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Famed R&B group The Spinners donate performance outfits to Motown Museum in Detroit

Published:Saturday | May 20, 2023 | 12:49 AM
From left: Spinners members Ronnie Moss; Henry Fambrough, seated; and Jessie Peck look towards G.C. Cameron as he sings one of the group’s songs inside Studio A at the Motown Museum on Friday in Detroit.
AP
From left: Spinners members Ronnie Moss; Henry Fambrough, seated; and Jessie Peck look towards G.C. Cameron as he sings one of the group’s songs inside Studio A at the Motown Museum on Friday in Detroit.

DETROIT (AP):

Henry Fambrough had a musical homecoming of sorts Friday at ‘Hitsville USA’.

Fambrough, one of the founding members of the iconic R&B group, The Spinners, took a tour of Motown’s Studio A in Detroit as part of a ceremony that included the donation to the Motown Museum of 375 outfits worn by the group during performances.

It “was a long time ago”, Fambrough said of the 1960s, when he first walked into the studio. “I used to dream about this place.”

He told reporters that he had to convince his wife that the studio was where he was going for 3 a.m. rehearsals and recording sessions with other members of the group. Their first big hit for Motown was, It’s A Shame, which peaked at No. 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 1970.

The Spinners would later sign with Atlantic Records and turn out a string of hits that included, Could It Be I’m Falling In Love, Then Came You, The Rubberband Man and Mighty Love.

Then Came You, which featured singer Dionne Warwick, reached No. 1 in 1974 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Their songs have received six Grammy Award nominations, and they’ve earned 18 Platinum and Gold albums, according to The Spinners website. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced this month that The Spinners are among its 2023 inductees.

Along with Fambrough, Billy Henderson, Pervis Jackson, Bobby Smith, Philippé Wynne and John Edwards are listed as inductees.

Originally called The Domingoes, the group was formed in 1954 just north of Detroit in Ferndale. In 1964, The Spinners joined Motown Records.

Fambrough and G.C. Cameron, who joined The Spinners during their time at Motown and sang lead vocals on It’s A Shame, signed a deed of gift Friday formally turning over the outfits to the museum. The group also donated more than 200 pairs of shoes.

Cameron remained at Motown when The Spinners signed with Atlantic Records. Although a new line-up continues to record and tour as The Spinners, Fambrough has retired from performing.