Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:01:12,305 --> 00:01:16,605
Berry Gordy started Tamla Records- later
known as the Motown Record Corporation-
2
00:01:16,709 --> 00:01:21,510
with an $800 loan from
a family co-operative in january 1959.
3
00:01:31,324 --> 00:01:36,785
Berry Gordy relied on joe Hunter
to bring talent to Motown.
4
00:02:03,356 --> 00:02:09,124
At the time of filming,
Joe was indeed still playing...
5
00:02:09,229 --> 00:02:14,531
albeit in obscurity, in a Marriott
Hotel lobby in Troy, Michigan.
6
00:03:04,417 --> 00:03:10,219
The music heard is The Funk Brothers'
stage theme song, "The Flick. "
7
00:03:10,323 --> 00:03:15,283
They recorded several versions
in the fall of 1965.
8
00:04:19,125 --> 00:04:21,184
The Hula Hoop was introduced
by Wham-O Manufacturing in 1958.
9
00:04:21,294 --> 00:04:25,458
Rightfielder Al Kaline was the Detroit
Tigers premiere player in the '50s.
10
00:04:27,500 --> 00:04:32,369
Singer Billie Holiday was known as "Lady
Day," a great favorite of Berry Gordy.
11
00:04:32,472 --> 00:04:37,466
He would later produce a film on her
life starring Motown artist Diana Ross.
12
00:04:49,522 --> 00:04:53,549
Before Motown, Berry Gordy was a
successful songwriter forjackie Wilson.
13
00:05:39,205 --> 00:05:41,938
Gerald Levert performs
"Reach Out I'll Be There,"
14
00:05:41,939 --> 00:05:44,507
originally a number one
hit for the Four Tops.
15
00:05:48,514 --> 00:05:53,474
The Funk Brothers recorded the
original backing track on july 8, 1966.
16
00:06:01,594 --> 00:06:05,621
An astounding track, "Reach Out"
illustrates james jamerson's...
17
00:06:05,732 --> 00:06:10,692
fully developed 16th-note
syncopated bass style.
18
00:06:13,606 --> 00:06:19,670
Jamerson took a standard, root-fifth,
cocktail approach to his bass part...
19
00:06:19,178 --> 00:06:23,638
and ran it through
countless rhythmic variations.
20
00:06:26,619 --> 00:06:31,420
Gerald Levert is the son of
Eddie Levert, lead singer of the O'jays.
21
00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:39,757
He was born the year
"Reach Out" was a hit.
22
00:06:39,866 --> 00:06:42,716
The song's percussion
hook was played by a Funk
23
00:06:42,717 --> 00:06:46,101
Brother thumping the head of
a "bell-less" tambourine...
24
00:06:46,205 --> 00:06:48,943
while its memorable
piccolo part is re-created
25
00:06:48,944 --> 00:06:51,507
on stage by its
originator, Dayna Hartwick.
26
00:07:10,663 --> 00:07:13,564
This sequence was filmed at
the Encore record store on
27
00:07:13,565 --> 00:07:16,624
the University of Michigan
campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
28
00:07:20,506 --> 00:07:26,308
The people interviewed are
actual store customers, not actors.
29
00:08:32,745 --> 00:08:35,396
Paul Riser was classically
trained. He is best known
30
00:08:35,397 --> 00:08:38,470
as an arranger of hits like
"My Girl," among others.
31
00:08:45,758 --> 00:08:50,889
Grammy winner Stevejordan
worked with Bootsy Collins in the film.
32
00:08:53,990 --> 00:08:58,127
He got his break as the drummer
on Late Night with David Letterman.
33
00:09:03,309 --> 00:09:05,408
Songwriter Edward Holland
began his career as
34
00:09:05,409 --> 00:09:07,507
a singer, best known for
his 1962 hit, "jamie. "
35
00:09:07,613 --> 00:09:10,210
Detroit native Don Was
covered the Temptations' "Papa
36
00:09:10,211 --> 00:09:12,710
Was A Rollin' Stone" with
the group, Was (Not Was).
37
00:09:12,818 --> 00:09:15,753
As a young musician, he gigged
with Funk Brother "Pistol" Allen.
38
00:09:35,641 --> 00:09:38,641
In 1962, Martha Reeves was
discovered at the 20 Grand
39
00:09:38,642 --> 00:09:41,273
nightclub by Motown's A&R
head, Mickey Stevenson.
40
00:09:43,716 --> 00:09:47,413
She worked as his secretary
before signing as a singer.
41
00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:52,787
Therefore, she was one of the few Motown
artists to interact with the musicians.
42
00:10:02,835 --> 00:10:05,804
Photo: Motown producer Hank Cosby,
pretending to bejack Ashford...
43
00:10:05,905 --> 00:10:08,806
stands between Robert White
(guitar) and james jamerson (bass).
44
00:10:52,118 --> 00:10:55,315
Joan Osborne sings
"(Love Is Like A) Heatwave... "
45
00:10:55,421 --> 00:10:58,431
originally a number four hit for Martha
46
00:10:58,432 --> 00:11:01,519
& The Vandellas in the summer of 1963.
47
00:11:25,918 --> 00:11:30,140
The Funk Brothers recorded its
original backing track with producers...
48
00:11:30,122 --> 00:11:34,456
Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier
on june 20, 1963.
49
00:11:53,612 --> 00:11:56,842
Joan Osborne released
How Sweet It Is, an
50
00:11:56,843 --> 00:11:59,642
entire album of R&B classics, in 2002.
