The Majestics

The many Majestics groups and discographies get confused; there was the group from Miami, FL, that recorded "Cave Man Rock" on Marlin Records and others with the name. The Miami group's recordings are often lumped with the Majestics from Detroit, MI, but there's no connection. And there might have been two different groups with that name from the Motor City. Two future <a href="spotify:artist:2ugPdplEWBmyU6EcIzlcY1">Contours</a> sang with the Majestics, who recorded for Contour Records, part of Bob West's Lupine conglomerate. Billy Gordon, Joe Billingslea, and others recorded "Hard Times" b/w "Teenage Gossip," in 1960. Some recordings before the Contour release are sometimes attributed to these Majestics. Since both were from Detroit, historians like to link this group with the Majestics that recorded "Oasis" in 1962 on Chess Records; it was co-written by Willie Ewing, a major figure in the Majestics' short career. Thomas Mealey (listed as Meatley in B.M.I.), Pedro Maneka, Maurice Fagin, and Warren Harris were the Majestics who next backed <a href="spotify:artist:5KmYEb9i9MoG3BDEkVVMRw">Johnny Mitchell</a> on two Chex singles.

The label credits read Johnny Mitchell & the Majestics on "Give Me a Cigarette" b/w "Shoppin' and Hoppin'" (1961) and a second single, "So I Can Forget" (1962). Without <a href="spotify:artist:1M5tpCHilgyeT9aXu1J9Ib">Mitchell</a>, the Majestics recorded for Chex "Unhappy and Blue" b/w "Treat Me Like You Want" later in 1962. These were followed by "Lonely Heart" b/w "Gwendolyn" (1962) and "Baby" b/w "Teach Me to Limbo," in 1963. Most of the songs were co-written and produced by <a href="spotify:artist:2g1pnfZUsZAxpz9QGaBSq3">Ewing</a>, a Detroit writer/producer with 39 titles registered with Broadcast Music Incorporated. A hot Detroit group, the Majestics, like so many others, never caught a break. Fagin and Harris, along with Richard Street and Sandra Fagin, formed <a href="spotify:artist:4esm0n9pRbF92yRNlY59RG">the Monitors</a> and recorded for Motown from 1965 to 1968. <a href="spotify:artist:2g1pnfZUsZAxpz9QGaBSq3">Ewing</a> is a born again Christian and a pastor in Detroit, and his wife Brenda Diane Ewing has released a gospel CD. ~ Andrew Hamilton, Rovi