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[ Chattering ]
2
00:01:40,834 --> 00:01:42,836
** [ Piano ]
3
00:01:45,639 --> 00:01:47,875
[ Man ]
It was bigger than
we thought it was gonna be.
4
00:01:47,908 --> 00:01:50,811
We didn't know
it was gonna be that big.
5
00:01:50,844 --> 00:01:54,748
To be or not to be--
It was bein'.
6
00:01:57,918 --> 00:02:01,455
First we didn't notice
what was goin' on.
7
00:02:01,489 --> 00:02:05,659
We were too busy
creating the music
and the magic.
8
00:02:07,795 --> 00:02:10,498
Finally you know
that, uh,
9
00:02:10,531 --> 00:02:14,835
you have, uh, played on
hit records.
10
00:02:14,868 --> 00:02:18,239
And the jukeboxes
and the radio is playing,
11
00:02:18,272 --> 00:02:20,908
and somebody said,
"Oh, boy, that's Motown."
12
00:02:20,941 --> 00:02:25,679
But they never know us.
Nobody never mentioned
too much about us.
13
00:02:27,315 --> 00:02:32,286
Really a long time it goes,
and finally it gets to you.
14
00:02:34,288 --> 00:02:36,657
Finally, when the dust cleared,
15
00:02:36,690 --> 00:02:38,959
it was all over,
16
00:02:38,992 --> 00:02:43,297
and we realized we were
being left out of the dream.
17
00:02:43,331 --> 00:02:45,333
It's the end.
18
00:02:46,700 --> 00:02:49,337
And, as the years go by,
19
00:02:49,370 --> 00:02:53,207
we wonder,
will anyone ever know...
20
00:02:53,241 --> 00:02:56,377
who we are or what we did.
** [ Tambourine ]
21
00:02:57,378 --> 00:02:59,380
** [ Funk ]
22
00:04:46,487 --> 00:04:49,890
[ Men ]
Yeah. What you gonna do?
23
00:04:49,923 --> 00:04:53,794
[ Narrator ]
They were the days
of American innocence--
24
00:04:53,827 --> 00:04:55,863
of Father Knows Best.
25
00:04:55,896 --> 00:04:58,366
Lady Day passed on,
26
00:04:58,399 --> 00:05:01,735
and Fats Domino
enticed the nation
to visit "Blueberry Hill."
27
00:05:01,769 --> 00:05:04,338
Elvis Presley burst out of
Mississippi like a tornado,
28
00:05:04,372 --> 00:05:07,475
gathering followers from
every sphere of American life.
29
00:05:07,508 --> 00:05:10,478
There was a cultural tidal wave
in his hips and music.
30
00:05:10,511 --> 00:05:15,449
Radio stations
flooded the country with
this new sound from the South.
31
00:05:15,483 --> 00:05:18,886
But the roots of that music--
the originators--
remained unknown.
32
00:05:18,919 --> 00:05:22,523
These pioneers
of rhythm and blues
could be found...
33
00:05:22,556 --> 00:05:25,759
at the far reaches of
the radio dial, playing
soulfully for their loyal fans.
34
00:05:25,793 --> 00:05:28,529
But they were confined
to frustration...
35
00:05:28,562 --> 00:05:32,433
as they watched their
white counterparts triumph
with the style they'd created.
36
00:05:32,466 --> 00:05:35,836
Struggling to find
the key to mainstream
America's heartbeat,
37
00:05:35,869 --> 00:05:38,739
scores of black artists
and record companies...
38
00:05:38,772 --> 00:05:43,511
searched for a new sound
that would free them
from the race music label.
39
00:05:43,544 --> 00:05:45,746
In Detroit,
that sound arrived.
40
00:05:45,779 --> 00:05:47,615
** [ R&B ]
41
00:05:58,426 --> 00:06:00,561
* Uh
42
00:06:00,594 --> 00:06:04,532
* Now if you feel
that you can't go on *
43
00:06:04,565 --> 00:06:07,901
* Can't go on
* Because all of your hope
is gone *
44
00:06:07,935 --> 00:06:11,905
- * All your hope is gone
- * And your life is filled
with much confusion *
45
00:06:11,939 --> 00:06:14,608
* Until happiness
is just an illusion *
46
00:06:14,642 --> 00:06:17,711
* Happiness
is just an illusion *
* And your world around
47
00:06:17,745 --> 00:06:19,980
* Is crumbling down
48
00:06:20,013 --> 00:06:22,182
* Darling
* Reach out
49
00:06:22,215 --> 00:06:24,918
* Come on, girl
Reach out for me *
50
00:06:24,952 --> 00:06:27,955
* Reach out
* Reach out for me
51
00:06:30,023 --> 00:06:34,428
* Ha
I'll be there *
52
00:06:34,462 --> 00:06:38,599
* With the love
that'll shelter you *
53
00:06:38,632 --> 00:06:42,536
* I'll be there
54
00:06:42,570 --> 00:06:45,906
* With the love
that'll see you through *
55
00:06:47,875 --> 00:06:51,979
* When you feel lost
and about to give up *
56
00:06:52,012 --> 00:06:55,449
* About to give up
* Because your best
just ain't good enough *
57
00:06:55,483 --> 00:06:59,219
* Just ain't good enough
* And you feel the world
has grown cold *
58
00:06:59,252 --> 00:07:02,823
* Has grown cold
* And you're driftin' out
all on your own *
59
00:07:02,856 --> 00:07:05,459
* Driftin' out on your own
* And you need
60
00:07:05,493 --> 00:07:08,596
* A hand to hold
Darling *
61
00:07:08,629 --> 00:07:12,900
* Reach out
* Come on, girl
Reach out for me *
62
00:07:12,933 --> 00:07:15,636
* Reach out
* Reach out for me
63
00:07:17,805 --> 00:07:21,709
* Ha
I'll be there *
64
00:07:21,742 --> 00:07:26,514
* To love and comfort you
65
00:07:26,547 --> 00:07:29,950
* And I'll be there
66
00:07:29,983 --> 00:07:33,554
* To cherish and care for you *
67
00:07:36,056 --> 00:07:40,027
[ Man ]
Yeah, we're, uh, doing
a documentary about some music.
68
00:07:40,060 --> 00:07:43,564
You know a lot about music?
You gotta know something
about music.
69
00:07:43,597 --> 00:07:46,800
I know something about music.
You know anything
about Motown?
70
00:07:46,834 --> 00:07:50,037
- I like to listen to Motown.
- Yeah. I was brought up
on that stuff.
71
00:07:50,070 --> 00:07:51,872
Do you know about Motown?
Oh, yes.
72
00:07:51,905 --> 00:07:53,874
Do you know a lot
about music?
73
00:07:53,907 --> 00:07:55,976
- I like to think so.
- Yes. I'm from Detroit.
74
00:07:56,009 --> 00:07:59,613
- Yeah.
- Motown? Yeah, sure.
The sound of Detroit.
75
00:07:59,647 --> 00:08:02,750
I know a little too much
about music.
76
00:08:02,783 --> 00:08:04,918
What's your favorite
Motown group?
77
00:08:04,952 --> 00:08:07,588
I wouldn't say group.
I would go with Marvin Gaye.
78
00:08:07,621 --> 00:08:11,525
- I'd have to say
Smokey Robinson probably.
- Of course, Stevie Wonder.
79
00:08:11,559 --> 00:08:13,794
- I love the Supremes.
- Four Tops.
