Illustration from the Alumni Bulletin of the University of North Caroline School of Medicine, 1974
R&B legend Harvey Fuqua passed away from a heart attack earlier this week. Fuqua was an immensely talented singer, songwriter, producer, and businessman. He founded the Moonglows doo-wop group in the '50s and took them to major success, singing their big hit "Ten Commandments of Love". He launched the career of Marvin Gaye and was a big contributor to Motown Records in the early '60s. He worked with the Spinners, Etta James, Tammi Terrell, Jr. Walker, and Shorty Long and was responsible for writing and producing several classic Motown hits.
I would have little appreciation of Fuqua's work if not for the fact that I've recently started collecting the Complete Motown Singles collections. His Motown work has a lot of impact because he was associated with acts I was less familiar with. I know all the big songs by the Supremes, Temptations, and Miracles, but many of the early Marvin Gaye singles are new to me and SO good. The Tammi Terrell and Jr. Walker material is top-notch as well. One of my favorites is Terrell's first single for Motown, "I Can't Believe You Love Me". Terrell was just twenty when she recorded the song, written and produced by Fuqua. The song has a very contemporary arrangement, with lush strings and backing vocalists - my favorite moment comes at the end of the chorus, where Terrell sings, "I can't believe that you love me ... anymore!" and all the instruments go silent for a moment. It's just one of many classic contributions to modern pop music by Harvey Fuqua.
"I Can't Believe You Love Me" by Tammi Terrell
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