Post by FastNFancy on Apr 27, 2003 18:28:13 GMT -5
Film Hasn't Sparked Motown Reunions
.c The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - Jack Ashford of the Funk Brothers, the Motown band that was the subject of a recent documentary, says band members haven't heard from any of Motown's big stars in years.
``(And) don't expect to hear from any of them,'' the percussionist told The Associated Press in a recent interview. ``We never think about those people. Their names never come up.''
The Funk Brothers were the house band who played on most of Motown's biggest hits, and are credited with helping create the Motown sound.
They toiled in obscurity behind stars such as Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder. The group disbanded when the label moved from Detroit to Los Angeles three decades ago, without any notice from Motown.
But the Funk Brothers are enjoying newfound fame with the documentary ``Standing in the Shadows of Motown,'' which was released in November. The DVD of the documentary was released earlier this week.
Music from the film netted the group two Grammys in February.
Ashford said despite their recent success, none of Motown's former stars have tried to reach out to them, even Wonder, of whom Ashford says: ``We only taught him half the stuff we knew.''
However, Ashford says the group holds no grudges against the Motown greats.
``There's a lot of closure here,'' he said. ``Whatever bitterness may have existed 30 years ago on the way we have been treated, that's gone.''
On the Net: www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com
.c The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - Jack Ashford of the Funk Brothers, the Motown band that was the subject of a recent documentary, says band members haven't heard from any of Motown's big stars in years.
``(And) don't expect to hear from any of them,'' the percussionist told The Associated Press in a recent interview. ``We never think about those people. Their names never come up.''
The Funk Brothers were the house band who played on most of Motown's biggest hits, and are credited with helping create the Motown sound.
They toiled in obscurity behind stars such as Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder. The group disbanded when the label moved from Detroit to Los Angeles three decades ago, without any notice from Motown.
But the Funk Brothers are enjoying newfound fame with the documentary ``Standing in the Shadows of Motown,'' which was released in November. The DVD of the documentary was released earlier this week.
Music from the film netted the group two Grammys in February.
Ashford said despite their recent success, none of Motown's former stars have tried to reach out to them, even Wonder, of whom Ashford says: ``We only taught him half the stuff we knew.''
However, Ashford says the group holds no grudges against the Motown greats.
``There's a lot of closure here,'' he said. ``Whatever bitterness may have existed 30 years ago on the way we have been treated, that's gone.''
On the Net: www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com