#1: It’s A Shame by the Spinners

City: Antigonish, NS
Radio Station: CJFX
Peak Month: October 1970
Peak Position in Antigonish ~ #2
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #20
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #14
YouTube: “It’s A Shame”
Lyrics: “It’s A Shame”

William “Billy” Henderson was born in 1939 in Indianapolis (IN). In 1954 he formed a group called the Domingos. Henry Fambrough was born in Detroit in 1938 and was another founding member of the Domingos. Fambrough was drafted into the army in 1961, and on his return two years later, the Spinners signed up under Motown Records. Pervis Jackson was born in New Orleans in 1938 and was another original member of the group. Robert Steel “Bobby” Smith was born in 1936 in Detroit. The group had their first record deal when they signed with Tri-Phi Records in early 1961. That year the group had a Top 30 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 titled “That’s What Girls Are Made For”. It peaked at #5 on the Hot R&B Singles chart, and #20 in Toronto. On May 23, 1964, the Spinners appeared in concert at the Hollywood Bowl (later renamed the Grooveyard) in New Westminster. In 1965, “I’ll Always Love You” returned them to the Top Ten on the R&B charts. It also cracked the Top 30 in Vancouver (BC). But eleven other single releases between 1961 and 1970 failed to crack the Hot 100. Another Top 20 R&B hit titled “Truly Yours” charted in Vancouver in 1966.
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