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The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of studio musicians in music history. Among their hits are "My Girl (The Temptations song), My Girl", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Baby Love", "I Was Made to Love Her (song), I Was Made to Love Her", "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", "The Tears of a Clown", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", and "Heat Wave (1963 song), Heat Wave". Some combination of the members played on each of Motown's 100-plus U.S. R&B number one singles and 50-plus U.S. Pop number ones released from 1961 to 1972. There is no undisputed list of the members of the group. Some writers have claimed that virtually every musician who ever played on a Motown track was a "Funk Brother". There are 13 Funk Brothers identified in Paul Justman's 2002 documentary film ''Standing in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benny Benjamin
William "Benny" Benjamin (July 25, 1925 – April 20, 1969), nicknamed Papa Zita, was an American musician, most notable as the primary drummer for the Motown Records studio band The Funk Brothers. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and was named the eleventh best drummer of all time by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2016. Life and career Benjamin was a native of Birmingham, Alabama. He originally learned to play drums in the style of the big band jazz groups in the 1940s. In 1958, he was Motown's first studio drummer, where he was noted for his dynamic style. Several Motown record producers, including Berry Gordy, refused to work on any recording sessions unless Benjamin was the drummer and James Jamerson the bassist. The Beatles singled out Benjamin's drumming style upon meeting Gordy in the UK. Among the Motown songs he performed on are early hits such as "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong, " Shop Around" by the Miracles and "Do You Lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earl Van Dyke
Earl Van Dyke (July 8, 1930 – September 18, 1992) was an American soul musician, most notable as the main keyboardist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Career Van Dyke, who was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, was preceded as keyboardist and bandleader of the Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ... by Joe Hunter (musician), Joe Hunter. In the early 1960s, he also recorded as a jazz organist with saxophonists Fred Jackson (saxophonist), Fred Jackson and Ike Quebec for the Blue Note label. Besides his work as the session keyboardist on Motown hits such as "Bernadette (Four Tops song), Bernadette" by the Four Tops, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, "Where Did Our Love Go" by th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown
''Standing in the Shadows of Motown'' is a 2002 American documentary film directed by Paul Justman that recounts the story of the Funk Brothers, the uncredited and largely unheralded studio musicians who were the house band that Berry Gordy hand-picked in 1959. Background The Funk Brothers recorded and performed on Motown's recordings from 1959 to 1972. The film was inspired by the 1989 book ''Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson'', a bass guitar instruction book by Allan Slutsky, which features a biography of James Jamerson along with his bass lines. The film covers the Funk Brothers' career via interviews with surviving band members, archival footage and still photos, dramatized re-enactments, and narration by actor Andre Braugher. The film also features new live performances of several Motown hit songs, with the Funk Brothers backing up Gerald Levert, Me'shell Ndegeocello, Joan Osborne, Ben Harper, Bootsy Collins, C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Documentary Film
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and Media studies, media analyst Bill Nichols (film critic), Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in terms of "a filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception [that remains] a practice without clear boundaries". Research into information gathering, as a behavior, and the sharing of knowledge, as a concept, has noted how documentary movies were preceded by the notable practice of documentary photography. This has involved the use of singular Photograph, photographs to detail the complex attributes of History, historical events and continues to a certain degree to this day, with an example being the War photography, conflict-related photography achieved by popular figures such as Mathew Brady during the Am ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heat Wave (1963 Song)
"Heat Wave" is a 1963 song written by the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team. It was first made popular by the Motown vocal group Martha and the Vandellas, who issued it as a single on July 10, 1963, on the Motown subsidiary Gordy label. The single reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B chart—where it stayed for four weeks—and peaking at number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was recorded 12 years later by vocalist Linda Ronstadt on her Platinum-selling 1975 album '' Prisoner in Disguise''. Ronstadt's version of the song was released as a single in September 1975, reaching number 5 in ''Billboard'', 4 in ''Cash Box'', and 6 in ''Record World''. In 2010, British musician Phil Collins spent a single week (number 28) on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary listing with his retooling of the song. Martha and the Vandellas original version Background, composition and reception "Heat Wave" was one of many songs written and produced by the Holland–Dozier� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and became a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross. The song became Ross's first solo number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Background The song was written by Ashford and Simpson prior to joining Motown. British soul singer Dusty Springfield wanted to record the song but the duo declined, hoping it would give them access to the Detroit-based label. As Valerie Simpson later recalled, "We played that song for her (Springfield) but wouldn't give it to her, because we wanted to hold that back. We felt like that could be our entry to Motown. Nick called it the 'golden egg'." Springfield recorded a song with a similar v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Tears Of A Clown
