Can-Con 45 Of The Day - September 9

[radiofan]

Today's Can-Con 45 is from 1968 .. a Motown hit with Vancouver roots .. written by Tommy Chong .. Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers and "Does Your Mama Know About Me" ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgPqghVB1v8

[Richard Skelly]

Bobby Taylor’s chance encounter in California with a touring Western Canadian band called Little Daddy And The Bachelors led inexorably to this fabulous hit single.

Bobby Taylor And The Vancouvers included two former Bachelors—Tommy Chong on rhythm guitar-harmonies and Wes Henderson on bass-harmonies. Taylor took lead vocals while Robbie King (keyboards), Ed Patterson (lead guitar) and Ted Lewis aka Duris Maxwell (drums) rounded things out.

Does Your Mama Know About Me emerged when Tommy Chong collaborated with Tom Baird. A former Vancouverite (he played with The Classics) Baird caught on with Motown as a jack-of-all-trades writer/arranger/producer for assorted Berry Gordy labels.

Much of the sophisticated musical structure to Does Your Mama Know About Me apparently came from Baird. Future funny man Chong bore down on the lyrics. To reflect the angst and often social ostracism facing interracial lovers, he reportedly accessed personal memories from years earlier of wooing his wife-to-be, Maxine Sneed. In particular, his nervousness at meeting her African-Canadian parents for the first time.

Maxine’s brothers—keyboardist Bernie and drummer Floyd—were in Little Daddy And The Bachelors. Floyd later enjoyed great success with Three Dog Night. Tommy Chong and Maxine eventually divorced. But a song for the ages celebrates the early, tentative days of their relationship.

RIP to Bobby Taylor, Wes Henderson and Robbie King.

[PicturesForYourEars]

Holy WOW!!!
ANOTHER fabulous post Richard.

[Richard Skelly]

Thanks, Picture. I neglected to include Tom Baird in the RIP dedication. Tom drowned in late 1975 while sailing alone off the California coast.

Hard to say if Tom would have attained the heights of fellow Canadian arranger-producer David Foster. Coincidentally, 'Fos' was taking whatever session musician or arranger gigs he could find in LA around that time. By then, Tom had left Motown and was working separate projects with Charity Brown and Terry Jacks in his final year. He was also in a recording group called HUB with an ex-member of Rare Earth. He had co-produced many Rare Earth sessions for Motown subsidiary Rare Earth Records.

RIP Tom Baird.

[Richard Skelly]

Thanks, Pictures. I neglected to include Tom Baird in the RIP dedication. Tom drowned in late 1975 while sailing alone off the California coast.

Hard to say if Tom would have attained the heights of fellow Canadian arranger-producer David Foster. Coincidentally, 'Fos' was taking whatever session musician or arranger gigs he could find in LA around that time. By then, Tom had left Motown and was working separate projects with Charity Brown and Terry Jacks in his final year. He was also in a recording group called HUB with an ex-member of Rare Earth. He had co-produced many Rare Earth sessions for Motown subsidiary Rare Earth Records.

RIP Tom Baird.