Ric-Tic Records was a subsidiary label of Golden World, the label set up by Ed Wingate and JoAnne Bratton in Detroit in 1961. The best of Golden World’s R&B acts were signed to Ric-Tic.
Edwin Starr was born in Nashville in 1942 but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. His first steps into a career in music came in 1957, when he formed a Doo-Wop vocal group that was named the Future Tones. After he completed his military service, he joined Bill Doggett’s group. He came to Ric-Tic in 1965 to make his first recordings as a solo artist, beginning with “Agent Double-O-Soul”, which gave him immediate chart success, peaking at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and number eight on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. He had written the song with Bill Sharpley, with Starr credited as Charles Hatcher, his real name. Sonny Sanders arranged the song.
The same team worked on the follow-up, “ Back Street”, with production in the capable hands of Solid Hitbound Productions, otherwise known as Don Davis and LeBaron Taylor, who formed Revilot Records around that time. It made the charts, but was outshone by Starr’s third Ric-Tic release in January 1966, “Stop Her on Sight (S.O.S.)”, which reached numbers forty-eight and nine on the respective Billboard charts. The song also gave Starr his first UK hit, as the single reached number thirty-five on the Official UK Singles chart.
Edwin Starr (Publicity Photo)
Three more Ric-Tic singles followed in 1966 and 1967, with only one entering the charts. Towards the end of 1967, Ed Wingate started the sale of Ric-Tic to Berry Gordy. Edwin Starr was touring in Europe as the sale was agreed. When he returned to the USA, his contract had been taken over by Motown.
Andre Williams had worked at Motown in the early sixties in partnership with Mickey Stevenson, writing and producing a small number of songs. By 1966, he was at Golden World, songwriting and producing for many of the best acts, including Laura Lee and J.J. Barnes. The company also released three of Williams’ own recordings, two on the Wingate label in 1966 (“Loose Juice” and “Do It” Parts 1 and 2) and one on Ric-Tic in 1967 (“You Got It And I Want It”). Williams worked on production with Joe Hunter and Frank R. Brown.
The Fantastic Four was a male vocal group formed in Detroit in 1965 by James Epps, brothers Ralph and Joseph Pruitt, and Wallace Childs. They were signed to Ric-Tic Records, releasing ten singles between 1966 and 1968, the first two of which made the charts. “The Whole World is a Stage” reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, and the follow-up “You Gave Me Something (And Everything’s Alright)” climbed to number twelve. Although the subsequent singles didn’t chart, the group’s releases sold solidly enough to make them the top act at Ric-Tic.
The Fantastic Four: The Lost Motown Album
Photo: Album Cover image courtesy of Ace Records (UK)
Their final single on the label was “I Love You Madly”, written by the record’s producer Mike Hanks and William Garrett, issued just as the sale of Ric-Tic to Berry Gordy was being completed. The song was quickly re-issued in October by Motown on the Soul label and gave the group their third top twenty chart entry. A compilation album of their earlier songs soon followed before the end of the year.
Motown also started work on a studio album of new material, but it was unissued, until the Ace Records (UK) put it out in 2015 on their Kent Soul label.
J.J. Barnes was born in Detroit in 1943. He made his first recording in 1960 for Rich Records in Nashville, before moving to Mickay’s Records in Detroit, co-owned by Joe Hunter, where he cut five more singles, one released on the company’s Ring subsidiary. He then moved to Ric-Tic in 1965, adding four singles to his collection. Much later, Ian Levine recorded a number of tracks with J. J. Barnes for his Motorcity label.
J. J. Barnes
Laura Lee was born in Chicago and made her name there as a powerful Soul singer at Chess Records. However, she had launched her solo, secular career in Detroit, where she had lived since early childhood, first singing in local clubs and then signing for Ric-Tic Records in 1966. She made only one single before moving on to greater things. “To Win Your Heart” is a song co-written by JoAnne Bratton and Linda Bunten, produced by company boss Ed Wingate.
Lee’s voice is already strong, honed by years of Gospel singing, and she has no problem soaring over the heavy bass and punchy brass backing. Another Northern Soul classic. The B-side “So Will I” is a slow Blues ballad, on which Lee matches Etta James for vocal intensity. You can hear why Chess Records were interested! Sadly, Chicago’s gain was Detroit’s loss. And then, in 1970, Lee came back to the Motor City, to work with Holland, Dozier, Holland at their new post-Motown company.
Laura Lee Publicity Photo
Around six years after starting Golden World, Wingate and Bratton finally ended their dream of matching Motown. Ric-Tic Records was sold to Berry Gordy. Their company had issued around a hundred and twenty singles, on a variety of labels, plus three albums. The roster of artists added up to sixty-five acts, some of whom remain virtually unknown, but a few of the Golden World singers went on to make a career at Motown, at Chess and elsewhere. Many of the songs recorded by the company have become Northern Soul classics, collectors’ items of value.
