Debbie Carter-Clinton, Lee Rogers and Platinum Sound Records

VINYL KNIGHTS | 

Debbie Carter-Clinton, Lee Rogers and Platinum Sound Records

By SDC News One | The Music Legends of Hollywood

The year was 1974, and Hollywood, California, thrummed with the electric, neon pulse of the entertainment industry. The golden California sun dipped low behind the palm trees, casting long shadows across the legendary streets as Lee Rogers and RG Ingersoll sauntered into a famous tourist trap to unwind. Fresh off the triumph of his Loadstone Records Billboard smash hit, "Love Bandit," Rogers was riding high, scouting the city for his next major label deal. He had just returned from San Francisco, where he had commanded the stage as the undeniable star of The Players Ball.

Trdr Radio Show - SDC RadioWorks

Before heading to their evening recording session at Studio "9," Lee and RG seized a few quiet moments over clinking beer bottles and the sharp crack of billiard balls. RG, a musical force in his own right, was busy crafting a blend of soul and rock destined to define an era, collaborating closely with Rogers and his striking next-door neighbor, Debbie Carter-Clinton.

Debbie was already a fixture of Hollywood’s television and movie scene. Possessing an uncanny resemblance to Cher, she turned heads wherever she went, especially when sliding behind the wheel of her pristine white Corvette Sting Ray, bearing California license plates that boldly read "Cher 2." Debbie’s talents weren't limited to the silver screen; she was sharpening her rich vocals under the tutelage of industry royalty like Zola Taylor of The Platters, Cardella DiMilo, David Cassidy, and Lee Rogers himself.

It was into this glittering orbit that Kenny Smith stepped. Fresh out of the crucible of the Vietnam War, the new kid on the block was desperately trying to weave his way back into the tapestry of the music business. Introduced to Ms. Clinton, Smith quickly proved his mettle. He stepped up to produce the very first recordings for the newly formed Soul N Rock Records, distributed by Hitsville, USA. The tracks, "Disco Boogie" and "Double Love Situation," were penned by the formidable trio of Rogers, Ingersoll, and Smith.

The sessions were financially backed by Gwendolyn Gordy-Fuqua, then the executive vice-president of Motown Records. Yet, music is a fickle business, and it was during this contract that Gwen delivered her infamous decree over pressed 45RPM vinyl bearing her publishing company’s name: "I don't put good money behind bad money."

Undeterred, Kenny took two copies of Lee’s record and marched down to XERB-AM, the fifty-thousand-watt radio giant broadcasting out of Monterey, Mexico. The station carried the legendary Wolfman Jack (Bob Smith). By a stroke of pure Hollywood cinematic fate, Kenny found himself riding the elevator in the old Capitol Records building with the howling disc jockey himself. Smith was visiting his cousin Annie Lathan, whose studio happened to be on the same floor. Armed with the vinyl and a crumpled xerox of a Billboard article predicting chart success, Kenny pitched the Wolfman. The gravelly-voiced icon simply accepted the records and vanished into his studio.

Two weeks later, at 11:30 PM on a Saturday night, the airwaves erupted. "Double Love Situation" and "Disco Boogie" hit the playlist as surprise additions, surging upward to claim the #1 and #3 spots.

True to her word, Gwen Gordy-Fuqua summoned them. "I don't put good money behind bad money," she repeated, a wry smile breaking through. "And it appears that I was wrong. Mister Smith, you have made me eat my words."

That moment marked a turning point. Sensing the frost in Gwen's demeanor, it took two weeks for Smith and Rogers to secure their release from Motown as artists and producers. However, Motown’s publishing arm, Stone Diamond Music, kept Smith under contract for the next twenty years. In one of their final parting conversations, Lee looked Gwen in the eye and delivered a sobering truth: "I sell records by the pallets, and you are choking me." It was a heavy blow to the team, and RG Ingersoll, having given six years to Motown, was recycled back into the Jobete Music publishing arm.

Time marched forward. By 1978, Lee Rogers emerged from a hospital stay straight into a new recording deal with Frank Slay's Claridge Records, stepping in as head of promotions. He immediately signed Cardella DiMilo and forged a distribution partnership with Smith and CKS Records, championing three new acts: Total Force, Total Unity, and Ruth Davis. Productions for Cardella were stamped under the banner of Platinum Sound Productions. But the corporate landscape shifted again when Frank Slay sold Claridge Records to Sir Paul McCartney, abruptly cutting Lee and his team's tenure short.

By 1980, Lee and Kenny decided to forge their own path, establishing a label on Berendo Drive in East Hollywood, mere footsteps from Willie Nelson's Lone Star Recording studios. Ingersoll had just finished recording "Second Thoughts" with Lee, marking RG’s debut as a producer for his newly minted Hotrax Productions.

Platinum Sound soon relocated to the corner of San Vicente and Santa Monica Boulevards, staking a claim with nothing more than a name, a vision, and a great logo. Lee signed Debbie Clinton to the fledgling label. Her debut singles, "Love Confusion" and "When You Were Mine"—co-written by Clinton and Rogers—were recorded at Studio "9." While Smith handled the physical manufacturing of the records, Debbie proved equally adept at assembling bands, though she suffered a running curse: her groups would become so phenomenal they would inevitably change their name and cast Debbie aside, bleeding talent to rising stars like Pat Benatar, David Soul, and John Davidson.

Innovation was never far behind. Clinton introduced an Apple computer system to the D-Town and Platinum Sound offices. They locked in a distribution and worldwide representation deal with the Pan Network, rubbing digital shoulders with Virgin Records, InterCord Records, Move UK, and EMI. A specialized fax line hummed with a state-of-the-art 300-baud modem. It was lightning-fast for its era. Mastering the machine meant learning to write one's own software, a task Kenny eagerly undertook, sharing his code on early electronic bulletin boards where intellectual property was gleefully traded away. Security be damned.

By the close of 1988, the sun was setting on the initial golden era of D-Town and Platinum Sound. The CBS/D-Town distribution deal expired and went unrenewed. Transitioning gracefully, D-Town shifted focus, cataloging oldies-but-goodies and dropping digital reprints from their vaults, including over twenty albums under The Sound Of Detroit Series and The Other Side Of The Motor City Tracks Series. Debbie even graced the cover of The Girls of D-Town Records.