80
00:08:13,827 --> 00:08:17,064
Would you happen to know
who played the music on
the Supremes albums?
81
00:08:17,097 --> 00:08:20,834
You know,
the instruments and stuff.
I have no idea.
82
00:08:20,868 --> 00:08:25,606
Did you ever think about that?
Mmm, I think about it with--
No, I haven't, actually.
83
00:08:25,639 --> 00:08:29,943
Do you know who played
the music for Smokey?
Mmm, not right offhand.
84
00:08:29,977 --> 00:08:32,680
- It's the Miracles.
- Um--
85
00:08:32,713 --> 00:08:35,549
It was Gladys Knight & the Pips,
wasn't it?
86
00:08:35,583 --> 00:08:37,551
But did they play the music?
87
00:08:37,585 --> 00:08:39,953
- The Pips.
- I don't think I know
any of the musicians.
88
00:08:39,987 --> 00:08:42,723
Yeah.
I'm familiar with Marvin Gaye.
89
00:08:42,756 --> 00:08:46,560
His band? No.
Unfortunately, I can't say.
90
00:08:46,594 --> 00:08:51,031
What if I told you it was
a group called the Funk Brothers
who played on all that stuff?
91
00:08:51,064 --> 00:08:53,066
Wow. I had no idea.
92
00:08:53,100 --> 00:08:55,703
Who are the Funk Brothers?
Who are they?
93
00:08:55,736 --> 00:08:59,106
- Really?
- If it's true,
I would believe it.
94
00:08:59,139 --> 00:09:01,975
They still around?
95
00:09:02,009 --> 00:09:04,845
People will ask,
"What is the Motown sound?"
96
00:09:04,878 --> 00:09:08,882
They've asked producers.
They've asked, uh,
executives from Motown.
97
00:09:08,916 --> 00:09:12,586
"What was the Motown sound?"
It was the musicians. Okay?
98
00:09:12,620 --> 00:09:15,856
When these cats cut tracks,
99
00:09:15,889 --> 00:09:20,761
no offense to any of the great
artists that sang on them, but
anybody could have sang on them.
100
00:09:20,794 --> 00:09:24,064
You could've had Deputy Dawg
singing on some of this stuff.
It would have been a hit...
101
00:09:24,097 --> 00:09:28,135
because the tracks
were just so incredible.
102
00:09:28,168 --> 00:09:31,872
They were musical entities
unto themselves.
103
00:09:31,905 --> 00:09:34,141
They had a natural feel
for music.
104
00:09:34,174 --> 00:09:36,143
They were just
that exceptional.
105
00:09:36,176 --> 00:09:41,014
Being really good
jazz musicians,
they could swing like crazy.
106
00:09:41,048 --> 00:09:45,085
That's something that's
not always present in pop music.
107
00:09:45,118 --> 00:09:48,622
The bass drum had a note.
It wasn't a dead--
[ Imitates Flat Drumbeat ]
108
00:09:48,656 --> 00:09:53,761
It was a boom.
So you had--
[ Imitating Bass Drum ]
109
00:09:53,794 --> 00:09:56,063
When there's a groove like that,
110
00:09:56,096 --> 00:10:00,934
the subliminal effect
is everybody feels good.
111
00:10:00,968 --> 00:10:04,137
They were the groundwork.
They were the things that
everything else was built on.
112
00:10:04,171 --> 00:10:08,008
It was like a river
constantly flowing.
113
00:10:08,041 --> 00:10:12,212
Talent, creations, you know.
People come in.
114
00:10:12,245 --> 00:10:14,948
"Who's available?
Who's on the list?
Well, call them in.
115
00:10:14,982 --> 00:10:17,785
Where are they?
This one's out of town?
Call the other one."
116
00:10:17,818 --> 00:10:19,920
But it was always
the Funk Brothers.
117
00:10:19,953 --> 00:10:21,922
Always the Funk Brothers.
First.
118
00:10:21,955 --> 00:10:25,693
Without them, there really
wouldn't be a Motown.
119
00:10:25,726 --> 00:10:28,962
That was the sound.
That was the foundation.
120
00:10:28,996 --> 00:10:31,665
That was it.
That was the essence of Motown.
121
00:10:31,699 --> 00:10:35,168
[ Narrator ] That essence
was an overpowering lineup
of veteran groove masters...
122
00:10:35,202 --> 00:10:37,705
and trailblazing virtuosos.
123
00:10:37,738 --> 00:10:42,075
Guitarists Eddie Willis,
Joe Messina and Robert White...
124
00:10:42,109 --> 00:10:45,879
and keyboardists
Johnny Griffith, Joe Hunter
and Earl Van Dyke...
125
00:10:45,913 --> 00:10:49,950
wove an irresistible tapestry
of instrumental hooks
and counter-rhythms...
126
00:10:49,983 --> 00:10:52,886
over the electrifying core
of the Motown groove--
127
00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:57,991
a core comprised of
James Jamerson, the tormented
genius of the Motown bass...
128
00:10:58,025 --> 00:11:00,460
and late-era bassist
Bob Babbitt,
129
00:11:00,493 --> 00:11:04,131
percussionists Jack Ashford
and Eddie "Bongo" Brown,
130
00:11:04,164 --> 00:11:07,200
drummers Uriel Jones,
"Pistol" Allen...
131
00:11:07,234 --> 00:11:09,703
and the explosive
Benny "Papa Zita" Benjamin,
132
00:11:09,737 --> 00:11:11,972
the creator of
the Motown drumbeat.
133
00:11:12,005 --> 00:11:15,909
The dance floors of the world
didn't stand a chance.
** [ R&B ]
134
00:11:32,993 --> 00:11:35,863
* Whenever I'm with him
* Oooh-ooh-ooh
135
00:11:35,896 --> 00:11:38,866
* Something inside
* Inside
136
00:11:38,899 --> 00:11:41,201
* Starts to burnin'
137
00:11:41,234 --> 00:11:45,739
* And I'm filled with desire
138
00:11:45,773 --> 00:11:48,108
* Could it be
the devil in me *
139
00:11:48,141 --> 00:11:51,178
* Or is this the way
love's supposed to be *
140
00:11:51,211 --> 00:11:53,313
* It's like a heat wave
141
00:11:53,346 --> 00:11:56,516
* Burnin' in my heart
142
00:11:56,549 --> 00:11:59,753
* Can't keep from cryin'
143
00:11:59,787 --> 00:12:02,089
* It's tearing me apart
144
00:12:02,122 --> 00:12:05,292
* Whenever he calls my name
145
00:12:05,325 --> 00:12:08,161
- * Soft love
sweet and plain *
- * Yeah, yeah
146
00:12:08,195 --> 00:12:11,331
* I feel right there
147
00:12:11,364 --> 00:12:15,302
* I feel that burning flame
148
00:12:15,335 --> 00:12:19,172
* Has a high blood pressure
got a hold on me
or is this the way *
149
00:12:19,206 --> 00:12:23,276
* Love's supposed to be
It's like a heat wave *
150
00:12:23,310 --> 00:12:26,279
* Burnin' in my heart
151
00:12:26,313 --> 00:12:29,016
* Can't keep from cryin'
152
00:12:29,049 --> 00:12:32,786
* It's tearing me apart
153
00:12:32,820 --> 00:12:36,056
** [ Saxophone Solo ]
* Ooh-ooh-ooh
154
00:12:36,089 --> 00:12:38,325
* Ooh
155
00:12:39,827 --> 00:12:43,296
* Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh, ooh
156
00:12:43,330 --> 00:12:45,265
* Yeah
157
00:12:51,304 --> 00:12:54,341
* Sometimes I stare
into space *
158
00:12:54,374 --> 00:12:57,310
* Tears all over my face
159
00:12:57,344 --> 00:13:00,848
* Can't explain it
Don't understand it *
160
00:13:00,881 --> 00:13:04,284
* I ain't never
felt like this before *
161
00:13:04,317 --> 00:13:07,821
* Now that funny feeling
has me amazed *
162
00:13:07,855 --> 00:13:11,959
* Don't know what to do
my head's in a haze
It's like a heat wave *
163
00:13:11,992 --> 00:13:16,063
* Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
164
00:13:16,096 --> 00:13:19,232
* Oh, oh
165
00:13:19,266 --> 00:13:21,101
* Yeah, yeah
166
00:13:21,134 --> 00:13:25,906
* Whoa-a-a-a
167
00:13:25,939 --> 00:13:28,108
* I'm feeling
* Burnin', burnin'
168
00:13:28,141 --> 00:13:31,178
* Burnin'
I'm feeling
burnin' in my heart *
169
00:13:31,211 --> 00:13:34,948
* Like a heat wave
* Burnin', burnin'
170
00:13:34,982 --> 00:13:38,085
* Heat wave *
171
00:13:38,118 --> 00:13:41,188
[ Narrator ]
After World War II,
the auto industry boom...
