Detroit Concrete City

BEFORE

AFTER

The first road to be paved with concrete was Detroit’s own Woodward Blvd. It was back in 1909, the same year Henry Ford introduced the Model T, so it was not the automobile industry that was requesting smoother roads — it was a group of bicyclists called, League of American Wheelmen, who had initiated what became known as the “Good Roads Movement.”

Roads at that time had otherwise been built with brick cobblestone or material called macadam, which was made of stone sprayed with tar to make it somewhat weather resistant (& didn’t last long).

Read full article here.

Number Game (04/10)

While at Opening Day at Comerica Park I was viewing the statues of Ty Cobb, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Willie Horton, Al Kaline and Hal Newhouser. I started to wonder about the numbers of some of Detroit’s finest players and then I learned the following:

There had been a couple of attempts to use numbers in the major leagues before the idea caught on. In 1916, and again in 1917, the Cleveland Indians experimented with numbers on their sleeves, as did the Cardinals in 1923.

On January 22, 1929, the Yankees became the first team to use numbers regularly, thinking that fans could recognize players more easily that way. Initially, players were given numbers based on the batting order – for example, Babe Ruth batted third, so he wore No. 3. It took until 1937, however, for every team to have their numbers on all their shirts – the last to change being the home uniforms for the Philadelphia A’s.

The Funk Brothers (02/24)

Have you ever heard of these fellows:

The Funk Brothers

Chances are you haven’t heard their name, but you definitely have heard them play.

They are Motown’s unsung heroes. Known as The Funk Brothers, the studio band put the backbeat into hits for Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, etc. They played on more #1 records than The Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley combined, but no one knew their names.
Here are some notable members’ names:

bandleader Joe Hunter

and Earl Van Dyke (piano);

James Jamerson (bass guitar);

Benny “Papa Zita” Benjamin and Richard “Pistol” Allen (drums);

Robert White, Eddie Willis, and Joe Messina (guitar);

Jack Ashford (tambourine, percussion, vibraphone, marimba);

Jack Brokensha (vibraphone, marimba);

Eddie “Bongo” Brown (percussion).

Hunter left in 1964, replaced on keyboards by Johnny Griffith and as bandleader by Van Dyke. Uriel Jones joined the band as a third drummer.

In 1967, guitarists Dennis Coffey and Melvin “Wah-Wah Watson” Ragin, who introduced the wah-wah pedal that defined Motown’s psychedelic soul records, joined the band. Benny Benjamin died the next year, and Bob Babbitt began to replace James Jamerson on many recordings.

To learn more check out his documentary: Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Or read more here, here and here.

Detroit Vs. Jason (02/05)

I wish I didn’t know what I am about to share until next Friday because it would have so much cooler to post this on Friday the 13th. Oh well.

We all know this mask:

It may even give you chills.

But did you know that it was modeled after a 1950’s Detroit Red Wing goalie mask?

Well if you didn’t, now you have have something to impress you friends with next week on