He and Billy Roquel Davis kept auditioning local talent, such as Singin’ Sammy Ward and Mable John. He produced a local hit on the Carlton label by one of his background singers, Robert Bateman, who used the name Bob Kayli. He shopped demos around that featured renditions of his songs by a young singer named Eddie Holland.
One day, a teenage group called The Matadors approached Berry at his songwriting workplace. He found their material and delivery mildly impressive, but he quickly struck up an easy rapport with the lead vocalist, William “Smokey” Robinson. He worked with them until they had two of their songs, “Got A Job” and “My Mama Done Told Me,” ready for recording. In 1958, The Miracles, as they had been rechristened, cut a record with these tunes as its sides on George Goldner’s End label. In 1959, they cut “Bad Girl” and “All I Want Is You,” with Gordy’s supervision, for Chess.
There was a lot of cross-fertilization between Chess and Motown at this point. Gwen Gordy, Berry’s sister, had started Anna Records with a loan and a distribution deal from Chess. Her boyfriend and original partner in Anna, Billy Roquel Davis, left Detroit to work for Chess as an arranger. Harvey Fuqua and Marvin Gaye, late of The Moonglows, a Chess act, came to Detroit and married Gwen and Anna Gordy, respectively. Fuqua, Gwen Gordy and Berry Gordy wrote songs for Etta James, recently signed to Chess’ Argo subsidiary.
Detroit was a busy music center generally. Little Willie John and Hank Ballard and the Midnighters were enjoying great chart success on King. Reverend C.L. Franklin was a national gospel and preaching celebrity. Jazz figures such as Kenny Burrell and Tommy Flanagan were establishing themselves. The great clubs and theaters such as The Flame Showbar and The Gold Coast had supremely seasoned house bands. The local high schools were teeming with aspiring singers.
Two groups of such hopefuls were The Primes and The Primettes. The Primes, consisting of Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and Kell Osborne, had recently arrived with their families from Alabama. The Primettes, a quartet including Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, Betty McGlowan and Mary Wilson, were Detroit natives who had become friends with the newcomers. The Primettes cut a self-penned tune, “Tears of Sorrow,” for the Lupine label in 1959. Soon afterward, they auditioned for Gordy, but he told them to finish school first and keep honing their act.
