Sylvester Potts

Sylvester Potts was a singer and composer as well as an off and on member of The Contours and a one time member of The Four Sonics. Songs that he has either composed or co-composed have been recorded by The Contours, Mamie Galore, Jimmy Ruffin and The Temptations.

Sylvester Potts
Born(1938-12-22)December 22, 1938
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedJanuary 6, 2017(2017-01-06) (aged 78)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Associated actsHi-Fidelities, The Blenders, The Contours, The Four Sonics, The Monitors, Upscale, The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts

Personal

Sylvester Potts was on January 22, 1938 and attended North Eastern High, the same school where Martha Reeves, Mary Wilson, and Bobby Rogers were educated at.[1] Due to his love of the music and the excitement he got from it once said he wanted to die on stage.[2]

Career

1950s

In the late 1950s, Sylvester Potts was a member of a group called The Hi-Fidelities who's line up consisted of Huey Davis, Potts, Juanita Davis and Tony York.[3] They released two singles, "Street Of Loneliness" bw Pott's own composition, "Help Murder Police" on Hi-Q 5000 in 1957, and "Last Night I Cried" bw "Just Go" on Fortune 528 in 1958.[4][5] In 1959 late 1950s, Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, Potts and Hubert Johnson formed The Blenders in 1959. They would later rename themselves as The Contours.[6] His old friend from The Hi-Fidelities, Huey Davis, also joined the Contours as the group's guitarist.

1960s to 1990s

Potts was a member of The Contours in 1961, replacing member Bennie Reeves who was drafted.[7] In 1963, the Contours single "Don't Let Her Be Your Baby" bw "It Must Be Love" was released. Potts and Joe Billingslea had co-composed the B side.

In 1965, a song "How Can I Say I'm Sorry" he had co-composed with Johnny Gilliam and Norman Whitfield was the B side of a Jimmy Ruffin single, "As Long As There Is L-O-V-E Love". In 1966, a song "It Ain't Necessary" he co-composed with Council Gay and Jerry Butler was the A side of a Mamie Galore single released on St. Lawrence Records 1012.[8]

During the 1970s, Potts had joined The Four Sonics and when he was a member of the group, besides himself, the lineup consisted of Johnson, Bill Frazier, and Vernon Williams. This line-up recorded one single There's No Love" bw "If It Wasn't for My Baby", released on JMC 141.[9][10][11]

In 1984, Potts rejoined The Contours which had been restarted by Joe Billingsea in the 1970s.[12]

Potts arranged the backing vocals for the Grazing In The Grass by The Monitors which was released on Motorcity Records MOTCLP 28 in 1990.[13] The 1999 CD version of the Gettin' Ready album by The Temptations which was originally released in 1966 featured "Give It Up" as one of the album's 2 bonus tracks featuring Paul Williams on vocals. Potts was the producer and co-wrote it with Mary Wells.[14]

2000s

In 2004 he left the group and either joined or started a group with Leroy Searooks, Kim Green, Tony Womack and Darrell Nunlee called Upscale. Very shortly the group changed its name to The Contours and legal action followed with Joe Billingsea and Potts suing each other. The end result was one group being allowed to perform as The Contours with Joe Billingsea and the other going by the name of The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts.[15] In 2010 at the age of 71 Potts was still on the road with his group and in October 2010 was to appear at the Harmony Hall Regional Center in Fort Washington.[16]

Death

Potts died on January 6, 2017, aged 78, at a local Detroit hospital.[17] His funeral was held on Friday, January 13, 2017 at the Historic Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit.[18]

