move to Los Angeles, 212, 217
percussion techniques of, 75, 126, 145
political noninvolvement of, Motown bubble, 100–101, 198
political participation of, 197–98, 200
Rayber Music Company precursor, 70–71
revitalization of record industry, 132
sale of company, 217
separate labels and ancillary companies of, 87
talent discovery and development of, 75–78, 79–80, 87–88, 122
Tamla label and studio, 71–75
teenage market of, 85
white audiences of, 85, 88–89, 123–24, 147, 174–75, 236
white promotion and sales force of, 89
Muste, A. J., 11
NAACP, 55, 80, 161, 162, 229
Negroes with Guns (Williams), 163
Newark riots, 182
Newsweek magazine, 34
New York Times
on aspirations of blacks, 116
on lack of song in Occupy Wall Street movement, 103
on March on Washington, 105
on Motown staff, 82
on Presley’s television appearances, 43–44
on rock ’n’ roll, 22, 29–30
Sullivan v. New York Times lawsuit, 139
Noonan, Martha, 171–72
Norman, Philip, 125–26
Nyro, Laura, 195, 218–20
Obama, Barack, 172, 174, 232, 235
Ochs, Phil, 176
Parker, Colonel Tom, 44, 45–46
Parker, William, 168
Paul, Clarence, 94, 214, 215
People Under the Stairs, 232
Peter, Paul, and Mary, 103, 133, 193
Potter, Peter, 30–31
Powell, Maxine, xviii, 124–25
Presley, Elvis
contract purchase by RCA Records, 17
crossover appeal of, 25, 26, 37
disapproval of, 29, 43–44
on Ed Sullivan Show, 29, 42–43
gospel influence on, 48
in Jailhouse Rock, 23
R&B interpretation of bluegrass, 27
respectable image of, 43, 45–47
television appearance with Sinatra, 46
Preston, Billy, 219
Rayber Music Company, 70–71
R&B
as black music, 4, 10
in Detroit, 62
downplay of black roots by promoters, 17
Fender Precision electric sound of, 72
first use of term rhythm & blues, 8
45 rpm single recordings of, 13
political edge of, 172, 198
popularity among whites, 15–16
repetitive phrasing of, 146
roots and influences of, 7–8, 9, 48–49
songs of civil rights movement, 172
suitability for radio of, 14
white singers of, 129, 219, 221
RCA Records, 17
Reagan, Ronald, 228
Reagon, Cordell, 103
Recess: School’s Out, 231
Red Army Ensemble, 226
Redding, Otis, 181, 222
Red Squares, 180
Reese, Della, 67, 88, 90, 97
Reeves, Martha
affection for Gaye, xix
assembly of Vandellas, 97–98
backup for Gaye’s album, 96–97
childhood home of, 141–42
“Dancing in the Street” B side, 147–48
on “Dancing in the Street” covers, 227
deterioration of relationship with Gordy, 216–17
during Detroit riots, 182–83
discovery of, 92–93
distress at role of “Dancing in the Street” in violence, 185
family background and move to Detroit, 90–91
family visits to Alabama, 99
on interpretation of word street, 188
on joy of singing “Dancing in the Street,” 236–37
as Motown A&R assistant, 94–95
on Motown as racial unifier, 236
on Detroit City Council, 196, 236
political detachment of, 100, 156, 164, 182, 196
recording of “Dancing in the Street,” xix–xxi, 140–42
on relationship with British groups, 133
singing experience as child and teenager, 91–92
style and refinement of, 125
vocal style of, 3–4, 98, 143
Republican Party, 113, 121, 151–52. See also Goldwater, Barry
rhythm & blues. See R&B
Richard, Little. See Little Richard
Richards, Keith, 131, 148, 198–99, 204, 206–7. See also Rolling Stones
riots, rock ’n’ roll, 20–22, 37–38
riots, urban
“Burn, baby, burn” slogan, 166–67
“Dancing in the Street” theme song, 166, 182
in Detroit, 60, 183–84, 210
ghetto conditions and, 137, 166, 209–10
Kerner Report, 188, 195, 209–10
in Newark, 182
in New York, 136–37
police violence at, 60, 136–37, 164–65, 168, 181, 182, 184
social programs to address grievances of, 209–10, 228
in Watts section of Los Angeles, 165–69
white curiosity about blacks, 116–17
white versus black perspective on, 164
Riser, Paul, 72–73, 144
Robey, Don, 28–29
Robinson, William “Smokey,” 38, 54, 69–70, 99–100, 126–27
rockabilly, 18
Rock Around the Clock (film), 21, 22
rock ’n’ roll
ASCAP rivalry with BMI, 34, 39
attacks on, 1, 22, 29–35
avoidance of controversy, 47
biracial popularity of, 36
body movement, 21, 29–30
deejay payola scandal and, 39–40
