SIXTIES

The Adorables comprised two sets of sisters. Joyce and Betty Winston and Dianne and Pat Lewis. Betty was aka Betty Boo who later recorded for Popcorn Wylie.

Their first release was "Deep Freeze" c/w "Daddy Please".

Over the next eighteen months, song writing, arrangements and production would be dominated by five names.

The first of those names to appear on the label was Sonny Sanders. Born in August 1939, William Sanders, would become one of Soul Music's great arrangers.

Sonny with Carl Davis and Louis Armstrong (image courtesy Kevin L Goins)

During the fifties, he had been a singer in a number of groups in Detroit, the most famous being the Satintones, who were one of the first groups to appear on the Tamla label.

Sonny would soon provide arrangements on some excellent material at Correc-tone with Gino Washington and Danny Woods, at the same time co-owning the SonBert outlet with Robert Bateman.

It was at Golden World however that he would really make his mark with some fantastic songs by Edwin Starr ("Agent O-O Soul"), the Reflections ("Just Like Romeo And Juliet"), the Adorables ("Ooh Boy") and Barbara Mercer ("Nobody Loves You Like Me.")

In 1965 Sonny was taken to Chicago by Carl Davis where he worked for Okeh and Brunswick.

With Major Lance, Gene Chandler, Jackie Wilson and the Artistics, he would cut some of the era's best songs.

Bob Hamilton is much more of a mystery.

Listed in BMI as Robert Harston Hamilton Jr, Bob can be found writing and producing many classic songs for Golden World.

In fact he left his mark on more than 50 sides on the Golden World group of labels.

What I do know of Bob is that he was one of the musically gifted Hamilton brothers who lived in Detroit.

They were Al Hamilton (aka Kent), Eugene Ronald Hamilton (Ronnie Savoy) and Bob himself, who liked Producer credits recorded under the alias, Rob Reeco.

The Adorables 45 is the only one which lists him as Bob Hamilton.

Fred Bridges worked with Bob Hamilton on Adorables practice sessions above Wingate's barber shop at 9409 Oakland (second door on left)

It is also rumoured that Bob was one of The Nitecaps on the fifties Groove label, as was his brother Ronnie, who was probably lead singer.

Bob's work at Golden World was coming to an end in the early months of 1966, his final credit being the highly popular "I Love The Life I Live" by Tony Micale of The Reflections.

Tragically he was shot dead in a drive by shooting in Detroit in 1969.

Ronnie Savoy appears to have branched out on his own after The Nitecaps final release in 1956.

A quite prolific songster, he recorded for Candello and Gone in 1959, MGM in 1960, Phillips in 1962 and Epic in 1963. As well as recording for Wingate in 1965, Ronnie also had a release on Chicago's Tuff label in 1966. The latter being "Pitfall" which he co-wrote under his real name, and which is a top drawer song.

Davie Gordon has also established that Ronnie owned a Publishing company called Suron and did some production work for The Drifters in 1968.

As for Golden World, I can find him credited on 17 sides as a song writer.

The Adorables disc was significant for another reason. It would be the first time that the name Freddie Gorman would appear on a Golden World disc.

Freddie's recording career can be traced way back to 1955 when he cut a 45 with The Quailtones for the Josie label.

Another two 45's were cut with the Fideltones before he went solo in 1961 for Berry Gordy's Miracle label, with "The Day Will Come".

In March 1964 Freddie and Bob Hamilton would produce Golden World's biggest success with "Just Like Romeo and Juliet".

Between October 1964 and March 1965 Freddie would also perform as a solo artist for Ric-Tic with "In A Bad Way" and "Take Me Back".

Freddie Gorman

His final written piece for the Golden World group was by coincidence another Adorables disc, "Devil In His Eyes" which was the flip of "Ooh Boy". That was in August 1965.

Freddie would write 18 of the sides released under the Golden World umbrella but would soon return to Berry Gordy, as part of a group called The Originals.

Today The Originals are legendary amongst Motown fans for their beautiful songs on the Soul label

Born Richard Wayne Wylie on June 6th 1939, Popcorn is last but not least in this pool of creativity.

Writing or Producing at least 25 sides for the Golden World empire, Popcorn had plenty of experience before laying down his first track for Ed and JoAnne in March 1964.

He joined Motown Records in 1959 through his friendship with Robert Bateman and took the first Motown Reviews on the road as bandleader.

Popcorn Wylie

His group, Popcorn and The Mohawks, had three releases on the Motown label in 1961 and today they hang proudly in the upper room of the Hitsville Museum on West Grand Boulevard.

He also played piano on three of Motown's milestone recordings, "Money", "Please Mr Postman" and "Shop Around".

Leaving Motown in 1962, Popcorn would freelance at Correc-tone and Continental.

At Golden World, although he worked on a significant number of Reflections songs, it is his Northern Soul legacy for which he is fondly remembered; with some excellent 45's on Carl Carlton ("Nothing No Sweeter Than Love"), the Debonaires ("Eenie Meenie") and Stewart Ames ("King For A Day"/"Angelina").

With such a sound team in place, Ed and JoAnne must have been expecting some success, and it wasn't long in coming.

Continued