Sensing the shifting tides, Lee Rogers decided it was time to step away from the microphone, preferring to leave the spotlight to the younger generation. In a final gesture of generosity, Lee handed Platinum Sound Records and Productions over to Debbie Carter-Clinton. To Kenny Smith, Lee offered a different mission: collect every D-Town recording and every track he had ever cut across the globe, compile them into a definitive LP, and claim the publishing rights for any songs unlisted in ASCAP or BMI catalogs. The resulting masterwork was titled LEE ROGERS CRATON - THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK) COLLECTION, with mechanical royalties directed to Lee’s son, Tony Craton, and his JanTony Records. (Decades later, in 2013, the D-Town catalog would find its way back to the Hanks family).

The transition of Platinum Sound to Debbie, however, was born of profound tragedy. She had been on the cusp of signing a lucrative recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, her music setting charts ablaze in Germany with a tour just on the horizon. But a brutal domestic assault by a new husband crushed her throat, inflicting severe vocal damage that permanently ended her singing career.

Robbed of her voice, Debbie pivoted. Like so many pioneers of the analog era who found themselves swallowed by the digital dawn, she evolved into a renowned digital artist, generating hundreds of striking images and films. In 2012, she packed her life moving from her old Town of Simi Valley by way of Hawaii for several years, and moved to Mountain View, Oklahoma, carrying with her the fading, ghost-lit memories of Hotrax, Platinum Sound, and the golden days of old Hollywood and the Motown sessions.

Kenneth Howard Smith - Vinyl Knights Radio

 

Rosamond California 60th Street Property Access Dispute - REGARDING HISTORICAL ACCESS, ROADWAY USE, UTILITY SERVICE, AND CONTINUOUS PROPERTY ACCESS

SDC News One | Rosamond California 60th Street Property Access Dispute

DECLARATION

REGARDING HISTORICAL ACCESS, ROADWAY USE, UTILITY SERVICE, AND CONTINUOUS PROPERTY ACCESS

Superior Court of California, County of Kern, Mojave

Case Name: [CASE NAME]

Case Number: [CASE NUMBER]

I, [FULL LEGAL NAME], declare as follows:

I. PURPOSE OF THIS DECLARATION

1. I make this declaration based upon my personal knowledge, family records, historical documents, governmental records, utility records, and other records available to me concerning the property historically associated with the Smith family in the Rosamond/60th Street West and Butte Lane area of Kern County, California.

2. I submit this declaration to establish the long and documented history of physical access to the property and to preserve the historical facts concerning the roadway, utility service, governmental recognition, and continuous use associated with the property.

3. The property is presently being denied or substantially prevented from having physical access. This situation threatens the ability of the lawful property owners and occupants to enter, leave, maintain, protect, develop, and otherwise lawfully use the property.

4. I respectfully request that the Court consider the property's documented history and the longstanding circumstances surrounding access before permitting the historical access serving the property to be extinguished, blocked, or otherwise disregarded.

II. ORIGINAL SMITH FAMILY OWNERSHIP

5. On or about June 1958, my parents, Berry J. Smith and Rillie Louise Smith, purchased the original parcel of land that became associated with our family property.

6. To the best of my knowledge and based upon the historical records available to our family, Berry J. Smith and Rillie Louise Smith were among the first, and are understood by our family records to have been the first, residents associated with this original property offering.

7. At the time of the original purchase and development of the property, the surrounding area was substantially different from the developed areas that exist today.

8. The property was nevertheless treated as a place of residence and as property requiring ordinary physical access, utility service, mail delivery, governmental access, emergency access, and other services associated with an established residence.

III. ESTABLISHMENT OF ELECTRICAL SERVICE AND HISTORICAL ROAD IDENTIFICATION

9. In connection with obtaining electrical service for the property, it became necessary to identify the location by a street or roadway designation so that electrical infrastructure could be installed and serviced.

10. The Smith family paid approximately $650.00 per pole for the installation of four (4) high-voltage electrical poles extending toward and serving the property.

11. These electrical poles were not merely theoretical improvements. They were installed as physical infrastructure to provide electrical service to the property.

12. Historical Southern California Edison records identified the location associated with the Smith property as:

BUTTE LANE & 60TH STREET WEST
Route 1, Box 161
Rosamond, California 93560

13. The use of this location designation by the utility company is significant because it demonstrates that the property was historically identified by reference to Butte Lane and 60th Street West for purposes of providing utility service.

14. The electrical infrastructure necessarily required a physical route by which utility personnel could reach, install, inspect, maintain, repair, and service the facilities serving the property.

15. The existence of this infrastructure and the historical location designation are matters that should be verified against the original Southern California Edison records, maps, service records, pole records, work orders, and related documents.

IV. INVOLVEMENT OF KERN COUNTY OFFICIALS

16. The historical establishment and recognition of the property location involved Robert A. Graves, Sr., who was then a Kern County Supervisor representing the Southern Kern County region.

17. My understanding from the family history and available records is that Supervisor Graves was involved in the governmental and administrative matters associated with establishing the location and obtaining necessary services.

18. I further understand that Mrs. Graves had a personal connection to the surrounding area and assisted with the purchase of another parcel on which a church was subsequently established.

19. I do not offer these facts as evidence of any improper governmental action. I offer them to establish the historical circumstances under which the property, its location, roadway identification, and necessary services became recognized in the community and governmental records.

20. County archives, assessor records, road records, subdivision records, maps, utility correspondence, and other governmental records may provide additional evidence concerning the historical recognition of the property and its access.

V. LONGSTANDING GOVERNMENTAL, COMMERCIAL, AND PUBLIC RECOGNITION

21. The historical location was not known solely to the Smith family.

22. Various governmental agencies, businesses, service providers, and members of the public historically recognized the Smith residence and property in connection with Butte Lane and 60th Street West.

