Funk Brothers get their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Funks with radio DJ Martha Jean Steinberg

In our continued salute to Motown Records’ 50th anniversary and the folks who worked behind the scenes at the label, some good news has recently come this writer’s way. Motown’s legendary studio band the Funk Brothers will be receiving a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame along with entertainers ranging from Sam Waterson of “Law & Order” to singer Chaka Khan as well as one honoring Peter Graves (the original “Jim Phelps” of TV’s “Mission: Impossible”) and the late Roy Orbison (“Oh, Pretty Woman”). While this is indeed an honor that is long overdue, it’s interesting that the Funk Brothers are being honored by a city that at one time was to blame for the band’s demise.

The Funk Brothers came together in 1959 (by the way, happy 50th anniversary gang!) when Motown founder Berry Gordy asked keyboardist Joe Hunter to form a studio band for recording sessions. And what a band it was – from ’59 until ’72 group members included Joe Hunter (leader & piano), Earl Van Dyke (leader, piano, organ), Johnny Griffiths (piano, organ, celeste, harpsichord), James Jamerson (acoustic & electric bass), Bob Babbitt (electric bass), Benny “Papa Zita” Benjamin, Richard “Pistol” Allen & Uriel Jones (drums), Jack Ashford (tambourine, percussion, vibes), Jack Brokensha (vibes, marimba), Eddie “Bongo” Brown (percussion), Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, Dennis Coffey & Mevin “Wah-Wah” Ragin (guitars). There was even a Funk "Sister" at one point - percussionist Bobbye Hall. During that period, the Funks played on the bulk of Motown’s releases that were recorded in Detroit at the label’s headquarters on West Grand Boulevard (a/k/a Hitsville USA) as well as a recording studio Gordy acquired in 1966 from competitor Ed Wingate (more on him in a minute).

According to Andre Braugher’s opening narrative in the documentary film “Standing In The Shadows of Motown”, the Funks played on more #1 records than the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones & the Beach Boys combined. Given the fact the acts mentioned did employ studio musicians on their records, that proclamation isn’t too far-fetched. Pick up a copy of “Billboard’s Book of #1 Hits” and combine the top smashes by the Supremes (twelve #1 pop hits!), Temptations, Four Tops, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Marvelettes (who had Motown’s first #1 pop hit, “Please Mr. Postman”) and Edwin Starr’s “War”.  Right there that’s 22 number one hits from Billboard’s Hot 100 pop chart.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg – how about the countless other chart records from Motown plus album tracks.Then there are the outside sessions - other Detroit labels kept the Funks busy during this time, from Ed Wingate’s Golden World/Ric Tic Records (home of the Reflections’ hit “(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet” – featuring Dennis Coffey on guitar & James Jamerson on acoustic bass) to the Revilot label co-owned by the late LeBaron Taylor (they released the Parliaments’ “(I Wanna) Testify” - the Funks were all over that record). When Motown’s famous writing/production team of Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland left the company in 1968 and formed Invictus/Hot Wax Records, they kept the Funks’ phone numbers in their Rolodex. Listen to Freda Payne’s “Band Of Gold” or “Want Ads” by the Honey Cone – yeah, that’s the Funks. Hell, these soulful session folks were so hot producers in Chicago brought them in for their sessions. Listen to Jackie Wilson’s 1967 classic, “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher”  (produced for Brunswick Records by Carl Davis) and give a hand to Jamerson, Pistol, Griffiths and the Andantes (Motown’s prized female background vocalists).

In 1971, the Funks finally received their props on album covers – their names were listed on Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” as well as Valerie Simpson’s debut solo disc “Exposed” (Valerie, along with Marvin, Stevie Wonder & Martha Reeves, were long-time champions of the Funks and felt they deserved such recognition). Yet, a year later the studio session scene started to change when Motown moved its headquarters from Detroit to Los Angeles. By then, competing labels were either bought out (as was the case with Wingate selling his studio – and his master tapes – to Motown) or fell upon hard times (Invictus/Hot Wax entered a distribution deal with CBS Records but weren’t granted priority in the areas of marketing or promotion). Although the Funks continued to record at Motown’s Detroit studios (thanks due in part to producer Norman Whitfield’s work with the Temptations & Rare Earth), the label finally shut down the Hitsville/Golden World locations in 1975. Jamerson, Coffey & Ashford moved to Los Angeles yet found themselves working on different sessions within Motown (they were not always together in the studio). Other Funk Brothers stayed in Detroit, played gigs and even became part of the city’s education system as teachers and instructors.

Fast forward to 2002 – the documentary on the Funk Brothers, “Standing In The Shadows Of Motown” was released and the surviving members found themselves in the mainstream spotlight at last. The sad part of this story was by this time, many of the members were deceased – Jamerson, Benjamin, Robert White, Earl Van Dyke, Eddie "Bongo" Brown. Richard “Pistol” Allen passed away just when the film went to print and Johnny Griffiths left us the day after the movie opened at New York City’s Apollo Theatre. Joe Hunter died two years after this writer interviewed him for a CD collection of his early 1960s work outside of Motown (“Joe Hunter – The Hawk” on Night Train International) and we recently lost Uriel Jones. Yet, many of the group members lived to see some accolades come their way including two Grammy Awards for the documentary’s soundtrack in 2003 & a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2004.

Now, the Funks will have their star in Hollywood’s Walk of Fame thanks to the efforts spearheaded by fellow Detroiter Stuart Miller, a former musician and West Coast resident whose brother is arranger/composer Bruce Miller. Monies are being raised to help pay for their participation in the ceremony (a site will be posted – email kevingoins@juno.com for information) and this writer knows that the surviving members will be there along with their longtime supporters & fans.

Congratulations to the Funk Brothers for an honor well deserved & earned.

Current Funk Brothers line up includes Bob Babbitt (bass), Ray Monette (guitar) and Eddie Willis (guitar).  Ray was a member of Rare Earth in the early 1970s and played on the 1966 hit "Cool Jerk" by the Capitols (that also featured Bob Babbitt).
 

The Funks & Chaka - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdKYCm9_iQg
Marvin & the Funks 1971 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KC7uhMY9s
The Funks & Joan Osborne - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x635KcZxxzM