Laskey is the first to admit that his days with Thelma were some of the most enjoyable times he ever had.

“Man, it was so much fun. The world was wonderful. You didn’t think or see the real situation because you were too busy doing your thing. Great experiences. The Twenty Grand, Robin Seymour’s ‘Swinging Time’, Chit Chat Lounge. Club Bamboo. Phelps’s Lounge.

We did a Thelma Review one time. There was Rose Battiste, Fabulous Peps, Billy Kennedy, myself, Eddie Hill, Robert Ward. Everyone at Motown recognized and loved the Thelma artists. And I got to work with the best guys. Every record I did with Don Davis, James Jamerson played on. Mike Terry, Joe Hunter, Eddie Willis, Benny, Uriel, Pistol, Popcorn, Earl Van Dyke, Robert White all played on my sessions…wow.

We had an Emancipation Celebration in Detroit and I played on it seven years straight- with cats like Tony Clarke, JJ Barnes, Betty Lavette, Walter Jackson. I was getting good money back then.$50 a night, four nights a week – that would pay the rent with lots left over.

Everybody had a Cadillac back thn, but I wasn’t a Cadillac kind of person. I drove a Volkswagen. I’ve always been kind of conservative like that – no ‘show’."

Although ‘Welfare cheese’ remained Emanuel's personal favourite, his general preferences are somewhat surprising. “I’ve always really liked the slower, soulful numbers, but I always seemed to do the uptempo numbers. At the time teenagers were the market – the audience – so we aimed at them.” 

music: "Don't Lead Me On Baby" - Emanuel Laskey (Thelma 106a)

Continued