The
Contours
The
road to a Motown recording contract wasn’t an easy one for
The Contours. Berry Gordy wasn’t very impressed following
a 3-song audition in 1959 and sent them packing.
Hubert Johnson,
one of the original members of The Contours thought his cousin,
the legendary Jackie Wilson might be able to help the group with
some much-needed advice. Wilson asked the group to perform some
of their material for him. Once he was satisfied, Wilson called
his old friend Berry Gordy back at the Motown offices. The very
next day, The Contours had a seven-year contract with the Gordy
Label.
In the summer
of 1962, The Contours hit the jackpot when Gordy himself penned
the classic “Do You Love Me” for them, which became
the group’s biggest hit as well as Motown’s fastest
climbing hit of all time. Within two weeks of release, “Do
You Love Me” became the #2 record in the nation as well as
the group’s first gold record. The ensuing years brought
forth such Contours hits as “Shake Sherrie”, ”Can
You Do It”, “Can You Jerk Like Me”, “Just
A Little Misunderstanding”, and “First I look At The
Purse”.
The Contours
have proudly worn the label “Motown’s #1 party group”
for more than 40 years. Today under the leadership of original
member Sylvester Potts, The Contours are center stage once again.
Much of the resurgence in The Contours popularity has to do with
the Academy Award winning film, Dirty Dancing. Their hit “Do
You Love Me” was featured in the film and became so popular
that it gave birth to an international tour entitled The Dirty
Dancing Tour starring The Contours, Bill Medley, Merry Clayton
and Eric Carmen. That tour lasted 10 months, played to over 2
million people in 8 countries and sold over 10 million copies
of “more Dirty Dancing” before it ceased production.
During this time, Motown Records was quick to capitalize on The
Contours popularity by reissuing their original version of “Do
You Love Me” in single and album form. That move paid great
dividends for everyone as “Do You Love Me” climbed to
#11 on the national charts, making it one of the few recordings
in history to hit the top 20 in two different decades.
A Contours
show is jam-packed with dazzling choreography, impeccable harmonies
and those timeless Motown grooves that everyone knows and loves.
You can choose to dance, sing along or just sit back (if you can)
and watch the show as they perform all of their greatest hits
together with many of the greatest hits of the 60’s and 70’s
era, as well as a selection of classic songs from the Dirty Dancing
Soundtrack.
Several CDs
are currently available featuring Contour hits; “The Very
Best Of The Contours”, “The Contours - The Millenium
Collection”, and the multi-million selling 4 CD box set “Hitsville
USA 1959-1972”.
In recent
developments, The Contours were featured on the PBS special “Rock,
Rhythm & Doo-Wop” performing “Do You Love Me”
and “First I Look At The Purse” much to the delight
of their legion of fans.
The Contours
are in their 4th decade in show business, and are not content
to rest on past laurels. They can still “shake ‘em down”
and stand ready to entertain fans old and new alike.
|
