Lead singer Bobby Smith
Bobby Smith
Robert "Bobby" Smith was an American R&B singer notable as the principal lead singer of the classic Motown/Philly group, The Spinners, throughout its history. The group was formed circa 1954 at Ferndale High School in Ferndale, Michigan, just north of the Detroit border. The group had their fi…
How old are the spinners now?
Fambrough spoke with America Tonight about how, through the death of friends and changing times, the Spinners have managed to keep on singing about love, hope and happy endings. “I am 75 years old. 75 years old and still kicking,” Fambrough said, chuckling.
Is Bobby Smith from the spinners still alive?
Bobby Smith Of ‘The Spinners’ Dead At 76. Bobby Smith (pictured), co-founder and, for the most part, the lead singer of the iconic R&B group, The Spinners, has passed away at age 76, reports Soul Tracks.
How many albums did the spinners have?
They variously had four albums in the UK Albums Chart between September 1970 and April 1972. One of them, Spinners Live Performance (1971), spent three months in the listing and peaked at No. 14.
What happened to the Spinners lead singer?
He was replaced by C.J. Jefferson. After years without new music, The Spinners released on August 27, 2021 the album 'Round The Block And Back Again, the first with the current line-up. The album had three singles, "Cliché", "In Holy Matrimony" and "Vivid Memories".
What happened to the lead singer of The Spinners?
Bobbie Smith, the original lead singer of soul group The Spinners, has died at the age of 76 in Orlando, Florida. The group's management said in a statement on Monday that Smith died on Saturday due to complications from pneumonia and influenza.
Who are the current members of The Spinners?
Henry FambroughVocalsMarvin TaylorVocalsJessie Robert PeckVocalsCharlton WashingtonVocalsBobby SmithVocalsPhilippé WynneVocalsThe Spinners/Members
What happened to the original group The Spinners?
In February 2013, Smith died, leaving Fambrough as the only original member. The current version of the group consists of Fambrough along with newer members Washington, Peck, Taylor and the newest member, Ronnie "Raheem" Moss. The Spinners have left a legacy of wonderful music in their five decades together.
Is Philippe Wynne still alive?
July 14, 1984Philippé Wynne / Date of death
Who is still alive from the original Spinners?
Henry FambroughLead singer Bobby Smith died on March 16, 2013. The group, which still tours actively, consists of Henry Fambrough (the only surviving original member), C. J. Jefferson, Jessie Peck, Marvin Taylor and Ronnie Moss. In 2017, the Spinners were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
Is Diana Ross making a comeback?
Diana Ross is making a comeback, aged 77, with her first album of new music in 15 years. The singer will release the title track of Thank You as a single on Thursday and the album will be available in the autumn.
Are the spinners in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
The Spinners were nominated three times for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, 2014 and 2015, but have yet to be inducted.
What is spinner slang for?
a petite female. Origin: a woman small enough that she can be spun around while on top of a man during sex. The girl I hooked up with last night was a spinner.
Where is Philippe Wynne?
Wynne died of a heart attack at Providence Hospital, according to Sonny Buxton, a spokesman for Ivey's, the club where Mr. Wynne had performed.
Was Bobby Smith of the Spinners married?
Smith is survived by his wife, Lorraine; his sons Lamar and Richie White; his daughter, Vanessa Smith; four grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
Who sang bass for the Spinners?
DETROIT (AP) — Pervis Jackson, the man behind the deep, rolling bass voice in a string of 1970s R&B hits by the Spinners, died here on Monday. He was 70. His death was confirmed by his wife, Claudreen, who said he had recently learned he had cancer.
Where are the spinners from?
The Spinners are an American rhythm and blues vocal group that formed in Ferndale, Michigan, United States , in 1954. They enjoyed a string of hit singles and albums during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with producer Thom Bell. The group continues to tour, with Henry Fambrough as the only original member.
When did Philippe Wynne leave the Spinners?
When this was not done, Wynne left the group in January 1977 and was replaced by John Edwards, who had recorded a number of R&B hits as a solo singer.
Why are the Detroit Spinners called the Spinners?
The group is also listed as the Detroit Spinners and the Motown Spinners, due to their 1960s recordings with the Motown label. These other names were used in the UK to avoid confusion with a British folk group also called The Spinners. On June 30, 1976, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
What number was the 1966 song "Truly Yours"?
From 1966 to 1969, the group released one single a year, but only the 1966 single " Truly Yours " peaked on the Billboard 100 R&B chart at number 16. With limited commercial success, Motown assigned the Spinners as road managers, chaperones, and chauffeurs for other groups, and even as shipping clerks. G.
What was the first top ten hit for the Spinners?
The Bobby Smith-led " I'll Be Around ", their first top ten hit, was actually the B-side of their first Atlantic single, the Fambrough and Wynne-led " How Could I Let You Get Away ". Radio airplay for the B-side led Atlantic to flip the single over, with "I'll Be Around" hitting number 3 and "How Could I Let You Get Away" reaching number 77. "I'll Be Around" was also the Spinners' first million-selling hit single. It was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on October 30, 1972.
When did the Spinners sign to Atlantic?
When the Spinners signed to Atlantic in 1972, they were a respected but commercially unremarkable singing group who had never had a Top Ten pop hit — despite having been a recording act for over a decade. However, with songwriter Thom Bell at the helm, the Spinners charted five Top 100 singles (and two Top Tens) from their first post-Motown album, Spinners (1973), and went on to become one of the biggest soul groups of the 1970s.
When did the Spinners get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
On June 30, 1976, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2015, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Music critic Robert Christgau has called the Spinners "a renowned show group whose supersmooth producer inhibits improvisation".
How long have the Spinners been playing?
