Former Major Leaguer Willie Horton was raised in the city of Detroit and made his mark with the Tigers during the 1960s and ‘70s. His best moment on the diamond occurred in 1968 when he helped Detroit win the World Series over the Cardinals in seven games.
But playing baseball wasn’t the only fun Horton had in Detroit during that period. Horton was known to hang out with the musicians at Motown Records, the record company that produced such stars as Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and The Temptations. Horton grew up with most of those stars in the area. While Horton was flourishing on the field, Motown produced hit records that stood the test of time. In fact, the company had 20 No. 1 hit singles during the ‘60s.
Horton made his own contribution to “Hitsville USA” in 1967, recording the single “Detroit is Happening,” a parody of the Supremes’ hit record “The Happening,” at Motown Studios. Horton’s single, which featured The Supremes, was produced by the Motown staff. Horton’s song was telling listeners that Detroit was the place to get a summer job, go to a ballgame or have a picnic in the local parks.
“To me, it was great hearing the song after so many years,” said Horton, who is now a special assistant to Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris. “By doing it, you do it with people you have been around almost all your life. Doing the record, it was like going next door and visiting your neighbor.
“Athletes and celebrities [back then], we were all close during those times. It’s just the way things were. We spent time together. We went to [each other’s] homes.”
Horton said he is blessed to have so many memories when it comes to Motown. He recently looked at a photo he took a few years back with Mary Wilson, a founding member of The Supremes, taken right at Comerica Park. He considers himself a good friend of the Four Tops. Horton knew Smokey Robinson and Melvin Franklin (the bass singer for The Temptations) dating back to when they were all in high school.
Horton and Franklin both attended Detroit Northwestern High School in the 1950s. According to Horton, Franklin was a great football player at the school. Horton used to frequent a watering hole called Club 23, which many Motown acts visited on occasion. Horton owned a motorbike during his playing days, but was uncomfortable riding it, so he ended up giving it to Gaye, who is known for the songs such as “What’s Going On?” and “Let’s Get It On.”
Gaye was known to attend a lot of Tigers games in the 1960s and sang the National Anthem before the start of Game 4 of the ‘68 World Series. Horton was standing in left field during the ceremony, beaming with pride because someone he knew from the entertainment world was performing the anthem live.
“Nobody did it like Marvin,” Horton said. “It was a great feeling [to see him there]. I thought that was what we were supposed to do because we came up together. When [the Motown acts] attended games, it gave me inner strength.”
Horton’s playing career ended after the 1980 season, but it wasn’t until after he retired that he fully appreciated getting to hang out with the legends at Motown.
“I look back and I’m so proud of what they did. They were always supportive of me being one of the first black players to play for the Tigers and all the racial things I went through,” Horton said. “I look at those guys — the people I just mentioned — that gave me the support to get me through [segregation]. They also went through troubling times traveling in the South. They gave me inner strength throughout my life.”