172
00:13:41,221 --> 00:13:45,959
turned Detroit into
an economic magnet for people
in search of steady work.
173
00:13:45,993 --> 00:13:49,029
Tens of thousands
migrated to the city.
174
00:13:49,062 --> 00:13:51,098
Among them,
several future Funk Brothers.
175
00:13:51,131 --> 00:13:55,035
Actually, Jamerson
came from South Carolina.
176
00:13:55,068 --> 00:13:58,138
Uh, Eddie Willis
came from Mississippi.
177
00:13:58,171 --> 00:14:01,975
Pistol came from
Memphis, Tennessee,
and I'm from Jackson, Tennessee.
178
00:14:02,009 --> 00:14:05,012
We came north--
mostly our people came north...
179
00:14:05,045 --> 00:14:09,016
to get jobs in the car factories
here in Detroit, Michigan.
180
00:14:09,049 --> 00:14:11,151
And, uh,
181
00:14:11,184 --> 00:14:13,153
I worked at Chevrolet myself.
182
00:14:13,186 --> 00:14:16,023
I worked at Chevrolet
for about a year and a half.
183
00:14:16,056 --> 00:14:19,960
The last thing we wanted to do
was work in the factories.
184
00:14:19,993 --> 00:14:23,030
We really wanted to play music,
and that's what
we ended up doing.
185
00:14:23,063 --> 00:14:24,965
The Funk Brothers ended up
playing music.
** [ Jazz ]
186
00:14:37,710 --> 00:14:41,381
Berry showed up down at
Little Sam's one time.
187
00:14:41,414 --> 00:14:46,353
He walked over by the bandstand
while we were playing
and, uh, said--
188
00:14:46,386 --> 00:14:49,957
He said to me,
"Would you have time
to talk to me?"
189
00:14:49,990 --> 00:14:52,059
I says,
"I got more time
than money."
190
00:14:52,092 --> 00:14:54,361
And he explained to me
what he was about.
191
00:14:54,394 --> 00:14:56,930
He wanted to set up
a record company...
192
00:14:56,964 --> 00:14:59,099
and he needed good musicians.
193
00:14:59,132 --> 00:15:01,268
I thought it was
a wonderful idea.
194
00:15:01,301 --> 00:15:04,271
And wanted to know,
did I know anybody
that could feel the thing.
195
00:15:04,304 --> 00:15:08,075
He already knew Mr. Benjamin--
Benny Benjamin, "Papa Zita."
196
00:15:08,108 --> 00:15:12,179
So he called the first rehearsal
over at Claudette's house--
197
00:15:12,212 --> 00:15:14,982
Smokey Robinson's wife
at that time.
198
00:15:15,015 --> 00:15:17,717
That was late '58.
199
00:15:17,750 --> 00:15:21,421
And then Papa Zita was
already there, and I was there.
200
00:15:21,454 --> 00:15:26,093
We eventually found the great
James Jamerson on bass.
** [ Bass ]
201
00:15:26,126 --> 00:15:29,029
[ Man ]
I remember my dad saying
as a child growing up...
202
00:15:29,062 --> 00:15:31,531
that he would take a stick
and take a rubber band...
203
00:15:31,564 --> 00:15:34,501
and put one part at one end
and the other part
at the other...
204
00:15:34,534 --> 00:15:36,970
and stick it in an ant hole...
205
00:15:37,004 --> 00:15:39,006
and make the ants dance.
206
00:15:39,039 --> 00:15:43,210
** [ Gospel ]
207
00:15:43,243 --> 00:15:46,413
* Jesus, Lord
208
00:15:46,446 --> 00:15:52,152
* All about my troubles
209
00:15:52,185 --> 00:15:54,321
* Whoa, Jesus *
210
00:15:54,354 --> 00:15:56,990
[ Narrator ]
When he was a kid
on Edisto Island,
211
00:15:57,024 --> 00:16:01,361
James and his friends would
slip through a window into their
little two-room schoolhouse.
212
00:16:01,394 --> 00:16:05,532
They'd light a fire
and play the piano
until class started.
213
00:16:05,565 --> 00:16:10,537
After school, they'd continue
making music in a neighbor's
vacant summer home,
214
00:16:10,570 --> 00:16:15,275
where there just happened to be
an old piano
and an upright bass.
215
00:16:17,044 --> 00:16:20,547
The most important pointer
that my father taught me--
216
00:16:20,580 --> 00:16:24,584
when I'm playing,
if I don't feel it,
don't play it.
217
00:16:24,617 --> 00:16:30,423
You know, a lot of guys
would just play straight--
** [ Bass ]
218
00:16:30,457 --> 00:16:33,060
With no feeling.
But he would play it like--
219
00:16:38,831 --> 00:16:44,337
You know, put something in it.
He just felt life was music.
220
00:16:44,371 --> 00:16:47,274
He used to tell this story--
221
00:16:47,307 --> 00:16:49,276
this one song he did--
222
00:16:49,309 --> 00:16:52,112
he saw a fat woman
walking down the street...
223
00:16:52,145 --> 00:16:55,615
and just her butt going
from boom to boom to boom,
badoom, badoom--
224
00:16:55,648 --> 00:16:59,386
that was
his interpretation of music.
225
00:16:59,419 --> 00:17:04,124
He put music to just about
anything that had life to it.
226
00:17:04,157 --> 00:17:07,227
There's an indentment
right here in the bass...
227
00:17:07,260 --> 00:17:10,063
where he kept his thumb
right here as a rest.
228
00:17:10,097 --> 00:17:12,299
That's how old this bass is.
229
00:17:12,332 --> 00:17:14,567
You can see
all the dirt on here.
230
00:17:14,601 --> 00:17:17,470
Uh, as he says,
"The dirt keeps the funk."
231
00:17:17,504 --> 00:17:20,340
This has been the original bass
ever since he started playing,
232
00:17:20,373 --> 00:17:23,143
before he switched over
to Precision.
233
00:17:23,176 --> 00:17:27,280
He used this on "Heat Wave,"
"My Guy," "Shop Around"--
234
00:17:27,314 --> 00:17:29,582
most of the Mary Wells stuff--
235
00:17:29,616 --> 00:17:33,353
"You Beat Me To The Punch,"
some other earlier stuff
with Stevie.
