TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

By 1965 the success that the Tamla-Motown stable of artists were now finally having in the UK had persuaded EMI to give the label its own identity in the UK and Europe, where previously it had been handled by EMI's Stateside subsidiary. This was something that EMI had usually been reluctant to do. Swan, Bell, 20th Century Fox, Scepter, A&M, VeeJay and others had given EMI hits, but all under the Stateside banner and there they (mostly) remained.

A UK tour to help promote the new label was arranged and The Supremes, The Miracles, The Temptations, Martha & The Vadellas and Stevie Wonder all backed by Motown studio players The Earl Van Dyke Six/Sextet were all set to test Britain's roads and service stations. The Temptations were the only act new to British TV with all the others having previously trekked over, with Little Stevie Wonder the first to come to the UK in late 1963.

Having loved their music and having worked on stage with some of Motown's acts in the USA it was Dusty Springfield who bent the ear of friend and Ready Steady Go editor Vikki Wickham and suggested that maybe producing a Motown show could be a good idea. This would be a one-off special, given its own timeslot, rather than merely taking RSG's regular Friday spot. The show could go ahead, but only if Dusty would host it. Done.

Ready Steady Go's new studio at Wembley had enough room to host all the artists in a kind of variety show format, one act quickly following the previous, tackling their hits mostly in abbreviated form to cram in as many hits as they could. The rehearsals must have been hectic as the Daily Mirror suggested "The only hitch occurred when Diane, leader of The Supremes group, vanished during the final dress rehearsal. The show was held up for nearly an hour before Diane was found, curled up, fast asleep between two pieces of scenery. 'Diane, it seems, is always falling asleep,' said a programme official."

Recorded on 18th March 1965 and broadcast a few weeks later between 9.40 - 10.30 pm on a Wednesday night it was practically ignored by that week's TV Times, deciding not to give the show its own article, but it was given a small mention on that day's page, "Britain has suddenly become aware of the throbbing beat of the Tamla-Motown group of singers and musicians. Tonight, Dusty Springfield introduces --and sings with--the top Motown artists. Note: Motown-Motor Town--Detroit, where they all come from." It was originally scheduled for a 17th April airing, according to the New Musical Express, and then shifted to the 21st according to Disc.

Two days after the recording of the show The Miracles and Martha & The Vandellas popped up on the regular Friday night Ready Steady Go. Presumably The Supremes had to dash back to the USA as they were that week's Billboard number one, with Stop! In The Name Of Love.

In addition to the first batch of Tamla-Motown singles EMI released a further six EPs and six LPs, including one by now ex-Tamla act Mary Wells.

Despite the critical love thrown at Motown from the UK fans the tour was a flop outside of London and EMI suggested that Georgie Fame should join the tour to flesh out the bill. Promoter Arthur Howes told Disc "I had the manager of the Leeds Odeon on to me the morning after the show played there. He said it was the most professional and polished show he had seen. Yet it played to only around 1,500 people out of a total capacity of 4,000 for the two concerts. It's been roughly the same story in Manchester, Blackpool, Wolverhampton and Glasgow. And this is even more surprising considering the large coloured populations in these centres. It isn't as if there hasn't been any publicity. There has been tons of TV and radio coverage of the artists."

Just after the tour The Supremes' Stop! In The Name Of Love, and Nowhere To Run by Martha & The Vandellas both hit the UK chart.

Hosted by Dusty Springfield

Backed by The Earl Van Dyke Six/Sextet

The Supremes – Baby Love

The Miracles – You Really Got A Hold On Me

Stevie Wonder – I Call It Pretty Music

The Temptations – The Way You Do The Things You Do

Martha & The Vandellas – Heat Wave

Dusty Springfield – You Lost The Sweetest Boy

The Miracles – Ooh Baby Baby

Dusty Springfield and Martha & The Vandellas – Wishin’ and Hopin’

The Temptations – It’s Growing

The Supremes – Shake

Martha & The Vandellas – Nowhere To Run

Stevie Wonder – Kiss Me Baby

Dusty Springfield – I Can’t Hear You No More

The Supremes – Stop! In The Name Of Love

The Temptations – My Girl

Martha & The Vandellas – Dancing In The Street

The Miracles – Shop Around

The Supremes – Where Did Our Love Go

The Miracles and ensemble – Mickey’s Monkey

An edited version of the show, together with a few Ready Steady Go clips, was released in home in the 1990's as The Sounds Of Motown, while a couple of BBC TV documentaries about Motown in Britain have also used the footage.

THE SOUND OF MOTOWN

Rediffusion

28th April 1965