Credits (selective)
Compositions
Title Appears on Release info Year F Notes
"Help Murder Police" The Hi-Fidelities - "Street Of Loneliness" / "Help Murder Police" Hi-Q 5000 1957 7" Single [19]
"It Must Be Love" The Contours - "Don't Let Her Be Your Baby" / "It Must Be Love" Gordy GORDY 7016 1963 7" Single Co-written with Joe Billingslea[20]
"How Can I Say I'm Sorry" Jimmy Ruffin - "As Long As There Is L-O-V-E Love" / "How Can I Say I'm Sorry" Soul S-35016 1965 7" single Co-written with Johnny Gilliam, Norman Whitfield
"It Ain't Necessary" Mamie Galore - "It Ain't Necessary" / "Don't Think I Could Stand It" St. Lawrence Records 1012 1966 7" single Co-written with Council Gay, Jerry Butler[21]
"Your Love Grows More Precious Every Day" The Contours – "It's So Hard Being A Loser" / "Your Love Grows More Precious Every Day" Gordy G 7059 1967 7" single Co-written with Huey Davis[22]
"One Day Too Late" The Contours – The Best Of The Contours Motorcity Records HTCD 7713-2 1996 CD album Co-written with Ian Levine
"Flashback" The Contours – The Best Of The Contours Motorcity Records HTCD 7713-2 1996 CD album Co-written with Ian Levine, Steven Wagner
"Rise Above It" The Contours – The Best Of The Contours Motorcity Records HTCD 7713-2 1996 CD album Co-written with Ian Levine
"Spread The News Around" The Contours – The Best Of The Contours Motorcity Records HTCD 7713-2 1996 CD album Co-written with Ian Levine
"Storm Warning" The Contours – The Best Of The Contours Motorcity Records HTCD 7713-2 1996 CD album Co-written with Ian Levine
"Give It Up" The Temptations – Gettin' Ready Motown 314549514-2 1999 CD album Previously unreleased track circa 1966
"Do The See Saw" The Contours - Dance With The Contours Kent Dance CDTOP 350 2011 CD album Co-composed with Billy Gordon
Unreleased Motown recordings from 1963/1964
"Party Groove" The Contours - Dance With The Contours Kent Dance CDTOP 350 2011 CD album Co-written with Mary Wells
Unreleased Motown recordings from 1963/1964
"Boy Meets Girl" The Contours - Dance With The Contours Kent Dance CDTOP 350 2011 CD album Co-written with Mary Wells
Unreleased Motown recordings from 1963/1964
"You Hurt Me So" The Contours - Dance With The Contours Kent Dance CDTOP 350 2011 CD album Co-written with Billy Gordon
Unreleased Motown recordings from 1963/1964[23]
"Have A Little Patience (And Wait)" Mary Wells - Something New - Lost & Found Hip-O Select B0017285-02 2012 CD album Co-written with Mary Wells
"Free From Your Spell" Mary Wells - Something New - Lost & Found Hip-O Select B0017285-02 2012 CD album Co-written with Mary Wells[24]
"Trust In Me" The Contours - (Various artists) - Motown Unreleased 1962: Guys, Vol. 1 Motown 2012 MP3 Co-written with Billy Gordon
"Do The See Saw" (version 1) The Contours - (Various artists) - Motown Unreleased 1963 Motown 2013 MP3 Co-written with Billy Gordon[25]
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References
  1. Motown: The Golden Years, By Bill Dahl - 224 THE CONTOURS
  2. The Gazette, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 - 1960s doo-wop band The Contours to play in Fort Washington by David Hill
  3. The Birth of the Detroit Sound: 1940-1964, By Marilyn Bond, S. R. Boland - Page 106
  4. 45Cat - Record Details, Artist: The Hi-Fidelites, Catalogue: 5000
  5. Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups, By Mitch Rosalsky - Page 300 Hi-Fidelities (Detroit)
  6. Motown: The Golden Years, By Bill Dahl - 224 THE CONTOURS
  7. Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases, 1950-2000, By Bob Leszczak - Page 74 The Contours
  8. Discogs - Sylvester Potts Discography
  9. Harmony Train - Detroit Groups, The Velvet Angels, The Four Sonics
  10. Allmusic - The Four Sonics, Artist Biography by Jim Dunn
  11. Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948-1991, By Martin Popoff - Page 457 FOUR SONICS, THE
  12. Recollections, the Detroit Years: The Motown Sound by the People who Made it, By Jack Ryan 5. Pages 18 - 20 The Contours
  13. Discogs - The Monitors – Grazing In The Grass
  14. Discogs - The Temptations – Gettin' Ready, Bonus Tracks
  15. Recollections, the Detroit Years: The Motown Sound by the People who Made it, By Jack Ryan 5. Pages 18 - 20 The Contours
  16. The Gazette, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 - 1960s doo-wop band The Contours to play in Fort Washington by David Hill
  17. "Sylvester Potts". Discogs (in French). Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  18. urweb, January 9, 2017 - Sylvester Potts of Motown’s Legendary Group The Contours Dies (VIDEO) - By Larry Buford
  19. Discogs - Sylvester Potts Discography
  20. 45Cat - The Contours - Discography
  21. Discogs - Sylvester Potts Discography
  22. 45Cat - The Contours - Discography
  23. Discogs - Sylvester Potts Discography
  24. 45 Worlds - Mary Wells, Something New - Lost & Found
  25. Discogs - Sylvester Potts Discography
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