51
00:12:09,962 --> 00:12:14,865
Tom Scott plays here; Mike Terry, who blew
many such classic sax breaks for Motown...
52
00:12:14,967 --> 00:12:18,733
played on the original recording.
53
00:12:25,978 --> 00:12:28,864
By '63, Motown's chief
technician Mike McLean
54
00:12:28,865 --> 00:12:31,939
had installed a handmade,
three-track tape deck.
55
00:12:34,530 --> 00:12:37,309
Now, lead vocals were
overdubbed, and the Funks would
56
00:12:37,310 --> 00:12:40,686
record not knowing for whom
their tracks were intended.
57
00:12:44,997 --> 00:12:48,820
For "Heatwave," the Vandellas
recorded vocals on the
58
00:12:48,830 --> 00:12:51,459
same day as the Funks, but
at a session later in the day.
59
00:13:09,210 --> 00:13:11,801
In 1955, Black Detroiters
had the highest per
60
00:13:11,802 --> 00:13:14,823
capita income among African
Americans nationwide.
61
00:13:16,328 --> 00:13:19,162
Yet at that time,
African Americans earned
62
00:13:19,163 --> 00:13:22,392
about 33 cents to every
dollar earned by whites.
63
00:13:22,501 --> 00:13:25,334
The Bel-Aire was
the most popular Chevy in the 1950s.
64
00:13:31,430 --> 00:13:35,844
Joe Hunter worked a drill press
at Chevrolet outside Detroit...
65
00:13:35,948 --> 00:13:40,749
after an Army stint with Earl Van
Dyke at the Lockburn base in Ohio.
66
00:14:00,873 --> 00:14:05,276
Baker's, located at the intersection of
8 Mile Road and Livernois...
67
00:14:05,377 --> 00:14:08,869
has been a Detroit jazz institution
for over 50 years.
68
00:14:29,401 --> 00:14:34,338
Berry Gordy hung the sign
"Hitsville U.S.A." on his house...
69
00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,900
at 2648 West Grand Boulevard
before Motown had any hits.
70
00:14:42,448 --> 00:14:46,248
Motown used to store master tapes
in Smokey's basement...
71
00:14:46,352 --> 00:14:50,812
until flooding forced Motown
to set up a tape library at Hitsville.
72
00:15:02,968 --> 00:15:05,994
Jamerson was told to play the bass
because he had big hands.
73
00:15:31,163 --> 00:15:33,838
Jamerson got his first
and only upright bass
74
00:15:33,839 --> 00:15:36,624
for about $200 after
graduating from high school.
75
00:15:54,190 --> 00:15:59,470
Jamerson switched to
electric Fender bass in 1961.
76
00:16:15,708 --> 00:16:19,508
Jamerson jr. had a hit band
on his own, Chanson...
77
00:16:19,611 --> 00:16:24,105
whose "Don't Hold Back"
was a Top 10 R&B smash in 1978.
78
00:16:35,461 --> 00:16:40,592
Jamerson only changed his strings if
they broke. He used LaBella flat wounds-
79
00:16:40,699 --> 00:16:46,100
a "dead" sound with a heavy bottom,
a challenge for Motown's engineers.
80
00:17:29,140 --> 00:17:32,412
Jamerson's bass and all the
guitarists were plugged directly
81
00:17:32,413 --> 00:17:35,476
into the mix board via the
gray box with meters on it.
82
00:17:35,587 --> 00:17:39,489
It is located just to the lower left
of the control booth window.
83
00:18:09,354 --> 00:18:12,768
Hitsville U.S.A. is now the
site of the Motown Historical
84
00:18:12,769 --> 00:18:16,123
Museum, run by Ms. Esther
Edwards, Berry Gordy's sister.
85
00:18:21,166 --> 00:18:26,627
Though thought of as a basement, Hitsville's
studio was actually a converted garage.
86
00:18:26,738 --> 00:18:31,539
The actual underground basement
was home to the engineering staff.
87
00:18:41,353 --> 00:18:44,273
The studio's nickname,
"Snakepit," derived from
88
00:18:44,274 --> 00:18:47,314
the microphone cables
suspended from the ceiling.
89
00:18:59,371 --> 00:19:02,113
The control room, seen
behind the glass, had
90
00:19:02,114 --> 00:19:04,673
six monitors blasting
both day and night.
91
00:19:04,776 --> 00:19:09,236
The cabinets were custom-built
by the Gordy family's construction crew.
92
00:19:22,761 --> 00:19:25,361
Everyone pitched in at
Motown: In the early days,
93
00:19:25,362 --> 00:19:28,222
Smokey Robinson was responsible
for cleaning Studio A.
94
00:19:44,950 --> 00:19:49,785
A key to the Motown Sound was nothing
ever moved, especially the drums.
95
00:19:49,888 --> 00:19:54,848
The vibes arejack Ashford's original
Deegan Imperial Nocturne model.
96
00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:59,761
The real piano, however,
is in Berry Gordy's house.
97
00:20:47,646 --> 00:20:50,444
Meshell performs The Miracles'
"You've Really Got A Hold On Me. "
98
00:20:50,549 --> 00:20:55,748
The original track was cut October 16,
1962, and hit the Top 10 a few months later.
99
00:21:19,110 --> 00:21:24,472
None of the musicians used headphones
during their original sessions.
100
00:21:30,756 --> 00:21:33,870
The guitarists crowded
around a monitor (seen behind
101
00:21:33,871 --> 00:21:37,218
Eddie Willis) and were
responsible for their own volume.