23. Among the entities known to have records or historical references associated with the property or location are:

a. Kern County Sheriff's Department;

b. Kern County Fire Department;

c. Kern County governmental offices;

d. Southern California Edison;

e. United States Postal Service rural delivery;

f. Sears and Roebuck;

g. United States Department of Defense;

h. Edwards Air Force Base;

i. Northrop/Northrop-related aircraft operations; and

j. The Bakersfield Californian newspaper.

24. These references are important because they may establish that the property was historically accessible and identifiable by persons and agencies other than the Smith family.

25. In particular, the United States Department of Defense and Edwards Air Force Base became involved with the area in connection with the removal and disposal of live munitions reportedly embedded on or associated with the property.

26. The existence of such governmental activity necessarily demonstrates that government personnel were required to locate and physically reach the property or surrounding area.

27. Likewise, historical references concerning an aircraft associated with Northrop that reportedly crashed near the property demonstrate that the location was known and identifiable in connection with significant events in the surrounding area.

28. Historical newspaper reporting by The Bakersfield Californian concerning the area may provide additional independent evidence establishing the location, accessibility, residents, roads, and activities associated with the property.

VI. HISTORICAL ACCESS WAS NECESSARY FOR ORDINARY USE OF THE PROPERTY

29. The Smith family could not reasonably have occupied and maintained the property without physical access.

30. Residential occupation required the ability to travel to and from the property, receive mail and deliveries, obtain utility service, receive emergency services, conduct maintenance, transport supplies, and perform ordinary activities associated with ownership and residence.

31. The installation and maintenance of electrical poles further demonstrate the practical necessity of physical access to the property.

32. Governmental, utility, postal, commercial, emergency, and other activities associated with the property further support the historical existence and recognition of physical access.

33. The access was therefore not a recent convenience created for the present dispute.

34. It was part of the historical circumstances under which the property was purchased, occupied, identified, serviced, and recognized.

VII. CONTINUITY AND RELIANCE

35. The Smith family relied upon the existence of physical access when acquiring, occupying, maintaining, and using the property.

36. The historical use of the property and its identification as being at or associated with Butte Lane and 60th Street West continued over a substantial period of time.

37. The family did not purchase the property with the understanding that it would be physically inaccessible.

38. To the contrary, the property's history demonstrates that access was treated as an existing and necessary condition of the property.

39. The present attempt to deny or obstruct physical access would therefore substantially alter the historical condition under which the property was acquired and used.

VIII. PRESENT ACCESS PROBLEM

40. At present, physical access to the property is being denied, obstructed, or challenged.

41. As a result, the property is effectively being placed in a condition in which lawful owners or occupants cannot reliably reach the property.

42. This creates serious practical consequences, including potential problems involving:

a. emergency access;

b. fire protection;

c. law-enforcement response;

d. medical response;

e. utility maintenance;

f. property maintenance;

g. delivery of materials and supplies;

h. inspection and repair;

i. protection of the property from damage or trespass; and

j. ordinary ingress and egress by lawful owners and occupants.

43. I believe that permanently eliminating the historical means of access without a determination of the property's historical and legal access rights would cause substantial and potentially irreparable harm.

IX. HISTORICAL RECORDS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED

44. I respectfully request that the Court consider the historical records associated with this property rather than examining the present-day physical configuration alone.

45. Relevant records may include, but are not limited to:

a. original deeds and conveyances;

b. Kern County Recorder records;

c. Kern County Assessor records;

d. historical parcel maps;

e. road and right-of-way maps;

f. Southern California Edison service records;

g. electrical pole installation records;

h. utility correspondence;

i. United States Postal Service rural delivery records;

j. Kern County Sheriff's Department records;

k. Kern County Fire Department records;

l. Department of Defense records;

m. Edwards Air Force Base records;

n. historical newspaper articles;

o. historical aerial photographs;

p. historical surveys;

q. historical maps;

r. records concerning emergency response;

s. records concerning the removal of live munitions; and

t. any other governmental or private records identifying the property or its historical means of access.

46. I believe these records may establish facts concerning the existence, location, recognition, and historical use of the access serving the property.

X. PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL ACCESS RIGHTS

47. I am not asking the Court to create a new road or grant a new privilege based solely upon present circumstances.

48. Rather, I ask that the Court determine and protect whatever historical property rights, easement rights, roadway rights, rights of ingress and egress, prescriptive rights, implied rights, rights arising from necessity, or other legally enforceable interests may have arisen from the property's history and longstanding use.

49. The Smith family's acquisition and occupation of the property beginning in or about 1958 predates the present dispute by many decades.

50. The historical utility service, roadway designation, governmental recognition, residential use, mail service, emergency access, and other documented activities should be considered in determining the nature and extent of the property's access rights.

51. Nothing in this declaration is intended to waive any claim, defense, easement, right-of-way, property right, statutory right, equitable right, or other legal theory available to the property owner or the Smith family.

52. I specifically reserve the right to supplement this declaration if additional historical documents, governmental records, utility records, photographs, maps, witnesses, or other evidence are located.

XI. REQUEST FOR JUDICIAL CONSIDERATION

53. I respectfully request that the Court recognize that this is not simply a dispute over a present-day driveway or an informal route across vacant land.

54. The evidence indicates a property with a documented history dating back to approximately 1958, including residential occupation, utility installation, historical roadway identification, governmental recognition, commercial activity, emergency considerations, and other uses requiring physical access.

55. Eliminating access to a property that has historically been occupied and serviced would have profound consequences for the property's use and value.

56. I therefore respectfully request that the Court deny any attempt to extinguish or obstruct the property's historical access rights unless and until the full chain of title, historical roadway records, utility records, governmental records, historical use, and all applicable California property law have been fully considered.

57. I further request that all relevant public agencies and private entities preserve any historical records relating to the property, including records concerning Butte Lane, 60th Street West, Route 1 Box 161, Southern California Edison service, governmental access, emergency response, and the Smith family's occupancy and use of the property.

XII. DECLARATION UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my personal knowledge, information, and belief. Where I have identified historical information obtained from records or family history rather than personal observation, I have identified it as such and request that the underlying records be considered as supporting evidence.

Executed on ____________________, 2026, at __________________________, California.

