In 1954 a group of friends in Ferndale High School in Ferndale, Michigan, just outside Detroit, came together to make music. Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, C P Spencer and James Edwards called themselves the Domingoes. James Edwards lasted only a few weeks; he was replaced by Bobbie Smith, who sang lead on most of the Spinners' early records (and many of their biggest Atlantic hits). C P Spencer left the group shortly afterwards and would later go on to be a member of the Voice Masters and the Originals. He was replaced by George Dixon. The group renamed themselves the Spinners in 1961. This name was chosen after looking at popular car hubcaps and noting how they spun around on a car's wheel.
The Spinners first hit the charts in August of 1961 on Harvey Fuqua's Tri-Phi Records with 'That's What Girls Are Made For', peaking at number 27. Bobby Smith sang lead vocal on this track, coached by Fuqua (legend has it that Fuqua sang the lead, but that legend has been debunked by both Fuqua and Smith). The group's followup, 'Love (I'm So Glad) I Found You', with lead vocals by Smith, would reach number 91 that November, but none of their other Tri-Phi singles charted.
James Edwards' brother, Edgar Chico Edwards, would replace Dixon in the group in 1963, at which time Tri-Phi and the entire artist roster was bought out by Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Spinners were then assigned to the Motown label.
In 1964, they made their debut at the Apollo Theater and won instant acclaim, a rare feat at the time. But with the exception of 'I'll Always Love You', which hit number 35 in 1965, success mostly eluded them during the 1960s. After 'I'll Always Love You', they released one single a year from 1966-1969 inclusive, but none charted on the Billboard Hot 100, although their 1966 song, 'Truly Yours' was a big hit on the Billboard R&B chart.
With commercial success virtually non-existent during much of this decade, the Spinners would be used by Motown as road managers, chaperones and chauffeurs for other groups and even as shipping clerks. G C Cameron replaced Edgar Chico Edwards in 1967, and in 1969, the group switched to the Motown-owned VIP imprint. (The label name is somewhat ironic, given that VIP was generally considered a substandard imprint behind Motown, Gordy, Tamla and Soul.) In 1970, after a five-year chart absence they hit number 14 with writer/producer Stevie Wonder's composition, 'It's a Shame' and charted again the following year with another song Wonder wrote and produced, 'We'll Have It Made', from their new album Second Time Around. However, these were their last two singles for VIP.Shortly after the release of Second Time Around, legend has it that Atlantic Records recording artist Aretha Franklin suggested the group finish their Motown contract and sign with Atlantic. The group made the switch - except for Cameron who elected to leave the group and remain with Motown as a solo artist. Singer Philippé Wynne then joined the Spinners as Cameron's replacement and the group's new lead singer. However, original lead singer Bobby Smith also retained his lead position.
When the Spinners signed to Atlantic in 1972, they were a respected but commercially unremarkable singing group who had never had a Top Ten pop hit, despite having been a recording act for over a decade. However, under the helm of producer and songwriter Thom Bell, the Spinners would chart five Top 100 singles (and two Top Tens) from their first post-Motown album, The Spinners (1972) and would go on to become one of the biggest soul groups of the 1970s.
The Bobby Smith-led 'I'll Be Around', their first Top Ten hit, was actually the B-side of their first Atlantic single, 'How Could I Let You Get Away'. Radio airplay for the B-side led Atlantic to flip the single over, with 'I'll Be Around' hitting number three and 'How Could I Let You Get Away' reaching number 89.
The 1973 follow-up singles, 'Could It Be I'm Falling in Love' (led by Smith), 'One of a Kind (Love Affair)' (led by Wynne) and 'Ghetto Child' (led by Wynne), would cement the group's reputation, as well as further that of Bell, a noted Philly soul producer.
Following their Atlantic successes, Motown also issued a Best of the Spinners LP which featured selections from their Motown/V.I.P. recordings. They also remixed and reissued the 1970 B-side Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music as a 1973 A-side. In the midst of their Atlantic hits, it crawled to number #91 US. The group's 1974 followup album, Mighty Love, featured three Top 20 hits, I'm Coming Home, Love Don't Love Nobody, and the title track. Their biggest hit of the year however, would be a collaboration with Dionne Warwick, Then Came You, which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming each act's first number-one hit.
The Spinners would hit the Top Ten twice in the next two years with the Smith-led '(They Just Can't Stop It) Games People Play' and the Wynne-led 'The Rubberband Man'. 'Games People Play' featured guest vocalist Barbara Ingram and would lead to a nickname of '12:45' for bass singer Jackson, after his signature vocal line on the song.
Wynne left the group in January 1977, to be replaced by John Edwards. Though this version of the group had minor hits from 1977-79, they failed to hit the pop Top 40 for two years and parted ways with producer Bell.
The group did manage several big hits in 1980, charting with medleys of 'Working My Way Back to You'/'Forgive Me, Girl' (number two in March) and 'Cupid'/'I've Loved You for a Long Time' (number four in July), but a third trip to the well proved one time too many, when 'Yesterday Once More'/'Nothing Remains the Same' failed to break Top 40. The group's last Hot 100 pop hit was a remake of Willie Nelson's 'Funny How Time Slips Away', peaking at number 67 in 1983. The following year, the group had their last R&B hit with 'Right or Wrong', off the Cross Fire album. They would release a pair of additional albums during the 1980s, but neither of them were notably successful.
After their chart career ended, the Spinners continued touring for decades. Even though their last hits were decades ago, the bright lights of their 1972–1976 run of the charts continues to provide for the current members. They are big draws on the oldies and nostalgia concert circuits, and continue to play the music that made them famous.
In their released box set The Chrome Collection, the Spinners were lauded by David Bowie and Elvis Costello. The Spinners were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. On July 27, 2006, the Spinners performed on the Late Show with David Letterman to several standing ovations.
Footnote:
Last original member Henry Fambrough died on February 7, 2024.