Sunday 3/13/22 4pm ET: Feature LP: Stevie Wonder – Talking Book (1972)

Talking Book is the fifteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder, released on October 28, 1972, on the Tamla label for Motown Records. This album and Music of My Mind are widely noted as being the signal recordings of Wonder’s “classic period”. The sound of the album is sharply defined by Wonder’s keyboard work, especially with synthesizers. His use of the Hohner clavinet model C on “Superstition” is widely regarded as one of the definitive tracks featuring the instrument.

Relying less on Motown’s head Berry Gordy for musical direction and expression, Talking Book is often considered as the beginning of the turning point in Wonder’s career from a youthful prodigy to an independent and experimental artist. Speaking on the album in 2000, Wonder said, “It wasn’t so much that I wanted to say anything except where I wanted to just express various many things that I felt—the political point of view that I have, the social point of view that I have, the passions, emotion and love that I felt, compassion, the fun of love that I felt, the whole thing in the beginning with a joyful love and then the pain of love.”

Talking Book peaked at number three on the Billboard Top LPs chart and finished at number three on the Billboard 200 Albums Year-End of 1972. The album’s first track “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening chart. The album’s first single, “Superstition”, also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. Talking Book earned Wonder his first Grammy Award, with “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 16th Grammy Awards. “Superstition” also won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song.

1. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” 2:45
2. “Maybe Your Baby” 6:45
3. “You and I (We Can Conquer the World)” 4:39
4. “Tuesday Heartbreak” 3:09
5. “You’ve Got It Bad Girl” 4:55
6. “Superstition” 4:40
7. “Big Brother” 3:35
8. “Blame It on the Sun” 3:28
9. “Lookin’ for Another Pure Love” 4:45
10. “I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)” 4:48

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, Fender Rhodes, drums
Jim Gilstrap – first lead vocal, background vocal
Lani Groves – second lead vocal, background vocal
Gloria Barley – background vocal
Scott Edwards – electric bass
Daniel Ben Zebulon – congas
Ray Parker Jr. – electric guitar
David Sanborn – alto saxophone
Deniece Williams – background vocal
Shirley Brewer – background vocal
Daniel Ben Zebulon – congas
Loris Harvin (Delores Harvin) – background vocal
Jeff Beck – electric guitar
Buzz Feiten (Howard “Buzz” Feiten) – electric guitar

Saturday 12/25/21 10pm ET: Feature LP: Stevie Wonder – Hotter Than July (1980)

Hotter than July is the nineteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder, originally released on Motown’s Tamla label on September 29, 1980. The recording sessions were primarily done at Wonderland Studios, which Wonder had recently acquired, in Los Angeles where he became responsible for writing, producing and arranging his own material for the new album.

Following the commercial and critical disappointment of Wonder’s Journey through the Secret Life of Plants, Wonder felt struggle at the turn of the new decade. He insisted to the media that Journey through the Secret Life of Plants was not as critically acclaimed as his albums during his “classic period” because of Motown’s weak promotion for the album.

Hotter than July peaked at number three on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 3, 1981. It was Wonder’s most successful album in the UK, peaking at number two on the UK Albums Chart and producing four top ten singles there. The first, third and fourth single were released with music videos.

Hotter than July was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 1982 American Music Awards. Writing for The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), J. D. Considine found the album “buoyantly tuneful” and said fans viewed it as a return to form after the commercial disappointment of Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants.

“Did I Hear You Say You Love Me” – 4:07
“All I Do” – 5:06
“Rocket Love” – 4:39
“I Ain’t Gonna Stand for It” – 4:39
“As If You Read My Mind” – 3:37
“Master Blaster (Jammin’)” – 5:07
“Do Like You” – 4:25
“Cash in Your Face” – 3:59
“Lately” – 4:05
“Happy Birthday” – 5:57

