Ric-Tic: the Detroit label that rivalled Motown Records
Motown was the label that brought the infectious sounds of Detroit soul to audiences across the United States for the very first time. Boasting a star-studded roster of artists, top-of-the-range facilities, and the business-savvy mind of Berry Gordy Jr, Motown was a powerhouse when it came to the American mainstream during the 1960s. However, the label was far from being the only outlet for Detroit soul, and some of the most enduring releases of that prolific era for American music were put out by fellow Detroiters Ric-Tic Records.
Owing to the visionary mind of Berry Gordy Jr, Motown had a head start over much of the competition when it came to independent soul labels. Founded in 1959 with a small loan from Gordy’s parents, the company had already achieved a plethora of hit singles, the first being Barrett Strong’s ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, by the time Ric-Tic was founded in 1962.
The brainchild of Eddie Wingate and Joanne Bratton – wife of the championship boxer Honey Boy Bratton – Ric-Tic was initially dismissed by Motown as being just another obscure independent soul label.
After all, Detroit was positively bursting with tiny soul labels during the 1960s, aiming to capitalise on the popularity of the ‘Motown sound’ that had come to dominate the singles charts. However, Ric-Tic was much more important than it was initially given credit for. Throughout its tenure, the label discovered some of the biggest names in soul music, including the likes of Edwin Starr, Freddie Gorman, and Laura Lee, to name only a few.
For artists, Ric-Tic offered an attractive opposition to Motown’s famously restrictive management style and exploitation of smaller artists. Although the label never achieved the same dizzying heights as its older competitors, it succeeded in rivalling Motown throughout the label’s golden age. Generally, the records put out by Ric-Tic were much more daring, original, and innovative than the commercial-focused sounds of Gordy’s business, and those innovative records were beloved by a cult audience.
Bizarrely, Ric-Tic became more notable in the small towns and cities of northern England than in or around Detroit. The label’s distinctive sound was adopted by devotees of the northern soul scene, which blossomed during the late 1960s and early 1970s in the wake of the mod subculture. Northern soul obsessives still seek out the red Ric-Tic labels to this day, with Edwin Starr, Laure Lee, and The San Remo Strings being particular favourites throughout the scene.
Ric-Tic’s impact was further bolstered by its sister label, Golden World Records. Hosting an incredible recording studio that produced a wealth of incredible soul records, Golden World was also noted for supporting many of Motown’s backing artists when they were turned away from Hitsville, USA. The northern soul scene in England similarly adopted Golden World, but both sister labels found a moderate degree of commercial success in the USA, too.
After only a few years in operation, Ric-Tic was garnering enough success to threaten the crown of Motown. Armed with a modest operation and an incredibly talented roster of artists, the label came close to matching the colossal business of Motown, at least for a short while.
The threat was so great that Gordy was forced to purchase both Ric-Tic and Golden World. Golden World came first, being bought out by Motown in 1966, and their studio became the label’s ‘Studio B’ after Gordy’s beloved Hitsville. Two years later, Gordy paid the princely sum of $1million (just over $9m when adjusted for inflation) for Ric-Tic and all of its artists.
In the years that followed, many of the original Ric-Tic releases were reissued for Motown, with the label taking advantage of the northern soul scene and the popularity of the label in England.
Just how close Ric-Tic came to rivalling Motown may never be known, but in terms of quality, the small independent label certainly gave Gordy a run for its money. Publishing some of Detroit’s most innovative, original, and enduring artists during its six-year run, the label still lives on in the hearts and minds of soul fans across the world.
