BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS

DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION, AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP

MONTHLY MEETING THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9th, 2016

2:00 PM HOMEWOOD LIBRARY – 1721 OXMOOR ROAD 35209

NEXT MEETING SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13^th, 2016 THE SECOND SUNDAY

THIS MONTH’S MEETING

BRC member Bob Friedman will be providing a special presentation at our October meeting. Bob has for a long time been involved with the Birmingham Black Radio Museum and will share his knowledge of black oriented radio in Birmingham. The main topic of the Radio Hero presentation is Paul ‘Tall Paul’ White. Most of you who were living in the Birmingham area will remember turning your radio dial to WENN radio and listen to the sounds of R&B and soul or maybe just to hear what ‘Tall Paul’ would be saying that day.

Bob is the founder and project manager for the Birmingham Black Radio Museum. The organization chronicles the history of black radio in Birmingham with its collection of oral histories and memorabilia going back to the 1940’s. I think you will be very impressed with the presentation and Bob’s knowledge and passion for this subject. Be there and bring a friend.

SNACKS: A switch had to be made for bringing the snacks so it will be Carol to do so instead of me. Next month we’ll need a volunteer, so please do so if you can. Tom has December. Thanks.

STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN

A couple of months back I did an article about the session players in Los Angeles known as the ‘wrecking crew’. My hopes were to mention a few other session groups so this month let’s take a look at a group that became known as the Funk Brothers.

If you enjoyed the sound that came out of Detroit in the late 1950’s and into the 60’s that became known as the Motown sound then you’ll recall some great music that Berry Gordy became famous for putting together. Of course you know the singers: Mary Wells, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops and the list goes on and on. But, just as the music that we heard from the Los Angeles area, who played those instruments?

A documentary, ‘Standing in the Shadows of Motown’, came out in 2002 and was based on the book of the same title. It brought to life the story of the musicians who were responsible for, according to the documentary, more number one hits than the Beatles, Elvis, the Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys combined.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences list thirteen musicians as the Funk Brothers. Those thirteen are Keyboard: Joe Hunter, Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith. Guitarist: Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina. Bassist: James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt. Drums: William “Benny” Benjamin, Richard Allen, Uriel Jones. Percussion: Jack Ashford. Eddie Brown. These thirteen are also recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Many of the guys were from the Detroit area and most were black. Messina and Babbitt were the only two whites in the original thirteen. In the mid 1960’s Gordy set up a alternative recording studio in Los Angeles. There, many of the studio musicians were from the ‘wrecking crew’.

The name, Funk Brothers came about when one of the musicians, Benny Benjamin, was leaving the studio, known as the ‘Snake Pit’ because of all the wires hanging from the ceiling, when he turned and said to all the other guys, ‘You all are the Funk Brothers.’ The name stuck and that was what they called themselves. They were never credited on any LP or 45 until Marvin Gaye’s 1971 LP, ‘What’s Going On’. The group did record and release a few 45’s and LP’s but they were released under the name of Earl Van Dyke or Earl Van Dyke and the Soul Brothers. According to some, Berry Gordy did not like the word, funk.

The Motown sound had many innovations, one of which was that the band used two drummers on most Motown recordings. They would play together or overdubbing was used. Three drummers were used on Marvin Gaye’s ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’. Listen to the Temptations, ‘It’s Growing’. Van Dyke used a toy piano for the intro. Snow chains and a tire iron were used and a custom oscillator was built that was used in many recordings. On some recordings, bassist James Jamerson would play both an upright bass and a fender precision bass. The use of two pianos was also common with the Motown sound.

To begin naming some of the hits the Funk Brothers played on would be endless since they played on all the hits that came on a Tamla or Motown label. But some of the acts they backed included The Marvelettes, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Martha & the Vandellas, both Jimmy and David Ruffin, The Contours, The Isley Brothers, Edwin Starr, and Marvin Gaye. The Jackson 5’s esrly hits were done at the L. A. studio thus the Funk Brothers were not on those.

Various members also played on other label hits such as, ‘Cool Jerk’ by the Capitols, ‘Whispers (Gettin’ Louder’) and (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher’ by Jackie Wilson, ‘Band of Gold’ by Freda Payne, ‘Agent Double-O Soul’ by Edwin Starr, ‘Give Me Just a Little More Time’ by Chairmen of the Board, ‘Someone’s Been Sleeping in My Bed’ by 100 Proof, and one that stands out to me is ‘Boom, Boom’ by John Lee Hooker. Never would have figured that one would be these guys. When Gordy found out about some of members doing the Edwin Starr session, he fined them. The owner of the label that put out the Edwin Starr song attended the Motown Christmas party that year and while there gave each player who was fined double the amount of the fine. Gordy would later but the label and the artist roster.

Awards the Funk Brothers have been given include 3 Grammys. The Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, Best Traditional R&B Performance for ‘What’s Going On’ with Chaka Khan, and Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For A Motion Picture – ‘Standing in the Shadows of Motown’. Bassist James Jamerson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and Benny Benjamin in 2003.

Some many wonderful, memorable and fun songs came out of the Motown Sound and now maybe you know a little more about the people, other than the writers and singers who were responsible for that historic and award winning sound.

MEMORIES CONTINUE

Last month I asked some of the guys who were in local bands if they remember hearing their record on the radio for the first time or any other thing about that first recording that stuck out. Many fun stories were told. I hope to get more stories such as that and this month I do have another. Mike Pair, guitarist for the band, The Hard Times, later to become The Rites of Spring, sent me this memory:

BRC RADIO – HEART AND SOUL OF ROCK AND ROLL

Don’t forget to check out the radio shows the club offers on our website. We now have over 80 shows with over 1400 different songs. Check it out at http://www.birminghamrecord.com/brc/ – Tell a friend!

HEY! HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE?

‘Smokestack Lighting’

The Distortions

(Birmingham’s very own)

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD THIS HIT?

‘I Need Your Loving’

Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford

# 20 – 1962

See ya,

Charlie