The Spinners, with lone surviving original member Henry Fambrough, seated, will perform the vocal group’s classic material Saturday at Mount Airy Casino Resort.

The Spinners

IF YOU GO

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Gypsies Lounge at Mount Airy Casino Resort, 312 Woodland Road, Paradise Township

By Jim Radenhausen

Pocono Record Writer

Posted Jan. 14, 2016 at 10:40 PM

Updated Jan 16, 2016 at 5:37 PM

Henry Fambrough, lone surviving original member of The Spinners, has made good on his promise to late Spinner Robert “Bobbie” Smith: that the R&B vocal group — lauded for helping establish the Philadelphia Sound of the 1970s — would “be around” following Smith’s passing.

Set to perform with his fellow Spinners at Mount Airy Casino Resort on Saturday, Fambrough recalled his last conversation with Smith, aboard the 2013 Soul Train Cruise.

“We had dinner that night. It was a good two hours, sitting and talking. The last thing he said was, ‘Man I don’t know what’s gonna happen’ — he was really sick — ‘Don’t let this die. Keep it going as long as you can.’ I promised him I would.”

Formed in 1954 in Detroit, Michigan, The Spinners — initially known as The Domingoes — formed as a quintet, featuring Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, Billy Henderson, C.P. Spencer and James Edwards. After just a few weeks, Edwards departed, with Smith taking his place. Fambrough, Jackson, Henderson and Smith persisted with the group through the 2000s: Henderson left the group in 2004 and passed on in 2007, with Jackson and Smith remaining with the group until their 2007 and 2013 passings, respectively.

The fifth Spinners slot served as a revolving door after Spencer’s exit in 1956: George Dixon (1956-63), Edgar “Chico” Edwards (1963-67), G.C. Cameron (1967-72, 2000-2003); Cameron’s cousin, Philippé Wynne (1972-1977) and John Edwards (1977-2000). Two others, Frank Washington and Harold “Spike” Bonhart, logged time as members in the 2000s.

Aside from Fambrough, the current lineup of The Spinners consists of Charlton Washington, Jessie Robert Peck, Marvin Taylor and Ronnie Moss.

“It’s a good feeling to be able to carry on the thing that we built,” Fambrough said. “With each one of the guys who passed away, I listened to different artists to replace them. It was real hard because we had like, 20, maybe 30 at a time that came in and auditioned for the part. I had to take my time, and not get things that you don’t want to be in your presence. Fortunately, out of everybody that replaced the guys who went on, we got four good guys. No one on dope, an alcoholic or up there with a big head. The listening public accepted the guys I have with me now.”

Early days

Fambrough, who started singing in his mother’s church choir at a young age, lived in the same Detroit neighborhood as the other Spinners. The guys were friends before the group formed.

Once we started singing together, everything fell in place,” he said. “We all loved the music from vocal groups at that time: The Moonglows, Dominoes, Flamingoes, Drifters. We all started in gospel together. My mom didn’t really want me to pursue a career in rock-and-roll music. As we got older, we chose our own life.”

Fambrough listened to radio a lot as a youth, and cited vocal groups such as The Hi-Lo’s and The Four Freshmen, as well as some soloists, as inspirations. In addition, one particular genre left a mark on him. “I was raised in Monroe, Georgia, before I came north,” he said. “Most of the music I was raised on then was country and western. There’s a lot of good feeling in their music.”

Despite forming in 1954, The Spinners didn’t land its first hit until 1961. “When we came on the market, our first manager, Harvey Fuqua, was one of the lead singers for one of the groups we mimicked at the time, The Moonglows,” Fambrough said. “He taught us how to form our music and our sound. We had been doing it by listening to the radio and mimicking what we heard. He taught us how to do it right.”

Fuqua started his own label, Tri-Phi Records, with then-wife Gwen Gordy (Berry’s sister) in 1961, signing The Spinners as its first act. The group scored its first top 40 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart,“That’s What Girls Are Made For.” Fuqua and his then-wife composed the track, which featured Marvin Gaye — a then-member of The Moonglows — on drums.

