but the songs live on forever

2011

R&B Record Label

Died On This Date (August 24, 2011) Esther Gordy Edwards / The Mother Of Motown

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Esther Gordy Edwards
April 25, 1920 – August 24, 2011

Esther Gordy Edwards was a pioneering businesswoman who is perhaps best remembered as an executive at her younger brother, Berry Gordy’s Motown Records.  After graduating from Howard University in the mid ’40s, Edwards opened Gordy Printing Company with two of her brothers with whom she later started Ber-Berry Co-Op along with her husband (then Michigan state Representative, George Edwards) as a way to provide loans for family members.  It was with an $800 loan from the lender that brother Berry launched Motown.  Edwards soon joined the label’s management team and took charge of booking tours and artist management among other duties.  Within the label, Edwards was affectionately referred to as the “Mother of Motown” due to her nurturing and encouragement, particularly of some of the younger artists.  On occasion, she served as a strict chaperone on the their early Motortown Revue tours.  Edwards eventually became the Senior Vice President and CEO of the Motown.  She later served on the boards of the Detroit Chamber of Commerce and a local bank.   During the mid ’80s, Edwards took over the day-to-day of Hitsville, USA – the Motown museum, which houses the original Motown studios among other priceless artifacts.  Esther Gordy Edwards was 91 when she passed away peacefully in her home on August 24, 2011.

Thanks to Kelly Wilson at New Releases Now for the assist.



Early Rock Producer R&B Record Label Songwriter

Died On This Date (August 22, 2011) Jerry Leiber / Songwriting Legend, Leiber & Stoller

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Jerry Leiber
April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011

Jerry Leiber along with partner, Mike Stoller was arguably the greatest pop songwriting team of the second half of the 20th century if not all time.  Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Leiber moved to Los Angeles where he met Stoller in 1950 while the pair were still in high school.  Leiber, a record store clerk, and Stoller, a pianist quickly realized that they shared a love of the blues and rhythm & blues music and immediately began collaborating on songs.  Within the next few years, their creations were becoming hits for singers of jazz, blues, R&B and rock ‘n roll alike.  The list of their early hit songs includes “Hard Times” by Charles Brown, “Kansas City” by Little Willie Littlefield, and “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley by way of Big Mama Thornton.   They also penned “Jailhouse Rock,” “Yakety Yak,” “Stand By Me,” “Love Potion No. 9,” and “Searchin,'” to name just a few.  In 1953, Leiber and Stoller formed their own label, Spark Records where they produced numerous hits including “Riot in Cell Block #9” and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.”  The label was eventually sold to Atlantic Records where they continued to produce for the label.  After leaving Atlantic during the ’60s, the pair continued to write and produce independently, but also worked for United Artists and later, A&M Records.   Leiber and Stoller are largely credited for taking rhythm and blues music out of the black clubs and spreading it to white America and beyond.  By doing so, they were essentially the first to have what we now call “crossover” hits.  And without a doubt, they were responsible – either directly or indirectly – for the pop music soundtrack of the past 60 years.  Jerry Leiber was 78 when he passed away on August 22, 2011.

Thanks to Craig Rosen of Number 1 Albums for the assist.



Musician R&B Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (August 22, 2011) Nick Ashford / Ashford & Simpson

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Nick Ashford
May 4, 1942 – August 22, 2001

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson

Nick Ashford was a respected songwriter, singer and producer, who with his wife Valerie Simpson made up one of popular music’s most successful hit-making teams.  The pair got their start as songwriters during the mid ’60s when they penned such R&B staples as the 5th Dimension’s “California Soul,” Aretha Franklin’s “Cry Like A Baby,” and Ray Charles’ “Let’s Go Get Stoned” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor.”   They quickly caught the eye of Motown’s Berry Gordy who hired them on to write songs for and produce many of the label’s acts.  For Motown, Ashford and Simpson wrote such hits as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing,” and “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” to name just a few. Beyond Motown, the list of artists who scored hits with their songs includes Teddy Pendergrass, Chaka Khan, and the Brothers Johnson.  As performers, Ashford and Simpson were a formidable force as well.  They began making records together during the mid ’60s, but it was the late ’70s and early ’80s that saw their biggest hits like “Solid,” “Street Corner, and “Don’t Cost You Nothin’.”  In 1992, Whitney Houston had a huge hit with their “I’m Every Woman” from The Bodyguard soundtrack.  The song had originally been recorded by Chaka Khan.  1985 saw Ashford and Simpson become one of Live-Aid’s most memorable if not emotional moments when the brought Teddy Pendergrass on stage for his first public performance since an automobile accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Their performance of “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” that day struck a chord with viewers from the Philadelphia crowd to those watching on TV from around the world.  The pair continued to perform and produce together and separately for many years to come while their songs continued to find new audiences, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” which was prominently sampled for Amy Winehouse’s single, “Tears Dry On Their Own.”  Nick Ashford passed away on August 22, 2011 following a courageous battle with throat cancer.  He was 70.

Thanks to Ken McCullagh at New Releases Now for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Is It Still Good to Ya - Ashford & Simpson

Club Owner

Died On This Date (August 22, 2011) Tony Ruffino / Concert Industry Legend

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Tony Ruffino
DOB Unknown – August 22, 2011

Tony Ruffino was a respected Birmingham, Alabama concert promoter who in 1969, began bringing such acts as Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, and the Allman Brothers to the city.  Originally from New York, Ruffino settled in Birmingham in 1977, after running Ruffino-Vaughn Productions, the business he shared with Larry Vaughn, from its New York office.  During the early ’80s, he and Vaughn parted ways, with Ruffino going on to form New Era Productions where he promoted local shows by the Police, Warren Zevon, and Elvis Costello, to name a few.  It was a matter of time before Ruffino opened the popular local venues, Oak Mountain Amphitheatre and Five Points South Music Hall. He also became part owner of Brothers Music Hall before retiring from the business in 2004.  On August 22, 2011, Tony Ruffino suffered a fatal stroke.  He was 74.



Easy Listening Jazz Pop Singer

Died On This Date (August 20, 2012) Ross Barbour / The Four Freshmen

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Ross Barbour
December 31, 1928 – August 20, 2011

Ross Barbour at right

Ross Barbour is perhaps best remembered as a founding member of American vocal group, the Four Freshmen.  Formed in 1948 while they actually were freshmen at Butler University, the group went on to release numerous hit records and perform in front of sold-out audiences the world over.  They would be cited as direct influences on the likes of the Manhattan Transfer, the Lettermen, and most notably, Brian Wilson who often gave credit to the group’s vocal harmonies for guiding his vision of the Beach Boys sound.  Barbour retired from the Four Freshmen in 1979 and passed away from lung cancer on August 20, 2011.  He was 82.  Fellow co-founder Bob Flanigan died just three months earlier.

Thanks to Scott Miller for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Capitol Collectors Series: The Four Freshmen - The Four Freshmen

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