The Satintones: Motown's First Group, the Motor City B-Side and a Lawsuit

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The Satintones formed in 1959 when Robert Bateman and Sonny Sanders, backing singers at Berry Gordy's new Tamla label, decided to front their own group. They added Sanders' neighbor James Ellis, tried to recruit Brian Holland, who was too busy with label work, and instead brought in songwriter Chico Leverett, who had cut the solo single Solid Sender. In July 1959 they released Going to the Hop backed with Motor City, making them the first group to record a single for Gordy, three months ahead of Smokey Robinson's Miracles.

Going to the Hop failed to chart, but group members later claimed the B-side's title inspired Gordy to adopt the name Motown. My Beloved backed with Sugar Daddy followed in October 1959 with little traction. In spring 1961 Tomorrow and Always was withdrawn after a copyright suit alleging it copied the Shirelles' Will You Love Me Tomorrow, and Angel replaced it in May. Leverett then left, taking the group's main songwriting with him, and the Satintones disbanded at the end of 1961 with a finished album left in the vault.

Vernon Williams and Sammy Mack joined after Leverett's exit, and the group cut I Know How It Feels and Zing Went the Strings of My Heart.
The shelved LP finally appeared in 2009 as the CD anthology The Satintones Sing.
Bateman later teamed with Brian Holland as the songwriting and production duo Brianbert.
Sanders moved to Chicago and became a respected arranger and producer.
Bateman and Sanders both died on October 12, 2016, after a brief late-1980s reunion for Motorcity Records.

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