Who Were the Funk Brothers?
We know the classic Motown hits, My Girl, Heat Wave, Bernadette, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Tears of a Clown, and Ain’t Too Proud to Beg. And while the artists who sang the hits are household names, the backup band has remained obscure and unknown. The Funk Brothers were a changing group of studio musicians who created the legendary sound of Motown in Detroit, Michigan in the 1960s.
Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002) is a documentary film that highlights the individual musicians who played together in this band founded by Berry Gordy. The film, Standing in the Shadows of Motown is based on the book of the same name written by Allan Slutsky in 1989.
The Success of the Brothers
The point this movie hits home is that the Funk Brothers played on more number one hits than the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys and Elvis…combined. The Funk Brothers deserved a tribute and this movie is that tribute to musicians such as Melvin “Wah Wah Watson” Ragin who brought in a wah-wah pedal sound that was critical for the psychedelic era.As band members reunite at the scene of Hitsville, USA, it's easy to see that that these boys of Motown played well together and genuinely cared for each other. Perhaps this kinship is what led to small, yet ingenious innovations in the world of funk. For example, a tire iron is used as percussion in Dancing in the Streets. Snow chains are utilized as percussion for the Martha and the Vandella’s hit, Nowhere to Run.
There are some sore spots in this movie—the fuzzy flashbacks of young musicians as children seem indulgent and unnecessary. At one point, someone suggests that anyone, even a Deputy Dawg could sing on top of the solid foundation of the Funk Brothers and sound good. Not so. The Funk Brothers provided a solid and funky foundation for outstanding artists such as Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and Martha Reeves. It is excellence working with excellence and the end product is stunning.
The film also showcases newer performing artists including Joan Osborne, Meshell Ndegeocello, Gerald Levert, Bootsy Collins, Ben Harper, Chaka Khan, Montell Jordan and Tom Scott.
The Funk Brothers have received three Grammy awards for Lifetime Achievement in 2004, for the album that accompanies the film, Best Traditional R&B Performance for What’s Going On with Chaka Kahn in 2002, and for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For a Motion Picture for Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
Motown Museum in Detroit, Michigan.
There are numerous Funk Brothers...read about the movie here.