102
00:21:43,268 --> 00:21:49,700
Smokey wrote
"You Really Got A Hold On Me"...
103
00:21:49,174 --> 00:21:52,143
a homage to Sam Cooke's
"Bring It On Home To Me. "
104
00:22:05,557 --> 00:22:07,383
The horns are playing live
105
00:22:07,384 --> 00:22:09,452
they're just off camera, in
106
00:22:09,453 --> 00:22:12,190
Motown's original isolation booth.
107
00:22:58,443 --> 00:23:03,403
Meshell was the first woman to be
honored as "Bassist of the Year," in 1994.
108
00:23:09,988 --> 00:23:12,435
Jack Ashford stands 6'
5", but he still gets
109
00:23:12,436 --> 00:23:15,153
teased for having the
world's largest tambourine.
110
00:23:27,372 --> 00:23:29,471
Marvin Gaye started singing with
111
00:23:29,472 --> 00:23:31,832
The Rainbows in Washington D.C. ...
112
00:23:31,943 --> 00:23:37,904
and Harvey Fuqua's Moonglows in the "50s.
He first worked at Motown as a drummer.
113
00:24:00,472 --> 00:24:03,696
Joe had been retired for
30 years but was convinced,
114
00:24:03,697 --> 00:24:06,433
for this film, to take
out his guitar again.
115
00:24:19,691 --> 00:24:24,651
Riser is being modest here:
he was a terrific trombone player.
116
00:25:09,975 --> 00:25:12,643
Quick look: a rare
shot of the Temptations'
117
00:25:12,644 --> 00:25:15,675
David Ruffin without his
trademark black glasses.
118
00:25:20,986 --> 00:25:23,358
Benny Benjamin and joe
Hunter were in their
119
00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:25,946
mid-thirties when they
started the Motown band.
120
00:25:44,276 --> 00:25:49,236
The Funks recorded the session
Joe's referring to on june 3, 1962.
121
00:25:49,347 --> 00:25:54,307
Berry Gordy sang the demo
for The Contours.
122
00:26:33,291 --> 00:26:37,523
"Do You Love Me?"
originally hit number three in '62...
123
00:26:37,629 --> 00:26:42,589
and returned to the charts when featured
in the hit film Dirty Dancing in 1988.
124
00:26:45,300 --> 00:26:47,998
Bootsy is an influential
and innovative bassist
125
00:26:47,999 --> 00:26:50,805
who was heavily influenced
byjames jamerson.
126
00:27:11,930 --> 00:27:15,510
Bootsy admits he could
never play likejamerson, so
127
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:18,233
he developed his own unique,
"liquid funk" style...
128
00:27:18,336 --> 00:27:20,198
as heard on james Brown's "Sex Machine,"
129
00:27:20,199 --> 00:27:22,432
several P-Funk classics
and with his own band.
130
00:27:56,307 --> 00:27:58,410
Berry Gordy originally turned down The
131
00:27:58,420 --> 00:27:59,112
Contours. jackie Wilson
132
00:27:59,113 --> 00:28:00,368
spoke up on their behalf.
133
00:28:42,954 --> 00:28:47,914
Wilson was shot by his girlfriend in front
of his NYC apartment February 15, 1961.
134
00:28:48,260 --> 00:28:50,449
Because of his injuries,
Wilson could only handle
135
00:28:50,450 --> 00:28:52,690
three shows a week. The
Funks made $25 per show.
136
00:28:52,797 --> 00:28:55,723
However, their expenses were
$60 a week, leaving them with
137
00:28:55,724 --> 00:28:58,599
only $15 profit. They were
better off in the "Snakepit. "
138
00:29:34,500 --> 00:29:36,908
On the road,james jamerson
spent the better part of his
139
00:29:36,909 --> 00:29:39,966
time searching for soul food.
Hotel food made him grouchy.
140
00:30:00,865 --> 00:30:05,495
Jamerson liked odd food concoctions
like raccoon and possum gumbo.
141
00:31:23,615 --> 00:31:27,160
Pig's feet are considered a Chinese
delicacy and are eaten for good luck.
142
00:31:42,133 --> 00:31:46,832
The music heard here is,
"The Way You Do The Things You Do. "
143
00:31:46,938 --> 00:31:49,828
Smokey Robinson and
fellow Miracle Bobby Rogers
144
00:31:49,829 --> 00:31:52,899
wrote it in a similar
station wagon while on tour.
145
00:32:37,155 --> 00:32:40,183
Blues singerjoe Weaver
was Benny's first cousin.
146
00:32:40,184 --> 00:32:43,458
Pre-Motown, The Funk Brothers
often backed him live.
147
00:33:04,615 --> 00:33:09,750
Corn liquor, aka "moonshine,"
is also called "panther's breath... "
148
00:33:09,187 --> 00:33:14,454
"ruckus juice," "hillbilly pop"
and "white lightning. "
149
00:33:23,568 --> 00:33:28,232
The "Hitch Hike" session was on September
16, 1962. The producer was Mickey Stevenson.
150
00:33:40,251 --> 00:33:44,210
Uriel's nickname was "Possum. "
151
00:34:17,321 --> 00:34:20,107
"Pistol" is sitting at
his original drum set,
152
00:34:20,108 --> 00:34:22,953
still in that exact spot
at the Motown Museum.
153
00:35:02,133 --> 00:35:07,930
At that time, "Funk" is lowdown, nasty
- a word not used in everyday conversation.