__________________________________
[FULL LEGAL NAME]
Declarant

Address: ______________________________

Telephone: _____________________________

Email: _________________________________

A very important legal point

I would not file this exactly as-is without checking the underlying documents. The strongest version of this case may come from proving a specific property right rather than simply arguing that the road has existed for a long time.

For a California property-access fight, I would have an attorney investigate these potential theories:

• Express easement/right-of-way in an old deed or recorded instrument.

• Prescriptive easement based on qualifying open, notorious, continuous use for the statutory period.

• Easement by necessity, depending on how the parcels were created and whether access was legally necessary.

• Implied easement based upon the circumstances surrounding the original conveyance and historical use.

• Historical public/private roadway rights, including whether a county or other governmental entity ever accepted, maintained, mapped, or recognized the road.

• Estoppel/reliance, if governmental or private parties represented or treated the access as existing and the property owners relied upon that representation.

• Potential issues involving abandonment, extinguishment, relocation, or obstruction if someone is now claiming that a historically used route disappeared.

The $650-per-pole payment is particularly worth documenting. If you can locate the original Southern California Edison receipt, work order, service application, correspondence, map, or account record showing that the Smith family paid for the four poles and that the service address was Butte Lane & 60th Street West, that could be substantially more persuasive than simply stating it from family memory.

Likewise, I would try to obtain the actual Kern County road maps and recorder records from around 1958–1965, rather than relying solely on the modern description of the property.

And there's one thing I would be especially careful about: do not say that a government agency “established” or “recognized” a legal easement unless the records actually establish that. We can say the records identify the property, show access, or document use. Then let the evidence support the legal conclusion. That makes the declaration considerably harder to attack as speculation.

If you have the old deed, current deed, assessor parcel number, survey, legal description, road map, SCE document, or the opposing party's challenge, those documents could allow this to be turned into a much stronger California court-ready declaration with an exhibit list and a chronological 1958–2026 access timeline.

 Vinyl Knights Music Stories

The Nickel That Built Detroit: When the Jukebox Was the People's Radio

By Kenneth Howard Smith

The neon sign for Lulu's Diner flickered in a rhythmic stutter, casting a buzzing pink glow across the rain-slicked pavement of West Grand Boulevard. Inside, the smell of sizzling hamburgers, cigarette smoke, and fresh coffee mingled with something else—a feeling that history might be about to happen.

Standing near the counter was Eddie.

Twenty-four years old, wearing a suit that fit more from determination than tailoring, Eddie carried a cardboard box filled with seven-inch 45 rpm records. He wasn't selling records.

He was fighting for survival.

Eddie worked for Blue Bolt Records, one of Detroit's countless independent record companies operating on little more than passion, borrowed money, and impossible dreams. Their office occupied the back room of a neighborhood dry cleaner, where pressing another thousand records often meant someone skipped a paycheck.

Tonight, Eddie wasn't trying to convince a radio station.

He was trying to convince the man who actually controlled Detroit's soundtrack.

Big Diamond Jim.

The legendary jukebox operator stood before a gleaming Wurlitzer 2100, methodically replacing records that had failed to earn enough nickels during the week. Every discarded record represented another dream that had come and gone.

Without looking up, Jim spoke.

"Radio's already full of Motown."

His deep voice echoed over the chrome and glass.

"The Supremes. Marvin Gaye. Mary Wells. Smokey Robinson. They're polished. They're clean. Radio loves 'em."

He slid another record into the reject pile.

"So why should I give one of my slots to a girl who sounds like she recorded in somebody's basement?"

Eddie smiled.

"Because she did."

Jim finally looked up.

"And because the people walking in here after ten hours on the Ford assembly line don't want perfect."

He pointed toward the diner windows where shift workers were beginning to arrive.

"They want somebody who sounds exactly like they feel."

"That's Sylvie Thorne."

"That's D-Town soul."

---

Across West Grand Boulevard the lights of Hitsville U.S.A. burned late into the night.

Inside those famous walls, Berry Gordy's Motown machine was changing American music forever.

The Funk Brothers created flawless rhythm tracks.

Artists attended charm school.

Dance routines were rehearsed until every movement was perfect.

Motown wasn't just making records.

It was manufacturing dreams.

Radio stations loved them because every record sounded ready for national audiences.

But Detroit was far bigger than Motown.

Scattered across the city were dozens of independent labels that couldn't afford expensive promotion, national distributors, or influential radio programmers.

Fortune Records.

Golden World.

Ric-Tic.

Revilot.

Thelma.

Karen.

Palmer.

Solid Hit.

And many more.

Each had remarkable artists.

Each had songs.

Each had hope.

What they didn't have...

...was radio.

So they found another audience.

The neighborhood jukebox.

---

"Give me one weekend."

Eddie placed Sylvie Thorne's record gently onto the counter.

"Slot Fourteen."

"If fifty people play it by Monday morning..."

"I'll buy you the biggest steak in Detroit."

"And I'll never ask again."

Big Diamond Jim stared at him for several seconds.

Finally, he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the handwritten title strip.

He snapped it into place.

Slot Fourteen.

MIDNIGHT ON THE LODGE
Sylvie Thorne
Blue Bolt Records

"You've got until Monday."

"If those nickels don't come..."

"The record goes in the trash."

---

Friday afternoon.

Detroit changed shifts.

Thousands poured out of Ford.

Chrysler.

General Motors.

American Axle.

Foundries.

Steel plants.

Machine shops.

The city exhaled.

Men and women still wearing grease beneath their fingernails walked into diners, bowling alleys, taverns, social clubs, and neighborhood restaurants.

Eddie sat quietly in the last booth.

Watching.

Waiting.

Praying.

Three transmission workers entered Lulu's.

One headed directly toward the glowing Wurlitzer.

He ignored the Top Ten hits.

Ignored the familiar names.

Instead...

He studied the handwritten labels near the bottom.

Unknown records.

Unknown artists.

Unknown dreams.

A nickel dropped.

Clunk.

Click.

The mechanical arm swung into motion.

It lifted Blue Bolt's record.

Placed it carefully onto the turntable.

The needle settled with a soft crackle.

Sylvie's voice emerged.

