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.
