Died On This Date (July 11, 1981) Hubert Johnson / The Contours
themusicsover Hubert Johnson
January 14, 1941 – July 11, 1981
Hubert Johnson was a singer in the Motown group, the Contours. While other Motown groups were polished and finely dressed, the Contours were rough around the edges and raw, their shows full of high energy. It was Johnson who arranged for the group to sing for his cousin, Jackie Wilson who later, introduced them to Motown’s Berry Gordy. After nearly being dropped by the label after a lackluster first single in 1961, the group recorded and released “Do You Love Me?” which rose to the top of the R&B and to #3 of the pop charts. Today, the song is one of the most popular songs of that era. The song nearly cracked the Top 10 again, when it was featured in the 1988 film, Dirty Dancing. Hubert Johnson committed suicide on July 11, 1981.
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