Carolyn Crawford (born July 19, 1949) – I'll Come Running (1964)

The unsung Motown singer/songwriter who won her record deal with the label in a talent contest wrote this stellar B-side, produced by Berry Gordy, Jr.

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Carolyn Crawford is a former Motown singer/songwriter who released her first single on the label in the early sixties when she was only 13 years old and backed many of its early artists. She also recorded under the name Caroline and went on to become Hamilton Bohannon’s lead vocalist in the 1970s.

Born in Detroit, Crawford had just entered high school in 1963 when she won a Motown record deal in a talent contest sponsored by local radio station WCHB.

Her debut single was issued later that year, the superb “Devil In His Heart.” It was written by Robert Gordy who co-produced it with his brother Berry Gordy Jr., b/w the breakup tale “Forget About Me,” a song Crawford wrote. She had previously performed it at a junior high talent show.

She cracked the R&B top-40 with her next single, the beautiful Smokey Robinson-produced “My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down)” (1964), which he co-wrote with Janie Bradford and William “Mickey” Stevenson. It went to #39 R&B, with the stellar jam “I’ll Come Running” on the flip, produced by Berry Gordy Jr., another song she wrote herself. It featured her on piano and tambourine.

Her final single for the label was “When Someone's Good To You,” written and produced by Gordy, b/w the superb heartbreak anthem “My Heart,” which Smokey wrote and produced. It was released in December, 1964, but her contract was not renewed after it failed to chart.

Crawford went on to become the lead vocalist for Hamilton Bohannon during the seventies, the multi-talented genius who led Motown’s live touring band in the late sixties before going solo. She also recorded several singles for Philadelphia International Records. Her first was the upbeat Philly soul jam “Just Got To Be More Careful,” produced by Gamble and Huff, arranged by Bobby Martin, and co-written by Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, and Victor Carstarphen.

A year later, she released the funky “It Takes Two To Make One” (1975), written and produced by Leon Huff. Her final single for the label was “Good And Plenty,” b/w the phenomenal upbeat jam “If You Move, You Lose,” written by Huff, arranged by Martin, and co-produced by Gamble and Huff.

In the late seventies, Crawford recorded two of her own solo albums for Mercury Records which were produced by Bohannon.

Happy 75th Birthday to the great Carolyn Crawford.

Further info:

“Carolyn Crawford,” interview, Ann Arbor Sun, July 30, 1975.

“Carolyn Crawford Is the Best Motown Singer You've Never Heard Of,” Rolling Stone, February 23, 2024.

#soul #funk #Motown #CarolynCrawford