il?f|J n rtla n ò (Observer
lanuary 21. 2009
Page A9
Ar
X X ts
ISIILI
ENTERTAINMENT
Death, Drugs Tarnish Motown Legacy
Fortune was not kind to many of the artists
Some time during the 1970s,
Marvin Gaye reflected on his tur
bulent career in an obscure tune
called "Dream of a Lifetime."
" I thank God for my wonderful
life," sang the Motown Records
enfant terrible. "I've had my ups
and downs, but I thank God."
Gaye's life ended violently in
1984. His father,aformerpreac her,
shot him dead during a domestic
dispute the day before the finger
turned 45.
As Motown celebrates its 50th
anniversary throughout 2009, the
record label and music fans will
no doubt focus on the upbeat
songs and fresh-faced perform
ers who brought joy to millions of
people around the world.
Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross
and Stevie Wonder have become
legends in their own lifetimes, but
fortune was not as kind to other
artists and composers who toiled
in the spartan studio at "Hitsville
U.S.A." near downtown Detroit.
Drugs, poverty, suicide and
murder claimed many Motown
figures. Gaye, a tortured soul
whose stardom was marked by
drugs, divorce, label disputes and
bankruptcy, is probably the high-
est-profile casualty.
A year before Gaye was killed,
virtuoso bass p lay er Jam es
Jamerson died in obscurity. A rag
ing alcoholic who played on Gaye's
landmark 1971 album" What's Go
ing On," Jamerson has since been
deified by music aficionados.
Others remain less well known.
Roger Penzabene, the co-writer
of the Temptations' mournful
masterpiece "I Wish It Would
Rain," committed suicide in 1967.
Hard-partying drummer Benny
Benjamin, the backbeat of the
Motown sound, was silenced by
a stroke in 1969 after battling drugs
and alcohol.
Temptations co-founder Paul
Williams, the heart of the group
and lead singer on "Don't Look
Back,” turned to alcohol and was
eventually unable to perform. Two
years after quitting, he shot him
self dead in 1973, while sitting in
a car parked two blocks from
Motown.
A n o th e r tro u b le d fo rm er
Temptation David Ruffin, who
sang lead on "My Girl," died of a
drug overdose in 1991.
Early Motown star Mary Wells
of "My Guy" fame died the fol
lowing year of throat cancer. She
endured poverty in her dying
days, as did former Supreme Flo
rence Ballard, who succumbed to
a coronary thrombosis in 1976.
O f course, most labels have a
lengthy list of casualties, and cre
ative people do have their frail
ties. But Motown, initially at least,
treated its artists like family, tak
ing care of all their personal and
professional needs.
Yet it also was run like an auto
Motown recording artists The Jackson Five are seen in this circa 1960 publicity photo.
Motown musician James Jamerson, who played bass on Marvin
Gaye's landmark 1971 album "What's Going On," diedin 1983
and has s in c e been d e ifie d by m u sic a ficio n a d o s.
Motown recording artist Florence Ballard o f The Supremes
assembly line, with heavy pres
sure on everyone to keep churn
ing out hits and to tour relent
lessly.
"Those who drank or did drugs
became alcoholics and addicts
because of the stress of the road,"
said Billy J. Wilson, head of the
Detroit-based Motown Alumni
Association. "They become de
pressed, and the depression was
based around the environment of
the entertainment business."
Some evidently thrived, like
the Four Tops, whose lineup re
mained unchanged until 1997. But
others had existing conditions
exacerbated by the demands of
stardom.
"Jamerson was hellbent on
drinking himself to death," said
Alan Slutsky, whose Jamerson
biography "Standing in the Shad
ows of Motown" inspired the
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Performances
at Jefferson
Auditorium
Tickets are now on sale for
perform ances o f “The W iz,”
the all-black adaptation o f the
“W onderful W izard o f O z,”
under
p ro d u c tio n
by
Stum ptown Stages, a local the
ater com pany bringing a spec
trum o f theatrical experiences
to a wide and diverse audience.
Performances are scheduled
Feb. 13 through March 11 at
the Jefferson High School Au
ditorium , 5210 N. Kerby Ave.
Show s on Fridays and Satur-
2002 documentary of the same
name. "He had issues going on in
his head that had nothing to do
with Motown."
Ruffin, Slutsky added, "was a
just a lunatic. He would have been
crazy anywhere." And Gaye, he
said," was tormented by a gazillion
phobias."
M otow n R ecords founder
Berry Gordy did warn his stars
about the perils of showbiz and
the necessity of saving money,
"but you just can't watch all the
adults," Wilson said. "Trying to
babysit adults, forget that."
Wilson, who was friends with
Ruffin, said he refused Motown's
offers of help. Ballard, another
friend, was miserable on the road,
broke her contract with Motown,
and accordingly never received
any royalties.
"She screwed up," Wilson said.
"Everybody that died in a tragic
way, they all regretted their ac
tions."
days are at 8 p.m., with Sunday
m atinees at 2 p.m.
In addition, there will be a 7
p.m. show on Sunday, March
1 and a special benefit perfor
m a n c e fo r J e ffe rs o n H igh
School and the Portland School
D istrict that will take place
Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $27 for general
adm ission and $25 to students
and seniors. For additional in
fo rm a tio n ,
v isit
stum ptow nstages.com or call
the box-office at 503-381 -8686.
The perform ances are made
possible by the Oregon Arts
Commission, Regional Arts and
Culture Council and Portland
Public Schools.
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Marvin Gaye, a Motown artist whose life ended violently.
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