154
00:35:09,240 --> 00:35:12,869
When the band had
an album released in '64...
155
00:35:12,977 --> 00:35:18,142
Berry Gordy changed the name of the group
to Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers.
156
00:35:28,192 --> 00:35:32,424
Jr. Walker & The All Stars' original
"Shotgun" was recorded December 15, 1964.
157
00:35:53,384 --> 00:35:57,150
While the song stemmed from
Jr. 's regular club dates...
158
00:35:57,255 --> 00:36:02,818
The Funk Brothers, not The All Stars,
recorded his Motown hit.
159
00:36:02,927 --> 00:36:07,557
It reached number four
on the Pop charts.
160
00:36:33,958 --> 00:36:37,951
Jr. Walker played a Selmer saxophone,
but retired the original in the '80s.
161
00:36:38,620 --> 00:36:41,930
His style influenced dozens
of later players like Tom Scott.
162
00:37:02,119 --> 00:37:05,690
The original version's
signature intro resulted
163
00:37:05,700 --> 00:37:08,388
from Eddie Willis accidentally
kicking a reverb tank.
164
00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:40,683
Johnny Griffith recorded for Motown's
short-lived Workshopjazz label.
165
00:38:40,785 --> 00:38:44,744
His album, "jazz," received a four-star
review from Downbeat in May 1963.
166
00:39:04,608 --> 00:39:07,138
Mickey Stevenson is
surrounded by Jamerson (left),
167
00:39:07,139 --> 00:39:09,568
his wife and singer Kim
Weston and jack Ashford.
168
00:39:27,765 --> 00:39:33,226
"Pride And joy" features some ofjoe
Hunter's best piano playing at Motown.
169
00:39:33,337 --> 00:39:38,798
The session they're discussing was
recorded midweek, September 12, 1962.
170
00:39:56,927 --> 00:40:01,387
Joe had been gigging
with Hank Ballard & The Midnighters...
171
00:40:01,499 --> 00:40:06,960
when he took a gamble to go with
Berry Gordy's new record venture in '58.
172
00:40:18,649 --> 00:40:23,279
Joe describes himself as a "down-home
boogie woogie" piano player.
173
00:40:29,660 --> 00:40:32,195
Ethel Waters first popularized "Stormy
174
00:40:32,196 --> 00:40:35,530
Weather" in 1933, when
joe was a very young boy.
175
00:41:45,236 --> 00:41:50,196
Lottie was originally a Lindy Hop dancer
in New York in the late "40s.
176
00:41:50,307 --> 00:41:54,770
Soul singer Solomon Burke says she
was "the first naked woman I ever saw
177
00:41:54,771 --> 00:41:55,870
- with a snake. "
178
00:42:40,624 --> 00:42:43,656
The two versions of
"I Heard It Through The
179
00:42:43,657 --> 00:42:46,688
Grapevine," inspired
by Lottie's rhythms...
180
00:42:46,797 --> 00:42:52,990
were recorded four months apart
in 1967- Marvin Gaye's was cut first.
181
00:42:58,776 --> 00:43:01,670
They're standing on 12th
Street, where the '67
182
00:43:01,671 --> 00:43:04,737
riots began. It's now known
as Rosa Parks Boulevard.
183
00:43:08,819 --> 00:43:11,686
Martha jean "The Queen" Steinberg,
a blues Dj on Wj LB...
184
00:43:11,789 --> 00:43:17,227
would routinely broadcast
The Funk Brothers' jam sessions...
185
00:43:17,328 --> 00:43:21,788
at the Chit Chat during
the glory days of the 1960s.
186
00:45:42,973 --> 00:45:47,933
Motown producerjohnny Bristol said
The Funk Brothers "breathed together. "
187
00:45:48,450 --> 00:45:50,998
He once recalled a session
where one of the guys went
188
00:45:50,999 --> 00:45:54,600
out to get a sandwich, came
back five minutes later...
189
00:45:54,118 --> 00:45:59,249
and fell back into the groove
as if he'd never left.
190
00:46:41,365 --> 00:46:44,259
The Funk Brothers are
re-creating the original
191
00:46:44,260 --> 00:46:47,326
session recorded at Hitsville
on September 28, 1965.
192
00:46:47,437 --> 00:46:50,361
Producer Norman Whitfield
had written it as "Please
193
00:46:50,362 --> 00:46:53,398
Don't Leave Me Girl" and
intended it for Marvin Gaye.
194
00:47:42,259 --> 00:47:45,267
With new lyrics by Eddie
Holland, "Ain't Too Proud To
195
00:47:45,268 --> 00:47:48,220
Beg" by the Temptations
reached number four in 1966.
196
00:49:12,416 --> 00:49:15,275
Kasuku Mafia, an original
member of the Motown
197
00:49:15,276 --> 00:49:18,377
horn section, re-creates
his solo from the record.
198
00:49:41,211 --> 00:49:46,649
Ben Harper also covered Marvin Gaye's
only non-Motown hit, "Sexual Healing. "
199
00:50:19,416 --> 00:50:22,290
Motown engineering graduated
to eight-track recording
200
00:50:22,291 --> 00:50:25,377
in january 1965, using
hand-built machines that opened...
201
00:50:25,489 --> 00:50:28,504
the sonic spectrum and allowed room for
202
00:50:28,505 --> 00:50:31,519
the sophisticated arrangements cited.
203
00:50:45,275 --> 00:50:50,235
Earl Van Dyke joined in '63 and evolved
into the bandleader a year later.