Stevie Wonder – vocals, synthesizer, drums, Fender Rhodes, bass guitar, clavinet, background vocals, ARP, vocoder, piano, harpsichord, celeste, keyboards, harmonica, cabasa, percussion, bells, handclaps, flute
Nathan Watts – bass guitar, background vocals
Benjamin Bridges – guitar, background vocals
Dennis Davis – drums on “Did I Hear You Say You Love Me,” “As If You Read My Mind” and “Master Blaster (Jammin’)”
Earl DeRouen – percussion, background vocals
Isaiah Sanders – keyboards, piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, background vocals
Hank Redd – saxophone, handclaps
Robert Malach – saxophone
Larry Gittens, Nolan A. Smith Jr. – trumpet
Paul Riser – string arrangement
Hank DeVito – steel guitar
Rick Zunigar – guitar
Angela Winbush, Mary Lee Whitney Evans, Susaye Greene Brown, Alexandra Brown Evans, Shirley Brewer, Eddie “Bongo” Brown, Charlie Collins, Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, Michael Jackson, Jamil Raheem, Betty Wright, Ronnie J. Wilson, Charles K. Wilson, Syreeta Wright, Marva Holcolm, Melody McCulley, Delores Barnes – background vocals
Stephanie Andrews, Bill Wolfer, Trevor Lawrence, Dennis Morrison, Kimberly Jackson – handclaps

Monday 12/6/21 1am ET: Feature LP: Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle (1985)

In Square Circle is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released September 13, 1985. The album features the hit singles “Part-Time Lover” (#1), “Go Home” (#10), “Overjoyed” (#24), and “Land of La La” (#86). The album won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 1986 Grammy Awards.

“Part-Time Lover” – 4:09
“I Love You Too Much” – 5:30
“Whereabouts” – 4:17
“Stranger on the Shore of Love” – 5:01
“Never in Your Sun” – 4:07
“Spiritual Walkers” – 5:12
“Land of La La” – 5:14
“Go Home” – 5:18
“Overjoyed” – 3:43
“It’s Wrong (Apartheid)” – 3:29

Stevie Wonder – producer, performer, writer, composer
Bob Bralove, Brad Buxer, Abdoulaye Soumare – synthesizer programming
Gary Olazabal – synthesizer programming, recording engineer, associate producer, audio mixing
Luther Vandross – lead vocal, background vocal
Syreeta Wright – background vocal
Philip Bailey – background vocal
Keith John – background vocal
Melody McCully, Billy Durham, Peter Byrne, Renee Hardaway, Darryl Phinnessee – background vocal
Deniece Williams – background vocal
Howard Smith – background vocal
Edwin Birdsong – Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer
Larry Gittens – trumpet
Bob Malach – saxophone
Janice Moore, Cheta Akins, Carolyn Garrett, Ruthell Holmes, Kay Gibbs, Valencia Cox – background vocal
Earl Klugh – guitar
Paul Riser – string arrangement

Friday 10/15/21 12:05am ET: Feature LP: Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key of Life (1976)

Songs in the Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder. It was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records, a division of Motown. The double album has been regarded by music journalists as the culmination of Wonder’s “classic period” of recording. The album was recorded primarily at Crystal Sound studio in Hollywood, with some sessions recorded at the Record Plant in Hollywood, the Record Plant in Sausalito, and The Hit Factory in New York City; final mixing was conducted at Crystal Sound.

By 1974, Wonder was one of the most successful figures in popular music; Wonder’s previous albums Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale were all back-to-back critical successes. However, by the end of 1975, Wonder seriously considered quitting the music industry and planned to emigrate to Ghana to work with handicapped children. Plans for a farewell concert had begun, but Wonder subsequently changed his mind and signed a new contract with Motown on August 5, 1975. This outlined a seven-year, seven-album, $37 million deal with full artistic control. At the time, it was the biggest recording deal in history.