236
00:17:33,386 --> 00:17:37,424
He played with one finger
on all those hits
just like this.
237
00:17:37,457 --> 00:17:39,426
The finger was called
the hook.
238
00:17:39,459 --> 00:17:42,429
It would hook like this.
On all them songs
that you heard,
239
00:17:42,462 --> 00:17:44,631
basically it was done
with one finger.
240
00:17:44,664 --> 00:17:48,635
I have trouble playing
with two fingers
the line that he played.
241
00:17:48,668 --> 00:17:50,637
You couldn't even touch
his timing,
242
00:17:50,670 --> 00:17:53,573
because he could hear
another time in his head...
243
00:17:53,606 --> 00:17:57,610
and be playing cut time
against what you're playing
and it would fit.
244
00:17:57,644 --> 00:18:02,115
There was never a bass player
on no coast then--
245
00:18:02,149 --> 00:18:05,885
if there was a West Coast,
East Coast-- whatever coast
you wanna call it--
246
00:18:05,918 --> 00:18:08,255
that was comparable
to a James Jamerson.
247
00:18:08,288 --> 00:18:12,259
It's the height of creativity,
you know, and freedom...
248
00:18:12,292 --> 00:18:17,364
and experimentation
and fearlessness.
249
00:18:17,397 --> 00:18:22,902
You have to be absolutely
fearless to play those notes
in that place...
250
00:18:22,935 --> 00:18:27,507
and yet be responsible
for your--
251
00:18:27,540 --> 00:18:29,909
for the bottom
of the groove like that.
252
00:18:29,942 --> 00:18:32,679
I thought bass playing
was played like that
all the time.
253
00:18:32,712 --> 00:18:38,285
Little did I know
that it was my father
changing the course of bass.
254
00:18:38,318 --> 00:18:41,288
** [ "I Can't Help Myself
(Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" ]
255
00:18:41,321 --> 00:18:46,293
Soon about 19 and 60,
Berry bought a house
on West Grand Boulevard.
256
00:18:46,326 --> 00:18:48,295
This house had a garage...
257
00:18:48,328 --> 00:18:50,463
with a dirt floor.
258
00:18:50,497 --> 00:18:53,300
[ Narrator ]
Walk down the four
timeworn wooden steps...
259
00:18:53,333 --> 00:18:57,170
into the basement of
2648 West Grand Boulevard,
260
00:18:57,204 --> 00:18:59,939
and you enter a fantasyland--
261
00:18:59,972 --> 00:19:03,376
a tiny, dimly lit room
with smoke-stained walls,
262
00:19:03,410 --> 00:19:07,214
where dreams came true
for Motown's young stars--
263
00:19:07,247 --> 00:19:11,718
a place where timeless classics
like "I Can't Help Myself,"
"Shop Around"...
264
00:19:11,751 --> 00:19:14,321
and "Where Did Our Love Go"
were born.
265
00:19:14,354 --> 00:19:16,723
This is Hitsville, U.S.A.,
266
00:19:16,756 --> 00:19:19,492
the home of the Motown sound.
267
00:19:19,526 --> 00:19:23,230
But to the musicians
who worked there,
it was just Studio "A,"
268
00:19:23,263 --> 00:19:27,334
affectionately referred to
as the Snakepit.
269
00:19:27,367 --> 00:19:30,270
It was the site of countless
steamy 4:00 a.m. sessions...
270
00:19:30,303 --> 00:19:34,207
where monster hits
were cranked out
in an hour or less--
271
00:19:34,241 --> 00:19:38,211
a place where
deadly grooves threatened
to set the walls on fire.
272
00:19:38,245 --> 00:19:43,216
This was the home
of Motown's studio band,
the Funk Brothers.
273
00:19:43,250 --> 00:19:46,753
Smokey was the main one
that pulled this off.
He'd dream of a song.
274
00:19:46,786 --> 00:19:49,622
He'd come in with something
written down-- two bars--
275
00:19:49,656 --> 00:19:51,424
or two verses of it
on some paper--
276
00:19:51,458 --> 00:19:54,661
It's basically,
"Hey, I got a tune.
What do you think of this?"
277
00:19:54,694 --> 00:19:57,364
Joe would say,
"This is what
you're trying to play."
278
00:19:57,397 --> 00:19:59,732
He'd give him the chord
and full structure.
Next thing you know,
279
00:19:59,766 --> 00:20:04,371
"Hey, hey. Come here, James."
He'd make James play this line.
In a minute you'd have a song.
280
00:20:04,404 --> 00:20:06,506
That's how the studio was
every day.
281
00:20:06,539 --> 00:20:08,608
And they'd fight
to get to Studio "A."
282
00:20:08,641 --> 00:20:13,613
This is the first time
we've been in here to play
since the '70s.
283
00:20:13,646 --> 00:20:18,551
A lot of these people come here
for the first time-- they have
no idea what's in here.
284
00:20:18,585 --> 00:20:22,455
Because,
along with our creativity,
285
00:20:22,489 --> 00:20:24,791
was Berry's prayers in here...
286
00:20:24,824 --> 00:20:29,362
that we would be successful
in what we were doing
to make those hits.
287
00:20:29,396 --> 00:20:32,799
We used to hear it in his voice,
the way he used to talk to us.
288
00:20:32,832 --> 00:20:35,502
We used to hear the artists--
how they would talk to us.
289
00:20:35,535 --> 00:20:38,338
A lot of prayers were in this
building, wasn't there, Joe?
Yeah.
290
00:20:38,371 --> 00:20:41,808
True.
[ Ashford ]
You have no idea the gravity...
291
00:20:41,841 --> 00:20:44,377
of what went on emotionally.
292
00:20:44,411 --> 00:20:47,280
I swear to God,
when I went in there tonight,
293
00:20:47,314 --> 00:20:49,282
I could just feel it.
294
00:20:49,316 --> 00:20:51,284
I could almost touch it.
295
00:20:51,318 --> 00:20:53,786
It never left that room.
Yeah.
It's a strange feeling.
296
00:20:53,820 --> 00:20:56,489
It never left that room.
It's in there.
