Biography
Born June 6, 1939, in Detroit, the pianist later known as Richard "Popcorn" Wylie grew up inside a musically inclined household and assembled his first ensemble while still attending high school, enlisting classmates James Jamerson on bass and Clifford Mack on drums; all three musicians would eventually become part of Motown’s celebrated Funk Brothers collective. In 1960 he cut his first 45, “Pretty Girl,” for the local Northern imprint, and during a performance at the Twenty Grand club he caught the attention of staff engineers connected to the fledgling Motown operation, who promptly introduced him to Berry Gordy Jr.
Soon afterward Wylie placed “Shimmy Gully” among Motown’s earliest releases, and in 1961 he and his backing unit the Mohawks delivered two further singles on the label: a version of Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” and the original “Real Good Lovin’.” Yet his most lasting contributions occurred out of the spotlight; directing the initial lineup of the Funk Brothers, he performed on the Miracles’ “Shop Around” and the Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman,” both foundational Motown successes, and he also led the band for the company’s first touring revue.
After parting ways with Motown in 1962, Wylie joined Epic as a solo act and debuted with “Come to Me,” followed in 1963 by “Brand New Man” and “Head Over Heels in Love”; accounts maintain that Sun Ra and members of the Arkestra supplied the accompaniment on those dates. None charted commercially, and Epic dropped him after issuing “Do You Still Care for Me?” in 1964. He subsequently worked as a freelance songwriter, producer, and session musician for Detroit’s SonBert and Ric-Tic labels, then launched his own Pameline imprint in 1966, naming it after his three daughters; among its early output was the Detroit Executives’ 1967 Northern favorite “The Cool-Off.”
Throughout the same period he supplied songs or productions for at least two dozen singles on Ed Wingate’s Golden World roster, which housed frequent collaborator Edwin Starr along with J.J. Barnes and was later purchased by Motown. Returning to the front of the microphone in 1968, Wylie recorded the Northern staple “Rosemary, What Happened?” for the Karen label, then moved to Carla later that year for “Move Over Babe (Here Comes Henry).” In 1971 he briefly aligned with Motown’s Soul subsidiary to cut what became his signature track, “Funky Rubber Band”; for reasons never disclosed, the single stayed in the vault until 1975, at which point it gained traction in British clubs and continues to draw dancers on the Northern scene.
Wylie’s final headlining dates appeared on ABC in 1975 with the singles “Lost Time” and “Georgia’s After Hours,” yet his catalog of compositions and productions has grown steadily more visible, highlighted by the anthology Popcorn’s Detroit Soul Party, which gathers twenty-five Pameline sides and offers perhaps the most comprehensive overview of his work currently available.
Soon afterward Wylie placed “Shimmy Gully” among Motown’s earliest releases, and in 1961 he and his backing unit the Mohawks delivered two further singles on the label: a version of Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” and the original “Real Good Lovin’.” Yet his most lasting contributions occurred out of the spotlight; directing the initial lineup of the Funk Brothers, he performed on the Miracles’ “Shop Around” and the Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman,” both foundational Motown successes, and he also led the band for the company’s first touring revue.
After parting ways with Motown in 1962, Wylie joined Epic as a solo act and debuted with “Come to Me,” followed in 1963 by “Brand New Man” and “Head Over Heels in Love”; accounts maintain that Sun Ra and members of the Arkestra supplied the accompaniment on those dates. None charted commercially, and Epic dropped him after issuing “Do You Still Care for Me?” in 1964. He subsequently worked as a freelance songwriter, producer, and session musician for Detroit’s SonBert and Ric-Tic labels, then launched his own Pameline imprint in 1966, naming it after his three daughters; among its early output was the Detroit Executives’ 1967 Northern favorite “The Cool-Off.”
Throughout the same period he supplied songs or productions for at least two dozen singles on Ed Wingate’s Golden World roster, which housed frequent collaborator Edwin Starr along with J.J. Barnes and was later purchased by Motown. Returning to the front of the microphone in 1968, Wylie recorded the Northern staple “Rosemary, What Happened?” for the Karen label, then moved to Carla later that year for “Move Over Babe (Here Comes Henry).” In 1971 he briefly aligned with Motown’s Soul subsidiary to cut what became his signature track, “Funky Rubber Band”; for reasons never disclosed, the single stayed in the vault until 1975, at which point it gained traction in British clubs and continues to draw dancers on the Northern scene.
Wylie’s final headlining dates appeared on ABC in 1975 with the singles “Lost Time” and “Georgia’s After Hours,” yet his catalog of compositions and productions has grown steadily more visible, highlighted by the anthology Popcorn’s Detroit Soul Party, which gathers twenty-five Pameline sides and offers perhaps the most comprehensive overview of his work currently available.