Today’s classic song of the day is “Whatcha See is Whatcha Get” by the Dramatics. Released in June of 1971, this smooth sample of seventies soul peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
“Whatcha See is Whatcha Get” was written and produced by Tony Hester. Mr. Hester was a Detroit-based songwriter and producer, responsible for songs like “In the Rain” for the Dramatics and “With This Ring” for the Platters. Unfortunately, he developed a serious drug problem, fell in with the wrong crowd, and died of gunshot wounds in 1980. He was just 34 years old.
Hester’s best work was with the Dramatics, a Detroit-based group who first got together in 1964 (as the Sensations). They bounced around local record labels (but never recorded for Motown) for awhile before signing with Memphis’ own Stax Records in 1968. After one unsuccessful release, Stax let them go but later re-signed them to their subsidiary label, Volt. It was with Volt that the group had their most success, with “Whatcha See is Whatcha Get” and “In the Rain.” Through various lineup changes they kept recording and performing over the years, and a group bearing that name is still out on the oldies circuit today.
For the “Whatcha See is Whatcha Get” recording, the group consisted of co-leaders William “Wee Gee” Howard and Ron Banks, along with Larry “Squirrel” Demps, Elbert Wilkins, and Willie Ford singing bass. Which leads us to today’s daily bonus video of the day, the Dramatics lip synching “Whatcha See is What You Get” on Soul Train back in 1972. “Some people are made of plastic, some people are made of wood…”