[ Chuckling ]
297
00:20:56,523 --> 00:20:59,326
** [ R&B ]
298
00:21:10,102 --> 00:21:14,307
* I don't like you
299
00:21:14,341 --> 00:21:16,309
* But I love you
300
00:21:16,343 --> 00:21:20,580
* Seems that I'm always
301
00:21:20,613 --> 00:21:22,582
* Thinking of you
302
00:21:22,615 --> 00:21:27,320
* Whoa-a-a, you treat me badly
303
00:21:27,354 --> 00:21:29,789
* I love you madly
304
00:21:29,822 --> 00:21:32,725
* You really got a hold on me
305
00:21:32,759 --> 00:21:36,563
* You really got a hold
306
00:21:36,596 --> 00:21:39,432
* You really got a hold on me
307
00:21:39,466 --> 00:21:41,434
* You really got
308
00:21:41,468 --> 00:21:44,437
* A hold on me
* Baby
309
00:21:44,471 --> 00:21:47,507
* 'Cause I don't want you
310
00:21:48,541 --> 00:21:50,610
* But I need you
311
00:21:50,643 --> 00:21:54,447
* Don't wanna kiss you
312
00:21:54,481 --> 00:21:56,749
* But I need to
313
00:21:56,783 --> 00:21:59,452
* Whoa-a-a
314
00:21:59,486 --> 00:22:02,455
* You do me wrong now
315
00:22:02,489 --> 00:22:04,824
* My love is strong now
316
00:22:04,857 --> 00:22:07,627
* You really got a hold on me
317
00:22:07,660 --> 00:22:10,763
* You really got a hold on me
318
00:22:10,797 --> 00:22:14,133
* You really got a hold on me
319
00:22:14,166 --> 00:22:17,637
* You really got a hold on me
320
00:22:17,670 --> 00:22:20,673
* Baby
I love you *
321
00:22:20,707 --> 00:22:24,477
* And all I want you to do
322
00:22:24,511 --> 00:22:26,846
* Is just hold me
323
00:22:26,879 --> 00:22:29,782
* Hold me
Hold me *
324
00:22:29,816 --> 00:22:32,719
* Hold me
325
00:22:39,826 --> 00:22:41,961
* Tighter
326
00:22:44,964 --> 00:22:47,467
* Tighter
327
00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:50,670
* I want to leave you
328
00:22:50,703 --> 00:22:52,839
* Don't want to stay here
329
00:22:52,872 --> 00:22:56,943
* Don't want to spend
330
00:22:56,976 --> 00:22:59,412
* Another day here
331
00:22:59,446 --> 00:23:04,451
* Though, oh, oh
I wanna split now *
332
00:23:04,484 --> 00:23:06,953
* I can't quit now
333
00:23:06,986 --> 00:23:09,789
* You really got a hold on me
334
00:23:09,822 --> 00:23:13,626
* You really got a hold on me
335
00:23:13,660 --> 00:23:16,729
* You really got a hold on me
336
00:23:16,763 --> 00:23:21,200
* You really got a hold on me
* Baby
337
00:23:21,233 --> 00:23:25,905
* I love you
and all I want you to do *
338
00:23:25,938 --> 00:23:28,841
* Is just hold me
339
00:23:28,875 --> 00:23:32,011
* Hold me
* Hold me
340
00:23:32,044 --> 00:23:35,948
* Hold me
341
00:23:38,685 --> 00:23:42,722
* Got a hold on me
* You really got a hold on me *
342
00:23:42,755 --> 00:23:45,492
I was playing
up in Boston, Massachusetts...
343
00:23:45,525 --> 00:23:48,027
when I ran into Marvin Gaye.
344
00:23:48,060 --> 00:23:51,731
I didn't know who he was.
Someone from his entourage said,
345
00:23:51,764 --> 00:23:53,866
"I want you to meet
a famous singer."
346
00:23:53,900 --> 00:23:57,604
I said, "Okay."
He said,
"His name is Marvin Gaye."
347
00:23:57,637 --> 00:24:00,807
I didn't realize Marvin
was standing with the guy.
I didn't know who he was.
348
00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:03,910
"You ever heard of Marvin Gaye?"
I said,
"Nah. Never heard of him.
349
00:24:03,943 --> 00:24:06,513
If he don't play jazz,
I don't know him."
350
00:24:06,546 --> 00:24:09,048
I was kind of cocky because
all jazz musicians were cocky.
351
00:24:09,081 --> 00:24:11,618
Everybody wanted to be
like Miles Davis,
352
00:24:11,651 --> 00:24:13,820
no matter what instrument
you played.
353
00:24:13,853 --> 00:24:17,657
So I talked with Marvin,
and he was telling about--
He was starting a band...
354
00:24:17,690 --> 00:24:20,493
and would I like to
come to Detroit?
355
00:24:20,527 --> 00:24:24,631
No musician turns down
a good gig,
so I said I'd come.
356
00:24:24,664 --> 00:24:27,033
Was this, like, a garage area?
Garage.
357
00:24:27,066 --> 00:24:31,604
It was a dirt floor
from the beginning.
358
00:24:31,638 --> 00:24:34,874
They had a piece of plywood
in this area with a piano
sitting right there.
359
00:24:34,907 --> 00:24:36,876
Mm-hmm. Okay.
360
00:24:36,909 --> 00:24:39,646
And the walls had carpeting.
361
00:24:39,679 --> 00:24:42,515
Cinder block.
Yeah.
362
00:24:42,549 --> 00:24:44,717
And the entrance
was right about there.
363
00:24:44,751 --> 00:24:48,988
Not being a bass player,
not being a guitar player,
not being a drummer,
364
00:24:49,021 --> 00:24:54,927
arrangers would come in
and just have
a general idea of--
365
00:24:54,961 --> 00:24:58,531
or a concept--
and we'd leave it
up to the masters.
366
00:24:58,565 --> 00:25:00,800
You were allowed four songs
in a three-hour session.
367
00:25:00,833 --> 00:25:03,936
Right.
And we would get
no less than two.
368
00:25:03,970 --> 00:25:08,074
But that's because the same guys
played together all the time.
All the time.
369
00:25:08,107 --> 00:25:12,779
So the only thing that
changed was the changes.
It was like a home.
370
00:25:12,812 --> 00:25:18,050
- We spent so much time there.
- It was always usually Jamerson
kicking something off...
371
00:25:18,084 --> 00:25:20,953
and, uh, everybody falling in.
372
00:25:20,987 --> 00:25:23,756
Or either Benny.
If Benny kicked something off,
373
00:25:23,790 --> 00:25:26,693
Jamerson had something to
throw in that fit it.
374
00:25:26,726 --> 00:25:29,128
And, uh, then everybody
could come in.
375
00:25:29,161 --> 00:25:34,033
[ Man ] Back then,
you guys would have to
do the tune all in one take.
376
00:25:34,066 --> 00:25:37,570
[ Man #2 ] Yeah. Oh, yeah.
[ Messina ]
Yes. From beginning to end.
377
00:25:37,604 --> 00:25:40,640
[ Man #2 ] In the earlier days,
they only had three tracks
to work with.
378
00:25:40,673 --> 00:25:46,112
[ Ashford ] That was a great
school for mixing because
we only had one shot at it.
379
00:25:46,145 --> 00:25:49,749
You only had one shot. You had
to get it right the first time.
That's right.
380
00:25:49,782 --> 00:25:53,953
We felt as though it was our job
to lay the groundwork
for these kids to have...
381
00:25:53,986 --> 00:25:59,959
as a place to really develop
their careers in singing
because we had the experience.
382
00:25:59,992 --> 00:26:03,696
They had the talent.
We had the experience.
They were all really young?
383
00:26:03,730 --> 00:26:06,999
Very young. Most of
the producers were young.
All the producers were young.
384
00:26:07,033 --> 00:26:12,071
There was a bunch of fellas
standing around,
drinking a little wine,
385
00:26:12,104 --> 00:26:14,641
called the Contours.
386
00:26:14,674 --> 00:26:19,912
We was up there doing
a funny band track-- something
I'd never heard before.
387
00:26:19,946 --> 00:26:21,781
They had the charts out--
388
00:26:24,216 --> 00:26:28,755
We start playing, you know--
start playing the chart
when the director came up there.
389
00:26:28,788 --> 00:26:32,759
And, uh, after we finished,
390
00:26:32,792 --> 00:26:35,628
I said,
"That will never be a hit."
391
00:26:35,662 --> 00:26:40,032
[ Man Laughing ]
And the Contours walked up
to each one of us like...
392
00:26:40,066 --> 00:26:44,771
a little kid eating ice cream,
"Oh, thank you. Thank you.
That's a beautiful band track."
