Post by FastNFancy on Apr 27, 2003 18:32:33 GMT -5
MOTOWN ARTISTS AND MUSICIAN'S DIDN'T RECORD TOGETHER?
MAA Commentary
In a recent interview from Associated Press a Motown musician was asked about reuniting with Motown artists. Hundreds of emails were transmitted and sent to the MAA (Motown Alumni Association) asking us to expound on the comment that appeared to have a negative condemnation toward the Motown singers; in that they (the Motown artists) are not communicating with the Grammy Award winning studio musicians known as the Funk Brothers.
Based on hours of conversation with a lot of the Motown singers, producers, and other executives involved with the company, the consensus appears to be that many of the Motown artists (singers) didn't record with the Musicians!
That's not to say that the Motown musician's weren't there when the vocalists recorded their tracks; in some cases (particularly in the early days) the vocalists, and musicians recorded simultaneous, due to the fact that Motown started with only 2 track recording.
As the years went on, the number of tracks multiplied, and it was no longer necessary to have the vocalist and the musician's record together.
The producers would call in the musician's, record the music, a demo lead vocal, & background vocals, and the singers would come in at another time to record the vocal for the track. In essence, the musician's and artists barely ever seen each other.
Most of the Motown musician didn't socialize with the artist (singers) because the musician's had their own world of Jazz to mingle in. The bulk of the Motown singers were not jazz singers by trade, opting to sing R&B and Blues music.
Many of the premier Motown musicians toured, with the early Motown artists such as Mary Wells, the Marvelettes, and the Miracles. Musician's James Jamerson [Bass], Earl Van Dyke [Organ], Robert White [guitar], and Uriel Jones [drums] were the original members to be called "Funk Brothers" by radio personality Martha Jean the Queen.
She coined the term "Funk Brothers" based on the funky rhythm's developed by the quartet at the Chit Chat Club in Detroit, Michigan. On occasions Dan Turner [sax], Lefty Edwards [sax], and Eddie Brown [bongo] would be called to sit in on gigs with the group.
The current adaptation of "Funk Brother" who are presented in the Grammy award winning movie "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown" is in reference to the collective body of Motown studio musicians that also played an important, and significant role in the musical development of the Motown sound.
Musician's such as Joe Hunter on piano (who is also in the movie) is considered the first Funk Brother of the collective body of "studio" musicians. It was his band The Joe Hunter Band that was the first group of instrumentalists to play for the Motown organization. The only living member of the "original Funk Brothers" quartet in the movie is Uriel Jones on drums.
MAA Commentary
In a recent interview from Associated Press a Motown musician was asked about reuniting with Motown artists. Hundreds of emails were transmitted and sent to the MAA (Motown Alumni Association) asking us to expound on the comment that appeared to have a negative condemnation toward the Motown singers; in that they (the Motown artists) are not communicating with the Grammy Award winning studio musicians known as the Funk Brothers.
Based on hours of conversation with a lot of the Motown singers, producers, and other executives involved with the company, the consensus appears to be that many of the Motown artists (singers) didn't record with the Musicians!
That's not to say that the Motown musician's weren't there when the vocalists recorded their tracks; in some cases (particularly in the early days) the vocalists, and musicians recorded simultaneous, due to the fact that Motown started with only 2 track recording.
As the years went on, the number of tracks multiplied, and it was no longer necessary to have the vocalist and the musician's record together.
The producers would call in the musician's, record the music, a demo lead vocal, & background vocals, and the singers would come in at another time to record the vocal for the track. In essence, the musician's and artists barely ever seen each other.
Most of the Motown musician didn't socialize with the artist (singers) because the musician's had their own world of Jazz to mingle in. The bulk of the Motown singers were not jazz singers by trade, opting to sing R&B and Blues music.
Many of the premier Motown musicians toured, with the early Motown artists such as Mary Wells, the Marvelettes, and the Miracles. Musician's James Jamerson [Bass], Earl Van Dyke [Organ], Robert White [guitar], and Uriel Jones [drums] were the original members to be called "Funk Brothers" by radio personality Martha Jean the Queen.
She coined the term "Funk Brothers" based on the funky rhythm's developed by the quartet at the Chit Chat Club in Detroit, Michigan. On occasions Dan Turner [sax], Lefty Edwards [sax], and Eddie Brown [bongo] would be called to sit in on gigs with the group.
The current adaptation of "Funk Brother" who are presented in the Grammy award winning movie "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown" is in reference to the collective body of Motown studio musicians that also played an important, and significant role in the musical development of the Motown sound.
Musician's such as Joe Hunter on piano (who is also in the movie) is considered the first Funk Brother of the collective body of "studio" musicians. It was his band The Joe Hunter Band that was the first group of instrumentalists to play for the Motown organization. The only living member of the "original Funk Brothers" quartet in the movie is Uriel Jones on drums.
I was CTF at him describing Otis as one who could do flips in mid air. Please! 
Please, Otis can barely do the Temptation Walk and keep in step! Posner needs his ass kicked for writing that book that book the way he did. He could have at least got his information straight first. Just like someone else we know!
OMG! I can't believe Posner wrote that he was the one who did all those flips! I mean, people just do not want to give David credit FOR ANYTHING!! Dag! Posner is an investigator alright & a poor one at that! He needs to be pimp slapped for that comment! 