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49-915: The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas , the Temptations , Stevie Wonder , the Four Tops , Jimmy Ruffin , Edwin Starr , the Supremes , the Marvelettes , Marvin Gaye and

98-605: A Classic appeared on the release for Genesis of the Daleks . He also co-wrote the theme music for K-9 and Company , a pilot for a proposed Doctor Who spin-off series featuring the robotic dog and Sarah Jane Smith . In October 2017, Levine received criticism for his negative reaction to the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor , with some deeming his comments sexist. In response, Levine claimed he had quit Doctor Who fandom though he later set up

147-527: A Facebook group Ian Levine's Doctor Who Group . According to Ian, he was the unofficial continuity consultant for Doctor Who in the 1980s, apparently leaving after the casting of Bonnie Langford . In the documentary The Missing Years , he also credits himself with personally saving the entirety of The Daleks from destruction by BBC Enterprises . As of 2024, neither of these claims have been corroborated by any other individuals involved or any relevant documentation. He has claimed he co-wrote Attack of

196-451: A Top 20 album followed by further Top 40-hits with boy band Upside Down UPSIDE DOWN , Gemini, and mixed group Optimystic. Miami-based label Hot Productions reissued Levine's entire catalogue of the 1970s and 80s on CD from 1993 onwards as well as a big part of his Motorcity catalogue before folding in 1998. He also co-wrote and co-produced the theme music for the 2004 Donna Summer television special "Discomania" None . In 2010, Levine formed

245-413: A big disco hit in the U.S.A. the following year with "24 Hours a Day" (No. 4 Billboard Disco Charts) as would James Wells whose "My Claim to Fame" reached the same position in 1978. Following a string of albums on artists such as Evelyn Thomas, Barbara Pennington, L. J. Johnson, Doris Jones, Tyrone Ashley, Eastbound Expressway, and Seventh Avenue, towards the end of 1979, Levine's record productions came to

294-620: A brief demo song, or as long as several weeks if an album or film score is being recorded. Musicians' associations and unions often set out the remuneration terms. Some musicians may get the minimum scale rate set out by the union. Heavily in-demand session musicians may earn much more. The union rates may vary based on whether it is a music recording versus a film/television recording. While the film/television rates may be lower, there may also be residual payments to compensate them for reruns, DVD sales, streaming usage, and so on. Session musicians often have to bring their own instruments, such as in

343-690: A cover version of " Could It Be Magic " which won the Best British Single at the Brit Awards 1993, and co-wrote their Top 20-hit " I Found Heaven " with Billy Griffin ), and the Pasadenas (he co-produced three tracks on their Yours Sincerely album of 1992 with Billy Griffin, including the No. 4 UK hit " I'm Doing Fine Now "). After Levine's falling out with Take That's Management, he formed Bad Boys Inc in 1993 and enjoyed 6 UK singles and

392-530: A favourite on the Northern Soul scene), Levine formed Centre City Records in 2007 especially to record a series of albums of tailor-made Northern Soul music, and released 9 albums of 24 tracks each between 2007 and 2012. After a hiatus of 12 years, Levine released his 10th album on the label, "Northern Soul 2024" in March 2024 which saw him reform a songwriting partnership with his previous collaborator from

441-524: A halt when he had 4 album deals fall through due to demise of disco, leaving him indebted due to the high production costs. In 1983, the London-based record shop Record Shack offered Levine £2,000 to set up a new joint-venture record label , Record Shack Records. Through friend Jean-Philippe Iliesco, he used his Trident Studios , and reformed his songwriting partnership with Fiachra Trench after his 3-year recording hiatus. The first record from

490-645: A house purchase in London. Having attended some early Northern soul all-nighters at "The Twisted Wheel" nightclub in Manchester with DJ Les Cokell, after leaving school in 1971 he became a disc jockey at the Blackpool Mecca with Tony Jebb. Levine joined other DJs in travelling to Stoke on Trent to join the Northern soul all-nighter "Torch", which was quickly shut down but was the fore runner of

539-494: A new boy band called Inju5tice. After the commercial failure of debut "A Long Long Way from Home", the album release was cancelled, and the group and Levine split. By 1998, Levine tracked down 179 former Northern Soul singers in the USA for his 4-hour documentary "The Strange World of Northern Soul". Following the various artists album "Solid Ground" in 2006 (named after his collaboration with Sidney Barnes in 2001 which had become

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588-532: A nuanced sense of the playing styles and idioms used in different genres. For example, a sax player who mainly plays jazz needs to know the R&;B style if they are asked to improvise a solo in an R&B song. Similarly, a bass player asked to improvise a walking bassline in a rockabilly song needs to know the stock lines and cliches used in this genre. Regardless of the styles of music session musicians play, some qualities are universal: punctuality in arriving at

