So many hits! Just to name a few off the top of my head:
- I'll Be Around
- Could It Be I'm Falling in Love
- The Rubberband Man
The RR HOF has become over-politicized with so-so acts in and great ones like The Spinners snubbed over and over again
Posted on 03/03/2023 1:22:50 PM PST by nickcarraway
The Spinners helped create the sound of an era with a parade of soul and pop hits beginning in 1973. Their music has lived on thanks to its sly sophistication, love-struck lyrics and timeless hooks.
The lineup whittled down over the years to stalwart Henry Fambrough and a group of newer collaborators, but the songs – and memories of the camaraderie – remain: "The other guys are gone, but they're still with us any time we sing," Fambrough told Billboard. "This group's bigger than any one of us."
After a slow start at Motown, the Spinners switched to Atlantic Records at Aretha Franklin's suggestion – then started piling up hits. They've had 17 Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and a trio of R&B No. 1 albums. "Then Came You" went to No. 1 on the pop chart, while "The Rubberband Man" and "Working My Way Back to You" both reached No. 2.
The band's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled back in 1976, and they were admitted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. They've been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 1987 and were first nominated in 2012, the first of four nominations, yet somehow still haven't joined contemporaries like the Isley Brothers, Franklin, Sly and the Family Stone and Smokey Robinson. Here are five reasons why the Spinners should be honored, too.
They Worked Their Way Up, Literally, From the Bottom
The Spinners got off to a respectable start with 1961's "That's What Girls Are Made For," a No. 5 R&B smash that also reached the pop Top 30. That eventually led to a deal with Motown. But the Spinners ended up releasing nine non-charting singles over the rest of the '60s – including a stunning five in a row. Desperate to recoup something from their investment, the label reassigned the Spinners to menial jobs around the office. They worked as drivers, roadies and even shipping clerks. Fast forward a few years, and the Spinners could be found on the big screen during The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh and guesting on TV's Laverne and Shirley after reeling off five straight gold-selling Top 5 R&B hit albums.
They Got Bigger After a Huge Lineup Change
The Spinners' early tenure at Motown certainly wasn't celebrated, but they managed to score one bona fide hit with a 1970 cover of Steve Wonder's "It's a Shame" before leaving. The No. 14 pop single served as Wonder's first outside production project and featured early singer G.C. Cameron. But Cameron declined to follow the Spinners to a new label, so his cousin, Philippe Wynne, stepped in to share lead vocal duties with Bobby Smith. They caught fire, as the Thom Bell-produced Spinners LP kicked off an era that included seven Top 10 singles – including "I'll Be Around," "Then Came You" "The Rubberband Man" and "Working My Way Back to You."
They Helped Secure Thom Bell's Considerable Legend
Thom Bell is known today as an architect of the Philly R&B sound, and that's in large part due to his career-breaking association with the Spinners, for whom he'd eventually produce and write songs. He started, however, as a piano player in a group backing the then-unknown Spinners at a Philadelphia nightclub along the way. They eventually made their way to Atlantic Records, while Bell honed his considerable skills as a soul Svengali. Given a list of possible collaborators by label heads, Bell bypassed bigger names like Aretha Franklin to re-connect with the Spinners, who'd impressed him years before with "That's What Girls Are Made For." He oversaw all of their classic-era albums, winning a Grammy for producing 1974's Mighty Love.
They Know How to Make an Entrance
Bobby Smith was a car buff who had been around almost since the beginning. He originally suggested they call themselves the Spinners – after an old-school hubcap – because people kept misspelling their early name, the Domingoes. Cancer eventually slowed Smith, however, and he began to miss shows. Ronnie Moss took over and Smith's presence at events like the Soul Train Cruise in February 2013 was considered ceremonial. Then a miracle happened when they launched into "Then Came You." "Like something out of a movie," bandmate Jessie Peck told the Detroit Free Press, "Bobby shoots right out onstage and, showman that he is, grabs a mic and sings right on cue. The audience went bananas." Smith died that March at 76.
They've Never Lost a Connection With Their Legacy
Five friends from a Detroit-area housing project got together in 1954 to form the Domingoes – and Henry Fambrough was one of them. They changed their name, changed labels, and then saw fellow vocalists like G.C. Cameron, Bobby Smith and Philippe Wynne come and go. Only Fambrough remains as the last surviving member of the Spinners' original lineup – and cheerful guardian of the flame. "I'll keep going until I can't go no more!" Fambrough, now 84, told the Times-Bulletin. "I have no plans to retire. I mean, what would I do sitting down at home?" Key singer on "Ghetto Child" and "How Could I Let You Get Away," he can still be found showing fresh faces the group's silky smooth dance moves. Fambrough also led the Spinners back to the studio for the first time in decades, completing 2021's comeback Round the Block and Back Again.
I agree, they were really good, brought back some memories.
Not exactly my genre but they had some catchy dittys.
I just heard “Rubberband Man” last night on an Italian crime show of all places.
So many hits! Just to name a few off the top of my head:
The RR HOF has become over-politicized with so-so acts in and great ones like The Spinners snubbed over and over again
Which show?
Thanks for the article post.
Growing up a few miles away in a different suburb outside of Detroit we took for granted the many hit groups locally that went on to the national fame and chart ascent.
Great hits and 5 gold albums in a row——quite an accomplishment with the competition for air time so fierce then.
You are welcome.
Spinors are already in the physics Hall of Fame...
It’s exactly my genre. I love 70’s R&B and funk.
Rubberband Man has been a favorite song for years.
That said, I don’t consider soul and R&B to be rock and roll and wonder why the Spinners or any such bands would be considered.
If they are to be considered, they should also be inducted.
Berry Gordy with Motown and Rosemary Trombley from CKLW had a ton to do with that.
She played black music to a white audience. CKLW was such a powerhouse that at one point they were the highest rated station in several states and a couple Canadian provinces.
There is a Soul Music Hall of Fame (Detroit) and a Funk Music Hall of Fame (Dayton, OH).
Maybe the RORHOF should have been called the Popular Music HOF. They want it both ways. But they same to be idiots.
Why did they start calling R&B, what used to be called Soul?
I’ve never been there but from what I’ve read, they don’t have strict standards
Also, the publication this is in is called “Ultimate Classic Rock,” but they did cover the Spinners.
RE: CKLW.
Across the Detroit River in Windsor but so much coverage in the US and musical influence. Great memories of my Boomer growing up years.
Love the “Games People Play” LP version, some 4:33
It seems R&B, Soul and Funk are somewhat interchangeable terms.
I just looked it up. The lines are definitely blurred. All are primarily black musicians. R&B tends to be more instrumental, Soul tends to be more gospel oriented. Funk is sort of a combo of those pus jazz.
The Love I Lost by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes to me is the epitome of Soul, especially the six-minute version where lead singer Teddy Pendergrass lays down some gospel preachy soul. If it doesn’t get you, nothing will.
I was at the tail end of their great run. Byron McGregor was still around doing news.
I remember Super Max Kinkel telling us that Elvis died.
I have
1970-It’s A Shame
1972-I’ll Be Around
1973-Could It Be I’m Falling In Love
1976-Rubbeband Man
in my mp3 library.
Loved Rubberband Man
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