Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea and Billy Rollins founded a singing group called The Blenders in their native Detroit, Michigan in 1959. The group soon added Leroy Fair (in place of Billy Rollins), bass singer Hubert Johnson, and guitarist Huey Davis, and auditioned for Berry Gordy's Motown Records. Gordy turned the act down, prompting Johnson to call his cousin, R&B star and Gordy associate Jackie Wilson. Wilson in turn got The
Contours a second audition with Gordy, at which they sang the same songs they had at the first audition, the same way, and were signed to the company.The group's first singles, "Whole Lotta Woman" and "The Stretch", were unsuccessful, and the group was in danger of...
read more