393
00:26:44,804 --> 00:26:48,641
I said, "They're crazy."
You know what I mean?
[ Laughter ]
394
00:26:50,943 --> 00:26:52,812
* You know, you broke my heart
395
00:26:54,681 --> 00:26:57,049
* 'Cause I couldn't dance
396
00:26:57,083 --> 00:26:59,652
* You didn't even
want me around *
397
00:26:59,686 --> 00:27:01,854
* But now I'm back
398
00:27:01,888 --> 00:27:04,056
* To let you know
399
00:27:04,090 --> 00:27:06,125
* That I can really
shake 'em down *
400
00:27:06,158 --> 00:27:10,029
[ Man ]
Oh!
* Oh, do you love me
401
00:27:10,062 --> 00:27:12,799
* I can really move
* Do you love me
402
00:27:12,832 --> 00:27:16,035
- * I'm in the groove
- * Do you love me
403
00:27:16,068 --> 00:27:21,808
* Do you love me
* Now that I can dance
404
00:27:21,841 --> 00:27:25,678
* Dance
405
00:27:25,712 --> 00:27:28,748
- * Watch me now
Huh *
- * Work, work
406
00:27:28,781 --> 00:27:31,951
- * Aw, work it out, baby
- * Work, work
407
00:27:31,984 --> 00:27:34,086
* Oh, you're driving me crazy
* Work, work
408
00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:36,055
* Just a little bit
of soul now *
409
00:27:36,088 --> 00:27:38,758
* Work
410
00:27:38,791 --> 00:27:40,760
* Oh, I can mashed potato
411
00:27:40,793 --> 00:27:43,963
* I can mashed potato
* Oh, I can do the twist
412
00:27:43,996 --> 00:27:46,866
* I can do the twist
* Tell me, pretty baby
413
00:27:46,899 --> 00:27:49,802
* Tell me, baby
* Do you like it like this
414
00:27:49,836 --> 00:27:52,705
- * Do you like it like this
- * Tell me
415
00:27:52,739 --> 00:27:56,175
* Tell me
* Tell me
416
00:27:56,208 --> 00:27:58,845
* Oh, do you
417
00:27:58,878 --> 00:28:01,247
* Do you love me
* Do you love me
418
00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:04,283
- * Do you love me
- * Do, do, do, do ya
419
00:28:04,316 --> 00:28:06,118
* Do you love me
420
00:28:06,152 --> 00:28:09,021
* Yeah, yeah
421
00:28:09,055 --> 00:28:11,724
- * Yeah
- * Watch me now
422
00:28:11,758 --> 00:28:14,026
* Huh
Work, work *
423
00:28:14,060 --> 00:28:17,830
- ** [ Saxophone Solo ]
- * Work, work
424
00:28:17,864 --> 00:28:20,499
* Work
425
00:28:20,532 --> 00:28:23,836
- * Work
- ** [ Man Vocalizing ]
426
00:28:23,870 --> 00:28:26,773
- * Work, work
- * Shake it
Shake it up now *
427
00:28:26,806 --> 00:28:29,275
- * Work, work
- * Oh, you're driving me
crazy *
428
00:28:29,308 --> 00:28:32,779
* Work, work
* Oh, a little bit lately
429
00:28:34,313 --> 00:28:37,016
* Do you love me
430
00:28:37,049 --> 00:28:39,986
* Do you love me
* Do you love me
431
00:28:40,019 --> 00:28:42,154
- * Do you love me
- * Do you love me
432
00:28:42,188 --> 00:28:44,156
* Do you love me
433
00:28:44,190 --> 00:28:48,895
* Now that I can dance *
434
00:28:48,928 --> 00:28:51,230
[ Yells ]
435
00:28:51,263 --> 00:28:53,766
[ Narrator ]
In the early days of Motown...
436
00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:58,004
the Funk Brothers played on
some big hits, like
the Miracles' "Shop Around,"
437
00:28:58,037 --> 00:29:00,272
the Marvelettes'
"Please, Mr. Postman"...
438
00:29:00,306 --> 00:29:03,776
and Mary Wells'
"You Beat Me To The Punch."
439
00:29:03,810 --> 00:29:07,980
But still there was not enough
recording work down in
the Snakepit to make a living.
440
00:29:08,014 --> 00:29:13,052
So, in 1961, James Jamerson,
Joe Hunter and a few of
the other band members...
441
00:29:13,085 --> 00:29:15,922
left to go on the road
with Jackie Wilson.
442
00:29:15,955 --> 00:29:18,057
But Wilson was recovering
from a gunshot wound...
443
00:29:18,090 --> 00:29:21,327
and didn't have
the strength to perform
more than once or twice a week.
444
00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:26,032
Realizing their new situation
was worse, they returned
home to Motown,
445
00:29:26,065 --> 00:29:29,168
where Berry Gordy welcomed them
back with open arms.
446
00:29:29,201 --> 00:29:32,104
But their touring days
were not yet over.
447
00:29:32,138 --> 00:29:35,875
Like, in the early '60s,
you went out
with the Marvelettes.
448
00:29:35,908 --> 00:29:39,111
- I went out with Marvin
and Stevie Wonder.
- Yeah.
449
00:29:39,145 --> 00:29:43,382
Then we did gigs maybe
200 miles outside Detroit
occasionally.
450
00:29:43,415 --> 00:29:45,885
- That weren't nothing.
- [ Ellis ] Yeah, Joe.
451
00:29:45,918 --> 00:29:50,990
The first really big tour
was the 1962 Motor Town Revue,
452
00:29:51,023 --> 00:29:53,359
[ Allen ]
Right.
where we had 30 one-nighters...
453
00:29:53,392 --> 00:29:56,328
in New England
and in the South...
454
00:29:56,362 --> 00:29:59,966
and then ten days at the Apollo.
[ Allen ]
Oh, man. That's a long trip.
455
00:29:59,999 --> 00:30:02,368
That was a thriller.
All that was a thriller.
456
00:30:02,401 --> 00:30:05,371
** [ R&B ]
457
00:30:05,404 --> 00:30:07,840
* Say yeah, yeah, yeah
458
00:30:07,874 --> 00:30:11,077
* Say yeah, yeah, yeah *
459
00:30:11,110 --> 00:30:14,313
[ Ashford ] We were on the road,
coming back from up north
on that gig,
460
00:30:14,346 --> 00:30:18,918
[ Man ] Yep.
and everyone was packed
in the car half sleeping.
461
00:30:18,951 --> 00:30:21,120
Mm-hmm.
As I think back on that,
462
00:30:21,153 --> 00:30:24,857
Marvin Gaye was the drummer
on that gig, wasn't he?
Yep.
463
00:30:24,891 --> 00:30:27,426
That was religious.
I think he was
a better singer though.
464
00:30:27,459 --> 00:30:30,997
You know that's right.
And they had us in
this big old station wagon.
465
00:30:31,030 --> 00:30:33,399
Right, right.
It was about 2:00
in the morning.
466
00:30:33,432 --> 00:30:35,401
Right.
And it was freezing.
467
00:30:35,434 --> 00:30:38,237
And Jamerson
in the car with you.
Ain't that somethin'.
468
00:30:38,270 --> 00:30:41,107
Damn.
I know that was rough.
Yeah.
469
00:30:41,140 --> 00:30:43,275
[ Ashford ]
It was about
ten degrees outside.
470
00:30:43,309 --> 00:30:45,277
We were coming down
the mountainside.
471
00:30:45,311 --> 00:30:48,280
We were all dozing off.