No polished orchestra.

No elegant introduction.

Just a distorted guitar that sounded like an old engine fighting to start on a freezing Michigan morning.

Then came the voice.

Rough.

Honest.

Weathered.

Beautiful.

She sang:

"I'm still standing on the line..."

The worker closed his eyes.

Slowly...

His head began to nod.

Another man joined him.

Then another.

Soon coffee spoons tapped against ceramic mugs.

Boots beat quietly beneath tables.

Conversations stopped.

Everyone listened.

---

Behind the counter, the radio DJ proudly introduced Motown's newest release.

The Miracles sparkled through the speaker.

But no one heard it.

The waitress quietly turned the radio volume down.

The jukebox had taken control.

Inside thousands of neighborhood businesses across America, jukeboxes became something radio could never be.

Democratic.

Every nickel represented a vote.

Every replay represented approval.

No executives.

No program directors.

No playlists.

Only listeners deciding what deserved another spin.

For independent Detroit labels, jukeboxes became miniature radio stations sitting inside every diner, pool hall, tavern, barber shop, and malt shop.

Before radio programmers admitted a record existed...

Neighborhood people had already decided whether it mattered.

---

Sunday morning arrived.

Big Diamond Jim unlocked the back of the Wurlitzer.

The cash drawer was unusually heavy.

He removed it.

Nickels.

Dimes.

Quarters.

Weekend memories.

Then he checked Slot Fourteen's mechanical play counter.

He stared.

Looked again.

Then smiled.

"Eighty-four."

Eddie blinked.

"What?"

"Eighty-four plays."

Jim shook his head.

"You beat the new Martha and the Vandellas record."

Silence filled the diner.

Finally Eddie answered.

"People like hearing themselves."

"The radio tells folks what to dream about."

"The jukebox reminds them who they already are."

Big Diamond Jim closed the machine.

"I've got six more routes in the North End."

He held out his hand.

"Bring me six more copies."

"And tell Miss Sylvie..."

"...to get back into that basement."

"Detroit just hired her."

---

As dawn climbed over the factories, Eddie stepped outside.

Across town, Motown would continue making history.

Rightfully so.

Berry Gordy proved that Detroit music could conquer the world.

But another story unfolded simultaneously.

Hundreds of independent labels fought their own battles one nickel at a time.

Many never became household names.

Some disappeared after only a handful of releases.

Others later supplied Motown itself with artists, musicians, and hit songs.

Golden World eventually became part of Motown.

Ric-Tic artists crossed over.

Fortune Records left behind a catalog treasured by collectors worldwide.

Their victories often began not on radio...

...but inside neighborhood jukeboxes.

Long before streaming services counted clicks...

Long before Billboard monitored digital downloads...

Detroit counted nickels.

Every coin represented belief.

Every selection represented community.

Every jukebox became a tiny broadcasting station owned not by corporations...

...but by ordinary people.

That is why the characters in this story—Blue Bolt Records, Eddie, Sylvie Thorne, and Big Diamond Jim—stand not for one company or one individual, but for the hundreds of unsung dreamers who built Detroit's independent music scene. They represent labels like Fortune Records, Golden World, Ric-Tic, Revilot, Thelma, Karen, Palmer, and dozens of others whose music first found life in the glowing chrome cabinets of neighborhood jukeboxes before radio ever took notice.

Motown may have become the sound of America.

But Detroit's independent labels were the heartbeat of the neighborhoods.

And on those unforgettable nights, beneath the neon lights of diners and corner taverns, the jukebox wasn't simply playing records.

It was giving ordinary people the power to decide what deserved to become history.

Because in Detroit...

The first hit wasn't measured by radio ratings.

It was measured...

One nickel at a time.

Instagram Disables SDC RadioWorks Account for Cause, Again

SDC NEWS ONE | Meta Data - 

 Why They Hate Aussie Country Music?Instagram Disables SDC RadioWorks Account for Cause, Again 

SDC RadioWorks Takes The Gloves Off Against Meta, Again - 
 

MEMPHIS TN [IFS] - The fluorescent lights of the Smith Data Communications OmniMedia Group headquarters hummed with a clinical, rhythmic persistence, a sound that Kenneth Howard Smith, Esq., usually found comforting. It was the sound of data moving, of archives growing, and of a legacy being built.

As CEO and President, Kenneth didn’t view social media through the lens of a teenager seeking validation. To him, the SDC RadioWorks Instagram account was a ledger—a visual and auditory filing cabinet for the SDC Digital Radio Networks. It was a repository for the soul of their programming, specifically the raw, dusty, and honest chords of Australian Country and Americana.

Then came the email.

It arrived at 2:14 AM, a cold digital executioner. “Your account has been disabled.”

Kenneth sat back in his leather chair, the glow of the monitor reflecting off his glasses. The accusation was as vague as it was insulting: “Falsifying the platform with questionable posts.” Meta’s algorithms had flagged SDC Digital Radio’s latest archival upload—September 2025 Volume 3—as some form of deception.

“Questionable?” Kenneth whispered to the empty office.

He looked at the tracklist he had meticulously curated. Track 2: The Goo Goo Dolls, Not Goodbye. Track 9: Larry Cann, Many Good Reasons. Track 13: Olivia Millin, Soul For The Taking. These weren’t just files; they were the heartbeat of a cross-continental bridge between the outback and the American heartland. From the Rick Stone Band’s redneck pride to the haunting melodies of Phoebe Hutchinson, every post was a documented piece of music history.

SDC didn’t play the "click-bait" game. They weren't hunting for "likes" or viral fame. They were storage-heavy, data-driven curators. Every image used, every artist featured—from the gritty vocals of Michael J. Versluis to the breezy rhythms of Steen Rylander—was authorized, verified, and part of the OmniMedia Group’s controlled ecosystem.

The system, however, didn’t care about the law or the facts. It cared about patterns.

A glimmer of hope appeared when Meta requested a "self-photo" to verify his identity. It felt beneath a man of his standing—a President and an attorney being asked to prove he existed to a machine—but Kenneth complied. He stood against a white wall, held the digital gaze of his camera, and sent the evidence of his humanity into the ether.