Songs in the Key of Life was released as a double LP with a four-song bonus EP. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart becoming only the third album to achieve that feat and the first by an American artist at the time. Both the lead single “I Wish” and follow-up single “Sir Duke” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Songs in the Key of Life spent thirteen consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the album with the most weeks at number one during the year. It was the second best-selling album of 1977 in the US. In 2005, Songs in the Key of Life was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Songs in the Key of Life won Album of the Year at the 19th Grammy Awards. It is the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Wonder’s career. Widely regarded as Wonder’s magnum opus and one of the greatest albums in the history of recorded music, many musicians have remarked on the quality of the album and its influence on their own work. Additionally, notable musicians have cited it as the greatest album of all time. It was voted number 89 in Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums and ranked number 4 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2002, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2005, Songs in the Key of Life was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, which deemed it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

1. “Love’s in Need of Love Today” 7:06
2. “Have a Talk With God” 2:42
3. “Village Ghetto Land” 3:25
4. “Contusion” 3:46
5. “Sir Duke” 3:52
6. “I Wish” 4:12
7. “Knocks Me Off My Feet” 3:36
8. “Pastime Paradise” 3:27
9. “Summer Soft” 4:14
10. “Ordinary Pain” 6:16
11. “Isn’t She Lovely” 6:34
12. “Joy Inside My Tears” 6:30
13. “Black Man” 8:27
14. “Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing” 3:48
15. “If It’s Magic” 3:12
16. “As” 7:08
17. “Another Star” 8:08
18. “Saturn” 4:54
19. “Ebony Eyes” 4:11
20. “All Day Sucker” 5:06
21. “Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call)” 3:55

Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, musician, arrangement, composer, producer
Nathan Watts – bass guitar (4-6, 16, 17, 19, 21), percussion (14), handclaps (16)
Raymond Pounds – drums (4-6)
Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (4, 11, 12, 18)
Michael Sembello – lead guitar (4, 5, 10, 18, 20)
Ben Bridges – rhythm guitar (4, 5, 9, 18, 20)
Eddie “Bongo” Brown – collinga (1)
Shirley Brewer – backing vocals (4, 14), “Ordinary Pain” reply vocals (10), handclaps (11)
Josie James – backing vocals (4, 17)
Michael Gray – backing vocals (4)
Artece May – backing vocals (4), handclaps (11)
Hank Redd – alto saxophone (5, 6, 10, 13, 17)
Trevor Lawrence – tenor saxophone (5, 6, 17)
Raymond Maldonado – trumpet (5, 6, 17), percussion (8)
Steve Madaio – trumpet (5, 6, 13, 17)
Renee Hardaway – backing vocals (6, 14)
Bobbye Hall – percussion (8)
West Angeles Church of God Choir – backing vocals (8)
Hare Krishna – backing vocals (8)
Ronnie Foster – organ (9)
Nastee Latimer – percussion (9)
Minnie Riperton – backing vocals (10)
Mary Lee Whitney – backing vocals (10, 16)
Deniece Williams – backing vocals (10)
Syreeta Wright – backing vocals (10)
Linda Lawrence – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Terry Hendricks – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Sundray Tucker – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Charity McCrary – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Linda McCrary – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Madelaine “Gypsie” Jones – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Josette Valentino – handclaps (11, 16), percussion (14)
Dave Henson – handclaps (11, 16)
Brenda Barrett – handclaps (11)
Colleen Carleton – handclaps (11)
Carole Cole – handclaps (11)
Nelson Hayes – handclaps (11)
Edna Orso – handclaps (11)
Tucker – handclaps (11)
Susaye Greene – backing vocals (12)
George Bohanon – trombone (13)
Glenn Ferris – trombone (13)
Al Fann Theatrical Ensemble – verbal replies (13)
Amale Mathews – percussion (14)
Charles Brewer – percussion (14)
John Fischbach – percussion (14)
Marietta Waters – percussion (14)
Nelson Hayes – percussion (14)
Dorothy Ashby – harp (15)
Greg Brown – drums (16)
Herbie Hancock – keyboards (16), handclaps (16)
Dean Parks – guitar (16)
Yolanda Simmons – handclaps (16)
Bobbi Humphrey – flute (17)
George Benson – guitar, backing vocals (17)
Nathan Alford, Jr. – percussion (17)
Carmello Hungria Garcia – timbales (17)
Jim Horn – saxophone (19)
Peter “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow – steel guitar (19)
W. G. Snuffy Walden – lead guitar (20)
Carolyn Dennis – backing vocals (20)

Friday 5/7/21 12pm ET: Artist Countdown: Stevie Wonder Top 30 Hits

American musician Stevie Wonder has released 23 studio albums, three soundtrack albums, four live albums, 11 compilations, one box set, and 101 singles. His first album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie, was released in 1962 when he was 12 years old, and his most recent, A Time to Love, was released in 2005.