The Spinners have been playing their hits for more than 50 years, and Henry Fambrough has been there through it all. It’s been more than 50 years and 12 gold records since the Spinners first harmonized on a basketball court in Ferndale, Michigan. And while four of the five original members have passed on and they haven’t had a hit on ...
Who is the last born and bred spinner?
And while four of the five original members have passed on and they haven’t had a hit on the charts since 1983, the iconic doo-wop group’s still singing and stepping – although more for nostalgic seniors than squealing teens. Henry Fambrough is the last born-and-bred Spinner, now performing alongside guys who grew up on his music.
How did Pervis Jackson die?
Original member Pervis Jackson died of cancer in 2008. And last year, Fambrough was having dinner after the closing night of a Soul Train cruise with lead singer Bobby Smith.
Who taught the Spinners dance moves?
Learning the steps. For their dance moves, the Spinners were instructed by the legendary Cholly Atkins, who trained everyone from Marvin Gaye to Diana Ross, and helped shape the moves of disco, breakdancing, reggae, ska and northern soul. “He came in and taught us things we never saw on stage before,” said Fambrough.
Who produced the Spinners?
The Queen of Soul recommended her own label, Atlantic Records, and songwriter extraordinaire Thom Bell asked to produce them.
Who was the guy who called American Bandstand?
After it cracked the Top 40, American Bandstand with Dick Clark called. “We was like awestruck, because at the time American Bandstand was the biggest thing with the dance parties and all that,” Fambrough said. “We was like, 'Oh, my god.'. I mean, things was happening so fast.”.
What happened to the Spinners?
The new millennium brought illness and death to several of the group members. John Edwards (Wynne’s 1977 replacement) suffered a debilitating stroke in 2002.
Who was Wynne's replacement?
John Edwards (Wynne’s 1977 replacement) suffered a debilitating stroke in 2002. Henderson died in 2007 followed by Jackson in 2008. The only two members left of the original group are Smith and Fambrough.
How did Wynne die?
Wynne had a heart attack while performing at a Vegas nightclub and died a few hours later at age 44.
What happened to Bobby Smith?
Smith passed away from complications of influenza and pneumonia; it was also reported that he had been suffering from lung cancer.
When did the Spinners retire?
The Spinners Christmas Special attracted large audiences. They also had their own show on BBC Radio 2. They retired in 1988, after thirty years together, although they led the community singing at the 1989 FA Cup Final and played some Christmas shows in the early 1990s.
Where are the spinners from?
The Spinners (UK band) For the American R&B group, see The Spinners (American R&B group). The Spinners were a folk group from Liverpool, England, that formed in September 1958. They variously had four albums in the UK Albums Chart between September 1970 and April 1972.
How many albums did the Spinners have?
They variously had four albums in the UK Albums Chart between September 1970 and April 1972. One of them, Spinners Live Performance (1971), spent three months in the listing and peaked at No. 14.
Who recorded the Liverpool Spinners?
Their first album, Songs Spun in Liverpool (released under the group name of 'The Liverpool Spinners'), was recorded by Bill Leader from live performances. In 1962 Peter Kennedy of the English Folk Dance & Song Society recorded an album with them called Quayside Songs Old & New.
When did the Spinners get their name?
The Spinners got their name in 1961, but they were hardly a new group. The original members first blended their voices as school kids who met on a basketball court in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale in 1954, where they formed an ensemble that worked under different names until they settled on The Spinners.
What group did the Spinners come from?
For the better part of the 1960s, the vocal group The Spinners earned their paychecks from Motown, the recording label that introduced some of the world’s biggest rhythm and blues artists.
How many members of The Spinners worked for the label?
So, when they weren’t playing an occasional weekend gig in a small venue, three of the five members of The Spinners worked day jobs for the label.
What were the top 10 hits of the Spinners in 1972?
Just good music.”. One year after joining Atlantic, The Spinners had three Top 10 singles in 1972: “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” and “One of a Kind (Love Affair).”. Other hits during the decades were “Then Came You” (recorded with Dionne Warwick), “Games People Play” and “The Rubberband Man.”.
Where did the spinners originate?
The Spinners, who will headline Saturday night at Resorts Casino Hotel, were originally formed on a street basketball court in a Detroit suburb in 1954. They performed under several different names until 1961, when they settled on the Spinners and had a minor hit with “That's What Girls Are Made For,” which peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
What did Fambrough do when the Spinners lost a member?
He would simply do what he’d been doing whenever the group lost a member: Start looking for a replacement.
How did Bobby Smith die?
When lead singer Bobby Smith died of pneumonia and the flu in 2013, only one person would have blamed Henry Fambrough if he decided to pull the plug on the popular rhythm and blues group the Spinners.
When did the Spinners hit the Top 20?
The turning point for the Spinners came in 1970 — in more ways than one — when their single “It’s a Shame” was released and reached the Top 20.
Did the Spinners work for Motown?
Three of the five Spinners actually worked for Motown during the week, but not in a musical capacity.
Who sang the lead in the 1970s spinners?
But established groups like the Temptations and the Four Tops got more attention from the company, and the Spinners had only one Top 20 hit during their tenure: “It’s a Shame” (1970), produced and co-written by Stevie Wonder, on which G. C. Cameron sang lead.
What caused Bobbie Smith to die?
He was 76. The cause was complications of pneumonia and influenza, his son Ron Smith, who plays guitar for the Spinners, said.
Who was Bobbie Smith?
Bobbie Smith was with the Spinners from their early days as a doo-wop group in Detroit to recent years on the oldies circuit. To the end, with their close harmonies, smooth choreography and matching outfits, they were the very model of an old-school rhythm-and-blues vocal ensemble.
Is the Spinners still together?
Mr. Fambrough, who is still with the group, is now the only surviving member of the original lineup.
