SIXTIES

Detroit was the birthplace of soulful dance music, initially through Berry Gordy’s Motown group of labels and then on to the more-than-capable imitators such as Ric Tic, Golden World, Impact, Inferno and La Beat. All of these labels have acquired a following of fans collecting their every release and expounding theories as to who owned them, played on drums, made the tea etc.

Respected UK researchers Rod Dearlove and Bob Foster published discographies of over 80 of these labels in the late 70s/early 80s, yet not one of Dave Hamilton’s labels were included. Fortunately the French magazine Soul Bag interviewed Dave and some of his artists in the mid 70s, and with that information and recent phone conversations we will attempt to correct this oversight and put Dave’s contribution to music in its proper place.

Dave was born in Savannah, Georgia on 15 January 1925; shortly after that his family moved up to Detroit. Although his mother played guitar, he first learnt the piano when only five years old. By his early teens he had learnt the ukulele and banjo and then Lionel Hampton’s music inspired him to buy first a xylophone and then a vibraphone. (One of his friends, Milt Jackson, also took up the vibes at the same time – and he went on to international acclaim in the Modern Jazz Quartet.)

By 1943 18 year old Dave was touring Michigan with the Helen Pennilton Quartet (she was the quartet’s pianist/vocalist, and the sister of jazz violinist Stuff Smith). He then joined the Lorenzo Lawson Quintet. By 1948 he had enough confidence and experience to form his own band the Noc-Tunes, with whom he started his recording career, cutting ‘I Fell For You’ / ‘Lazy Daisy’ on Sensation Records. His live work was with a band called the Five Naturals who were resident at the Frolic Show Bar in Detroit for several years.

He is best remembered as Dave Hamilton and his Peppers. They first recorded together in July 1954 in Detroit for Chess Records, the single being ‘Rocking Chair Baby’/ ‘Hold On’. Singles for Jane (1958) and Hi-Q (1961) followed and the band also held a residency in Miami, Florida during this time. By 1963 Dave was an integral part of the Detroit music scene and had come into contact with the ubiquitous Berry Gordy several times, notably as a session musician on Jackie Wilson’s smash ‘Lonely Teardrops’ which Berry had written.

Berry recognised Dave’s talent as a guitarist, which by now had become his main instrument, and gave him an LP of his own, “Blue Vibrations”, to record on the Motown subsidiary, Workshop Jazz. Most of the tracks were written by Dave and Stevie Wonder’s mentor, Clarence Paul. Dave’s writing skills were flourishing and he formed a particularly strong relationship with Marvin Gaye, with whom he wrote ‘Once Upon A Time’ (Motown 1057), a duet with Mary Wells that made #19 R&B in 1964. He also co-composed ‘Purple Snowflakes’ and ‘Pretty Little Baby’ for Marvin, the latter of which made #16 R&B and #25 on the Hot 100 in July 1965. In fact Marvin admired Dave so much that he continued to use him on recording sessions and live gigs even after he left the Motown stable.

Dave was called into the Hitsville studios regularly to perform on sessions, including some of the all time great recordings such as Mary Wells’ ‘My Guy’, Martha and the Vandellas’ ‘Heatwave’ (vibes on this one), Kim Weston’s ‘Love Me All The Way’ and Marvin’s classic ‘Stubborn Kind Of Fellow’.

Continued