For Taylor music teacher Reggie Page, a Motown cover song became a life-changing moment

Taylor schoolteacher Reggie Page was intrigued last year when he got wind of an upcoming music contest.

As a longtime saxophonist and music instructor at Quest Charter Academy, Page has long spurred his students to dedicate themselves to excellence — “to do our very best to set a high standard of musicianship wherever we can,” he says.

So the Detroit native figured he’d throw his hat into the ring when he heard the estate of late songwriter Sylvia Moy was launching a Motown cover song competition. Promotion by Sony Music Publishing and $40,000 in prizes were certainly an enticement, but ultimately it was Page’s deep love of Motown music that ignited his interest.

With 10 vintage Motown songs to pick from, including several penned by Moy, he devoted himself to a solo sax cover of “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” a 1967 Brenda Holloway-Frank Wilson composition originally recorded by Holloway and later made a hit by Blood, Sweat & Tears.

“The song stood out for a few reasons,” Page says. “The melodic structure touched home for me because it was very pleasant and in a happy key. I thought on a tenor saxophone I could express that emotion and improvise well to that.”

His submission was one of more than 500 from across the country received by contest organizers. So “it was a shock to me,” Page says, when he learned he was among 10 chosen finalists — including three Michiganders — who would compete onstage in April at the Motor City Casino’s Sound Board theater.

“When I turned in the audition video, I didn’t necessarily think very much of it. I’m a teacher, involved with the marching band, so my mind was elsewhere,” he says. “But from the moment I found out I was a finalist, everything switched. I’m not a rookie — I’ve played with some of the jazz greats — but getting to show a little bit more of myself was huge for me.”

The night at Sound Board was special enough on its own: With his wife, family and friends watching, Page performed his sax interpretation of the Holloway classic joined by a house band and vocalists. Page had played with plenty of big names through the years, from Gerald Albright to Tim Bowman, but this was a new sort of spotlight.

“Just having that opportunity, I was thankful to God to be able to showcase any of my skills on that type of level,” he says.

But then came the icing on the cake. Page’s spirited jazz-R&B rendition of “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” earned him second place — and $10,000 — in voting by a panel of music and media judges. (He was runner-up to Detroit singer Drey Skonie, who got $25,000 for his winning rendition of “I Was Made to Love Her.”)

And then came the icing on the icing: Following his ear-catching performance, the grade-school music teacher was offered a record contract with Masterpiece Satellite Records, a new Detroit-based label founded by Moy’s estate.

Page’s cover of the Holloway classic, now available on streaming platforms, is his first release, and he expects to record a full album at Masterpiece Sound, the west side recording studio operated by Moy before her 2017 death.

The Southfield High School alum and graduate of Michigan State University, where he played with the Spartan Marching Band, has been on a thrill ride since.

“My students think I’m a celebrity,” he says with a laugh. “Their jaws dropped on the floor and they told me, ‘I get to say I knew you before you were famous.’ I’m just humbled and thankful for it.”

Attorney Celeste Moy, sister of the late Motown songwriter, says there are ambitious plans for the new label, which is already benefiting from the estate’s Sony partnership.

Along with Page’s single, two other projects have hit streaming services: “Nothing’s Too Good for My Baby” by Houston artist Chris Roy King Creole and “My Baby Loves Me” by Miami’s Los 3 de La Habana.

In keeping with Sylvia Moy’s legacy, the new Masterpiece label will be songwriter-centric.

“Sylvia really, really believed in the longevity of good songs and the people who wrote them,” says her sister. “She believed they could be redone by different artists in new ways. And that’s what we proved with this contest.”

The Moy estate is quite active: A second cover-song competition is planned, though no date has been set, and an authorized biography of the groundbreaking songwriter is in the pipeline, written by Margena Christian for publisher Hatchette Book Group.

As for Page? Life as a sax player with a record deal is already full of opportunities. Later this month, he’ll perform a pair of numbers on Chuck Stokes’ “Spotlight on the News” program on WXYZ-TV (Channel 7).

For a guy who grew up playing sax in church and eventually dedicated himself to inspiring young music students, 2023 brought an unexpected bounty.

When all this started happening, I was just blown away that this performance was turning into so much more,” Page says. “It’s been a big year for me. People used to tell me in my 20s, ‘You should have music out there.’ I’d say, ‘When the time comes, God will let it happen. And this is that moment.”

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.