Westbound Records: The Sounds Of Detroit
Detroit in the late 1960s was a hotbed of talent, from the rock groups playing the Grande Ballroom to the soul talent vying for a deal with Motown, to numerous jazz groups at lounges all over town. But when Motown left for California in 1971, that talent was left with nowhere to record. But another label, Westbound Records, stuck around. In its eccentric way, it did its best to document black music as it changed in Detroit.
Armen Boladian was driving westbound on 8 Mile Road one day in 1968 when the name came to him. Ever since he'd been a high-school student, he'd been making records, but now he was going to get serious and keep a label going, and Westbound just felt right.
Funkadelic was the band behind the Parliaments, a vocal group signed to Revilot, a label that was in severe financial trouble. The Parliaments' leader, George Clinton, was restless. The songs he'd been selling to Motown didn't get cut, and he had ideas he wanted to record. So he signed Funkadelic to Boladian, and sure enough, in time they had a hit.
"I Bet You" was only a Top 20 soul hit, but it was so unlike the other music coming out of Detroit that it attracted the right people: Funkadelic wouldn't be a hit-making machine for another 10 years, but meanwhile, its albums on Westbound were staples in the dorm rooms of hip black college students.
One thing Boladian knew was that radio people could help you find a hit, and he was lucky to have a good working relationship with Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg, program director of CKLW in Windsor, Ontario, across the river from Detroit. Steinberg was from a distinguished black Memphis music family — her brother Lewis had been Booker T and the MGs' first bassist — and in 1971, she told Boladian that Willie Mitchell, a Memphis bandleader, was becoming a producer and needed a label. One listen to the master Mitchell was trying to sell convinced him, and Denise LaSalle gave Westbound its first No. 1 record.
The record made Willie Mitchell enough money for him to get to work in the studio with a young singer he'd discovered named Al Green.
The Next Big Thing
Westbound was smart to look out of town for talent; it was something few regional labels did. Dayton, Ohio, isn't far from Detroit, but far enough that the Ohio Untouchables, a band based there, knew they were being overlooked. Changing their name to the Ohio Players, they mixed blues, gospel and a new kind of music being championed by Sly Stone and James Brown called funk. Westbound knew about funk, and signed the band.
"Pain" wasn't a huge hit, and the Players' biggest success would come later on Mercury, but once again, Westbound showed its experimental bent.
The biggest innovation for the label caught it by surprise. The Detroit Emeralds were a standard three-piece vocal group with a decent track record for the label, when they released "Feel the Need" in 1972.
It didn't get a lot of airplay, but it suddenly started selling like crazy, particularly in Boston, where it had caught fire in a new institution: gay discotheques. A producer named Tom Moulton had done an unauthorized remix, extending the song's length, and now Westbound found itself in the disco business, with hits by Dennis Coffey and CJ & Co. following over the years.
More Surprises
One of the most remarkable records Westbound issued in the mid-'70s was a failure, but not because of its quality. "Alvin Stone" by the Fantastic Four was nothing more or less than a rock opera crammed into 6 minutes and 46 seconds, telling of the rise and fall of a black gangster. It was way ahead of its time, and makes fascinating listening today.
Besides disco, another thing that had kept Westbound afloat was gospel music, and that's where it found its last national hit in 1983.
The Clark Sisters were part of a Detroit gospel family that went back to the 1930s, and the danceable rhythm of "You Brought the Sunshine" made it a huge club hit. Times had certainly changed since that drive down 8 Mile, and Boladian pulled back from the national scene, content to record gospel and license reissues of his back catalog, which he continues to do today.
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TERRY GROSS, host:
Detroit in the late 1960s was a hotbed of talent. From the rock groups playing the Grande Ballroom to the soul talent vying for a deal with Motown, to numerous jazz groups at lounges all over town. But when Motown moved to California in 1971, all of this talent was left with nowhere to record. Today, Ed Ward tells the story of Westbound Records which, in its eccentric way, did its best to document black music as it changed in Detroit.
(Soundbite of music)
ED WARD: Armen Boladian was driving westbound on Eight Mile Road one day in 1968 when the name came to him. Ever since he'd been a high school student, he'd been making records. But now he was going to get serious and keep a label going, and Westbound just felt right. Now he could put a name on the records by the group he was sure was going to turn things upside down.
Funkadelic was the band behind the Parliaments, a vocal group signed to Revilot, a label that was in severe financial trouble. The Parliaments' leader, George Clinton, was restless. The songs he'd been selling to Motown didn't get cut, and he had ideas he wanted to record. So he signed Funkadelic to Boladian, and sure enough, in time they had a hit.
(Soundbite of song, "I Bet You")
Mr. GEORGE CLINTON (Lead Singer, Funkadelic): (Singing) Woo-ooh! Ice cubes on a red hot stove will melt, and I bet you. A drowning man's very first words is help, I bet you. If you bet on a horse and the horse don't win, you lose and I bet you. If you try to sit on air, you're gonna fall, and I bet you. If you want a winning hand, if you want a perfect man.
WARD: "I Bet You" was only a top 20 soul hit, but it was so unlike the other music coming out of Detroit that it attracted the right people, Funkadelic wouldn't be a hit-making machine for another ten years, but meanwhile their albums on Westbound were staples in the dorm rooms of hip black college students.
