Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis in 1942, but grew up in Detroit, where her father, C.L. Franklin, was a...

Arthur Conley grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where he joined a Gospel group, the Evening Smiles, at just twelve years...

Melvin Ragin was usually credited under his pseudonym of Wah Wah Watson. Like Dennis Coffey, he brought an up-date to...

David Ruffin was dismissed from the Temptations in 1968 but had taken legal action seeking an immediate release from his...

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles started the year in style with their 1967 hit single “I Second That Emotion” at...

Marvin Gaye started 1968 still looking for that big hit that other Motown acts had already achieved. Actually, he had...

The Temptations had another good year, with the release of four albums (two with the Supremes) and five singles. The...

Barry Edward Beckett was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1943. He first met Jimmy Johnson and Roger Hawkins while he...

Jimmy Ray Johnson was born in 1943 in Sheffield, Alabama. He took up the guitar as a youngster and, at...

David Hood was born in Sheffield, in the Shoals area, in 1943. He learned to play a variety of instruments...