The Monitors - Grazing In The Grass

This is the title track of our album by The Monitors, released in 1990. This song is one of my own personal favourite songs of all time, and I cut it twice, first on The Monitors, and later on Paul Young. It originally came out as a jazz instrumental by Hugh Masekela, and then the utterly timeless fabulous vocal version by The Friends Of Distinction, on RCA, a soul record that's also synonymous with the whole late 1960s flower power movement. I just had to cut it on The Monitors. To my mind, it seemed the perfect song to showcase the amazing harmony abilities of this wonderful Motown group. The original line up of the Monitors at Motown consisted of Richard Street as lead singer, with Warren Harris, Maurice Fagin, Sandra Fagin, and Hershel Hunter. When we got them reformed for Motorcity, Richard Street was with The Temptations, and Sandra Fagin had passed away, but we succeeded in getting the other three back together. They brought in Smokey Robinson's nephew, Darryl Littlejohn, as lead singer and added a girl singer called Cathy, who was a Detroit policewoman. One of my treasured memories was getting Wanda Rogers of The Marvelettes back to performing live, at the Pontchartrain concert in Detroit, with the Monitors backing her up, all dressed in sharp white tuxedos. Warren Harris, who has now passed away, was the comedian of the Motorcity Project, and had us all in stitches constantly... "Heyyyyyyyyyy - Come into my office" Treasured memories of a wonderful vocal group with the best harmonies ever, as they show on this breathtaking classic.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Motown
• Northern-Soul
• Detroit
• Motorcity
• Soul-Groups
• Classic
• Soul
• Sixties

[MotownMaster]

someone told me Saundra Faguin is still alive

[IanLevine]

@MotownMaster - Nonsense. I worked with her brother Maurice for our first Monitors recordings in 1989 and she was long dead back then.

[deepchocolate08]

My grandmother is doing well, um i actually wanted to try and get in touch with darryl for my grandmother because it;s been years since she's seen him, so if you have a current number or address for darryl i would greatly appreciate it...thanks!

[IanLevine]

I just recorded a brand new song with him, "Glad You're My Lady", our first work together for nearly twenty years, for my brand new album "Northern Soul 2009". Released on September 21st 2009

[xcalibur9874]

theres so many versions of grazing in the grass, but theyre all good

[Cintheaa]

Wow, what a great group.  Awesome posting! Love their version of this song.

[dggd]

Wow! Love 'em!! They're the real back in the day deal!! My kinda folks!!!

[maestroza]

Sorry to hear about Warren. I was their guitar player and music director, summer of 68. It was indeed good to see him in this video. He was real nice to me, I was 18 at the time.

[deepchocolate08]

I Just realized That In Your Notes That You Have My Grandmother's Name As Cathy And Her Name Is Beverli, If You could change it I would greatly appreciate it...Thanks

[drwinkle101]

Just shows the quality of the 1960s Motown stable that this group was effectively a failure, having one minor hit -- and yet listen to this great perfromance.