Hubert Johnson (January 14, 1941 – July 11, 1981) – Get In The Groove (1979)

Written and produced by former Motown producer Michael Valvano for the Contours, this disco-funk masterpiece remained unreleased for three decades.

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Hubert Johnson was the bass singer of the Contours, one of the earliest groups signed to Motown Records, best remembered for their huge 1962 hit “Do You Love Me.”

He was also Jackie Wilson’s cousin.

The Contours were founded by Detroit singers Joe Billingslea and Billy Gordon in 1959, and originally called the Blenders before changing their name. They completed the group with Billy Hoggs, Leroy Fair, and Johnson.

Berry Gordy initially turned them down when they auditioned for Motown in the fall of 1960, but after Johnson’s cousin Jackie Wilson intervened and convinced Gordy to give them a second chance, they were signed to the label. They hit big in 1962 with “Do You Love Me,” which went to #1 R&B and crossed over to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1978, the Contours hooked up with former Motown producer Michael Valvano and traveled to his Albuquerque, New Mexico studio to record a comeback album. Most songs they cut sadly remained unreleased for three decades.

For the liner notes to the recordings’ eventual 2010 release as Michael Valvano's Contours – I'm A Winner (The Albuquerque Sessions 1978-79) on British rare soul reissue label Outta Sight Records, Valvano recalled the sessions:

“The Contours flew into Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I had my Studio Val-West Recordings. We tracked the songs there and then went to John Wagner Studios, also in Albuquerque, for the vocals. The strings and horns were added in L.A. at Mystic Sound. We filled the studio with people. Far from minding, The Contours just loved it, finding inspiration in the setup. There's more feeling and emotion in doing it live they agreed. As for me I was excited and honored to be doing both the songwriting and the production for the album.”

One of the masterpieces among the tracks Valvano wrote and produced for them was the superb disco-funk jam “Get In The Groove,” with horns arranged by Chuck Coulter at Mystic Sound Studio in Hollywood, CA.

The only two songs released at the time from Valvano’s Albuquerque sessions were the upbeat jam “I’m A Winner,” issued on Solid Gold Records in 1979, with “Makes Me Wanna Come Back” on the flip. The single did not chart.

Tragically, Johnson battled depression and after the sessions with Valvano did not yield the comeback album the group had hoped for, killed himself in 1981. He was only 40 years old.

#soul #funk #disco #Motown #Contours #MichaelValvano #HubertJohnson