The response was near-instant, and it was a door slamming shut.

“Our review is final. This decision is non-reversible.”

The irony wasn’t lost on him. SDC RadioWorks was being erased for "deceiving" the platform, while the platform itself used a faceless, nameless process to strip a legitimate business of its digital archives. They claimed the music and the artists—the very essence of Australian Country—were somehow "questionable." To the algorithm, perhaps the sudden influx of Americana from a digital radio network in September 2025 looked like a glitch. To Kenneth, it was simply Tuesday’s programming.

He looked at the tracklist one last time. Track 21: Window Vain, Are You Happy.

Kenneth Howard Smith didn’t feel happy. He felt the weight of a new era—an era where a CEO’s word and a lawyer’s record could be overruled by a line of code that couldn’t tell the difference between a bot and the steel guitar of a Rick Stone track.

But SDC OmniMedia Group wasn't built on rented land. While Meta could close a window, they couldn’t stop the broadcast. The music was still there, stored in the proprietary servers, humming in the quiet of the office.

“Non-reversible,” Kenneth mused, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. “We’ll see about that.”

In the world of data, nothing is ever truly gone. It just moves to a frequency the giants can’t hear. As the sun began to rise, the SDC Digital Music Mix for September 2025 began to play, filling the room with the sound of The Rubber Meets The Road.

The account was gone, but the radio was still loud, and the truth was still on the record.

VINYL KNIGHTS - Carmen C. Murphy - Maestros, Music Please!

 VINYL KNIGHTS | HOB Records and Detroit Music

The air in Detroit didn’t just smell like gasoline and burnt rubber from the Ford plants; it smelled like ambition. In the late 1950s, the "D" in D-Town was a promise. It was a city of iron-clad contrasts: the roar of the assembly line by day and the celestial hum of church pews by night. But beneath the industrial grind, there was a rhythm waiting for a heartbeat.

At that time, the gatekeepers lived three thousand miles away. The Bhari Brothers out of California held the keys to the kingdom with Modern and Kent Records. If you wanted to hear the blues, you listened to B.B. King; if you wanted soul, you looked to Etta James. They were the giants. But in the basements of Detroit’s brick houses, a new generation of musicians was tired of looking West. They wanted to build their own kingdom right here on Woodward Avenue.

The problem wasn’t the talent—it was the press. To get a record into a listener’s hands, you needed a "godfather" in the business. Distribution was a labyrinth controlled by shadowy power brokers and pressing plants in Memphis. If you didn’t have a name, you didn’t have a voice.

Enter Carmen C. Murphy.

She was a woman who didn't know the meaning of the word "no." Already a millionaire from her cosmetics empire, she saw the music business not just as an investment, but as a calling. Alongside Jack Ellis, a radio engineer with a golden ear, she turned the "House of Beauty" into HOB Records. It was a revolution in a bottle: the first Black-owned beauty supply company that doubled as a powerhouse for gospel music. While women were getting their hair pressed upstairs, the Peppermints were harmonizing in the basement. Carmen Murphy wasn’t just selling lipstick; she was selling the soul of the city.

But if Carmen was the grace of Detroit, Mike Hanks was its fire.

In 1957, Hanks launched MAH’s Records—later D-Town—with Lee Rogers’ "Sad Affair." Mike was a man of high-octane passion and a short-fuse temperament. He was the kind of producer who could hear a hit in a rainstorm, but his volatility was a live wire. D-Town was a beacon of local pride, but it stood in the shadow of a rising titan: Berry Gordy.

Berry Gordy’s strategy was surgical. He didn't just want to make music; he wanted to own the airwaves. He watched the smaller labels like a hawk. When Golden World Records hit #1 with the Romeos’ "Just Like Romeo and Juliet," Berry didn't just applaud; he planned. He began absorbing the competition, buying up labels like Ric-Tic and D-Town, folding their talent into the "Hitsville" machine. He added his signature "symphony strings" to everything, a polished, uptown sheen that defined the Motown Sound.

Yet, whether it was a gritty D-Town track or a polished Motown anthem, the heartbeat remained the same. It belonged to one man: James Jamerson.

Jamerson was the Maestro. He didn’t need sheet music. He didn’t need instructions. He would sit in the studio, impeccably dressed, perhaps with a drink nearby, and wait for the track to begin. He’d listen once, his fingers finding the pocket of a rhythm no one else had discovered yet. When he played the bassline for Jr. Walker’s "Shot Gun," he wasn’t just playing notes—illegally syncopated and dangerously funky, he was driving the car.

I remember sitting with him in 1979, sharing a bottle of wine. He was a man of laughter and stories, a king who knew he had built the foundation of an era. He died shortly after, but that bassline? That lives forever.

Tragedy, however, was the flip side of the Detroit coin. Mike Hanks’ temper eventually caught up with him. A violent confrontation with his girlfriend’s brothers ended his life on the doorstep of his own club, marking a dark end to one of D-Town’s most vibrant chapters.

But the music was too big to stay in one city. Lee Rogers, the voice of D-Town, eventually followed the rhythm south to Memphis. In a legendary session at Hi Records, he walked into the studio with the greats—Al Jackson Jr. on drums and "Duck" Dunn on bass. Lee didn't have a single note written down. He stood at the mic, closed his eyes, and recorded "Love For A Love" in one take. Fifteen minutes of work for a lifetime of legend.

Eventually, the road led West. Berry Gordy moved the machine to Hollywood, and Lee Rogers followed the sun. It was there, among the palms and the neon of the ABC Shindig sets, that the Detroit sound fused with California dreams.

The story of the Detroit Sound isn't just a discography of hits. It’s a story of people like Carmen Murphy, who saw beauty in a basement; Mike Hanks, who fought for every note; and James Jamerson, who gave the world a pulse. It was a "Beginning of a Beginning"—a testament to the fact that while labels can be sold and studios can be closed, a true Maestro’s music never stops playing.

Maestros, music please!