We told all the jokes
we could think of.
472
00:30:50,416 --> 00:30:53,652
And Jamerson says,
"Can you pull the car over?
473
00:30:53,685 --> 00:30:55,354
Robert,
can you pull the car over?"
474
00:30:58,257 --> 00:31:01,293
[ Man In Car ]
Damn. What you doin', man?
475
00:31:01,327 --> 00:31:03,295
Hurry up, man.
It's cold outside.
476
00:31:03,329 --> 00:31:06,232
[ Ashford ]
So, he pulls over
to the side of the road,
477
00:31:06,265 --> 00:31:10,669
goes back there
to get to the trunk,
pulls this brown paper bag out,
478
00:31:10,702 --> 00:31:13,172
jumps back in the car.
Man, it's cold outside.
479
00:31:13,205 --> 00:31:16,909
He decides to put
his pajamas on
in the back of the car.
480
00:31:16,943 --> 00:31:21,213
In order for me to go to sleep,
I got to put my p.j.'s on.
He's bumping people...
481
00:31:21,247 --> 00:31:23,249
and slamming people's heads
and everything.
482
00:31:23,282 --> 00:31:26,352
Everybody's complaining now.
483
00:31:26,385 --> 00:31:30,289
Everybody settles back down
again, 'cause we knew about
being around Jamerson.
484
00:31:30,322 --> 00:31:35,094
Just try to keep him as tranquil
as possible, because he can
really get out there.
485
00:31:35,127 --> 00:31:39,065
And all of a sudden
that bag rustles again.
486
00:31:39,098 --> 00:31:41,200
[ Rustling ]
487
00:31:41,233 --> 00:31:43,702
[ Man On Radio ]
* With other girls
I'm calling *
488
00:31:43,735 --> 00:31:46,072
* I needed just a moment
[ Sniffs ]
489
00:31:46,105 --> 00:31:48,407
* With you I can
[ Man ]
Man.
490
00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:52,344
Oh, my God.
He got pig's feet, man.
491
00:31:52,378 --> 00:31:55,948
[ Ashford ]
Smelled like somebody kicked
a doggone skunk in the behind.
492
00:31:55,982 --> 00:31:58,985
Everybody really got ticked
about that 'cause it was rancid.
493
00:31:59,018 --> 00:32:02,254
Man, we raised so much Cain
in there, he just said,
"Okay, okay--"
494
00:32:02,288 --> 00:32:04,723
All right. I might
put the top back on.
Aw.
495
00:32:04,756 --> 00:32:06,959
I might.
You better put the top back on.
496
00:32:06,993 --> 00:32:09,361
That stuff
stinks, man.
Just to keep the peace.
497
00:32:09,395 --> 00:32:12,398
[ Ashford ]
So he put the lid back on it.
So he's sitting back--
498
00:32:12,431 --> 00:32:15,467
Everybody's kind of
dozing again.
499
00:32:15,501 --> 00:32:18,971
We see a light light
in the back. Somebody lit
a match. It's Jamerson.
500
00:32:19,005 --> 00:32:21,273
He lights
his funky, stogie cigar.
501
00:32:21,307 --> 00:32:23,042
That's it!
Hey, Rob.
502
00:32:23,075 --> 00:32:25,111
Rob,
pull the car over, man!
503
00:32:25,144 --> 00:32:27,746
He said, "Pull the car over.
We're putting him out."
504
00:32:27,779 --> 00:32:30,749
- [ Chattering ]
- Somebody need to
regulate you, James.
505
00:32:30,782 --> 00:32:34,520
So, sure enough,
Robert pulls over to the side.
Out goes James...
506
00:32:34,553 --> 00:32:39,091
with his funky pig's feet,
his pajamas and his cigar.
507
00:32:39,125 --> 00:32:43,529
[ Chattering ]
* You know, you smell so sweet
508
00:32:43,562 --> 00:32:47,066
* You know, you could have been
some perfume *
509
00:32:47,099 --> 00:32:51,003
- * Well
- [ Hunter ] That's right.
That was Jamerson for you.
510
00:32:51,037 --> 00:32:53,139
[ Ashford ]
We thought about it
and went back.
511
00:32:53,172 --> 00:32:55,541
[ Hunter ]
Yeah, to run over his butt.
[ Laughter ]
512
00:32:55,574 --> 00:32:57,476
* The way you do
the things you do **
513
00:33:06,052 --> 00:33:10,022
[ Man ]
Benny played with Dizzy,
Charlie Parker,
514
00:33:10,056 --> 00:33:14,326
Ray Charles,
Lowell Fulson, Muddy Waters,
515
00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:18,030
Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry.
516
00:33:18,064 --> 00:33:21,033
Benny played with
the best was out there.
517
00:33:21,067 --> 00:33:23,302
He was the main
standard drummer,
518
00:33:23,335 --> 00:33:26,138
and I was the pianist
at that time.
519
00:33:26,172 --> 00:33:28,574
[ Man ]
Right.
Before Earl got there.
520
00:33:28,607 --> 00:33:34,280
Anyway, uh, we liked to
frequent the corn liquor places.
He had a taste for corn liquor.
521
00:33:34,313 --> 00:33:38,417
So, this day we went,
and we hadn't had
too much sleep.
522
00:33:38,450 --> 00:33:43,389
Benny was up there.
He was doing a tune called
"Hitchhike" by Marvin Gaye.
523
00:33:43,422 --> 00:33:48,194
They kicked off the tune,
and Benny was noddin'
and dropped his sticks.
524
00:33:48,227 --> 00:33:52,198
So the A&R man went up there
and smelled his breath.
525
00:33:52,231 --> 00:33:56,135
He said, "Benny!
I see you been drinkin'. Benny!"
526
00:33:56,168 --> 00:33:59,638
He picked up his sticks
real quick, and he said,
"Papa Zita. Papa Zita."
527
00:33:59,671 --> 00:34:03,342
After that,
everybody in the studio
started calling him Papa Zita.
528
00:34:03,375 --> 00:34:07,179
He come in the studio
one time late,
and he told Berry--
529
00:34:07,213 --> 00:34:12,084
He said,
"Man, I was on the freeway
on my way here."
530
00:34:12,118 --> 00:34:14,220
Said the traffic got tied up...
531
00:34:14,253 --> 00:34:17,089
'cause the circus
had just come into town,
532
00:34:17,123 --> 00:34:20,626
and the truck had an accident,
and the elephants got out
of the truck and got loose...
533
00:34:20,659 --> 00:34:23,395
and was holding up the traffic.
[ Man ]
Oh, man. Come on.
534
00:34:23,429 --> 00:34:27,633
And everybody knew--
They knew he was lying,
'cause, guess what.
535
00:34:27,666 --> 00:34:31,303
Benny didn't even drive.
[ Laughter ]
536
00:34:31,337 --> 00:34:35,507
First of all,
Benny was a master
at lockin' a tempo.
537
00:34:35,541 --> 00:34:38,244
He was like a--
He's like a metronome.
538
00:34:38,277 --> 00:34:41,213
He would lock it, see.
And, uh,
539
00:34:41,247 --> 00:34:46,218
then he had certain kinds of
pickups, which, uh,
were only unique to him.
540
00:34:46,252 --> 00:34:49,388
For instance, a Benny Benjamin
pickup would go like this--
541
00:34:50,556 --> 00:34:52,491
Like that. You know.
542
00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:04,436
That's different.
