V.I.P. Album Discography
The Velvelettes were the earliest success for the label, with "Needle in a Haystack" [V.I.P. 25007]
reaching #31 r&b and #45 pop in the fall of 1964. The group was originally a vocal quintet (Mildred
"Mille" Gill, Caldyn "Cal" Gill, Bertha Barbee, Norma Barbee, and Betty Kelly) from Kalamazoo, Michigan,
where they met in 1962 at Western Michigan University. They auditioned for Motown in 1963, but failed;
they ended up doing some background singing until they got their chance with the new V.I.P. subsidiary
of Motown. They followed their first hit with "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" [V.I.P. 25013], which
reached #21 r&b and #64 pop in early 1965. Both of these hits were recorded by just a trio, (Cal Gill,
Bertha Barbee, and Norma Barbee), Kelly having joined Martha and the Vandellas and Mille Gill having
dropped out. After these two singles, the lineup changed to Cal Gill, Sandra Tilley, and Annette
McMillan, who recorded the later singles. Four more singles failed to chart, and the group moved to
another of Motown's labels, Soul, where they had one more minor hit in late 1966. Cal Gill continued as
leader of the Velvelettes with various backing members until 1969, when she married Motown artist
Richard Street (of the Monitors, also on V.I.P., who would join the Temptations in 1971). At that time,
she disbanded the Velvelettes, although the Gills and Barbees have rejoined for oldies shows since. A
scheduled V.I.P. album was cancelled.
The Monitors were a group from Detroit that included Sandra Fagin, John (Maurice) Fagin, Richard
Street, and Warren Harris. They started recording for V.I.P. as the Majestics with a single "Hello
Love"/"The Further You Look, The Less You See" [V.I.P. 25010] in the fall of 1964. Their next single,
"Say You", was issued as a promo by the Majestics, but the group changed their name to the Monitors
by the time the commercial single was issued. It reached #36 on the r&b chart in early 1966. Their next
single, "Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)" [V.I.P. 25032], released in April, was their biggest seller,
reaching #21 on the r&b charts and making #100 on the pop side. Three more singles flopped, however,
and the group was done. Their final single was reissued on Motown's Soul label, which also issued an
album.
The Elgins began recording for V.I.P. as the Downbeats, a group name that Cleo (Duke) Miller, Johnny
Dawson, and Robert Fleming had used while recording for Tamla in 1962. Saundra Edwards also
recorded a solo single for Tamla that year, and the four decided to get together as a quartet. Their first
single, "Darling Baby"/"Put Yourself In My Place" [V.I.P. 25029] was first issued as by the Downbeats in
December, 1965. It was quickly changed to the Elgins, and both sides charted starting in February, with
"Darling Baby" reaching #4 r&b and #72 pop, while the flip reached #92 pop. Their next single was
released in July, but took several months to catch on. "Heaven Must Have Sent You" [V.I.P. 25037]
entered the charts in late September, eventually reaching #9 r&b and #50 pop. A third single, "It's Been
A Long, Long Time" [V.I.P. 25043] proved tru to it's title, since it had been nearly a year since the last
single when it was released in June, 1967. It reached #35 r&b and #92 pop, but proved to be the
group's last chart success. The Elgins had the first V.I.P. album.
The second released album on V.I.P. was somewhat odd for Motown. Back in 1966, an Irish pub group called the Abbey Tavern Singers had a minor hit with "Off To Dublin in the Green" [HBR 498]. V.I.P. obtained a live album by the group, including the hit title, and planned to reissue the single as V.I.P. 25048 in May, 1968. The album was issued, but the single was cancelled.
Other albums on V.I.P. were by Chuck Jackson, the Spinners, King Floyd and Hearts of Stone. The Spinners, in particular, were successful with "It's A Shame" [V.I.P. 25057], which reached #4 r&b and #14 pop in 1970, which merited an album which also reached the LP charts.
Other singles artists on V.I.P. included Patrice Holloway, the Serenaders, Joanna & the aTriangles, the Hornets, R. Dean Taylor (who would later hit big with "Indiana Wants Me" for Motown's Rare Earth label), the Adantes, Oma Heard, Mickey McCullers, the Headliners, Ray Oddis, Hattie Littles, the Vows, the Lewis Sisters, Danny Day, the Isley Brothers (in one of their many label hops), Richard Anthony & the Bluenotes, Little Lisa, the Dalton Boys, Chris Clark, the Mynah Birds, Rick Robin & Him, the LaSalles, the Underdogs, Debbie Dean, the Honest Men, the Lollipops, Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers (who had more success on Gordy), Ivy Jo Hunter, P.J., the Stylists, Tony & Carolyn, and the Posse. Most of these artists had but one record.
