Thom Sherman, 62 - Motown DJ
Kathi
November 12, 2004
BY CHASTITY PRATT
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER
A loyal following would tune in to WCHB on Sunday afternoons in the
'70s and '80s to hear Thom Sherman spin the "oldies but goodies." He
played songs such as the Miracles' "I'll Try Something New" and told
listeners about the artists, their styles and even their B-side jams.
He played the Spinners' music in 1971 before anyone had heard of them.
When he was the DJ at clubs such as Chuck's Millionaires, Perfect
Blend and VIP, a good turnout was guaranteed. And he was the Motown
and R&B expert that this newspaper turned to many times to interpret
the music, the legends and the lives.
The man known popularly as Tom Sherman, the oldies disc jockey on
WCHB, suffered from cancer and died Sunday (Nov. 7, 2004). He was 62
and lived in Farmington Hills. Born Sherman Thomas Asbell in Detroit,
he graduated from Northwestern High School in 1960, then joined the
Navy.
Shortly after the Navy he did a few stints in extraordinary jobs, his
family said. He played professional baseball -- shortstop and third
base -- and was one of the first black salesmen for Honeywell, his
son, Derryck, said.
On the radio in Boston, he became known as "the Bostonian."
Mr. Asbell also spent about a year on the road with Stevie Wonder in
the early days of the Motown star's popularity, said friend Pervis
Jackson of the Spinners.
Jackson of Detroit met Mr. Asbell one night after the DJ taunted his
listeners for not knowing music trivia.
"One night my wife and I were listening to the radio and he was asking
about different songs and nobody was calling in," Jackson said. "And
he said, 'You Detroiters don't know nothing about this music,' I said,
'What?' and called in. After he got off the air he came by the house
and we talked some more.
"The way you got to know Thom was through the music. He was the oldies
but goodies king around Detroit. We didn't have much of that before
him."
Mr. Asbell worked at WJLB, WGPR and WXYZ, now known as WXYT, all in
Detroit.
He was often a source for music stories in the Free Press. In 1983, he
told a reporter writing about Motown that one of the label's worst
songs was Debbie Dean's "Don't Let Him Shop Around" from 1961. And for
all the real fans out there, he branded Bobby Taylor and the
Vancouvers' "I Am Your Man" from 1968 one of the best "should've been
hits."
Fan Devonne Hatten, 54, of Redford Township fondly recalls what Mr.
Asbell used to say at the end of parties he DJ'd at the VIP club at
Oakman and Grand River in the 1980s. It was something from a Gladys
Knight album: "It's been a ball, but the clock on the wall says it's
time to go now."
In addition to his son, Mr. Asbell is survived by four daughters,
Monica Asbell, Sheri Curtiss, Terri Asbell and Denice Asbell, and one
granddaughter.
http://www.freep.com/news/obituaries/sherman12e_20041112.htm