsylvania. By the start of July it was #5 on WHK (pop stn) in Ohio. It was also on the national R&B charts; climbing to #7 on Cashbox and to #9 on Record World's R&B charts. It was #23 on Cashbox's top 100 pop chart.

In Baltimore, it was #4 on WEBB's chart, It was the #1 seller @ One Stop's in Newark & Chicago (these serving black owned record shops).

One the live front, there was a big show, hosted by Fat Daddy @ the Royal Theatre in Baltimore and Frankie Beverly & the Butlers were on with an impressive cast @ Carr's Beach. Two big shows that weekend in DC too -- the Marvelettes, Tommy Hunt, Wilson Pickett & the O'Jays starring @ the Howard Theatre, with the Miracles, Kim Weston, Marv Johnson, Bobby Parker & Little Royal on @ the National Guard Armory. A Baltimore singer's career was really taking off at the time. She being Virgie Till. Vergie had been taken under the wing of Sonny Til (ex of the Orioles) a few years earlier. Virgie had joined his show on a regular basis and the pair were appearing all over the place together. HOWEVER, Sonny's wife wasn't accepting the story that Virgie was Sonny's young niece and a showdown occurred. The outcome being Sonny being sued for divorce.

Edited 16 hours ago16 hr by Roburt