Carmen C. Murphy created HOB Records, Anna Records, D-Town right along with Motown

 SDC News One | The Other Side Of the Motor City Tracks

January 5, 2015 | SDC News One

MEMPHIS TN (IFS) -- D-Town Records co-founder and musical genius Michael Alonzo Hanks daughter joins the family with her BHS Enterprises which will be anchored in Atlanta, Georgia.  Kenneth Howard Smith, the current CEO and President of the 55 year old label welcome a Michael Hanks namesake back into the fold of the label.

It has been over 45 years since a member of the Hanks family has been invited back to sit at the table of D-Town Records.  In 1966, Roosevelt Grier, Roger Brown, Pete Hall and Martha Jean Steinberg took over the reins of D-Town Records in Detroit, leaving Hanks to go to Motown Records, taking with him the groups of The Fabulous Peps and his Soul Records label.

D-Town did not suffer in the transition as it produced a string of hits with Lee Rogers, the Precision, Dee Edwards, Connie Van Dyke, the Staple Singers and Rosey Grier.

With Hanks now a member of the Motown family did not wait to long to get his international attention, as his group the Fabulous Peps changed their name to the Undisputed Truth, scoring a Billboard Number #1 record with "Smiling Faces", Gladys Knight and the Pips, Leo and the Leopards, the Elgins and several other groups before his untimely death.

Hanks with the help of Carmen C. Murphy created D-Town right along with Motown labels.  Murphy had the only licensed record pressing permit in Detroit and she help to sponsor many of the young labels in their early days.

The four men in Murphy's recording life was Mickey Stevenson, Jack Surrell, Hanks and Gordy.  Murphy's label was called the "House Of Beauty" Records.  With a suggestion by Hanks and Gordy to just use the first initials of the company for the record label, HOB Records was born.

The first recordings by HOB included James Cleveland's Voice of Tabernacle and the young boy group of the Peppermints with Lee Rogers and later with Ty Douglass (of the Originals and the Contours).

Hanks and Berry Gordy, Jr., worked together at the Chrysler plant manufacturing cars.  It those early days, Hanks and Gordy would spend their lunch breaks writing songs.  It's not hard to listen to those early songs and the men generated the same sounds, using the core players headed by Jamie Jameson.

As with most relationships in those days, the split between Hanks and Gordy comes with a woman by the name of Mary Wells.  Both men had written great songs for her, but only one voice would prevail, with Wells deciding to go with Gordy.

The competition between Hanks and Gordy would prove to be one of the greatest rivalries in music history.  Both men tied at the hip to Murphy's HOB Records, began to deliver an unprecedented amount of music into the marketplace.

Murphy's gave the name Motown to Gordy and D-Town to Hanks.  With Anna Gordy in the mix, Berry's new record release on his new found Motown label had to be delayed and given over to Anna Records, as Anna financed the recording and record pressing for his first release.  The artist was Barrett Strong and the song was entitled "Money (That's What I want)" created such a great sensation, that Gordy had enough money to move his operation into his own building.

Uarda Minyoun NJie, was born in Detroit, Michigan on October 6, 1950, the oldest of three children of Mike Alonzo Hanks and Ella Pierce.  A naïve Detroiter,  Uarda’s, roots started early at an elementary school for handicapped children continuing on to Mackenzie High School graduate  and completing two year of Wayne Community College where she major in Interior Design. 

Although, she was born with Polio, that didn’t stop her from running the streets with her cousins, often across state lines. Uarda was described as the “chosen one” by her childhood friends, with such a unique name “Uarda” has always had a love for people that was one of her special gifts.   Being blessed with two brothers as musicians, Uarda traveled frequently with them, playing different clubs, concerts, venues, she was there.  

In a band, very young, her brothers always would insist “Uarda” entertained the idea of singing back up, other than that idea, she has always been a music lover, and maintain great love for the entertainment business.  Working with her son at 11 yrs. old, in recording studio, “Uarda” realized her love for the music business.

Hanks continued to record and sign up and coming new artists, including the Staple Singers and the Fugitives (with Todd Rundgren).

Having a passion for hair Uarda attended beauty school at the Virginia Farrell School of beauty where she graduated with honors.   Uarda had no problem dominating Detroit’s hair scene she often coiffed the locks of various well-known musical artists and actors. She even moved and did hair in California, where she was swept off of her feet by African businessman, Baboucar NJie.  

The two were married after 2 years and had 2 children together, Mallorie, and Baboucar Jr.  Uarda also had 4 older step children that were from Baboucar’s previous marriage, who she took in and cared for as her own.  

Uarda and her family eventually found their way back to Detroit after living in both Wisconsin and Ohio. Uarda owned her fair share of successful beauty parlors around the Detroit metro area. The last shop in Detroit she owned was with her baby sister Angel, one of Detroit’s leading nail techs.

Then, it was on to Atlanta, GA. While in Atlanta, Uarda tried working desk jobs but her heart lead her back to hair.   Uarda worked in a few shops around the Atlanta area, and after the passing of her husband in 2010, she decided to open her own. She named it Broads. Uarda enjoyed working in her own shop again for awhile but closed the shop after only 2 years.   She now lives in Austell, GA where she is as active as she has ever been.

Her favorite things to do are play bingo, spend time with her grandkids, and of course, listen to music.  Attending Ashford University, Uarda’s has found a new found passion in writing, majoring in journalism and is looking forward to putting out several books, one of her late great father an autobiography.

NJie's BHS Enterprises will have distribution and manufacturing rights to the entire D-Town Records catalog written and produced by her famous father.  Furthermore, NJie's will have a seat on the D-Town Records' Board of Directors which will make her late father very happy.

After all it has taken over 45 years for a relative of Mike Hanks to be invited back to the table.  This is a historical event in the annuals of music history.

Uarda attended beauty school at the Virginia Farrell School of beauty where she graduated with honors having being in the business for thirty –fives or more with no problem, dominating Detroit’s hair scene she often coiffed the locks of various well-known musical artists and actors. Uarda broaden her horizons and moved to California in the eighties tackle the scene of hair, and was swept off of her feet by an African businessman, Baboucar NJie.   

