Personnel :
Bobby Smith
George Dixon
Billy Henderson
Henry Fambrough
Pervis Jackson
Discography :
Biography :
In 1954, a group of friends who grew up together in Ferndale, Michigan, a northern suburb bordering Detroit, came together to make music. For a time, several of the band members resided in Detroit's Herman Gardens public housing projects. Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, C. P. Spencer, and James Edwards called themselves The Domingoes. However James Edwards lasted only a few weeks.
He was replaced by Bobby Smith, who sang lead on most of the Spinners' early records . C. P. Spencer left the group shortly afterwards, and later went 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.
In 1961 the group joined the Tri-Phi imprint, a label owened by Gwen Gordy and Harvey Fuqua, who later joined the group before the ensemble joined the Motown imprint in 1964, after Tri-Phi was taken under the Motown umbrella. Although not a member, producer and songwriter Harvey Fuqua sang lead on the group's debut single.
The Spinners first hit the charts in August 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. The group's follow-up, "Love (I'm So Glad) I Found You", also featured lead vocals by Smith, although again some sources credit Fuqua. This track reached number 91 that November, but none of their other Tri-Phi singles charted.