Fender Precision electric sound of, 72
films featuring, 19–21, 22–23
first songs of, 18–19
in Great Britain, 47
hidden meanings in lyrics of, 190–91
Italian rockers, 32
Life magazine feature on, 24
musical influences, 18
as music of rebels, 20, 26
political edginess of, 175–77
rejection of jazz, 22–24
as renamed R&B, 17
riots, 20–22, 37–38
sanitizing of black music for whites, 19, 24
teenage audience of, 1, 26, 29–30
upbeat arrangements of other styles of music, 27
Roemer, Charles, 118
Rokes, The, 177
“Role of Brain Disease in Riots . . .” (Mark, Sweet, and Ervin), 165
Rolling Stones, The, 131, 132, 186, 204, 206, 219
Ronettes, The, 47, 131
Ross, Diana, 95–96, 124, 128–29, 213, 216, 217. See also Supremes, The
Royals, The, 221
Rudd, Mark, 193
Rustin, Bayard, 11, 45, 100, 107, 154, 161, 165
Sargent, Malcolm, 33
Schopenhauer, Arthur, 167
Schwerner, Michael, 135–36, 147, 151
Seeger, Pete, 103, 133, 232
Sherrod, Charles, 153, 154
Shirelles, The, 47
Shridharani, Krishnalal, 11
Simon, Paul, 176
Sinatra, Frank, 32–33, 42, 46, 69, 81
Sister Act 2 (film), 231–32
Sledge, Percy, 222
SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)
founding o
f, 105
Freedom Rides, 11, 100
Freedom Singers, 103
Freedom Summer voter registration campaign, xv–xvi, 133–36, 151
nonviolent tactics of, 105–6
political party, 153–54
spread of ideals beyond South, 155
turn toward militancy and violence, 151, 153–55, 170–71
use of “Dancing in the Street” and other music, 103, 172, 182
volunteer training, 134–35
Snellings, Rolland, 188, 189
South. See also civil rights movement
black migration from, 51–54
Ku Klux Klan, xv–xvi, 36, 134, 136
lynchings in, 57
Motown Revue tour through, 99–100
political leanings of, 113, 155
Spector, Phil, 47–48
Springfield, Dusty, 129
Springsteen, Bruce, 231–32
Starr, Edwin, 200
Stevenson, William “Mickey”
on black versus white interpretation of songs, 194
on collaborative process at Motown, 139
on competition at Motown, 127
on crossover, 88
“Dancing in the Street” coauthorship of, xix, 138–39
on hook in songwriting, 69, 145–46
intended singer for “Dancing in the Street,” 140, 143–44
job at Motown, 76–77, 215
musical background and songwriting of, 78–79
on political message in “Dancing in the Street,” 196
on Reeves’s voice, 95, 142–43
talent scouting of, 79–80, 90, 92–95
Stewart, Shelley, 36
Story of Motown, The (Benjaminson), 212
“Street Fighting Man,” 204–6
Strong, Barrett, 216
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. See SNCC
Sullivan, Ed. See Ed Sullivan Show
Supremes, The, 96, 99–100, 107–8, 123, 128–29, 155
T.A.M.I. Show (Teenage Awards Music International), 198
Tamla label and studio, 71–75, 87, 89, 96
Temptations, The, 96, 99–100, 125, 200, 215, 217
Thelwell, Ekwueme Michael, 107, 187
Time magazine, 175–77, 199
To Be Loved (Gordy), 64
Todt, George, 166
Trudell, Johnny, 67, 144
urban disturbances. See riots, urban
Vandellas. See Martha and the Vandellas
Van Halen, 223
Variety magazine, 31
Vee-Jay Records, 29
Vietnam, xv, 117–18, 149–51, 175–76
Waits, Fred, 144–45
Walker Brothers, 179
Warfield Theater, 75–76
Warren Report, The, 110
Washington, Booker T., 55, 162
Washington, Dinah, 67–68
Watts, Daniel H., 170–71
Watts riots, 164–69
Weathermen, 193
Wells, Mary, 84, 89–90, 96, 99–100, 126, 215, 216
Weston, Kim
competition for songs at Motown, 127–28
“Dancing in the Street” cover, 226
departure from Motown, 173, 215
as intended singer for “Dancing in the Street,” 140–41, 143–44
musical background of, 90
Wexler, Jerry, 8
White, Maurice, 203
White, Robert, 73
White, Theodore, 85–86, 151–52, 169
“White Negro, The” (Mailer), 36
Whitfield, Norman, 200
Williams, Robert F., 161, 163
Williamson, Gloria Jean, 91, 147. See also Martha and the Vandellas
Willis, Eddie, 73, 213
Wilson, Jackie, 26, 68–69, 89
Wilson, Mary, 95–96, 214–15, 216
Wilson, Meredith, 33
Wonder, Stevie, 73, 96, 99–100, 141, 145, 173, 200
Wright, Richard, 161
Wylie, Richard “Popcorn,” 72
X, Malcolm, xvi, 2–3, 107, 115, 162–63, 164
Yarrow, Peter, 234
Zinn, Howard, 105, 106
Ready For a Brand New Beat Page 27