204
00:51:10,330 --> 00:51:14,493
He was called not only "Big Funk,"
but "Ookie" and "Chunk of Funk. "
205
00:51:19,676 --> 00:51:24,409
Earl's exceptional
jazz-soul organ chops...
206
00:51:24,514 --> 00:51:27,648
can be heard on saxophonist
Fred jackson's rare
207
00:51:27,649 --> 00:51:30,475
Blue Note album from
1963, Hootin' 'N Tootin.
208
00:51:42,332 --> 00:51:45,142
Berry Gordy instructed
The Funk Brothers to teach
209
00:51:45,143 --> 00:51:47,895
young Stevie Wonder how
to play piano and drums.
210
00:51:48,400 --> 00:51:50,732
The lessons would often
turn comical, leaving Stevie
211
00:51:50,733 --> 00:51:53,306
locked in a closet after
a game of Hide-And-Seek.
212
00:52:02,819 --> 00:52:07,449
Earl died of prostate cancer
on September 19, 1992.
213
00:53:18,428 --> 00:53:22,888
Uriel, like Berry Gordy,
was a young boxer.
214
00:53:22,999 --> 00:53:27,959
Elsewhere in the Snakepit, Robert White
was an expert martial artist.
215
00:54:08,478 --> 00:54:11,368
PAC-3, United and Golden
World were all Detroit
216
00:54:11,369 --> 00:54:14,439
studios located within a
few minutes of Hitsville.
217
00:54:26,496 --> 00:54:30,956
The "few bucks" Eddie mentions rose from
an initial $5 per track in late "59...
218
00:54:31,670 --> 00:54:35,697
to the union scale of $52.50
per three-hour session in 1964.
219
00:54:48,518 --> 00:54:53,979
Johnny's extra $100 a week then translates
to more than $500 a week in 2002 dollars.
220
00:55:05,368 --> 00:55:08,348
Most of the Funks were
salaried employees earning a
221
00:55:08,349 --> 00:55:11,329
steady income they could
augment with outside gigs.
222
00:55:11,441 --> 00:55:16,743
Jamerson eventually made close to
$100,000 a year in the late '60s.
223
00:56:45,402 --> 00:56:48,357
Bootsy performs "Cooljerk,"
originally a hit for Detroit
224
00:56:48,358 --> 00:56:51,363
group The Capitols. It was a
Top 10 smash in spring 1966.
225
00:57:10,460 --> 00:57:13,376
The original "Cooljerk" session
was one of the last cut at
226
00:57:13,377 --> 00:57:16,490
Golden World Studios, just before
its purchase by Berry Gordy.
227
00:57:16,599 --> 00:57:21,127
Golden World was to
become Motown's "Studio B."
228
00:57:43,960 --> 00:57:46,504
Johnny Griffith, Eddie
Willis and Bob Babbitt
229
00:57:46,505 --> 00:57:49,159
re-create their original
parts from the record.
230
00:57:49,265 --> 00:57:52,475
The original session also
included saxophonist Mike
231
00:57:52,476 --> 00:57:55,500
Terry and future Motown
guitarist Dennis Coffey.
232
00:58:58,835 --> 00:59:04,239
Between 1962 and 1975, 75 percent of
all Motown releases made the Pop charts.
233
00:59:04,340 --> 00:59:09,972
In December '68, Motown held
the top three spots for four weeks.
234
00:59:28,970 --> 00:59:33,558
The Tamla-Motown UK tour ran
from March 20 through April 12, 1965.
235
00:59:33,670 --> 00:59:36,905
The Funks not only
backed the stars, they
236
00:59:36,906 --> 00:59:40,371
were billed as "The
Earl Van Dyke Sextet"...
237
00:59:40,476 --> 00:59:45,971
and had two instrumental singles already in
the market: "All For You" and "Soul Stomp. "
238
01:00:01,497 --> 01:00:06,958
The Beatles also paid Motown homage by
having Mary Wells open their '64 UK tour.
239
01:00:07,700 --> 01:00:10,631
Motown's Brenda Holloway
opened dates on their '65 U.S. tour.
240
01:01:00,523 --> 01:01:03,380
Earl Van Dyke remembers
Smokey pushing for more than 40
241
01:01:03,390 --> 01:01:05,688
takes of"The Tears Of A Clown.
" Take nine became the hit.
242
01:01:24,313 --> 01:01:26,405
The Funks created the hit track for
243
01:01:26,406 --> 01:01:29,273
"Standing In The Shadows
Of Love" in 14 takes.
244
01:01:29,385 --> 01:01:34,516
The vocal overdubs by the Four Tops,
however, required 52 takes.
245
01:02:12,962 --> 01:02:18,457
Jack Ashford played dozens of percussion
instruments. Some were his own invention...
246
01:02:18,568 --> 01:02:24,302
like the "hotel sheet," which he used
on Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up. "
247
01:02:54,300 --> 01:02:59,310
Neither drummer, Pistol nor Uriel,
let on during filming that they were ill.
248
01:02:59,142 --> 01:03:04,603
Uriel required quintuple bypass surgery
soon after production closed.
249
01:03:04,714 --> 01:03:07,757
Pistol was diagnosed
with terminal cancer and
250
01:03:07,758 --> 01:03:10,675
died june 30, 2002,
before the film's release.
251
01:03:19,280 --> 01:03:22,828
Pistol, with tongue-in-cheek,
describes a basic pop-rock beat.