One thing Boladian knew was that radio people could help you find a hit. And he was lucky to have a good working relationship with Martha Jean "the Queen" Steinberg, program director of CKLW, in Windsor, Ontario, across the river from Detroit. Martha Jean was from a distinguished black Memphis music family - her brother Lewis had been Booker T and the MGs' first bassist - and in 1971 she told Boladian that Willie Mitchell, a Memphis bandleader, was becoming a producer and needed a label. One listen to the master Mitchell was trying to sell convinced him, and Denise LaSalle gave Westbound its first number one record.
(Soundbite of song, "Trapped by a Thing Called Love")
Ms. DENISE LASALLE (Singer): (Singing) Somebody tell me what has this man got? He makes me feel what I don't wanna feel. Somebody tell me what has this man got? He makes me give what I don't wanna give. On solid ground. I feel myself sinking fast, I grab a hold, but I don't think it's gonna last. I'm slowly losin' my ground, slowly sinkin' down. Trapped by this thing called love. Ooh baby.
WARD: The record made Willie Mitchell enough for him to get to work in the studio with a young singer he'd discovered named Al Green. Westbound was smart to look out of town for talent, it was something few regional labels did. Dayton, Ohio isn't far from Detroit, but far enough that the Ohio Untouchables, a band based there, knew they were being overlooked. Changing their name to the Ohio Players, they mixed blues, gospel, and a new kind of music being championed by Sly Stone and James Brown called funk. Westbound knew about funk, and signed them.
(Soundbite of song, "Pain")
Mr. WALTER JUNIE MORRISON (Lead Singer, The Ohio Players): (Singing) Pain is in my heart. (unintelligible). Baby tell me, tell me, tell me, how it feels.
WARD: "Pain" wasn't a huge hit, and the Players biggest success would come later on Mercury, but once again Westbound showed its experimental bent. The biggest innovation for the label caught it by surprise. The Detroit Emeralds were a standard three-piece vocal group with a decent track record for the label, when they released this record in 1972.
(Soundbite of song, "Feel the Need")
Mr. ABRIM TILMON (Lead Singer, Detroit Emeralds): (Singing) See how I'm walkin', see how I'm talkin'. Notice ev'rything in me. Feel the need, oh feel, feel the need in me. I need you by my side…
WARD: It didn't get a lot of airplay. But it suddenly started selling like crazy, particularly in Boston, where it had caught fire in a new institution, gay discotheques. A producer named Tom Moulton had done an unauthorized remix, extending the song's length. And now Westbound found itself in the disco business, with hits by Dennis Coffey and CJ & Company following over the years. One of the most remarkable records Westbound issued in the mid-'70s was a failure, but not because of its quality.
(Soundbite of song, "Alvin Stone: The Birth and Death of a Gangster")
Mr. JAMES EPPS (Lead Singer, Fantastic Four): (Singing) Alvin wasn't out of knee pants good. Before he was running wild. As far as we could see back. He was always a problem child. They said Alvin was born and raised. He was raised from a bad, bad seed. One more? In this ghetto. Is the one thing that we don't need. Talking bout Alvin Stone…
WARD: "Alvin Stone" by the Fantastic Four was nothing more or less than a rock opera crammed into six minutes and 46 seconds, telling of the rise and fall of a black gangster. It was way ahead of its time and makes fascinating listening today. Besides disco, another thing that had kept Westbound afloat was gospel music. And that's where it got its last national hit in 1983.
(Soundbite of music, "You Brought the Sunshine")
Ms. ANN CLARK (Singer, The Clark Sisters): (Singing) You brought the sunshine. You brought the sunshine. In my life. Threw out the lifeline. Threw out the lifeline. You brought the sunshine. To save my life. Threw out the lifeline. Since then I have known Christ. There has been such a change in my life. Uh-huh. You made my day…
Ms. JEAN CLARK (Singer, The Clark Sisters): (Singing) You brought the sunshine. You brought the sunshine. In my life. Threw out the lifeline. Threw out the lifeline. You brought the sunshine. To save my life. Threw out the lifeline. Since then I have known Christ. There has been such a change in my life. Uh-huh. You made my day…
Ms. PEGGY CLARK (Singer, The Clark Sisters): (Singing) You brought the sunshine. You brought the sunshine. In my life. Threw out the lifeline. Threw out the lifeline. You brought the sunshine. To save my life. Threw out the lifeline. Since then I have known Christ. There has been such a change in my life. Uh-huh. You made my day…
Ms. MARY CLARK (Singer, The Clark Sisters): (Singing) You brought the sunshine. You brought the sunshine. In my life. Threw out the lifeline. Threw out the lifeline. You brought the sunshine. To save my life. Threw out the lifeline. Since then I have known Christ. There has been such a change in my life. Uh-huh. You made my day…
WARD: The Clark Sisters were part of a Detroit gospel family that went back to the 1930s. And the danceable rhythm of "You Brought the Sunshine" made it a huge club hit. Times had certainly changed since that drive down Eight Mile. And Boladian pulled back from the national scene, content to record gospel and license reissues of his back catalog, which he continues to do today.
GROSS: Ed Ward lives in the south of France. All the music he played is collected on the CD "The Original Eight Mile: Westbound Records 40th Anniversary" on Ace Records. I'm Terry Gross. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
