Do You Love Me by the Contours

Berry Gordy actually wrote “Do you Love Me” for the Temptations. However, he was in such a rush to get the record out that he gave it to the Contours instead and it became a number 4 hit in the US in June of 1962. It topped the R&B charts and turned the Group into stars overnight. This did not dampen their reputation for wild antics when not on stage however!

Joe Billingsea, Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, Leroy Fair and Hubert Johnson were the original members of the Contours formed in 1960. After two auditions for Berry Gordy’s Motown, they were signed up. Leroy Fair was replaced ultimately with Sylvester Potts and this was the lineup that recorded “Do You Love Me”. By 1964, all but Billy Gordon had left and Motown reformed the group with the addition of Council Gay, Jerry Green and Alvin English. In a game of musical chairs, Billy subsequently left and Sylvester Potts returned. More changes occurred and the group ultimately disbanded.

However, following a number of different lineups and the odd lawsuit, Joe Billingsea remains as the only truly original member and still tours as does Sylvester Potts – both with their own lineups and billed independently as “… and the Contours”.

Sample “Do You Love Me” on Motown 50 here:

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