252
01:03:33,609 --> 01:03:36,699
Pistol Allen was the
master of the "Beale Street"
253
01:03:36,700 --> 01:03:39,912
shuffle and the Motown
"four on the floor"' groove.
254
01:03:49,580 --> 01:03:53,859
The "Beale Street" shuffle
originated in Memphis, Tennessee.
255
01:04:02,710 --> 01:04:08,320
Pistol describes the session with producer
Norman Whitfield on February 3, 1967.
256
01:04:08,144 --> 01:04:12,604
It was a track
intended for the Temptations.
257
01:04:21,900 --> 01:04:25,789
Instead, Marvin Gaye overdubbed "I Heard
It Through The Grapevine" a few days later.
258
01:04:45,114 --> 01:04:49,160
Ben Harper sings Marvin's version,
which at that time, sat in the can.
259
01:04:49,118 --> 01:04:51,700
Gladys Knight & The
Pips' faster version was
260
01:04:51,701 --> 01:04:54,454
recorded, issued and
eventually hit number two.
261
01:05:10,206 --> 01:05:13,880
Producer Whitfield fought with Berry
262
01:05:13,890 --> 01:05:16,611
Gordy for the release
of Marvin's version.
263
01:05:16,712 --> 01:05:19,840
It was stuck on an album
more than a year later.
264
01:05:34,263 --> 01:05:37,892
Radio found it and forced its release
as a single in November 1968...
265
01:05:38,000 --> 01:05:43,632
when it became Motown's
most successful record to that point.
266
01:06:15,370 --> 01:06:20,236
Marvin's "Grapevine" was number one
in the U.S. and the UK...
267
01:06:20,343 --> 01:06:24,939
staying on top the U.S. R&B chart
for nearly two months.
268
01:07:02,510 --> 01:07:06,511
Benny's substance abuse
led to chronic heart disease.
269
01:07:18,601 --> 01:07:21,163
Motown logs indicate
only two, brief sessions
270
01:07:21,164 --> 01:07:23,202
for April 20, 1969, the day Benny died
271
01:07:23,203 --> 01:07:24,562
- and none the day after.
272
01:08:53,950 --> 01:08:57,691
Joe Messina was considered the best
music reader of all The Funk Brothers.
273
01:09:01,504 --> 01:09:06,806
He played
the complicated written parts.
274
01:09:17,153 --> 01:09:23,114
Berry Gordy produced and released Marv
johnson's hit "Come To Me," in 1959...
275
01:09:23,225 --> 01:09:27,685
the first record
on his independent Tamla label.
276
01:09:38,730 --> 01:09:40,877
Joe was a staff guitarist at
WXYZ-TV. More than 10 years
277
01:09:40,878 --> 01:09:43,534
after he played for Soupy
Sales' nighttime TV band...
278
01:09:43,646 --> 01:09:49,607
Soupy became a national comic sensation and
released a novelty album on Motown in 1969.
279
01:10:19,715 --> 01:10:21,740
Eddie "Bongo" Brown started
his career as Marvin Gaye's valet.
280
01:10:29,892 --> 01:10:34,989
Respect for Eddie's contributions
shows in the Motown recording set-up:
281
01:10:35,970 --> 01:10:37,608
unlike the three guitars,
which were combined on one
282
01:10:37,609 --> 01:10:40,262
track, his congas were usually
given their own track...
283
01:10:40,369 --> 01:10:45,329
so his sound wouldn't be
buried by the other instruments.
284
01:11:21,510 --> 01:11:26,140
Joan and jack are at
the Parkwood Diner in Oak, Michigan...
285
01:11:26,248 --> 01:11:30,708
talking about the single,
"Soul 35022," released june 1966.
286
01:11:49,710 --> 01:11:51,907
The Funks re-create the
original track recorded for
287
01:11:51,908 --> 01:11:54,907
"What Becomes Of The
Brokenhearted" on August 3, 1965.
288
01:12:15,664 --> 01:12:18,320
The original single byjimmy Ruffin
- brother
289
01:12:18,321 --> 01:12:21,625
ofTemptation David Ruffin
- hit the Top 10 in summer "66.
290
01:12:37,753 --> 01:12:43,214
The track was originally given different
lyrics and sung by the Isley Brothers.
291
01:12:43,325 --> 01:12:48,592
When rewritten,jimmy "took"
the song from the Spinners.
292
01:13:15,791 --> 01:13:17,995
Paul Riser, seen in this film, wrote the
293
01:13:17,996 --> 01:13:20,751
song's sublime arrangement
and is its co-author.
294
01:14:09,812 --> 01:14:12,732
Additional keyboardist
Rudy Robinson, seen here
295
01:14:12,733 --> 01:14:15,773
in the top hat, was a
good friend to the Funks...
296
01:14:15,884 --> 01:14:19,376
and did many gigs with them
after Motown.
297
01:14:19,488 --> 01:14:23,447
He died shortly after
the film was completed.
298
01:14:35,437 --> 01:14:40,602
Seth justman, a member of thej. Geils Band
and the brother of director Pauljustman...
299
01:14:40,709 --> 01:14:44,543
arranged this dramatic breakdown
for the film.
300
01:16:05,928 --> 01:16:10,922
Robert White recorded his famous guitar line
to "My Girl" with the rest of the Funks...
301
01:16:11,330 --> 01:16:16,335
on a Friday at Hitsville,
September 25, 1964.
302
01:16:29,818 --> 01:16:34,448
Smokey Robinson wrote
and produced "My Girl"...