"The Tears of a Clown" is a song written by Hank Cosby, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder and originally recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla Records label subsidiary of Motown, first appearing on the 1967 album '' Make It Happen''. The track was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in July 1970, and it became a number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending September 12, 1970. Subsequently, Motown released a partially re-recorded and completely remixed version as a single in the United States as well, where it quickly became a number-one hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts. This song is an international multi-million seller and a 2002 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. Its success led Miracles lead singer, songwriter, and producer Smokey Robinson, who had announced plans to leave the act, to stay until 1972. In 2021, it was listed at No. 313 on ''Rolling Stone''s "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". History Ori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song originally performed by Motown recording act the Undisputed Truth in 1972, though it became much better known after a Grammy-award winning cover by the Temptations was issued later the same year. This latter version of the song became a number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1971. Whitfield produced the original Undisputed Truth version, which was released as a single in May 1972. This version of the song peaked at number 63 on the Pop Charts and number 24 on the R&B Charts. The song was included on the Undisputed Truth's album ''Law of the Land'' (1973). Later in 1972, Whitfield cut a different version of the song, turning it into a 12-minute track for the Temptations. This version was included on their 1972 album '' All Directions''. The edited 7-inch single release of this Temptations track was issued in September 1972, and this version was a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Was Made To Love Her (song)
"I Was Made to Love Her" is a soul music song recorded by American musician Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label in 1967. The song was written by Wonder, his mother Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, and producer Henry Cosby and included on Wonder's 1967 album '' I Was Made to Love Her''. Released as a single, "I Was Made to Love Her" peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart in July 1967. The song was held out of the top spot by " Light My Fire" by the Doors and spent four non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States. The song reached No. 5 in the UK, Wonder's first top-10 hit in that country. ''Cash Box'' called it a "driving, wailing, pulsing R&B workout." When asked in a 1968 interview which of his songs stood out in his mind, Wonder answered: I Was Made to Love Her' because it's a true song." The last lyric line "You know Stevie ain't gonna leave her" was ad libbed by Wonder. Personnel *Stevie Wonder – lead v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baby Love
"Baby Love" is a song by the American music group the Supremes from their second studio album, '' Where Did Our Love Go''. It was written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland and was released on September 17, 1964. "Baby Love" topped the ''Billboard'' pop singles chart in the United States from October 25, 1964, through November 21, 1964, and in the United Kingdom pop singles chart concurrently. Beginning with "Baby Love", the Supremes became the first Motown act to have more than one American number-one single, and by the end of the decade, would have more singles hitting the top slot than any other Motown act (or American pop music group) with 12, a record they continue to hold. It was nominated for the 1965 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, losing to Nancy Wilson's "How Glad I Am". It is considered one of the most popular songs of the late 20th century; "Baby Love" was ranked number 324 on the ''Rolling Stone'' list of The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a single in September 1967. It went to number one on the ''Billboard'' R&B Singles chart and number two on the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart and shortly became the biggest selling Motown single up to that time. The Miracles were the first to record the song in 1966, but their version was not released until August 1968 when it was included on their album ''Special Occasion (The Miracles album), Special Occasion''. The Marvin Gaye version was the second to be recorded in the beginning of 1967 but the third to be released. It appeared on his 1968 album ''I Heard It Through the Grapevine (album), In the Groove'' a year and a half later where it gained the attention of radio disc jockeys. Motown founder Berry Gordy finally agreed to its releas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
My Girl (The Temptations Song)
"My Girl" is a 1964 song recorded by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) record label. Written and produced by the Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, it became the Temptations' first U.S. number 1 single, and is considered their signature song. Robinson's inspiration for writing "My Girl" was his wife, Miracles member Claudette Rogers Robinson. The song was included on the Temptations 1965 album ''The Temptations Sing Smokey''. In 2017, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Recording and release The recorded version of "My Girl" was the first Temptations single to feature David Ruffin on lead vocals. Previously, Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams had performed most of the group's lead vocals, and Ruffin had joined the group as a replacement for former Temptation Elbridge Bryant. While on tour as part of the Motortown Revue, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