637-519: A part to fill a last-minute time slot. In the 1960s, Los Angeles was considered the top recording destination in the United States — consequently studios were constantly booked around the clock, and session time was highly sought after and expensive. Songs had to be recorded quickly in the fewest possible takes. In this environment, Los Angeles producers and record executives had little patience for needless expense or wasted time and depended on

686-491: A reunion of 60 Motown stars, including Edwin Starr and Levi Stubbs on top of the Pontchartrain Hotel close to the original Hitsville USA building, Motorcity Records was launched as a record label. Initially distributed by PRT , then Pacific, Charly and finally Total/BMG , the label ended in the 1992 due to severe financial losses,. 750 songs had been recorded, and a further 107 songs would be added in

735-405: A sub-specialization within trumpet session players is "high note specialist." The working schedule for session musicians often depends on the terms set out by musicians' unions or associations, as these organizations typically set out rules on performance schedules (e.g., regarding the length of sessions and breaks). The length of employment may be as short as a single day, in the case of recording

784-536: A wider range of musical situations, genres, and styles. Examples of "doubling" include double bass and electric bass , acoustic guitar and mandolin , piano and accordion , and saxophone and other woodwind instruments. Session musicians are used when musical skills are needed on a short-term basis. Typically, session musicians are used by recording studios to provide backing tracks for other musicians for recording sessions and live performances, recording music for advertising , film, television, and theatre . In

833-599: Is known as a fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who . Levine was born into a Jewish family; his parents owned and ran the "Lemon Tree" complex in Blackpool, including its casino and nightclub . Levine is openly gay . He suffered a major stroke in July 2014, leaving him with severely limited movement on the left side of his body. Levine spent decades tracking down 3,000 of his relatives. He has organised several meetings with hundreds of family members over

882-586: The Ian Levine 's Motorcity Records project in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Andantes were signed to the label and once again provided a service in recording backing vocals to former Motown artists. By this time, Pat Lewis had joined Jackie Hicks, Barrow and Demps (from 1989 to 1992). Levine also recorded several songs with the Andantes, issuing a new single "Lightning Never Strikes Twice", which featured Demps on lead vocals. Most other songs recorded by

931-663: The Wigan Casino events, which Levine DJ'ed on the 3rd all-nighter. Working with fellow DJ Colin Curtis , the pair was responsible for guiding the Northern Soul scene away from its oldies-only policy and towards modern soul and disco. This resulted in BBC Radio 1 's DJ John Peel travelling to Blackpool to interview Levine. Opening on Dec 6, 1979, Levine became the club's first resident DJ at London 's gay disco Heaven on its set-up, and remained there through almost all of

980-459: The 1970s and 80s, Fiachra Trench. Ian Levine is known as a long running fan of the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who . and put a halt to the destruction of old episodes in 1978, as well as returning 21 missing episodes. By purchasing private copies of all the existing episodes, Levine in conjunction with BBC-employee Sue Malden successfully stopped 4 further episodes junkings. Levine

1029-677: The 1980s. He finally left in 1989. Levine was also the first UK-born DJs to mix records . In 1973, Levine caught notice when he turned Robert Knight's "Love on a Mountain Top" into a UK Top 10 hit, leading to him assisting Dave McAleer in compiling Solid Soul Sensations the following year, which was released on the British Disco Demand label and reached No. 30 on the UK Albums Chart . With his father's investment, he travelled to New York City and co-produced Reaching for

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1078-450: The 2000s, the terms "session musician" and "studio musician" were synonymous, though in past decades, "studio musician" meant a musician associated with a single record company , recording studio or entertainment agency . Session musicians rarely achieve mainstream fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders . However, top session musicians are well-known within the music industry . Some have become publicly recognized, such as

1127-533: The Andantes as either substitute or additional background vocalists on certain recordings by its girl groups beginning with the Marvelettes recordings in 1965, Martha & the Vandellas in 1966, and major part of the Supremes recordings between 1968–1969 although Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong continued to record. In 1963, the Andantes, with the Marvelettes, released the single " Too Hurt to Cry, Too Much in Love to Say Goodbye " b/w "Come on Home" as credited to

1176-681: The Best with girl group the Exciters , which reached No. 31 on the UK Singles Chart selling 80,000 records. This allowed Levine to then travel to Chicago , where he auditioned and signed three unknown singers: Postman L.J. Johnson, Barbara Pennington , and Evelyn Thomas . Thomas and Johnson's debut records would both chart in the UK Top 30, ensuring them both an appearance on Top Of The Pops on Feb 19, 1976. Barbara Pennington would enjoy

