12TH
STREET
music: "I Know
How It Feels" - Laura Johnson (Brent 7035b)
The
first Correc-tone sessions included songs by
Wilson Pickett, James Velvet and Gino
Washington. Pickett’s tremendous “Let Me Be Your
Boy”, launched the label and James Velvet’s
“Bouquet of Flowers” was pressed around the same
time. They were both sold to MGM’s
subsidiary label, Cub.
The Andantes sang background on
these tracks and the session musicians included
bassist James Jamerson, drummer Benny Benjamin
and guitarist Robert White. Pianist Wilburt
Harbert played and also had a hand in writing a
few of the early songs. Sonny Sanders - another
Satintone - quit Motown to become involved with
song writing and arrangements. Soon
after, Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie also jumped Berry Gordy’s ship to join the Wilbert’s Golden’s
team, which had quickly become an impressive array
of talent.
Laura Johnson worked in Correc-tone's office and
her recording was released on the Brent label in
New York
Other Correc-tone recordings
included a great double-sider by Laura Johnson –
who worked in the office – titled “Wondering If
You Miss Me” b/w “I Know How It Feels”. This,
along with Marva Josie’s “Later For You Baby”
and The Donays’ “Devil In His Heart”, were sold
to Time/Brent Records in New York.
The Arabians also recorded
three songs on 12th Street, but these
were never released and have since disappeared
without trace. The group’s lead singer, Edward
Hamilton, recalled: “We taped three things that
Popcorn Wylie wrote; I know one was “Whatcha
Betcha”. When we left Mr. Golden, he wanted us so
bad, he had tears in his eyes.”
Gino Washington’s “I’m A
Coward”, started life at Warren Quates’ studio
on Ryan Road. Ronald Davis, who wrote both sides
of the Correc-tone 45, recalled: “I knew Warren
Quates well. He had a real small studio and he
didn’t care nothing about putting a record out
on the market; he just liked to record and play
with the machines. He never was interested in
making money out of recording.” However, Mr. Quates did
release one of Ronald’s songs on his Jackpot
label – “The Touch of Love”, which was recorded
by Clara Hardy.
Feeling frustrated, Ronald and
Gino went over to 12th Street where
“I’m A Coward” and “Puppet on a String” were
recorded. The two songs were pressed and the 45
became the third Correc-tone release in May ‘62.
Ronald Davis also wrote a few
other songs at Correc-tone, where he hung out
each day: Yvonne Vernee’s “Your Touch” and “So
Much In Love”, plus Theresa Lindsey’s “Sugar
Mountain. He also penned “’Play a Sad Song” a
Sure-Shot label release recorded by Bobby
Williams – the flip, “Try Love”, was written by
Wilson Picket and Willie Schofield, member the
Falcons.
Unfortunately the early Correc-tone’s
recordings didn’t sell well. In fact it’s fair
to say they were commercial failures, but the
overall quality – especially the catchy songs by
Pickett, Josie and Johnson - is unquestionable.
All are now highly collectable.
Advert showing the studio's range of services
In
1963, Wilbert Golden moved his operations from
12th Street down to 8912 Grand River
Avenue. The new recording studio was a
20-foot-long shoebox shaped room, with an
engineer’s booth at one end and a bathroom at
the back. Robert Bateman supervised the
fitting-out and organized the recording
equipment.
Correc-tone’s new location
offered various recording services and the
studio quickly became a meeting place for local
talent. Don Mancha joined the team - another
songwriter whose stint at Motown was truncated:
“I had a dispute with Barrett Strong; he was
taking my songs; he was showing (them to) other
people, saying he wrote ‘em. So I told Berry
Gordy that I got to leave or I’d punch this guy
out.”
Don penned and produced a few
Correc-tone songs, such as Lillian Dorr’s “The
Thrill Is Gone”. But completing the studio on
Grand River had drained Mr. Golden’s savings and
with meager record sales, Don remembers money
began to get tight:
“Wilbert was going down for
the third time; he was sinking fast.”
|
“I call it the
baloney days. There was not a whole lot
of money, but a whole lot of baloney.”
Don Mancha, songwriter and producer
|
Despite a lack of
cash and chart success, Don bears no malice
towards Mr. Golden. On the contrary: “ What a
nice guy, man. He was a jewel, a real nice guy”.
As a way of
illustrating the point he recalled how Mr.
Golden tried his best to keep Correc-tone
afloat: “One time - the recording equipment - he
had a note that he had to pay every month on the
equipment and he couldn’t make the note. The guy
came in to collect, and after Wilbert got
through crying on his shoulder, the guy paid the
note out of his own pocket! I call this the
baloney days. There was not a whole lot of
money, but a whole lot of baloney.”
The under-fire Mr.
Golden sought financial help from another
Detroit numbers guy, the very affluent and
influential Mr. Ed Wingate. Wilbert knew Joanne
Bratton, Mr. Wingate’s partner, very well: “We
grew up together; I went to her and she told him
I couldn’t get this (record) played and I
couldn’t get that (record) played. So she talked
with him and he came in – 50 per cent
partnership.”
The partnership didn’t last too
long, as in September 1963 they disagreed about
whom to sign and record. Mr. Golden liked David
Ruffin but Mr. Wingate preferred Willie
Kendrick, who had backed David on his 1962 Check
Mate single “Mr. Bus Driver”. As Ruffin’s wife
was working as Mr. Golden’s secretary at the
studio, Wilbert was inclined towards David,
however: “Wingate liked Willie Kendrick, but
didn’t want to sign David and we split our
partnership over that.”
|
“We had to burn
records to keep warm. I ain’t joking.”
Wilbert Golden, owner of Correc-tone |
Just a day after meeting Willie
Kendrick at Correc-tone’s studio, Mr. Wingate
flew him to New York, where he recorded “Stop
This Train”. It became the first 45 on the
resurrected Golden World label.
On top of that, Correc-tone’s
biggest star Wilson Pickett was on the verge of
leaving and Robert Bateman had gone to work in
New York. This left Wilbert back between a
rock and a hard place: “We had to burn records
to keep warm. I ain’t joking.”
Continued
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