[2] The original members were Charles "Chico" Leverett, Sonny Sanders, James Ellis, and Robert Bateman.
[1] When Tamla Records (the precursor of what is now known as "Motown") was founded in January 1959, Sanders and Bateman were working for the label's owner Berry Gordy as backing singers.
They tried to form a new vocal group of their own with Brian Holland (later to find fame as part of the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting trio) and Sanders' neighbour James Ellis.
Their first record, "Going To The Hop" b/w "Motor City", was not a success,[1] although group members later claimed the title of the B-side led to Gordy adopting the name "Motown" a few months later.
[1] Sanders became a prominent arranger and producer in Chicago [6] The group briefly reunited for Ian Levine's Motorcity Records project in the late 1980s.