1225-468: The Cybermen , although Eric Saward disputed this. According to Richard Bignell, Levine has also claimed that Saward was to write a story for Season 23 called Gallifrey , but Saward has also disputed this claim. Levine has also claimed that a storyline for the unmade Season 23 story Yellow Fever and How to Cure It was written, but Bignell has noted that there is no evidence such a storyline document

1274-541: The Darnells . In 1964 they released a single of their own called " (Like A) Nightmare " b/w "If You Were Mine", though none of the actual Andantes sang lead on either track (future Marvelette Ann Bogan performed the lead vocals). The Andantes are also featured on some records that were not produced by Motown Records, the most prominent example being Jackie Wilson's " (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher " ( Pat Lewis substitutes for Louvain Demps on this track). In

1323-459: The Four Tops. These releases include: They appeared as backing vocalists on seven singles for the Supremes. These releases include: They appeared as backing vocalists on twelve singles for Martha & the Vandellas. These releases include: They appeared as backing vocalists on 15 singles for the Marvelettes. These releases include: They appeared as backing vocalists on seven recordings for

1372-475: The Isley Brothers , among others. It is estimated they appeared on 20,000 recordings. The Andantes provided back-up singing on Motown singles starting in 1962. The group was most prominently used on all of the Four Tops' Holland–Dozier–Holland -produced hits, including " Baby I Need Your Loving ", " I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) ", " Reach Out I'll Be There ", and more. Motown began to use

1421-548: The M.G.'s . The benefit of having a regular group, an approach which typified Southern soul , is that the group has much more experience playing together, which enables them to get a better sense of ensemble. Ian Levine Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter , producer , and DJ . A moderniser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of hi-NRG , he has written and produced records with sales totalling over 40 million. Levine

1470-489: The Temptations. They appeared as backing vocalists on (at least) 15 singles for Marvin Gaye. These releases include: They also appeared as backing vocalists on these following recordings and singles for Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell: The Andantes have also appeared as backing vocalists on numerous Stevie Wonder recordings, including: The Andantes also appear on several notable recordings produced and/or released by record companies outside of Motown, including: As part of

1519-587: The Wrecking Crew , the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and The Funk Brothers who worked with Motown Records . Session musicians may play in a wide range of genres or specialize in a specific genre (e.g., country music or jazz ). Some session musicians with a classical music background may focus on film score recordings. Even within a specific genre specialization, there may be even more focused sub-specializations. For example,

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1568-542: The above album: Pat Lewis Ian Levine has claimed that he has recorded more songs with Pat Lewis than with any other artist. Several songs recorded by Lewis whilst with Motorcity Records are: Cover versions Original recordings Session musician Many session musicians specialize in playing common rhythm section instruments such as guitar , piano , bass , or drums . Others are specialists, and play brass , woodwinds , and strings . Many session musicians play multiple instruments, which lets them play in

1617-679: The age of 73. Pat Lewis died on September 2, 2024, at the age of 76. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, the Andantes appeared as backing vocalists on many of Motown's recorded singles, as the Funk Brothers also had when providing instrumentation. Seven of these singles that they provided background vocals for would go on to chart at the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 popular music chart. The Andantes appeared on many singles for Brenda Holloway. These include: The Andantes appeared as backing vocalists on 16 singles for

1666-431: The case of guitar, bass, woodwinds, and brass. It is expected that studio musicians will have well-maintained professional-tier instruments. In some cases, larger or heavier instruments may be provided by the recording studio, such as a grand piano or Hammond organ and Leslie speaker . In certain cases, a session musicians may bring some instruments or musical gear and use them with larger instruments that are provided by

1715-664: The commissioning editor of the Doctor Who DVD range did not use Levine's animation on the DVD release of the story. The completed Levine version appeared on torrent sites almost two years later, on 12 October 2013. Levine has been responsible for producing a number of extras on the Doctor Who DVD releases: the documentaries Over the Edge and Inside the Spaceship were included on the 3-disc set The Beginning , while Genesis of

1764-490: The decision, and together with the series' production manager Gary Downie gathered a group of actors from the series to record " Doctor in Distress ". The single was universally panned. Levine also organised a private project to recreate the incomplete 1979 Doctor Who story Shada with animation and newly recorded dialogue from many surviving cast members. Levine had hoped that the project would be released on DVD, but

1813-615: The era, the two groups of musicians in Memphis, both the Memphis Boys and the musicians who backed Stax/Volt recordings, and the Funk Brothers in Detroit, who played on many Motown recordings. At the time, multi-tracking equipment, though common, was less elaborate, and instrumental backing tracks were often recorded "hot" with an ensemble playing live in the studio. Musicians had to be available "on call" when producers needed

