The Detroit Emeralds

In the 1960s Abrim, Ivory, Cleophus, and Raymond Tilmon assembled the Detroit Emeralds, a vocal group that actually hailed from Little Rock. Early momentum came with the Ric-Tic single “Show Time” in 1968, yet by 1970 the act had contracted to a trio of Abrim Tilmon, Ivory Tilmon, and James Mitchell. That lineup anchored a sustained run on Westbound, generating the R&B hits “Do Me Right,” “You Want It, You Got It,” and “Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)” in 1971–1972 plus “You’re Gettin’ a Little Too Smart” in 1973; Chapter 8 supplied the backing band during those years. The roster expanded once more to a quartet in 1977 when Abrim Tilmon enlisted Paul Riser, Johnny Allen, and Maurice King. Although many listeners rank “Feel the Need” as the group’s strongest recording, the track registered only modest commercial returns and marked their last chart appearance in 1977. James Mitchell and Marvin Wills soon formed the offshoot ensemble the Floaters. Carl Johnson took Abe Tilmon’s place in one version of the Emeralds while Abe Tilmon launched his own Detroit Emeralds; both units continued working the oldies and cabaret circuit throughout the 1970s and 1980s. For a brief period the lineup included a thirteen-year-old Michael Henderson.