Biography
Early Motown history abounded with talented newcomers who never attained the lasting stature of the Supremes or the Temptations. One such figure was Henry Lumpkin, a youthful singer and composer who scored with the single track “What Is a Man (Without a Woman).” Possessing a gritty high tenor that recalled Ben E. King vocally and resembling Chubby Checker in appearance, he received premium studio attention on his early-1962 Motown debut, which used Marv Johnson’s “Don’t Leave Me” as its B-side and was produced by Brian Holland and Robert Bateman.
During the summer of 1962 Lumpkin cut the first recording of the Clarence Paul co-authored song “Mo Jo Hanna,” later interpreted by Marvin Gaye, Esther Phillips, Aaron Neville, and numerous others; paired with the equally striking “Break Down and Sing,” the release failed to chart, and Lumpkin left the Motown roster before year’s end. Robert Bateman still valued his abilities enough to co-write and produce the 1967 Buddah single “Soul Is Taken Over,” and Lumpkin’s final session yielded “Honey Hush,” also issued on Buddah in 1968.
Apart from an incidental reference in a 1992 episode of The Simpsons, only the most devoted soul collectors remembered him until Hip-O Select included his four Hitsville sides on the 2005 anthology The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 2: 1962. Like many other early Motown discoveries, he warranted greater recognition than his records ultimately received.
During the summer of 1962 Lumpkin cut the first recording of the Clarence Paul co-authored song “Mo Jo Hanna,” later interpreted by Marvin Gaye, Esther Phillips, Aaron Neville, and numerous others; paired with the equally striking “Break Down and Sing,” the release failed to chart, and Lumpkin left the Motown roster before year’s end. Robert Bateman still valued his abilities enough to co-write and produce the 1967 Buddah single “Soul Is Taken Over,” and Lumpkin’s final session yielded “Honey Hush,” also issued on Buddah in 1968.
Apart from an incidental reference in a 1992 episode of The Simpsons, only the most devoted soul collectors remembered him until Hip-O Select included his four Hitsville sides on the 2005 anthology The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 2: 1962. Like many other early Motown discoveries, he warranted greater recognition than his records ultimately received.