La Mont Anthony

Lamont Dozier | Uncredited photographer/Creative and Dreams | tc494

Lamont Dozier (La Mont Anthony) was born on June 16, 1941 and is a well known record producer, song writer and singer. He is best known as a member of the Holland-Dozier-Holland producing and writing team who were behind big successes for The Supremes and The Four Tops. He co-wrote and produced 14 US Billboard number 1 hits and 4 UK number one hits.

Mr Dozier was born in Detroit and began singing for some small Detroit labels with groups including The Romeos before joining up with Brian and Eddie Holland in 1962. Their first successes for Motown were for Martha and The Vandellas. He split with the Hollands in 1972 to pursue a solo career.

The recording on CheckMate was made around 1961.

Mr Dozier and the Holland brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Mr Dozier now lives in California and has spent some time teaching music. He is a Trustee of NARAS and chairs its Advocacy Committee.

 

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David Ruffin

David Ruffin | Pinterest | tc479

Singer Davis Eli “David” Ruffin, former lead singer of The Temptations, was born on January 18, 1941 and died on June 1, 1991 of “an adverse reaction to drugs”.

With a highly distinctive voice, Ruffin was ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2008. Prior to signing with Motown and becoming a Temptation, when they were at the peak of their success, Ruffin had recorded with the Chess Detroit subsidiary CheckMate.

Personal issues began to take over his life. In 1982 he was sentenced to six months prison for failing to pay taxes during the mid-1970s. In 1986 he pleaded no contest to a charge of receiving and concealing a stolen gun worth less than $100 and was fined $50 plus $100 in court costs. In 1987 a cocaine arrest landed him in jail for repeated parole violations.

Most people are already aware that Jimmy Ruffin, a fellow Motown singer, was his brother, and after David Ruffin’s death, Jimmy Ruffin became a well known anti-drugs campaigner. Jimmy Ruffin died on November 17, 2014.