Part 1—The Motor Town Special Tour of 1962 Leaves Hitsville for the East Coast
In the early days of Motown, Berry Gordy saw the potential for his label's music to bridge diverse audiences and generate significant earnings. The challenge was getting his artists on stages outside of Detroit. Sending each act on individual tours or TV appearances was financially impossible. A plan was proposed by Thomas “Beans” Bowles, a saxophonist and flutist for Motown hits who also held a management position. Collaborating with Gordy’s sister, Esther Gordy Edwards, Bowles devised The Motor Town Special—a 1962 East Coast bus tour featuring Motown’s top acts.
The Motor Town Special Itinerary (October-December 1962). By J.D. Humphreys
• MOTOWN’S FIRST MAJOR TOUR OUTSIDE OF DETROIT •
Though the concept of touring was familiar, particularly on the Chitlin’ Circuit where Black artists had performed for years, Motown's approach was unique. To succeed, they needed to break into the Southern market. The tour’s itinerary began in late October through mid-December, with artists enduring long stretches on a bus with no bathroom and very few motel stops. For many artists, The Motor Town Special was their first journey beyond Detroit, while for rural audiences, it offered their first live encounter with the growing Motown Sound.
The roster included Mary Wells, already successful from her recent hits “The One Who Really Loves You” and “You Beat Me to the Punch” with its mock-calypso beat. Having just recorded “Two Lovers” in late summer, the song was to be released just as the tour left Detroit.
Mary Wells. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
The Supremes were part of the tour, though they had yet to score a major hit and were dubbed "The No-Hit Supremes." This tour provided them with a crucial opportunity to showcase their talent and win over new fans. The Marvelettes were also main stars of the tour, riding the wave of their life-changing popularity with "Please, Mr. Postman," which had soared to number one and put Motown on the map. Fans also eagerly anticipated their performance of "Playboy," another hit. By the summer of 1962, the group was maintaining their momentum with "Beechwood-45789," featuring Gladys Horton on lead vocals.
LISTEN TO “BEECHWOOD-45789” BY THE MARVELETTES
Other performers on the tour included Marv Johnson, Singin' Sammy Ward, the Miracles featuring Smokey Robinson and his wife Claudette, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas (primarily serving as background singers for Marvin Gaye at the time), emcee Bill Murray (also known as "Winehead Willie"), and Choker Campbell and His Show of Stars Band.
Marv Johnson. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
The tour also featured the Contours, who were riding high on their newly released hit "Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)," recorded earlier that summer. Their vibrant, rainbow-colored album had just hit store shelves, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. This energetic dance tune, with its shouty lead vocals from Billy Gordon, was initially intended for the Temptations, who were unavailable at the time of recording.
LISTEN TO “DO YOU LOVE ME (NOW THAT I CAN DANCE)” BY THE CONTOURS
The Temptations, despite being hitless and feeling the sting of a missed opportunity, would still join towards the end of the tour. Similarly, Little Stevie Wonder stayed in Detroit for most of the tour. Handbills, itineraries, marquees, and posters did not list Wonder and the Temptations until the tour's final leg.
The artists featured on the Motor Town Special Show. Little Stevie Wonder was not initially listed as he was not full-time until after 1962.
The prospect of embarking on an extensive tour seemed like a dream fulfilled. Yet, the artists were persistently reminded that comfort would remain elusive. As the morning of departure arrived, Hitsville U.S.A. buzzed with anticipation, but the arrival of the rickety buses solidified the harsh truth: this journey would offer no luxury retreat.
“I think everyone was late that morning and the pace to get the bus loaded and underway was frantic,” recalled Curtis E. Woodson, who photographed the tour in his book Memories of the 1962 Motown Revue. “I arrived at Hitsville about 15 minutes late and had to scramble to get my suitcase and camera equipment on the Trailways bus. When I saw it, I thought about changing my mind. Shortly after leaving Hitsville for Washington, I wish I had.”
“When I saw it [the bus], I thought about changing my mind. Shortly after leaving Hitsville for Washington, I wish I had.”
- Curtis E. Woodson, photographer
Undertaking such a demanding tour posed significant financial and social risks. Not only would the bus be crammed with a 12-piece band, but strict codes of conduct were also enforced. Gentlemen were expected to behave with decorum, and any form of debauchery was strictly prohibited. Similarly, the ladies were required to maintain a dignified demeanor, with an added stipulation that their wigs must remain firmly in place, even during bus rides.
Berry Gordy recounted a distressing incident involving one of the Marvelettes, Georgeanna Tillman, chewing gum onstage during a recent performance. He adamantly insisted that such behavior should not accompany them on the road. Any tarnishing of Motown's "high-class" image would not be tolerated and could result in immediate dismissal from the tour. Gordy was acutely aware that the tour's stops and venues were not arenas for misbehavior or displays of racial defiance, as the repercussions could extend far beyond Motown's reputation. His warnings stemmed from genuine concern for the well-being and success of his artists.
