Tags
Tamla T 54032 (A), October 1960
b/w It’s You
(Written by Donald Davis)
Herman Griffin was a dynamic live performer who would wow audiences with his outrageous physical dances; his jumps, splits, somersaults and back-flips not only captivated the crowds in the predominantly white clubs he played, but also caught the attention of Berry Gordy, who wrote a song for him in 1958 (I Need You on the HOB label, noted by Motown nerds (like me) as the very first song ever to be published by Gordy’s new Jobete Music Company publishing house).
Gordy also provided an “in” for Griffin to cut another single with Berry’s big sister Gwen’s label Anna Records in 1959 (at the time, a bigger and more successful label than Tamla or Motown), and finally produced and released this single on Tamla in 1960.
Griffin remains most famous (or infamous) in Motown circles for having been Mary Wells’ first husband. Supposedly a domineering character, stories abound of him exerting an unnecessary degree of control over Wells and her career, wrangling a role accompanying her on tour with the Motortown Revue as her “conductor” or “musical director” (despite being unable to read music) and then drawing attention to himself geeing up quiet crowds by performing his customary acrobatic moves on stage while she sang. How much of this is true is open to question, but Griffin is widely believed to have been the driving force in extricating Wells from her Motown contract after she turned 21 (right in the middle of her breakthrough to superstar status with My Guy) and in her subsequent ill-fated signing to Twentieth Century Fox, which precipitated a shockingly rapid career decline.
Here, long before any of that, Griffin turns in a likeable enough slice of late-Fifties rock ‘n’ roll, with some excellent guitar work courtesy of composer Don Davis, later Johnny Taylor’s intuitive producer at Stax and Columbia; in a weird twist of fate, Columbia ended up leasing this for release on their own label (left).
It’s not really clear what Columbia thought they could do with this. It’s likeable enough alright, but not remarkable. Like Singin’ Sammy Ward’s earlier Tamla effort What Makes You Love Him, it’s possible that Griffin was holding something back, toning down his act a bit from his incendiary live performances; either that, or he was just more of a performer than a vocalist. Certainly he’s loud enough, spitting his lines and contracting words to one-syllable bursts (“tokabout LOVE”), but it’s somehow lacking, uninspiring.
The song is also poorly produced – as happened with Smokey Robinson on the first version of the Miracles’ Shop Around, his delivery is too forceful and too loud for the primitive recording technology available in Hitsville Studio A to cope, causing massive amounts of hiss and distortion. Either that, or he was just far too close to the microphone.
Griffin would go on to record one more Motown single, Sleep (Little One), in 1962, spending two more years as part of the label’s live show setup before leaving with Mary Wells in tow. He would later cut a string of flops for various small labels through the Sixties, but history wouldn’t remember him for anything he did behind a microphone.
VERDICT
* * * * * * * * * *
4 / 10
(I’ve had MY say, now it’s your turn. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment, or click the thumbs at the bottom there. Dissent is encouraged!)
You’re reading Motown Junkies, an attempt to review every Motown A- and B-side ever released. Click on the “previous” and “next” buttons below to go back and forth through the catalogue, or visit the Master Index for a full list of reviews so far.
(Or maybe you’re only interested in Herman Griffin? Click for more.)
 |
 |
| The Miracles “Who’s Lovin’ You” |
Herman Griffin “It’s You” |
Motown Junkies 
This record was leased out to Columbia Records (Cat. # 41951). This was after Gordy’s leasing agreement with Chess for The Miracles, and Ron & Bill and records placed on Chess-distributed Anna Records was over, and before Motown would lease Gordy’s “Come Into My Palace” by Lee & The Leopards to New York’s Laurie Records (1962).
LikeLike
Thanks for providing this information, Robb, as always. With regard to Columbia leasing this, the question, I suppose, is why did they bother?
LikeLike
Good question. Columbia didn’t know how to market R&B. They put precious little of it on their flagship Columbia Records. I don’t know why they leased this, and I also don’t know why they didn’t put it on their Okeh Records R&B subsidiary.
LikeLike
They did a good job with Aretha’s Operation Heartbreak (IMO).
LikeLike
Wow reading that this is the guy who had a hand in convincing Mary Wells to leave Motown is heartbreaking. Not that I’m holding him responsible because Wells did have her own mind. I wonder if Griffin really had the best intentions for Wells when he told her to leave Motown? Could he possibly had been jealous of Wells? Who knows.
Anyways, back to this song. I think this song deserves it 4. It is alright. Another take and it might have been better. Griffin is just a little too loud. I would love too see footage of him doing all his wild antics on stage.
LikeLike
Griffin put the idea in her mind BEFORE their divorce. His dealings with her after that had much less influence. He was trying to get back in her good graces to become her manager, and to cash in on her signing with a major label. Had he only brought it up after their divorce there’s a chance she might not have left Motown. Byspring 1964 she had decided (herself) to leave Motown IF they wouldn’t tear up her old contract and sign her to much more money (based her claim that her original contract was null and void due to having been a minor). Motown balked at her demands, so she left. Griffin had put the seed of the idea in her head, originally. But Mary, alone, made that fateful decision.
LikeLike
Wow…her whole story including the Motown portion is heartbreaking. I can see from her perspective of demanding more money from Motown (because we all want more money for a job well done) but she had most likely failed to realized that she had to repay Motown (and all those flops before) before she saw a huge payday. Yet, that day might have never came. Everyone is familiar with Mr. Gordy and the shady ways of Motown (I say this with all due respect). That contract was null and void if she was a minor. Smh. Motown was the best label for her to be on at that time too bad she decided to leave.
LikeLike
Wow, that whole Motown thing is such a gray area. If she was a minor the contract should have been null and void. Most people do feel entitled to a raise if they are doing a good job, which Mary was, but she may have failed to release that she had to pay back her studio time and the debt of all those previous Motown flops before she saw a huge payday. If they day would have ever came? Who knows. Everyone knows of some of the alleged shady dealings that were going on at Motown. Still though, Motown was the best company for her to be at during that time. Too bad she had to go.
LikeLike
Notice that prolific producer, Don Davis wrote this song, and this record’s flip side. About this time, Don Juan Mancha, another iconic Detroit Soul writer/producer was also working for Tamla.
LikeLike
As far as Berry Gordy providing an “in” for Herman Griffin recording for Berry’s sister’s Anna Records, it wasn’t quite that way.I’m sure that Griffin knew Gwen and Billy Davis, and could have approached them directly. Bu, in actuality. Griffin’s Anna recordings were produced and recorded by Mickey Stevenson for his own Stepp Records, and he leased the masters to Anna Records. The background singers were Stepp’s own Mello-Dees (AKA The Love-Tones). Griffin may have come to Motown with Mickey, or been signed directly by Berry. Many of the earliest employees and contractees at Motown were people who had already been friendly with Berry Gordy well before he started Tamla Records. After Motown, Griffin recorded for Correc-Tone, and Mercury Records under his birth name, and also as Herman Ross, and produced for his own Hit/Hit Productions Records, as well as for Ed Wingate for Columbia and Wand Records, and Ston-Roc Records. In addition to being infamous for his part in convincing Mary Wells to leave Motown, he is also infamous for shooting Detroit producer, Robert West, over West’s alleged “trying to steal Mary away from Griffin’s influence” (Griffin’s paranoic fear that West was trying to become her new manager).
LikeLike
You rated this as better than the original “Who’s Lovin’ You”????? If this is better than “Who’s Lovin’ You,” “Custer’s Last Man” is better than “Shop Around”!!!
LikeLike