Music
Nathaniel Mayer
1944–2008 · singer
Detroit R&B singer whose "Village of Love" (1962) was Fortune Records' biggest hit, and who made a late comeback with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 64- Also known as
- Nay Dog
- Detroit years
- 1944–2008
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Mayer was born in Detroit and began his career at Fortune Records, the Brown family's label on Third Avenue, where he spent six years alongside Nolan Strong and Andre Williams. At 18 he reached the Top 40 in 1962 with "Village of Love", credited to Nathaniel Mayer and the Fabulous Twilights; leased to United Artists, it hit No. 22 pop and No. 16 R&B and was No. 1 in Detroit, the label's most popular release. Follow-ups such as "Leave Me Alone" sold well locally. After 1966 he all but vanished into Detroit's east side for decades, apart from a 1980 single. The 2002 release of a lost 1968 recording prompted a comeback: with a voice deepened to a growl he toured and recorded for Fat Possum and Alive, working with Dan Auerbach, Troy Gregory of the Dirtbombs and Matthew Smith. He died in Detroit in 2008.
Highlights
- "Village of Love" (1962): No. 22 pop, No. 1 in Detroit
- Fortune Records' best-selling release
- Comeback album I Just Want to Be Held (2004, Fat Possum)
- Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame (2014)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Recorded here · 1960s
Fortune Records studio and shop
Demolished · 1956–2001
He recorded "Village of Love" and his other early sides for Fortune; the Third Avenue building was demolished in 2001.