Robbk

Priscilla was either 16 or 17 in 1962, when she recorded the Rose-G/Alcor cuts, and, thus 20 or 21 when her Topper cuts were recorded in 1966.

Here's her first release, - original label of the Alcor leased cuts: The ZTSC number places it in mid 1962 (July?). The Alcor release was in October. Popcorn Wylie ran the day-to day operations of the label. We didcussed this release on Soulful Detroit Forum years ago. Ron Murphy told us who the owner/financier was (Rose G?). But, I have forgotten. Does anyone know who Rose G /owner was? The publisher was "Brown & Green". Might that have been Frank Brown and Rose Green? I doubt that it was Fred Brown, otherwise Joe Hunter would have run the session, rather than Popcorn Wylie. Does anyone know any other records on this label?

Yes Gaz, I'm almost positive she was African-American (Black). I'm pretty sure I've been told that by Detroiters who were adults in the '60s, and in the music business there (Ron Murphy and a few others). Maybe Lorraine Chandler could tell us? Most of the artists/writers either knew each other, or knew friends of the others. I may have even seen a photo of her, years ago. But I'm sure there's something behind my feeling of being sure.

Bob: Here's a link to one of Priscilla's uploaded records, on which she has made and answered comments. I suggest you ask her to contact you by PM or e-mail. Just click on the "You-Tube" icon. and it will take you to the You-Tube page, with the discussion and Priscilla's posts.

I have all 4 of Kent's Dave Hamilton CDs, as I was a contributor to their production. Unfortunately, there is nothing more on them than I have stated above.

My guess is that she is "African-American", rather than "Caucasian". But, Dave Hamilton did record a mixed instrumental group. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to find a photo of her.

She was in high school in Fall 1962, when she recorded her first record ("Dreaming"/"My Letter") which was produced by Popcorn Wiley and recorded in Detroit, for Rose G Records, but later leased to L.A.'s Alcor Records (subsidiary of Everest records). The other writer of the songs was listed as "Finney". It was really Janie Bradford (either under an alias, or Lance Finney collected the funds for her, or that was her married name, if she was married to Lance (as is rumoured). Her maiden name was Page, and first married name was Gilmore, during her Topper contract(1966). She goes by the short name of "Prisca", and her current last name (married name) is Sutton. Look up videos on Priscilla Page, and you can ask her questions directly (on comments on her Alcor and Topper records where they are uploaded).

Ha! Ha! That's what I do! Although, I did work for Motown in the 1970s, and I was co-owner of a Soul Record label in the 1980s. Do you have contact anymore with Tommy Moers? Did he stay in Detroit? Is he still with us?

Thanks, Roy, for coming to our forum to clarify things for us. Many of us are big collectors of Detroit R&B and Soul music, and I, myself. appreciate your productions very much.

B I've got plenty of records with songs where he got writing credit. I'd be shocked to find out he didn't have an actual part in writing those songs (a la Don Robey and The Bihari Brothers and Morris Levy and George Goldner. Just like Robert West, he was a businessman AND had had an ear for music, and knew what he wanted, He was one of our neighbours when our Airwave Records was located in The Hollywood and Vine Building for 6 years. He had the suite on our right, and Mickey Stevenson was on our left. Bunky came from mixed African-American and Caucasian background, but he was classified as "Black", and always thought of himself as a "Black man". His wife was "coal black", as I remember.

Where is the blue font?

I'd bet my house that that's not James Dean. As for William Weatherspoon, I've only heard his singing on one demo (was it "Baby, Hit and Run"?). In any case, I remember Weatherspoon's singing much more smooth and velvet-like. This is somewhat grittier (although a lot smoother than all the regular Contours).

Upon listening again, I hear no background group on this recording. That's a shame. It would sound so much better with a group singing harmonies. It would have been a great song for The Temptations, Monitors, Spinners, Originals.....etc.

Is that really The Contours? The only Contours' leads that sang mellow like that that I know of were Joe Stubbs and Dennis Edwards. That doesn't sound like Joe Billingslea, Billy Gordon, Bill Hoggs or Sylvester Potts (ALL of whom had gravelly, rather than smooth voices). Was this Hubert Johnson? If this really IS The Contours, I wonder why Kent Records didn't put it on their "Dance With The Contours" CD? I don't remember seeing a bootleg 45, or even acetate or studio demo of this. I never saw it in The Motown Vaults, and don't remember it from any Universal/Motown, Hip-O-Select, or any other Motown unreleased CDs. I's very good - right up there among their best 5 cuts.

It was a VERY common record. No one would buy it as a boot, when they could get an original US copy for a few Pounds.

I seem to remember vinyl pressing of all 5 releases pressed at RCA Midwest or RCA Pennsylvania. with Styrene pressings of all being pressed at Monarch.

I've seen vinyl pressings of "If This Is Love".

We should also do Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., Boston, Baltimore, Milwaukee, St. Louis. Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Houston, Denver, Indianapolis, Louisville, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Nashville, Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, and, should we do Winnipeg as well?

I left off all those labels that were already listed above my post. We need an East Coast expert on this. I'm weak on East Coast and Southern USA as i lived in Chicago, L.A. and San Francisco BayArea. So, I'm good with Midwest (Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Indiana), and California, but weak on East Coast. Bob A, can help.

Ha! Ha! And I probably forgot another 20 labels that were co-owned by Dick Clark!

Swan, Arlen, Gina, Crimson, Lost Nite, Gotham, Twentieth Century, V-Tone, Len, Heritage, Sheryl, Winchester, Goodway, Pageant, Big, Cheltenham, Conlo (both Philadelphia and Chicago), Philtown, Newtown, New Art, Nicetown, New Time, Top and Bottom, Grand, Mutual, Darryl, Bacon Fat, Don Dee, Craig, Pam, Val-ue, Open, Philly Sounds, Lebby, Cotton, Casino, Priority, Crusader, Show Time, Villa, Pee Vee, Jason Scott, Frantic, Party Time, Nico, Bardell, Roberts, JJ, Penntowne, Olympia, Chalom, Kayden, Maycon, I-D-B, Phil-LA of Soul, Roc-Ker, Vent, Cross Fire, Bank, Excel, Chancellor, Hunt, Virt-ue Del Val? Slide, Lorraine (Reading, PA) Near Philadelphia Tally-Ho(Camden, NJ) Phil. Metro

Not that I know. They were distributed by Cameo-Parkway for some years, and were sold in Cameo-Parkway jackets.

Nice find. Some scratchiness. still, I think it will go somewhat above the US $4,050 it is as of now.

D. Peoples' songs are certainly listed on Richard Parker's BMI list. I second that Parker lived in Chicago. He may have come to L.A. in 1965 because VJ started a 2nd office there, run by Randy Wood, and started producing there. He went there to help with production (Fred Hughes). He must have worked on those projects with Modern Records and Melic records ("Stop The Music" by Johnny Wesley) as a free lancer.

So, it appears that Parker didn't sell half the rights to Brooks for that release. Well, VJ wasn't around to sue in 1968. Who owned Conrad Music at that time? VJ International?-who were leasing out their recordings to oldies labels?