You might not know the name Gary Grier, but you’ve heard of The Contours, who sold over 1 million copies of their Motown hit song, “Do You Love Me”. It was a smash hit in 1962, and it was a smash hit again in 1988, thanks to Dirty Dancing and the reissue of their single. It hung around for eight weeks on the Billboard top 40 charts.

Grier died recently, according to Soultracks.com, stating, “We are sad to report the passing of Gary Grier, a three decade member of the legendary Motown act The Contours. A seasoned performer with a commanding stage presence, Grier played a vital role in preserving and rejuvenating the legacy of The Contours.”

Grier wasn’t part of the group the first time around, but he was recruited in 1993, when singer Darell Nunlee left the band. Obviously when their song was playing all over the radio again in the late 80s, the band (Joe Billingslea, Al Chisholm, guitarist Huey Davis, Sylvester Potts, and Grier) was in hot demand.

The group had other singles, like “Can You Do It,” “Don’t Let Her Be Your Baby”, and “That Day When She Needed Me,” but none of those songs were ever as popular as “Do You Love Me.”

Fellow band member Sylvester Potts died in January 2017