are widely remembered for their 1962 smash "Do You Love Me?," one of the early hits that helped put Motown on the map. Yet they aren't always associated with their contribution to the label; they were one of the roughest, hardest R&B groups
ever signed, and their sound simply didn't resemble the smooth, sophisticated blueprint that later became Motown's trademark. Nor did their stage presence; in contrast to the slick choreography and wardrobe of Motown's signature artists,
were all wild, irrepressible energy, leaping and sliding all over the stage and even doing the splits. As a result, they fell out of favor once Motown got its crossover-friendly hit factory up and running, and never duplicated the success of their first hit.
Formed in Detroit in 1958,
the Contours originally began life as a quartet called
the Blenders. Lead singer
Billy Gordon,
Billy Hogg,
Sylvester Potts, and
Joe Billingslea were soon joined by
Hubert Johnson, a cousin of the legendary
Jackie Wilson, as well as guitarist
Huey Davis. Changing their name to
the Contours, the group landed an audition with
Berry Gordy's fledgling Motown label.
Gordy was not impressed and told them to try again in a year, and they enlisted
Jackie Wilson's aid in honing their act.
Wilson personally recommended the group to
Gordy, who finally relented and signed them up in 1961.
The Contours' first single "Whole Lotta Woman" sank without a trace, and
Gordy nearly dropped them until
Wilson once again interceded on their behalf. The move paid off handsomely when
Gordy offered them a chance to cut "Do You Love Me?," a song originally intended for
the Temptations, who couldn't quite nail down the rough and rowdy feel
Gordy wanted. Released in 1962, "Do You Love Me?" zoomed straight to the top of the R&B charts in just a few short weeks, peaking at number three on the pop side.
Although
the Contours were riding high thanks to their hit and their exciting live act, they found the momentum difficult to maintain. They were able to score a follow-up hit, "Shake Sherrie," in 1963, and ran off a string of R&B Top 40 singles over 1965-1966: "Can You Jerk Like Me?," the Top Ten "The Day When She Needed Me," the
Smokey Robinson-penned "First I Look at the Purse," and "Just a Little Misunderstanding." Despite the often high quality of those singles,
the Contours simply weren't getting the attention -- either from the label or the public -- that Motown's top stars were, and their sound was more of an anomaly at Hitsville than ever. By this time, the original quintet was no longer intact; new members included
Joe Stubbs, brother of
the Four Tops'
Levi Stubbs, and
Dennis Edwards, who went on to replace
David Ruffin in
the Temptations.
The Contours had their last charting single in 1967 with "It's So Hard Being a Loser";
Billingslea and
Potts subsequently led versions of the group on the oldies circuit during the '70s and '80s. Sadly,
Johnson committed suicide in 1981, and wasn't around to witness the 1988 revival of "Do You Love Me?" thanks to the wildly popular film Dirty Dancing.
Billingslea,
Potts, and their new cohorts hit the oldies circuit with renewed vigor, and also cut the album Running in Circles for U.K. Motown revivalist
Ian Levine's Motorcity label in 1990.
Stubbs passed away in 1998, and guitarist
Davis did likewise in 2002.
–
Steve Huey, Rovi