He has had ten US number-one hits on the pop charts, as well as 20 R&B number one hits, and has sold over 100 million records, 19.5 million of which are albums; he is one of the top 60 best-selling music artists with combined sales of singles and albums.

He has 30 main album releases, all of which are single albums, apart from Songs in the Key of Life, which was released as a double album with a bonus four track EP.

There are 11 official compilation albums; in addition, a box set, The Complete Stevie Wonder, was released in 2005. He is eighth on the list of artists with the most number-ones on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

1	I Just Called to Say I Love You
2	Ebony and Ivory (with Paul McCartney)
3	Part-Time Lover
4	Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday
5	Master Blaster (Jammin’)
6	Sir Duke
7	I Ain’t Gonna Stand for It
8	I Wish
9	You Are the Sunshine of My Life
10	Happy Birthday
11	Do I Do
12	Superstition
13	Lately
14	That Girl
15	How Come, How Long
16	My Love (With Julio Iglesias)
17	Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours
18	Send One Your Love
19	My Cherie Amour
20	For Your Love
21	Overjoyed
22	Living for the City
23	You Haven’t Done Nothin’
24	Skeletons
25	I Was Made to Love Her
26	Higher Ground
27	Another Star
28	Blowin’ in the Wind
29	A Place in the Sun
30	Boogie On Reggae Woman

Saturday 2/27/21 6pm ET: Motown Hour with L Paul Martin

Friday 9/18/2020 12am ET: Feature LP: Stevie Wonder – Hotter Than July (1980)

Hotter than July is the nineteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder, originally released on Motown’s Tamla label on September 29, 1980. The recording sessions were primarily done at Wonderland Studios, which Wonder had recently acquired, in Los Angeles where he became responsible for writing, producing and arranging his own material for the new album.

Following the commercial and critical disappointment of Wonder’s Journey through the Secret Life of Plants, Wonder felt struggle at the turn of the new decade. He insisted to the media that Journey through the Secret Life of Plants was not as critically acclaimed as his albums during his “classic period” because of Motown’s weak promotion for the album.

Hotter than July peaked at number three on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 3, 1981. It was Wonder’s most successful album in the UK, peaking at number two on the UK Albums Chart and producing four top ten singles there. The first, third and fourth single were released with music videos.

Hotter than July was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 1982 American Music Awards. Writing for The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), J. D. Considine found the album “buoyantly tuneful” and said fans viewed it as a return to form after the commercial disappointment of Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants.

“Did I Hear You Say You Love Me” – 4:07
“All I Do” – 5:06
“Rocket Love” – 4:39
“I Ain’t Gonna Stand for It” – 4:39
“As If You Read My Mind” – 3:37
“Master Blaster (Jammin’)” – 5:07
“Do Like You” – 4:25
“Cash in Your Face” – 3:59
“Lately” – 4:05
“Happy Birthday” – 5:57

