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Information about La Toya’s early musical
output is hard to come by, so when we at the Church of La Toya are
able to dig up tidbits of any k ind,
we jump at the chance. Early in 2007, we conducted an interview with
Jeffre Phillips, La Toya’s current manager and were able to reveal
numerous exclusive plans, such as the release of I Don’t Play That
and a potential new book deal. In recent months, we have revealed
plans for beauty lines, new television shows, movie roles and a
jewelry line. Keeping that momentum going, we have tracked down one
of La Toya’s former record producers in hopes of learning more about
her musical past.
One particular time period of La Toya’s life has been hard to place.
In 1994, the From Nashville to You album was released via
Mar-Gor Records. Obviously, little was done by way of promotion and
the album bombed, making it one of the more special items in La
Toya’s catalogue. However, it has since come to light that it was
recorded in only one week and was funded by both Jack Gordon and
music producer Tommy Martin.
Not many have heard the name Tommy Martin before. Besides producing
and releasing La Toya’s eighth LP, he has done work with R&B great
James Brown and managed Roy Clark and jazz band Chase, who perished
in a plane crash in the 1970s. Upon doing some research for the most
recent incarnation of the Church of La Toya, we came across a
website with Martin’s current contact information and decided to
make a quick phone call, hoping that we could disturb him for a few
moments and dig up some dirt about La Toya’s finest country moment.
The phone rang and rang and just as we were about to give up, we
heard a soft click and an older gentleman’s voice: “Hello?”
At first, Martin was leery of giving information about someone who
he had worked for to someone he had never heard of. But we explained
our position with the Church and our relationship with La Toya’s
management team – and so came the outpouring of information and
memories you’ll see as you read on.
We relayed some of the comments that La Toya has made about her time
with her former manager/husband Jack Gordon to Martin, hoping he
could verify some of her claims. His response was a simple one:
“Anything La Toya would say is true. The whole country had her
wrong. She has cried her eyes out to me because of situations she
did not want to be in. She didn’t mind Playboy but she wasn’t
planning on showing anything. She didn’t want to do the [Celebrity
Centerfold] video.” After pushing for some comments about Gordon’s
absurd management style, Martin gave in. “To his credit, he was good
at promoting. I told him, ‘Jack, you could do anything. But you take
the wrong approach.’ He wanted to take the dark side.”
When speaking of La Toya, though, he had nothing but good things to
say. “She is one of the sweetest and most talented people I have
ever been around. She had a three-octave voice. She could dance as
good as Michael. She taught him some of his signature dance moves.”
Now, we La Toya fans are known for suffering from delusions of
grandeur, but even we know that Michael’s dance abilities have been
worked out since childhood. We will still give Mr. Martin credit
though, since he does have such kind words.
We eventually quit badgering him for more dirt and asked the
questions that we had set out to ask in the first place. Where did
Mar-Gor Records come from? Was La Toya forced into recording the
country album, just as she had been with Stop in the Name of Love?
According to Martin, La Toya wanted to record the album. She enjoyed
her time with the live musicians and loved coming into the studio to
learn the lyrics and rehearsing. As far as the record label goes, it
“was formed between La Toya, Jack and me. La Toya had total control
of the album, though. She and I owned it.”
He has since done some work on the original master tapes but is
unsure of what he could do with them. “I have remixed a couple of
those songs and in some places where she was weak, I pulled it up
stronger. The duet is now so full and so good.” The track What You
Don’t Say, a duet with country legend Lee Greenwood, is by far his
favorite cut from the album.
 From Nashville to You received a small-scale release to record
stores and Martin eventually set up a website where fans could order
it at a low cost, which is still up-and-running today. Not all
memories of Mar-Gor Records are pleasant ones, however. Once again
speaking of Jack Gordon, Martin says, “He stuck me for $65,000. But
I was not about to sue.” Why? “Because I care about La Toya. So I
just took it as a loss.” He has since shut down the Mar-Gor label
and doesn’t intend to re-open for business anytime soon.
Martin didn’t just fill the role of producer to La Toya’s country
project. He was also a close friend and confidante. “She used to
confide in me about everything. I knew what was going on. I was sort
of an escape for her. She called me the day she left Jack. I guess
I’m one of the first and only people she told before she left him.
We spoke right up to that day.” But he has not spoken to La Toya in
some time. “I still call her every six months or so and leave a
message, but I’m not sure if it’s even a current number.” We
exchanged the information we had, and sure enough, it was an old
number – to La Toya’s Las Vegas penthouse, which she still owns but
no longer inhabits. Hopefully, through the Church of La Toya’s
contacts with La Toya and Ja-Tail Records, old friends will be
reunited and come together once more. Who knows – we may even see
From Nashville to You 2!
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