In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

13. Hits and Misses In 1967, while the MC5 toiled away at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit-area rock bands produced a bumper crop of hits. The Underdogs were now performing with a four-man lineup after Steve Perrin and Jack Louisell left to attend college. According to lead guitarist Tony Roumell, the band stopped playing regularly at the Hideout toward the end of 1966 because “so many ‹ghts had been developing, as kids from the different locations didn’t mix well.” Dave Leone had joined the Air Force National Guard for six months and left Hideout number one to be run by Punch Andrews, who was managing the other two locations as well.1 Roumell’s father owned a large catering company and the Latin Quarter, a famous Detroit nightclub. He was well connected politically in the city and a close acquaintance of State Representative George Edwards, whose wife, Ester, was the sister of Berry Gordy. “One day, Dad said, ‘If you guys think you’re going somewhere, call Ester for an audition,’” recalls Roumell.2 Heeding his father’s advice, the band made the phone call and was asked to come down and audition: “They had us set up in a building across the street from the main Hitsville location on West Grand Boulevard. It was in an old ballet studio, with wood ›oors and mirrors all around. We played so loud that the light ‹xtures fell from the ceiling. I thought we had really blown it, but they were so impressed that someone ran over to the other building and brought back half the company to listen to us.”3 After two or three weeks, the label asked them to return and sign a contract. Prior to the Underdogs, there had been two other white groups at Motown. The ‹rst, the Valadiers, had been a vocal group, and the second, the Headliners, more of a nightclub show band. There had also been a Canadian rock band called the 131 Minah Birds, which included a black singer named Rick James, and guitarist Neil Young. But their recordings were shelved.4 The Underdogs were the ‹rst true rock band of the late sixties scene signed, recorded, and released by Motown. The group’s producer, Clarence Paul, chose a song written and originally recorded by the label’s Chris Clark to be the Underdogs’ ‹rst single. “Love’s Gone Bad” was released on the Motown subsidiary label, VIP, in late December, and by mid-January 1967 it had become a smash in Detroit, reaching number 3 on the charts. The ›ip side was “Mojo Hanna.” Tony Roumell recalls the recording session: “They wanted that Motown energy on the record, so Earl Van Dyke played the Hammond B3 and James Jamerson played bass. When we started to record, I just couldn’t believe how great these guys were. They elevated my level of playing.”5 Roumell remembers playing on many of the “Motortown Revue” shows with all the greats, like Stevie Wonder, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Marvin Gaye. “I must say that sometimes the reception we received from the black audiences at those shows wasn’t the greatest. I guess we didn’t really ‹t in, but they kept booking us.”6 The Unrelated Segments was a band whose members all came from Detroit’s downriver suburbs. Lead vocalist Ron Stults and lead guitarist Rory Mack were from Taylor, bass player Barry Van Engelen, from Lincoln Park, drummer Andy Angellotti from Melvindale, and rhythm guitarist John Torock from Allen Park. Torock was the band’s oldest member, and it was while taking a course in microeconomics at business college that he took part in a discussion about “unrelated segments.” Later it seemed like a good name for a band.7 Although the members had several years experience in various groups, they had been playing together in Torock’s basement and garage for only a few practice sessions before coming up with some strong original material. John’s father, Louis Torock, who served as the band’s manager, liked what they were doing, and contacted Jack Checkway, owner and primary producer of the SVR and HBR labels. After hearing their songs, Checkway booked studio time at United Sound, where he had recorded the Tidal Waves’ “Farmer John” earlier in the year. Grit, Noise, & Revolution 132 Checkway took pride in the “studio professionalism” of his recordings , most done on United’s Scully 280 four-track. He credited...

Share