Gino Washington

In 1962, homegrown Detroit R&B was at its apex. As the music of Nolan Strong, Nathaniel Mayer, the Volumes, the Falcons and a gaggle of early Motown hits filled the airwaves, so did the music of Gino Washington. Gino scored two local back to back hits in "Out of This World" and "Gino Is a Coward" in 1963-64 while breaking down racial barriers by working the white-teen-club circuit with a Caucasian backing band, the fire breathing Jeff and the Atlantics. Gino, known in those days as 'Jumpin' Gino', was a mesmerizing live performer who was equal parts James Brown and Wilson Pick...