SDC News One | The Other Side Of the Motor City Tracks
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
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
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,
Uarda Minyoun NJie, was born in
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
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
Then, it was on to
Her favorite things to do are play bingo, spend time with
her grandkids, and of course, listen to music.
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
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
Then, it was on to
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
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)
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
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