Mable John

Mable John was the first female artist signed by <a href="spotify:artist:4xRLKAf96K6YdGDWjY6ra8">Berry Gordy, Jr.</a> to the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tamla%22">Tamla</a> label, which preceded <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a> by more than two years, and one of the few artists to record for the top two labels for 1960s soul, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Stax%22">Stax</a>. John's three single releases were part of an unsuccessful blues fling for the company; besides Mable John, <a href="spotify:artist:4xRLKAf96K6YdGDWjY6ra8">Gordy</a> released blues sides by Sammy Ward, <a href="spotify:artist:7EynH3keqfKUmauyaeZoxv">Luther Allison</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3uZRvkqeNHKLMFQrJBaUCX">Amos Milburn</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:76ox7koAGPytUmTZGU6zWn">Earl King</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0eXscio89WRQMjamjHyUKZ">Arthur Adams</a>, and many others.

The eldest of nine siblings (one of whom was legendary R&B artist <a href="spotify:artist:3mOiEPe870jJrahcf2TPYZ">Little Willie John</a>, of "Fever" and "Talk to Me" fame), Mable John was born in Bastrop, Louisiana. Her parents moved to Arkansas when she was a kid, then later to Detroit to find employment in the bustling auto industry. After graduating from Pershing High School in Detroit, John began working for <a href="spotify:artist:4xRLKAf96K6YdGDWjY6ra8">Berry Gordy</a>'s mother, Bertha, who ran a small insurance company. She met <a href="spotify:artist:4xRLKAf96K6YdGDWjY6ra8">Gordy</a> in 1956, started recording for him in 1959, and had her first release, "Who Wouldn't Love a Man Like That," on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tamla%22">Tamla</a> in 1960, a solid blues item that went nowhere. Her next single, 1961's "No Love," had potential, but <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a> simply couldn't sell blues. Her final release, "Actions Speak Louder Than Words," appeared during the latter part of 1961.

By 1962, blues at <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a> became history, and John was dropped from the roster. (<a href="spotify:artist:57bUPid8xztkieZfS7OlEV">The Supremes</a>, who sang backing vocals on some of John's sessions, became superstars a few years after her departure.) John then moved to <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Ray Charles</a>' <a href="spotify:artist:2AER6UFXnifql8MiEA1ELG">Raelettes</a>, performing with them before and after her stint with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Stax+Records%22">Stax Records</a>. Her <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Stax%22">Stax</a> experience began in 1966 and ended in 1968, during which time she waxed the deep soul classic "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)," her most successful record. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Stax%22">Stax</a> released six other singles by her: "You're Taking Up Another Man's Place," "Bigger and Better," "I'm a Big Girl Now," "Don't Hit Me No More," "Able Mable," and "Running Out." One album, entitled Stay Out of the Kitchen, would have been definitive if it had included "Don't Hit Me No More."

After leaving <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Stax%22">Stax</a> in 1968 and rejoining <a href="spotify:artist:2AER6UFXnifql8MiEA1ELG">the Raelettes</a> for a brief time, John retired from secular music and devoted herself exclusively to Christianity. In the mid-'70s she managed the Autographs, who had a deal with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22RCA%22">RCA</a> (unfortunately, the label didn't release any records by them under John's watch). In 1994, the Rhythm & Blues Foundation inducted Mable John into their Hall of Fame. It was a just honor for the underrated blues singer, who made excellent records but never had the luck or the timing to achieve the prominence she deserved. Mabel John died on August 25, 2022, in Los Angeles at the age of 91. ~ Andrew Hamilton, Rovi