The Contours are an American rhythm and blues vocal group. They recorded for Motown Records.
They are known for their 1962 hit single "Do You Love Me", which sold over 1 million copies and became a major hit again in 1988.
members: Hubert Johnson, Joe Stubbs, Dennis Edwards
formed in: Detroit
labels: Motown
genres: rhythm and blues
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Although the Contours never quite repeated the extraordinary success of "Do You Love Me," they returned to the charts four times during 1963 and 1964 starting with "Shake Sherry." They also charted on the R&B Charts with the "B-side" to "Can You Jerk Like Me," the Smokey Robinson-penned "That Day When She Needed Me." In 1964, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, Hubert Johnson, and Sylvester Potts all left Motown. Berry Gordy hired Council Gay, Jerry Green and Alvin English to back Billy Gordon, making the Contours a vocal quartet (with Davis remaining the group's guitarist throughout their stint at Motown). During this period, tracks recorded by both line-ups were being put together for a second album for Motown, entitled The Contours: Can You...
"Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number three in 1962 and number 11 in 1988.
Berry Gordy wrote "Do You Love Me" and earmarked it for the Temptations, who had no top-40 hits to their name yet. However, when Gordy was looking for the group to record it, he could not find them as they had gone to church to see gospel groups the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Harmonizing Four and the Swan Silvertones. Instead, the Contours, who had turned up to the studio to record their song "It Must Be Love", were asked by Gordy to try singing "Do You Love Me". After several attempts, they sang it exactly how Gordy wanted, and it was then recorded the following day. Contours singer Joe Billingslea stated in an interview in 2009 that "The Temptations could never have sung that song because it wasn't suited to them but Berry had motivated us...
"Do You Love Me" became a successful dance record, built around lead singer Billy Gordon's screaming vocals. Selling over a million copies, "Do You Love Me" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks starting on October 20, 1962, and reached the top position on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. The song was included on the 1962 album Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance).
Brian Poole and the Tremeloes first heard "Do You Love Me" on the Contours' album Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance). Other bands were also playing the Contours' songs and the group decided that "Do You Love Me" should be the follow-up single to their top-five hit version of "Twist and Shout". It was recorded in the same way as "Twist and Shout", with the group miking up a PA system in the studio in order to imitate their live sound.
In 1964, a cover by the British band The Hollies was included in the album Stay with the Hollies.