“Artists hardly, on the very first try, get a hit like we did,” Fambrough said. “Once that happened, we got spoiled and wanted more. You dream about becoming big artists. That eluded us at the time.”

Move to Motown

After “That’s What Girls…” put The Spinners on the map, Fambrough was drafted into the U.S. Army. After serving two years, he came out in 1963-64, when Tri-Phi merged with Motown. In 1967, The Spinners released its first and only album on the main Motown label, “The Original Spinners,” which contained earlier Motown singles, as well as “That’s What Girls…”

The group switched to the Motown-owned V.I.P. imprint in 1969, and released sophomore album “2nd Time Around” in 1970. Though The Spinners landed its biggest hit single up to that point — “It’s a Shame,” which Stevie Wonder co-wrote and produced — the group was lost in the Motown shuffle. “You had Marvin Gaye, Supremes, Temptations, Four Tops, Martha and the Vandellas,” Fambrough said. “We didn’t have anyone, at that time, to concentrate on the sound of The Spinners until we met Thom Bell (a Philadelphia producer-songwriter who worked with The Delfonics and The Stylistics). We were probably the last one for radio stations to choose to play. That’s why we left. We were lowest on the totem pole.”

During the Motown years, the record company utilized The Spinners for non-recording jobs such as shipping and driving duties. Fambrough, who was a chauffeur for Berry Gordy’s mom, said the guys worked and picked up their regular paycheck at week’s end. “If an engagement came in, we did that and came back and worked. That’s how we survived at the time.”

The Atlantic years

While touring with Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul suggested The Spinners join her at Atlantic Records.

“She was a very good friend of ours,” Fambrough said. “We followed her direction, contacted Atlantic and had an interview. When we were signed, they gave Thom Bell a chart with all the artists. He chose to produce The Spinners, out of everybody that was there. He liked listening to The Spinners, because of the way our harmony was set up. He was enthused by that.”

Though Fambrough shared lead vocals on some Spinners tracks, including “Ghetto Child,” he maintains that Smith was the major lead singer, “doing the big part,” with Wynne also contributing lead vocals. “Thom Bell recorded me on some of the ballads, with the soft voice,” he added. “It was well-balanced.”

The Spinners released its self-titled third album in 1973, scoring hits with “I’ll Be Around” (the B-side to “How Could I Let You Get Away”), “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” and “One of a Kind (Love Affair).” The album sold more than 500,000 units domestically, as did the group’s next four studio efforts. During the 1973-1984 Atlantic years, The Spinners scored 14 top 40 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100, including seven top 10s. Aside from the aforementioned singles, the group’s biggest hits included “Then Came You” (a duet with Dionne Warwick), “Games People Play,” “The Rubberband Man,” and medleys pairing a classic with a new song: “Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me Girl” and “Cupid/I’ve Loved You for a Long Time.”

New music and legacy

While it’s been 27 years since the Spinners’ last studio album “Down to Business,” Fambrough promises a new album will come to fruition. “We’re still looking for material. A couple guys in the group are doing writing. We’re not rushing to do it. We want to make sure we get some good material, that the music we do settle on is not outdated, that it’s something that can play and withstand the test of time that our music in the past had done.”

Inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999, The Spinners received its third nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, but ultimately was not inducted. “If they choose us for the Rock Hall, it will be great,” Fambrough said, though he’s partial to the group’s 1976 star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “At the time, we were the second black group artist to receive the star. The first was the Mills Brothers. It’s a great accomplishment we cherish.”

Another accomplishment in which Fambrough takes pride? As previously mentioned, recording music that stood the test of time.

“Everything that we recorded was about love and happiness. We didn’t record anything derogatory, like some of the stuff you hear now. Just about everything we recorded can play anywhere, for anyone. The kind of music everybody loved. Young love, happy love, innocent love, everything you love when growing up, everything you love as you get older. Now, fans come by and tell us their grandchildren listen to our music. That’s great for us.”

http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20160114/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/160119715...

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Mount Airy Casino Resort
312 Woodland Road
Mount Pocono, PA 18344
570-243-4857 Direct