303
01:16:34,556 --> 01:16:40,188
then taught it to the Temptations
while backstage at NY's Apollo Theater.
304
01:17:13,195 --> 01:17:18,428
During Robert's fallow L.A. period, he
sold his beloved black Gibson L-5 guitar.
305
01:17:18,533 --> 01:17:22,940
He returned to performing
and recording in the early 1990s...
306
01:17:22,204 --> 01:17:25,401
before he died unexpectedly in '94 of
complications after heart surgery.
307
01:18:45,954 --> 01:18:48,969
Also in the mix on the
local scene: The Parliaments,
308
01:18:48,970 --> 01:18:51,984
led by former Motown staff
writer, George Clinton...
309
01:18:52,940 --> 01:18:55,273
whose outrageous funk
- often augmented by a few
310
01:18:55,274 --> 01:18:58,192
ofThe Funk Brothers
- caught Whitfield's ears.
311
01:19:26,328 --> 01:19:31,288
Dennis describes a short-lived
Motown "Producer's Workshop"...
312
01:19:31,399 --> 01:19:34,664
created by the Motown brass
in the summer-fall of 1968.
313
01:19:48,160 --> 01:19:50,767
Uriel plays his original
drum part while Pistol
314
01:19:50,768 --> 01:19:53,977
re-creates the part originally
played by "Spider" Webb.
315
01:20:09,671 --> 01:20:14,131
"Cloud Nine" was originally recorded
in 16 takes on October 1, 1968.
316
01:20:22,500 --> 01:20:24,587
Carla Benson was a renowned Philadelphia
317
01:20:24,588 --> 01:20:28,110
International session singer
for more than a decade.
318
01:20:35,163 --> 01:20:38,599
"Cloud Nine" was a Top 10 hit
and Motown's first Grammy Award winner.
319
01:21:03,725 --> 01:21:08,287
John Ingram was singer
and road drummer for Patti LaBelle.
320
01:21:22,430 --> 01:21:26,412
"Cloud Nine" was the first Temptations
hit to feature multiple lead singers.
321
01:23:10,218 --> 01:23:15,679
Nate and Ralphe are speaking about
Bob Babbitt's bass solo in "Scorpio"...
322
01:23:15,790 --> 01:23:21,251
the Top 10 hit by Dennis Coffey
& The Detroit Guitar Band from 1971.
323
01:23:53,261 --> 01:23:56,214
Babbitt is depicted in the
famed Roostertail club on
324
01:23:56,215 --> 01:23:59,222
the Detroit River, home of
the "Motown Monday" shows.
325
01:24:19,287 --> 01:24:25,248
Babbitt is shown here
with his teen band The Counts.
326
01:24:33,268 --> 01:24:38,228
This was Babbitt's band The Royal Tones
- that's Dennis Coffey at left.
327
01:24:42,110 --> 01:24:44,487
He joined Stevie Wonder's
road band in '66. His first
328
01:24:44,488 --> 01:24:47,173
recordings at Hitsville were
album tracks for Stevie in '67.
329
01:24:58,326 --> 01:25:03,354
Albums sessions for "What's Going On"
were done in 10 frantic days.
330
01:25:03,465 --> 01:25:09,131
Songs were cut in the sequence
they were eventually released.
331
01:25:38,366 --> 01:25:42,826
Jamerson recorded the first half
of the album.
332
01:25:42,937 --> 01:25:45,530
Babbitt handled the second half
333
01:25:45,540 --> 01:25:48,398
- "Mercy Mercy Me" through
"Inner City Blues. "
334
01:26:01,356 --> 01:26:06,316
This rare performance footage is from
a benefit for Rev. jessejackson's...
335
01:26:06,427 --> 01:26:11,570
Operation PUSH in Chicago,
October 1, 1972.
336
01:28:11,190 --> 01:28:13,683
Racial confrontations
also escalated into urban
337
01:28:13,684 --> 01:28:16,514
riots in Newark, Nj; New
York City; Cleveland, OH;
338
01:28:16,624 --> 01:28:20,526
Washington, D.C.; Chicago, I L
and Atlanta, GA, in the summer of'67.
339
01:28:28,536 --> 01:28:31,545
The Funks had been recording
"Ain't Nothing Like The
340
01:28:31,546 --> 01:28:34,497
Real Thing" a few hours
before the riots broke out.
341
01:28:34,609 --> 01:28:39,690
Sessions were cancelled for
the next 10 days.
342
01:28:58,566 --> 01:29:02,593
Before the National Guard ended
the Detroit riots on july 25...
343
01:29:02,704 --> 01:29:08,336
43 African Americans were killed, 1,189
were injured and 7,231 were arrested.
344
01:30:01,629 --> 01:30:06,890
During these sessions
Marvin was like a Funk Brother...
345
01:30:06,200 --> 01:30:10,660
playing piano
and percussion alongside them.
346
01:30:23,651 --> 01:30:26,241
Chaka Khan sings the
song Marvin created after
347
01:30:26,242 --> 01:30:28,611
his family was scarred
by the Vietnam War.
348
01:30:28,723 --> 01:30:34,355
His cousin died in the war, and his brother
Frankie returned home with horror stories.
349
01:30:47,175 --> 01:30:52,545
For the album's sessions, Marvin hired
Chet Forest, a local jazz drummer.
350
01:31:00,210 --> 01:31:03,354
Pistol is re-creating Marvin's original
percussion part played on a "box drum. "
351
01:31:14,635 --> 01:31:20,369
This arrangement is based on
David Van De Pitte's original score.
