You see, Motown did the formula many times. I have always contended that that was part of the reason I fell off the charts. I tried to say, 'Hey, let's go another way completely,' but I didn't have much say in the matter. "Afterward, I recorded another song called 'Stop the War Now.' I didn't like that song. It sold more than three million copies and earned a Grammy Award nomination for best Male Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance. "War" became a political anthem in 1970 and soared to number one during the long, hot summer. All the words are applicable to neighbors who fight with each other, you know, 'War, what is it good for?' That's what the song was about, at least for me." Actually, we were talking about a war of people - the war people wage against each other on a day-to-day basis. It just so happened that, at the time, the war was going on, and the words just lent themselves to the occasion. It never once mentioned the war in Vietnam. "Nobody really understood what we were talking about on that song," he continued. It could become a smash record, and that was fine, but if it went the other way, it could kill the career of whoever the artist was."Īpparently, the Temptations were afraid of the song, and so it was given to Edwin Starr. It was a message record, an opinion record, and stepped beyond being sheer entertainment. Well, that was a touchy time, and that song had some implications. But then a lot of mail came in, mostly from students, asking why they didn't release it on a 45. "'War' was originally recorded by the Temptations," recalled Edwin. It was Norman and composer Barrett Strong who came up with perhaps the label's most controversial hit single ever. In 1970, Edwin began work with one of Motown's finest writers and producers, Norman Whitfield, who had been responsible for the continuing success of the Temptations. Edwin was rising fast, and he knew that the coming decade would bring him his greatest popularity ever. In 1969, he entered the national Top 10 for the first time with "Twenty-five Miles," a soul stomper he wrote back in his Cleveland days. Edwin became a part of the Motown family and was assigned to the Gordy Label. His debut disc became a good seller and led to his early nickname: "Agent Double-O-Soul." The next year, he found a vocal quartet, the Shades of Blue, and wrote and produced their biggest hit, "Oh How Happy."Īfter a while, Ric Tic was bought out by Motown Records. In 1965, he left the Doggett band and signed as a solo artist with Ric Tic Records. Over the next few years, Edwin learned the ropes of the recording industry and wrote the song that was to become his first hit single. In 1962, Edwin hit the road as a featured singer with the band of Bill Doggett. In 1957, while attending high school, he formed his own group, the Future Tones, which played on local bills alongside Lloyd Price, Chuck Jackson, and Billie Holiday. He died in 2003 following a heart attack, at age 61.Dwin Starr was born Charles Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He continued to record for a variety of labels, having some success (especially in the U.K.) in the Disco field. Tiring of Motown’s formulaic approach, Starr left the label and moved to England. Starr’s subsequent singles sold poorly, although his last release for Motown, the soundtrack "Hell Up In Harlem," would become an often sampled Funk classic. 1, becoming a anthem for the antiwar movement. With Starr’s ferocious lead vocal and its chorus of "War, huh, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing" the single spent three weeks at No. Whitfield decided it would be a good fit for Starr, with his impassioned delivery, and they re-recorded the song. In 1970, Motown staff producer Norman Whitfield recorded “War,” an anti Viet Nam War song, with the top-selling group the Temptations, but the label declined to release it as a single, due to worries that the group’s fans wouldn’t accept an antiwar message. Though Starr’s rough vocal style was atypical for Motown, his gritty delivery was a perfect fit for his first Top 10 hit at the label, the bouncy “25 Miles.” Starr recorded a series of moderately successful singles for Ric-Tic then he became a Motown artist when Motown owner Berry Gordy bought the label in 1968. Though his career stretched from Doo-Wop to Disco, Edwin Starr will best be remembered for his groundbreaking hit “War,” one of the first Soul records to deliver serious social commentary along with the beat.īorn Charles Edwin Hatcher, Starr pursued a musical career in Detroit after serving in the army, adopting his stage name and signing to the local Ric-Tic label.
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