Sad, my last 2 posts have been to give my respects to 2 giants of soul/funk music who have passed on recently. (I should also take this chance to mention another important figure who passed on recently, Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records)
Read the news the other day, that Motown writer/arranger/producer Norman Whitfield died last week (Tuesday 16th September) aged 65. He was the man (often working with co-writer Barrett Strong) behind “Ain’t Too Proud Too Beg”, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”, “Cloud Nine”, “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”, “War”, “Smiling Faces Sometimes” and many more classics, working with artists such as The Temptations, Undisputed Truth, Edwin Starr, Rare Earth and later, Rose Royce.
When he first recorded “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” with Marvin Gaye, Motown boss Berry Gordy was unimpressed and refused to release it. Undeterred, Whitfield made another more uptempo Gospel style version with Gladys Night & The Pips. Apparently, it took a lot of badgering and determination to finally persuade Gordy to release this version, but when he did it was one of Motown’s biggest hits to date. After that success, Gordy relented on the Marvin Gaye version and, of course, it was an even bigger hit and has been Motown’s biggest royalty earner over the years. And despite constant mainstream play and countless cover versions this song is as powerful as ever, brilliant eerie arrangements coupled with Gaye’s heart-wrenching voice make it a timeless masterpiece, a work of genius, no doubt. This story illustrates the single-mindedness, determination and confidence in his own vision that made Whitfield such a success.
Of course, there’s much more to his career than that one classic, but I just wanted to post a short piece to mark his passing and show my respect. More detailed obituaries can be found in the links below and you should also take the time to listen to the excellent tribute compiled by the folks at Six Million Steps.
Norman Whitfield Tribute by 6MS
RIP
2 Comments
yeah, ive got so many whitfield productions that i wouldnt even know where to begin. he was the man, we’re losing all our old funk and soul cats now…….
damn. damn damn damn. don’t even know where to begin with his work to cite as major influences…