Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) sung by Frank Wilson
December 2, 2008 by EditMotown50
Filed under Frank Wilson, Motown 50 Disc 1
Frank Wilson joined Motown as a songwriter in 1965. However, he recorded “Do I love you” as something of a trial and subsequently destroyed all but two copies of the original 250 demos produced. This has made the single something of a collector’s item and an original is viewed by many as one of the rarest and most valuable records in history (rumoured to change hands at £15,000).
Frank Wilson was born in Houston in 1940, but migrated to Los Angeles where, in 1964, he was in the right place when Motown opened it’s LA office. The office itself was not a success and it was closed two years later. However, Wilson’s prolific writing talent proved to be so valuable to Berry Gordy that he asked him to stay on and work out of his house instead! This proved to be a short term arrangement and Wilson moved to Motown’s main headquarters in Detroit. It was here that he was to write hits for very many Motown acts of the day.
Although he moved back to LA when Motown moved offices in 1972, he only remained for another 4 years when he decided to return to his gospel roots.
Sample “Do I Love You” on Motown 50 here: Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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Gospel singing and the role of the Church is a recurring theme for many Motown Artists of this era. Frank Wilson came from this – made a success of his songwriting skills in the secular environment and then returned. It’s nothing short of amazing that his one and only personal record became such a long-term success. Course it is a great foot stomper!