1862-587: The group at Motorcity had Lewis on lead vocals. Original recordings Cover versions Unreleased tracks Louvain Demps – Better Times Whilst under contract to Motorcity Records, Louvain was given the opportunity to step up to the microphone and record a full album, which was released in 1992 under the title Better Times , which includes original tunes and one cover of the Diana Ross hit " Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) ". Louvain recorded two further tracks with Motorcity which did not appear on

1911-671: The label was " So Many Men, So Little Time " by Miquel Brown , which sold two million copies and got to number 2 on the American Dance Club Songs chart. This was quickly followed by " High Energy " by Evelyn Thomas , Levine's biggest hit, selling more than 7 mio. copies worldwide. Several other dance singles followed, before the partnership with Record Shack ended in 1985. After several more releases on various labels throughout 1986, Levine set up his own Nightmare Records in December, releasing 90 Hi-NRG singles over

1960-537: The late 1980s and early 1990s, The Andantes were signed to Motorcity Records , recording songs on their own, as well as once again serving as backing vocalists to fellow former Motown artists. During this time, Lewis had joined the group as a full-time member. In addition to various awards, the Andantes were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in August 2014. Marlene Barrow died on February 23, 2015, at

2009-430: The late 90s with Pat Lewis and Brenda Holloway. The label only enjoyed one Pop hit with "Footsteps Following Me", a UK Top 20-hit in 1991, ironically by one of the least known singers of the whole roster, Frances Nero . Following the financial failure of Motorcity Records , Levine wrote and produced hi-NRG-derived singles for various bands, including Take That (he co-produced three tracks on their debut album, incl.

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2058-506: The next 3 years. He also mixed numerous dance-pop hits for a variety of artists, including Pet Shop Boys , Bucks Fizz , Erasure , Kim Wilde , Bronski Beat , Amanda Lear , Bananarama , Tiffany , Dollar , and Hazell Dean . It was during his Nightmare Records period that Levine got to work with former Motown singer Kim Weston in 1987, a collaboration that lead Levine to record several other ex-Motown acts, incl. The Supremes ' Mary Wilson , Jimmy Ruffin and Brenda Holloway . After

2107-427: The service of reliable standby musicians who could be counted on to record in a variety of styles with minimal practice or takes, and deliver hits on short order. A studio band is a musical ensemble that is in the employ of a recording studio for the purpose of accompanying recording artists who are customers of the studio. The use of studio bands was more common during the 1960s with groups such Booker T. &

2156-683: The session; rhythmic and intonation precision; ability to play with good ensemble and excellent blending with the other performers; willingness to take direction from bandleaders , music directors , and music producers ; and having good musical taste in regards to choices with musical ornaments and musical phrasing . During the 1950s and 1960s, session players were usually active in local recording scenes concentrated in places such as Los Angeles , New York City , Nashville , Memphis , Detroit , and Muscle Shoals . Each local scene had its circle of "A-list" session musicians, such as The Nashville A-Team that played on numerous country and rock hits of

2205-428: The studio, such as a synthesizer player, who might bring rack-mounted synth modules and connect them to the studio's MIDI controller stage piano . Similarly, if the studio has a selection of well-known bass amplifiers , and speaker cabinets, a bass player may only have to bring basses and effect units . The requirement to read different types of music notation, improvise and/or " play by ear " varies according to

2254-570: The type of recording session and the genres of music being performed. Classical musicians and many jazz and popular music musicians are expected to read music notation and do sight-reading . In jazz, rock, and many popular music genres, performers may be expected to read chord charts and improvise accompaniment and solos. In country music, performers may be expected to read Nashville Number System charts and improvise accompaniment and solos. In many traditional and folk music styles, performers are expected to be able to play by ear. Session musicians need

2303-514: The years, which have been covered by media outlets. Levine has written books about his genealogy search. Levine began collecting Motown records from the age of 13, building a collection from UK record shops and those his family visited on holidays to Miami and New Orleans . He later became an avid collector of soul, R&B , and Northern soul . After his parents emigrated to the Caribbean in 1979, Levine sold most of his records to fund

2352-488: Was commissioned from Robert Holmes , and has also taken issue with Levine's claim that the Rani would not have been featured in said story if created - as documentation exists to show permission was received from Pip and Jane Baker to use the Rani. Levine owned the only complete set of DC Comics in the world, completed in 2004, with at least one copy of each DC comic book sold at retail from 1935 to 2015. His collection

2401-512: Was consulted by members of the production team about continuity for a while during the mid-1980s. In 1985, when the BBC announced that the series would be placed on an eighteen-month hiatus, and the show's cancellation was widely rumoured, Levine was heavily involved with the media protest covertly organised by series producer John Nathan-Turner . He appeared on the ITN 's News at One arguing against

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