Stevie Wonder – vocals, synthesizer, drums, Fender Rhodes, bass guitar, clavinet, background vocals, ARP, vocoder, piano, harpsichord, celeste, keyboards, harmonica, cabasa, percussion, bells, handclaps, flute
Nathan Watts – bass guitar, background vocals
Benjamin Bridges – guitar, background vocals
Dennis Davis – drums on “Did I Hear You Say You Love Me,” “As If You Read My Mind” and “Master Blaster (Jammin’)”
Earl DeRouen – percussion, background vocals
Isaiah Sanders – keyboards, piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, background vocals
Hank Redd – saxophone, handclaps
Robert Malach – saxophone
Larry Gittens, Nolan A. Smith Jr. – trumpet
Paul Riser – string arrangement
Hank DeVito – steel guitar
Rick Zunigar – guitar
Angela Winbush, Mary Lee Whitney Evans, Susaye Greene Brown, Alexandra Brown Evans, Shirley Brewer, Eddie “Bongo” Brown, Charlie Collins, Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, Michael Jackson, Jamil Raheem, Betty Wright, Ronnie J. Wilson, Charles K. Wilson, Syreeta Wright, Marva Holcolm, Melody McCulley, Delores Barnes – background vocals
Stephanie Andrews, Bill Wolfer, Trevor Lawrence, Dennis Morrison, Kimberly Jackson – handclaps

 

Wednesday 8/26/2020 10pm ET: Across The Tracks with Ron Kovacs

This week on Across The Tracks its all about Songs with Train(s) in the title.  It’s Live 9pm ET on RadioMaxMusic.  We have music from the Doobie Brothers, Sheena Easton, Rosanne Cash, Van Zant, Cindy Bullens, Cat Stevens, Gladys Knight and The Pips, Jimi Hendrix and more. . . 

Wednesday 12pm ET: Feature Artist – Stevie Wonder (Part 2)

Stevland Hardaway Morris (born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. A prominent figure in popular music, he is one of the most successful songwriters and musicians in the history of music. Through his heavy use of electronic instruments and innovative sounds, Wonder became a pioneer and influence to musicians of various genres including pop, rhythm and blues, soul, funk and rock.

Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy known as Little Stevie Wonder, leading him to sign with Motown’s Tamla label at the age of 11. In 1963, the single “Fingertips” was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when Wonder was aged 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart. Wonder’s critical success was at its peak in the 1970s when he started his “classic period” in 1972 with the releases of Music of My Mind and Talking Book, with the latter featuring the number-one hit “Superstition”. “Superstition” is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner Clavinet keyboard. With Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976) all winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Wonder became the tied record holder, with Frank Sinatra, for the most Album of the Year wins with three. Wonder is also the only artist to have won the award with three consecutive album releases.

Wonder’s “classic period”, which is widely considered to have ended in 1977, was noted for his funky keyboard style, personal control of production, and series of songs integrated with one another to make a concept album. In 1979, Wonder made use of the early music sampler Computer Music Melodian through his composition of the soundtrack album Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants”. It was also his first digital recording, and one of the earliest popular albums to use the technology, which Wonder used for all subsequent recordings. Wonder’s 1970s albums are regarded as very influential; the Rolling Stone Record Guide (1983) wrote they “pioneered stylistic approaches that helped to determine the shape of pop music for the next decade”.

Wonder has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has won 25 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time. He was the first Motown artist and second African-American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for the 1984 film The Woman in Red. Wonder has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Rock Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a holiday in the United States. In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Tuesday 4pm ET: Feature Artist – Stevie Wonder (Part 1)

Stevland Hardaway Morris (born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. A prominent figure in popular music, he is one of the most successful songwriters and musicians in the history of music. Through his heavy use of electronic instruments and innovative sounds, Wonder became a pioneer and influence to musicians of various genres including pop, rhythm and blues, soul, funk and rock.

Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy known as Little Stevie Wonder, leading him to sign with Motown’s Tamla label at the age of 11. In 1963, the single “Fingertips” was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when Wonder was aged 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart. Wonder’s critical success was at its peak in the 1970s when he started his “classic period” in 1972 with the releases of Music of My Mind and Talking Book, with the latter featuring the number-one hit “Superstition”. “Superstition” is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner Clavinet keyboard. With Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976) all winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Wonder became the tied record holder, with Frank Sinatra, for the most Album of the Year wins with three. Wonder is also the only artist to have won the award with three consecutive album releases.

