| The Monitors | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B |
| Years active | 1964–1971 1980s |
| Labels | V.I.P. Motorcity |
| Associated acts | Richard Street & the Distants The Temptations |
| Past members | |
| Richard Street Warren Harris Sandra Fagin John "Maurice" Fagin Darrell Littlejohn Herschel Hunter Leah Harris |
|
The Monitors were an American vocal group who recorded for Motown Records in the 1960s. The group, which consisted of lead singer Richard Street, Sandra Fagin, John "Maurice" Fagin, and Warren Harris, had two minor hits, "Say You", and then a cover of the Valadiers' "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)", which reached number 21 on the Billboard R&B chart, and number 100 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.[1]
Harris and Street were school friends of Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin. Harris became a member of the Distants with Williams and Franklin, but left before the group merged with the Primes to became The Temptations. Street recorded on Thelma Records, as Richard Street & the Distants, releasing the unsuccessful single "Answer Me", produced by Norman Whitfield, and also worked as a songwriter and as a member of another group, the Peps. Street and Harris then formed a group together with the Fagins (it is not clear if they were brother and sister, or husband and wife).[2]
Their first release, as The Majestics, was to have been "Hello Love" on Motown's V.I.P. label in 1964, but release was cancelled. A year later, "Say You" was released initially as The Majestics, but a name change to The Monitors was made after it was found there was another group already recording as The Majestics for another company. "Say You" reached #36 on the Billboard R&B chart.[1] "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)" was their third release and reached #100 on Billboard's Pop Chart in 1966. "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)" explores the feelings felt by many young African American men, as they were drafted into the army to serve in the Vietnam War. Two more singles appeared on VIP, "Since I Lost You Girl" (November 1966) and "Bring Back The Love" (January 1968). They were switched to Motown's SOUL label with 'Step by Step (Hand in Hand)' in the summer of 1968, but this was to be their final single with Motown. However, they also released an album, Greetings! We're The Monitors, in 1968.[2]
Because of the Monitors' lack of success, its members held other positions within the Motown corporation to sustain income. Richard Street, for example, worked in Motown's Quality Control department, and later traveled with The Temptations as a stand-in for Paul Williams, who became increasingly ill during the late 1960s and early 1970s due to alcoholism and other health problems. When Williams was forced to leave the Temptations in 1971 because of his failing health, Street took his place, and the Monitors were dissolved.
British producer Ian Levine recorded a new version of The Monitors in the late 1980s, with lead singer Darrell Littlejohn (a nephew of Smokey Robinson), Warren Harris, Maurice Fagin, Herschel Hunter, and Leah Harris, but without Street.[2] The group released a new album, Grazing in the Grass, on Levine's Motorcity label.[3]