The Spinners

The Spinners

The Spinners are a US R&B and soul group, also known in the UK as The Detroit Spinners. They originate from Ferndale, Michigan, and begin as a doo wop group formed by high school students in 1957, though the group is active from 1954 onwards in the supplied record. The line-up associated with the group includes Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough, Bobbie Smith, Barbara Ingram, John Edwards and Philippé Wynne.

Early years and Motown period

The group starts out under the name the Domingoes before becoming the Spinners. Their roots are in Detroit, and their early work follows changing R&B and pop trends through the 1960s. By the mid-1960s they sign to Motown Records, where they record several singles but do not receive much attention from the label. During this period they have R&B hits with songs including “I’ll Always Love You” and “Truly Yours”.

Their first single, “That’s What Girls Are Made For”, becomes a Top Ten R&B hit in 1961 on Harvey Fuqua’s Tri-Phi Records, with Bobbie Smith on vocals. After that release, the group has a series of unsuccessful singles while the line-up changes, including replacements for George W. Dixon and later G.C. Cameron in the lead-vocal role.

Atlantic Records and classic 1970s work

The group’s breakthrough comes after they leave Motown and sign with Atlantic Records. Philippé Wynne joins as lead singer and they work closely with producer Thom Bell. Bell shapes a sound built on Wynne’s falsetto, layered harmonies, horns, strings and a lightly funky rhythm section. This period produces the group’s best-known recordings, including “I’ll Be Around”, “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love”, “One of a Kind (Love Affair)”, “Mighty Love”, “Ghetto Child”, “Then Came You”, “Games People Play”, and “The Rubberband Man”.

These recordings make them one of the leading soul groups of the 1970s. Their singles reach the pop and R&B charts, and their albums regularly go gold and place in the Top 20. The group’s sound is associated with Philly soul, alongside disco, funk, pop soul, smooth soul and R&B.

Later years and line-up changes

Wynne leaves in 1977 to pursue a solo career and is replaced by John Edwards. The group continues to have smaller hits in the late 1970s, including disco versions of “Working My Way Back to You” and the medley “Cupid/I’ve Loved You for a Long Time”. They also record further minor hits in the early 1980s before moving into the oldies circuit. A later studio release is At Their Best, issued in 1999.

Alongside their recording career, the group is known in Britain as The Detroit Spinners, to distinguish them from a British band with the same name. Their place in soul history is tied above all to the Atlantic era and the Thom Bell productions that define their mid-1970s catalogue.