Wonder’s “classic period”, which is widely considered to have ended in 1977, was noted for his funky keyboard style, personal control of production, and series of songs integrated with one another to make a concept album. In 1979, Wonder made use of the early music sampler Computer Music Melodian through his composition of the soundtrack album Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants”. It was also his first digital recording, and one of the earliest popular albums to use the technology, which Wonder used for all subsequent recordings. Wonder’s 1970s albums are regarded as very influential; the Rolling Stone Record Guide (1983) wrote they “pioneered stylistic approaches that helped to determine the shape of pop music for the next decade”.

Wonder has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has won 25 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time. He was the first Motown artist and second African-American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for the 1984 film The Woman in Red. Wonder has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Rock Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a holiday in the United States. In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Saturday 6pm ET: Feature Artist – Frank Wilson

Frank Edward Wilson (December 5, 1940 – September 27, 2012) was an American songwriter, singer and record producer for Motown Records.

In 1965, Berry Gordy asked the producers Hal Davis and Marc Gordon to set up an office of Motown in Los Angeles. Wilson accepted an offer to join the team. In December 1965, “Stevie” by Patrice Holloway (V.I.P. 25001) was the first single released from the West Coast operation and featured Wilson in the songwriting credits. Asked by Gordy to re-locate to Detroit, Wilson went on to write and produce hit records for Brenda Holloway, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Miracles, the Four Tops, the Temptations, Eddie Kendricks, and more. He became particularly important after Holland-Dozier-Holland left the company. Additionally, after leaving Motown, Wilson produced a gold disc earning album by Lenny Williams, former lead singer for Tower of Power, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr, former members of the Fifth Dimension, Alton McClain & Destiny, New Birth and the Grammy nominated album, Motown Comes Home.

He also launched his own publishing firms, Traco Music and Specolite Music, Ascap and BMI companies. During the next four years, Wilson recorded, released and published more than 40 copyrighted compositions, including, “It Must Be Love”, by Judy Wieder & John Footman, “Stares and Whispers” by Terry McFadden and John Footman, “Star Love” by Judy Wieder and John Footman, and “You Got Me Running” by Judy Wieder and Clay Drayton. Earlier, Wilson had also tried his hand at being a recording artist himself, recording the single “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” for release on the Motown subsidiary label ‘Soul.’ Supposedly 250 demo 45s were pressed, but by that time Wilson decided he would rather focus on producing and he had the demos trashed. Somehow at least two known copies survived, one of which fetched over £25,000 in May 2009.

Because of the scarcity of the original single and the high quality of the music (it was one of the most popular records in the Northern soul movement), it has been championed as one of the rarest and most valuable records in history (along with other “impossible to find” records by such acts as Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, and the Five Sharps).

Wilson left Motown in 1976 and became a born again Christian. He became a minister, traveling and writing books with his wife Bunny Wilson, and was also involved in the production of gospel music as well. In 2004, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Vision International University in Ramona, California and founded the New Dawn Christian Village in Los Angeles.

Wilson died on September 27, 2012 in Duarte, California after a long battle with prostate cancer, he was 71 years old.

Wednesday 4pm ET: Sounds of The 70s

This week on the Sounds of The 70s we feature music from:  Albert Hammond, Grand Funk Railroad, Undisputed Truth, Stevie Wonder, Jacksons, Elton John, Dave Edmunds, Argent, Diana Ross, Heart, Warren Zevon and more . . .

Wednesday 4pm: Sounds of The 70s

This week on Sounds of The 70s we feature music from:  Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Ringo Starr, Donna Summer, Spinners, Chicago, Barry Manilow, Marshall Tucker Band and more . . .

Wednesday 4pm: Sounds of The 70s

This week on Sounds of The 70s we feature music from:  Fleetwood Mac, Boston, Foreigner, Steely Dan, Clint Holmes, Redbone, Elton John, Selector, Robert Gordon, Freda Payne, Toto, Diana Ross and more . . .

Wednesday 2pm: Sounds of The 70s

This week on Sounds of The 70s.  Temptations, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Harry Chapin, Lou Rawls, Neil Young, Elton John, Paul McCartney & Wings, Rod Stewart, Jacksons, Van Halen, Stevie Wonder, Blondie and more . . .