The two were married after 2 years and had 2 children together, Mallorie, and Baboucar Jr.    Uarda and her family eventually found their way back to Detroit after living in two other states, Wisconsin and Ohio. Uarda owned her fair share of successful beauty salons around the Detroit metro area. The last hurrah, was in “1997” in the city of Detroit with her baby sister Angel, one of Detroit’s leading nail techs, the salon was called “Sistah’s Hair & Nails!”

Then, it was on to Atlanta, GA. While in Atlanta, Uarda decided to tried “corporate job” but her heart lead her back to hair.   Uarda worked in a few shops around the Atlanta area, and after the passing of her husband in 2010, she decided to open her own.

Uarda enjoyed working in her own salon again for a while, but closed the salon after only 2 years realizing the passion was gone and a new passion had surfaced.   She now lives in Austell, GA where she is as active as she has ever been, spend time with her grandkids, and of course, listen to music.

Attending Ashford University, Uarda’s has a new found passion in writing, majoring in journalism and is looking forward to putting out several books, one of her late great father, an autobiography and some novels.

 

List of interview questions for Uarda NJie:

 

1.         Tell me about yourself?

 

2.         Why did you leave your last job?

 

3.         Please tell me about your long-term career goals as a Music producer/label owner?

 

4.         Prospective artist Informs you that you would be a resource using this organization?

 

5.         Why Research and Development (R&D) Are the toughest options to produce?

 

6.         How will you handle it once the artist is wrong?

 

7.         What kind of success are you looking for as a record label owner?

 

8.         What irritates you about new recording artists?

 

9.         Furthermore, do you develop trends or start them?

 

10.        What are key tasks for a Music producer/label owner?

 

11.        What have you learned from your past jobs that relates to the music industry?

 

12.        Do you like to work individually or around a team?

 

13.        Now when was the ultimate time you were angry? What went wrong?

 

14.        How will you handle stress/pressure?

 

15.        Describe the rate of interest where you were employed?

 

16.        The amount of hours can you work?

 

17.        What made you choose this field as a Music/record producer?

 

18.        What are top 3 skills for a Music producer?

 

19.        How do you apply ISO 9001 for your Music producer job?

 

20.        What are the most common mistakes for Music producer’s job and how to solve them?

 

21.        Do you have any questions?

RESOLUTION 01-01-2015-001

January 5, 2015

 

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Uarda Minyoun NJie ,minuarda@yahoo.com

BHS Enterprises

Atlanta. GA

Upon recommendation and approval by the current members of the D-Town Records, Inc., Board of Directors;

 

Kenneth Howard Smith, CEO/President, D-Town Records

Russell George Ingersoll, CEO/President, Hotrax Record Productions

Deborah Clinton-Carter, CEO/President, Platinum Sound Productions

Anthony Craton, CEO/President, Jantony Record Productions

Uarda Minyoun NJie, CEO/President,  BHS Enterprises

 

Uarda Minyoun NJie 's BHS Enterprises will have distribution and manufacturing rights to the entire D-Town Records catalog as written and produced by her father.  June 1, 2014

Furthermore, NJie's will have been appointed a seat on the D-Town Records' Board of Director as of March 3, 2014.

On this date, first written above, by vote and approval, that all interest in the original D-Town Records recordings, logos and business interest, not to include the Associated labels artists, mechanical rights, logos and promotions, that D-TOWN RECORDS shall become the sole property of Uarda Minyoun NJie, as she has all the rights and privileges of total control and ownership of the D-TOWN RECORDS company so stated above, as of this date, January 12, 2015.

So say one, and so say yea all, that the ownership of seventy (70%) per cent ownership shall be passed to Uarda Minyoun NJie, and that Anthony Craton, and Jantony Production shall be a permanent member of the Board of Directors; with control of (thirty (30%) and that the resignation of Russell George Ingersoll, Deborah Clinton-Carter, and Kenneth Howard Smith be immediate and desolved for the total sum of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($100,000.00) to be received in hand on a date in the future with cash and stock securities to be determined by the profits received from sales and mechanical rights from licensing to others.

That, the stock securities and cash option shall be delayed from payment to the former board members, as shall be called in a date and time to be agreed upon date in the future.

And so, with these gifts to be distributed in the future as promised, D-TOWN RECORDS hereby becomes the property and control of Uarda Minyoun NJie, and BHS Enterprises so stated above.

//s//

Kenneth Howard Smith

CEO/President, D-Town Records

 

 

 

 

 

1930 VOLLINTINE AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38107-3117 -  (901-310-9061)

 SDCINTERNETICS@MSN.COM

January 19, 2015

Uarda Minyoun NJie ,minuarda@yahoo.com

BHS Enterprises

Atlanta. GA

RESOLUTION 01-01-2015-001

January 5, 2015

 

Dear Ms. Njie,

Per your telecom on/or about  January 8, 2015, your issue being that you could not understand the division of D-Town Records equity, i.e., that SDC OmniMedia Group only took a Five (5%) per cent interest position at $100,000 dollars.

First, to clarify the position equity:

1)      Each percentage point is valued at $20,000, i.e., One (1%) percent equals $20,000.00, which means that the SDC OmniMedia Group’s position is only $100,000.00.

2)      Tony Craton’s Jantony Records Productions is valued at TWENTY-FIVE (25%) and/or $20,000.00 per one (1%) percentage point, or $500,000.00

3)      That BHS Enterprises point is valued at $1, 400,000.00. (ONE MILLION FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS) i.e.,  One (1%) percent  equals $20,000.00, which means that BHS Enterprises is in control of SEVENTY (70%) percent

As, I stated earlier in our conversation, that in 1998, Price Waterhouse valued D-Town Records at approximately $4.2 MILLION DOLLARS.

As I finalized this D-Town Records Resolution, it was my last act as co-owner and president, by dissolving the present Board of Directors and stepping down as the head of D-Town Records, which means that there is no more executive interest and/or controlling decisions by me on the interest and direction of D-Town Records, which has been officially transferred to you and your organization.

However, at this point in time, if you request any future direction from me, my standard charge is $250.00 per hour, billed in one quarter (1/4) hours.

I wish you and your family the best and continued success.

Respectfully,

THE SDC OMNIMEDIA GROUP

/s/

KENNETH HOWARD SMITH