Jean DuShon

Jean DuShon grew up in Detroit enthralled by the voices of singers Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington. So into Washington, Dushon began her professional career in clubs sounding so much like her it drew the ire of Washington herself. The paid club gigs came as a result of the numerous talent shows Dushon had won. She was headlining at the Flame Show Bar when Berry Gordy and his enterprising sisters, Anna and Gwen, were fisting dollars via concessions and photographs. About the time Berry Gordy had Motown cooking, DuShon was pursuing her dreams in New York City. But she has no regrets. Star maker John Levy became her manager and got her some prized gigs at some major jazz clubs. While the association with Levy didn't last as long as expected, she found numerous career opportunities in New York including a stint as vocalist with the Cootie Williams Band; her husband now managed her. A one-off deal with Atco Records in 1961 resulted in "Talk to Me," produced by Phil Spector. It didn't do much, but Spector went on to create the Wall of Sound on hits for the Ronettes, the Crystals, Darlene Love, the Righteous Brothers, and others. The flipside of "Talk to Me," "Tired of Trying" (written by DuShon), is well-liked by many soul collectors. DuShon cut an obscure 45 for Lennox Records called "It Won't Stop Hurting," as well as a few others small label productions. Her biggest non-hit 45 is "Second Class Lover" (Okeh Records). For the most part these early recordings didn't reflect DuShon's love for jazz; they were R&B/soul concoctions forced to compete with recordings by contemporaries who benefited from more promotion. She inked what seemed like a promising deal with Chess Records in 1964. Three albums resulted (two on Argo and one on Cadet Records, both Chess subsidiaries);...