352
01:31:41,128 --> 01:31:45,588
Tom Scott transposed Eli Fontaine's
original alto sax part to his soprano sax.
353
01:31:56,210 --> 01:32:01,807
Berry Gordy at first rejected
"What's Going On. "
354
01:32:01,916 --> 01:32:04,704
He not only didn't want
a protest song, he didn't
355
01:32:04,705 --> 01:32:07,548
like the "Dizzy Gillespie
scatting" in the middle.
356
01:32:38,520 --> 01:32:39,915
Original background
singers on the record were
357
01:32:39,916 --> 01:32:41,818
Lem Barney and Mel Farr
of the Detroit Lions...
358
01:32:41,923 --> 01:32:45,791
The Miracles' Bobby Rogers
and Motown's other unsung heroes...
359
01:32:45,893 --> 01:32:49,761
The Andantes: Louvain Demps,
Marlene Barrow and jackie Hicks.
360
01:33:58,866 --> 01:34:01,853
Eddie Willis stands on the
bridge to Detroit's Belle
361
01:34:01,854 --> 01:34:04,896
Isle, where many Motown
company picnics took place...
362
01:34:05,600 --> 01:34:08,965
and wherejamerson drove with friends,
despondent over Motown's move west.
363
01:34:29,897 --> 01:34:34,698
The "hits to come" in Detroit
after "What's Going On"...
364
01:34:34,802 --> 01:34:40,604
included The Temptations' "Papa Was A
Rolling Stone" and The Supremes' "Floyjoy. "
365
01:35:16,944 --> 01:35:20,903
Motown had been recording
in Los Angeles since the mid-"60s...
366
01:35:21,150 --> 01:35:25,645
and set up corporate offices in
Los Angeles in 1968.
367
01:35:25,753 --> 01:35:28,604
Upon officially leaving
Detroit in '72, Motown left
368
01:35:28,605 --> 01:35:31,714
behind a skeletal staff to
oversee occasional studio dates.
369
01:36:01,122 --> 01:36:06,560
Jamerson's West Coast sessions
included The Sylvers' "Boogie Fever"...
370
01:36:06,660 --> 01:36:09,760
The Hues Corp. 's "Rock
The Boat" and Marilyn McCoo
371
01:36:09,761 --> 01:36:12,621
& Billy Davis's "You
Don't Have To Be A Star. "
372
01:36:45,366 --> 01:36:50,827
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today & Foreverwas
filmed at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
373
01:36:50,938 --> 01:36:55,398
Jamerson died at the age of 47,
August 2, 1983.
374
01:37:12,193 --> 01:37:15,526
Jamerson's obituary in Rolling Stone by
singer/ Detroit native Marshall Crenshaw...
375
01:37:15,629 --> 01:37:19,895
inspired Allan Slutsky to write the book
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown.
376
01:37:30,578 --> 01:37:33,392
After Motown's L.A. move, Uriel and
377
01:37:33,393 --> 01:37:36,608
Pistol stayed in Detroit to play gigs.
378
01:37:36,717 --> 01:37:39,738
Jack became a producer,
then gave up music until
379
01:37:39,739 --> 01:37:42,883
this film. "Bongo" played
until his death in 1983.
380
01:37:56,871 --> 01:37:59,669
Eddie went on tour
with the Four Tops for 20 years...
381
01:37:59,773 --> 01:38:02,799
Joe retired to open a chain
of car washes and jewelry stores...
382
01:38:02,910 --> 01:38:06,175
while Robert slipped
in and out of music.
383
01:38:09,490 --> 01:38:11,604
Joe kept playing after
"63. Earl toured with Freda
384
01:38:11,605 --> 01:38:14,900
Payne and taught at
Detroit's public schools...
385
01:38:14,121 --> 01:38:16,749
as did johnny, between his gigs.
386
01:38:16,857 --> 01:38:22,159
Babbitt became a premier session bassist
in New York, Philadelphia and Nashville...
387
01:38:22,263 --> 01:38:25,960
creating tracks for The Spinners, Elton
john, Alice Cooper and many others.
388
01:39:11,145 --> 01:39:13,430
Montell and Chaka perform
Marvin Gaye and Tammi
389
01:39:13,431 --> 01:39:16,480
Terrell's version of"Ain't
No Mountain High Enough"...
390
01:39:16,150 --> 01:39:19,483
a Top 20 hit in spring 1967.
391
01:39:28,529 --> 01:39:32,560
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
was originally recorded in Studio B...
392
01:39:32,166 --> 01:39:37,160
as a solo track for Tammi
on December 20, 1966.
393
01:39:41,508 --> 01:39:45,239
Standing 6'8", Montell is the only one
on stage taller than jack Ashford.
394
01:39:45,346 --> 01:39:48,611
Chaka and her group Rufus got their
break when Motown's Stevie Wonder...
395
01:39:48,716 --> 01:39:52,618
wrote their first hit,
"Tell Me Something Good. "
396
01:40:01,295 --> 01:40:04,458
Uriel played with Benny
on the original version.
397
01:40:04,565 --> 01:40:08,729
He played with Andrew Smith on
the 1970 remake by Diana Ross.
398
01:41:06,460 --> 01:41:09,427
Postscript: johnny
Griffith died hours before
399
01:41:09,428 --> 01:41:12,920
the film's Detroit
premiere, Nov. 10, 2002.
36954
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.