“That would be the last thing Berry would tell us before we got ready to pull off, ‘Stay away from them Contours!’”
- Annette Beard (Helton) of the Vandellas
“The Contours were considered the bad boys,” said Vandella Annette Beard (Helton). “That would be the last thing Berry would tell us before we got ready to pull off, ‘Stay away from them Contours!’”
Indeed, upon the male groups' arrival at the Dunbar Hotel in Washington, D.C., news of their presence quickly spread. Woodson, accompanying the Revue, was approached by a young woman offering $250 for an introduction to Billy Gordon of the Contours. Later, Woodson observed the woman entering the Contours' room.
The Contours. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
Consider what must have been going through the mind of a young Martha Reeves as the bus arrived at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C. Just months earlier, she had left her job as a secretary at Motown. Her group, the Vandellas - comprised of Annette Beard and Rosalind "Roz" Ashford - hadn't yet claimed a specific hit as their own and were teetering on the brink of disbandment. They understood that serving as background singers for Marvin Gaye on hits like "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," "Pride and Joy," and "Hitch Hike" was a means to secure stage time and hopefully sustain themselves. However, as they settled into a boarding house near the Howard, Martha & The Vandellas were abruptly summoned back to Detroit.
“They flew us home that night from D.C. where we were doing four shows a day, four or five shows a night,” Ashford recalls. “After the last show they flew us to Detroit and we spent all night there recording ‘Come and Get These Memories.’ When we got to the studio, we were up all night. By the time we were done we had just enough time to get on the plane and get back to D.C. to open up the first show.”
Beard adds, “We had to do five shows the next day. We didn’t have time to go home, our parents had to come to the studio to spend time with us.”
LISTEN TO “COME AND GET THESE MEMORIES” BY MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS
Or imagine stepping into the jealous mind of a young Diane Ross from the hitless Supremes. She stared daggers at Gladys Horton, the Marvelettes’ lead singer and Motown’s current star, who sat across the bus aisle. Horton, confident and unbothered, promptly returned the glare, turning it into an intense staring contest. The other artists, amused by the tension, began placing bets on when Horton would finally crack and put Diane in her place.
Ashford recalls with a laugh, “Every once in a while, certain people would get on your nerves and you had to deal with that. Stevie was playing the harmonica and Diana Ross was singing. There were times people got aggravated because she wouldn’t stop singing. Everybody wanted to sleep and she wanted to sing. Overall, the tour was nice. We had fun. It was exciting.”
Little Stevie Wonder joined the tours full-time after 1962, now known as the Motortown Revues. The blind young artist, always clutching his harmonica, endured the never-ending bumps and turns of the bus ride while scheming ways to extend his stage time at each stop.
“Little did we know, Stevie was woodshedding, as far as learning different instruments and getting his chops together to write his own songs.”
- Otis Williams of the Temptations
“Stevie would be in the back of the bus with whatever instrument at that the time that he could find,” recalled Otis Williams of the Temptations who joined the tours after 1962. “Little did we know, Stevie was woodshedding, as far as learning different instruments and getting his chops together to write his own songs.”
Little Stevie Wonder. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
Little Stevie Wonder was known for keeping the show going even after the emcee motioned for Clarence Paul to retrieve him from the stage. The audience often booed when this happened, encouraging Stevie to play even more. In 1963, "Fingertips" became a hit, recorded live on stage. Emcee "Winehead Willie" told the crowd to "give him a hand." Little Stevie had a knack for extending his stage time, returning for a "goodbye" encore and catching the band off guard as they prepared for the Marvelettes or Mary Wells. In the recording of "Part 2," you can hear bass player Joe Swift yelling, "What key?! What key?!" Emcee Bill Murray couldn't stop the performance because Little Stevie had the audience in a call-and-response frenzy with "Everybody say 'yeah!'"—"Yeaaaaah!"
LISTEN TO “FINGERTIPS, PT. 2” BY STEVIE WONDER
The more established groups like the Miracles and the Marvelettes enjoyed the wind at their backs, performing a growing roster of hit songs. Audiences would recognize the lyrics and sing along, creating a rapport that encouraged the groups to transition into new material. Yet, behind the scenes, there was jealousy and resentment towards fellow artists and their successes. One-upping and serious antics among the groups extended well beyond the Motor Town Special, both inside and outside the label.
Despite this, camaraderie often prevailed. During a Halloween night performance, each act dressed up and performed as one of the other groups on the tour. Marvin Gaye humorously dressed and performed as one of the Miracles, while the Vandellas joined in the fun with simple half masks. Bonds formed on the tour often worried spouses and partners back home. Even the musicians had their own dynamic, referring to the front of the bus where management, performers, and chaperones sat as "Broadway." Meanwhile, in the back of the bus, dubbed "Harlem," musicians gambled and engaged in more questionable activities, creating a lively and sometimes chaotic atmosphere.