The Monitors (American group)
| Company type | Vocal ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1960s |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Music recordings |
The Monitors were a vocal ensemble from the United States, affiliated with Motown Records during the 1960s. The group featured lead vocalist Richard Street, alongside Sandra Fagin, John "Maurice" Fagin, and Warren Harris. They achieved modest chart success with two singles: "Say You" peaking at #36 on the R&B charts, and their rendition of the Valadiers' "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)", which reached #21 on the Billboard R&B listings and made it to #100 on the Pop singles chart.
Career
Warren Harris and Richard Street shared a school friendship with Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin. Street had been part of the Distants before their transformation into The Temptations. Under the name Richard Street & the Distants, he released "Answer Me" on Thelma Records, produced by Norman Whitfield, while also contributing as a songwriter and collaborating with the Peps. Later, Street and Harris joined forces with Sandra and John Fagin to form The Monitors.
Initially, their debut release titled "Hello Love," planned under the name the Majestics in 1964, was shelved. In 1965, they issued "Say You," first credited to the Majestics but subsequently changed to The Monitors due to naming conflicts. This track climbed to #36 on Billboard's R&B chart. Their third single, "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)" in 1966, tackled the topic of Vietnam War draft and reached #100 on the Pop Chart. Following releases included "Since I Lost You Girl" (1966) and "Bring Back the Love" (1968) on V.I.P., plus "Step by Step (Hand in Hand)" (1968) under Motown's Soul imprint. Their album Greetings! We're The Monitors was released in 1968.
Because of limited commercial impact, members undertook various roles within Motown; notably, Richard Street worked in Quality Control before touring as a substitute for Paul Williams in The Temptations. After Williams departed in 1971, Street became an official member of The Temptations, which led to The Monitors disbanding.
In the late 1980s, British producer Ian Levine revived The Monitors featuring lead vocalist Darrell Littlejohn (who is related to Smokey Robinson), along with Warren Harris, Maurice Fagin, Herschel Hunter, and Leah Harris—without Richard Street. This lineup released Grazing in the Grass on Levine's Motorcity label and issued one single titled "Standing Still" in 1990.
The 1997 UK import CD The Elgins Meet The Monitors combined their only Motown album with that of fellow Motown act The Elgins, including previously unreleased material. In 2011, Kent Soul compiled Say You! The Motown Anthology 1963–1968, encompassing all of The Monitors' Motown recordings—featuring their 1968 album tracks, B-sides such as "All for Someone," plus unreleased songs like "Crying in the Night."
Albums
- Greetings! We're The Monitors (Soul, 1968)
- Grazing in the Grass (Motorcity, 1990)
- The Monitors Meet the Elgins (Marginal, 1997)
- Say You! The Motown Anthology (Kent Soul, 2014)
Singles
| Year | Title and catalogue number | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||
| 1964 | "Hello Love" (V.I.P. 25010, unreleased)
b/w "The Further You Look the Less You See" |
— | — |
| 1965 | "Say You" (V.I.P. 25028)
b/w "All for Someone" |
— | 36 |
| 1966 | "Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)" (V.I.P. 25032)
b/w "Number One in Your Heart" |
100 | 21 |
| "Since I Lost You, Girl" (V.I.P. 25039)
b/w "Don't Put Off 'Til Tomorrow What You Can Do Today" |
117 | — | |
| 1968 | "Bring Back the Love" (V.I.P. 25046)
b/w "The Further You Look the Less You Can" |
— | — |
| "Step by Step (Hand in Hand)" (S 35049)
b/w "Time Is Passin' By" |
— | — | |
| 1990 | "Standing Still" (MOTC 22)
b/w "Standing Still (Instrumental)" |
— | — |
| "—" indicates a single that was either not released or did not chart in that territory | |||