Okay, Uriel Jones
would play, you know--
543
00:35:12,311 --> 00:35:16,114
Then, if I was playing
four bars or something
like that, I'd play--
544
00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:24,690
All three of those pickups
came from Papa Zita--
545
00:35:24,723 --> 00:35:28,194
Benny Benjamin--
you know, he originated them.
546
00:35:28,227 --> 00:35:32,331
I'm really curious
as to how you all got
the name the Funk Brothers.
547
00:35:32,364 --> 00:35:35,267
[ Hunter ]
Look here, one day,
when Benny got ready to leave,
548
00:35:35,301 --> 00:35:38,670
he walked up them steps,
and Benny said,
549
00:35:38,704 --> 00:35:41,707
"You all are the Funk Brothers."
550
00:35:41,740 --> 00:35:44,376
And I'll remember that
all of my days.
551
00:35:44,410 --> 00:35:46,678
All of my days.
And we are
the Funk Brothers.
552
00:35:46,712 --> 00:35:48,914
** [ R&B ]
553
00:36:05,597 --> 00:36:08,534
* I said shotgun
554
00:36:10,369 --> 00:36:12,204
* Shoot him 'fore he run now
555
00:36:14,273 --> 00:36:16,275
* Do the jerk, baby
556
00:36:17,676 --> 00:36:20,178
* Do the jerk now
557
00:36:21,780 --> 00:36:24,716
* Put on your red dress
558
00:36:24,750 --> 00:36:29,221
* And then you go downtown now
559
00:36:29,255 --> 00:36:31,423
* I said
Buy yourself a shotgun now *
560
00:36:33,024 --> 00:36:35,494
* We're gonna break it down
baby now *
561
00:36:36,628 --> 00:36:39,398
* We're gonna load it up
baby now *
562
00:36:40,799 --> 00:36:44,470
* Oh, can you shoot before
he run now *
563
00:36:44,503 --> 00:36:47,273
* I said shotgun
564
00:36:49,308 --> 00:36:51,810
* Shoot him 'fore he run now
565
00:36:53,379 --> 00:36:56,815
* Do the jerk, baby
566
00:36:56,848 --> 00:36:59,017
* Do the jerk now
567
00:36:59,050 --> 00:37:00,719
Blow that horn! Come on.
568
00:37:30,816 --> 00:37:35,287
* I said
Put on your high-heel shoes *
569
00:37:35,321 --> 00:37:39,825
* I said we'll go down here
Listen to me play some blues *
570
00:37:39,858 --> 00:37:42,060
* Gonna dig potatoes
571
00:37:42,093 --> 00:37:44,062
* Yeah, yeah
572
00:37:44,095 --> 00:37:47,566
* We're gonna pick tomatoes
Yeah *
573
00:37:47,599 --> 00:37:50,469
* I said shotgun
574
00:37:51,537 --> 00:37:53,739
* Shoot him 'fore he run now
575
00:37:55,507 --> 00:37:59,378
* Do the jerk, baby
576
00:37:59,411 --> 00:38:02,848
* I said do the jerk now
577
00:38:02,881 --> 00:38:05,884
- * What time is it
- * Twine time
578
00:38:05,917 --> 00:38:10,889
* Said what time is it
* Twine time
579
00:38:10,922 --> 00:38:14,826
- * Said what time is it
- * Twine time
580
00:38:14,860 --> 00:38:17,729
* Said what time is it
What time is it *
581
00:38:17,763 --> 00:38:21,733
* What time is it
What time is it
Shotgun *
582
00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:26,605
* Gotta get on
Get, get, get
get, get, get, get *
583
00:38:26,638 --> 00:38:29,341
* Shoot him 'fore he run now
584
00:38:29,375 --> 00:38:32,511
* Do the jerk, baby
585
00:38:32,544 --> 00:38:36,615
* Gotta get up
Get, get, get
Got, got, got *
586
00:38:36,648 --> 00:38:39,351
** [ Vocalizing ]
587
00:38:42,554 --> 00:38:45,123
* Do the jerk, baby
588
00:38:45,156 --> 00:38:47,025
** [ Vocalizing Continues ]
589
00:38:50,929 --> 00:38:53,865
* Shotgun
590
00:38:53,899 --> 00:38:58,136
* Shoot him 'fore he run now *
591
00:38:58,169 --> 00:39:00,739
I was raised in Detroit.
592
00:39:00,772 --> 00:39:03,609
I studied classics
for about 10, 12 years.
593
00:39:03,642 --> 00:39:06,144
Then I found out I couldn't
make any money doing that.
594
00:39:06,177 --> 00:39:09,515
So I went on
a rampage of singers.
595
00:39:09,548 --> 00:39:12,518
I worked for so many.
I was an accompanist.
596
00:39:12,551 --> 00:39:14,786
So I did some work
with Sarah Vaughan.
597
00:39:14,820 --> 00:39:18,457
I did some work with Lou Rawls
and Dinah Washington.
598
00:39:18,490 --> 00:39:21,493
She was the queen of the blues,
599
00:39:21,527 --> 00:39:24,730
supposedly, at that time,
you know-- until Aretha.
600
00:39:24,763 --> 00:39:27,499
They crowned Aretha
the new queen of the blues.
601
00:39:27,533 --> 00:39:30,769
I was working with her
at that time.
I worked with both the queens.
602
00:39:30,802 --> 00:39:35,741
[ Griffith ]
I was working in the club, and
first Mickey Stevenson came by.
603
00:39:35,774 --> 00:39:38,777
He told me, how would I like
to be a studio musician?
604
00:39:38,810 --> 00:39:40,946
I said, "Well, what is that?"
605
00:39:40,979 --> 00:39:44,783
He said, "Well, come by
the studio and listen
to what Joe is doing...
606
00:39:44,816 --> 00:39:46,785
and work from that point."
607
00:39:46,818 --> 00:39:49,455
I said, "Okay, fine."
[ Chuckles ]
608
00:39:49,488 --> 00:39:51,590
So, I went by there...
609
00:39:51,623 --> 00:39:54,192
and Joe was doing this record.
610
00:39:54,225 --> 00:39:56,795
It was "Pride and Joy"
or something like that.
611
00:39:56,828 --> 00:39:59,665
I sit and listen. I said,
"What the hell are you doing?"
612
00:39:59,698 --> 00:40:03,469
'Cause we never played
to nobody singing.
613
00:40:03,502 --> 00:40:06,438
The tracks--
You just cut the tracks
and you just played.
614
00:40:06,472 --> 00:40:09,641
I said, "How do you know
what to play?" 'Cause I was
used to accompanying.
615
00:40:09,675 --> 00:40:11,710
He said, "Just play
what you want to play.
616
00:40:11,743 --> 00:40:13,912
"They don't know what
they're listening to anyway.
617
00:40:13,945 --> 00:40:15,914
Just play.
If it's too much,
they'll let you know."
618
00:40:15,947 --> 00:40:19,851
He was my, uh,
619
00:40:19,885 --> 00:40:24,490
introduction to the--
to the R&B record scene.
620
00:40:24,523 --> 00:40:28,560
** [ Jazz ]
621
00:40:28,594 --> 00:40:30,996
[ Griffith ]
Joe was the man around town
as far as recording.
622
00:40:31,029 --> 00:40:33,665
He'd been recording
for everybody.
623
00:40:39,638 --> 00:40:43,475
Actually, my mother--
she could teach up to around
the third grade of music.
624
00:40:43,509 --> 00:40:46,612
So she had a lot of
little students in the area.
625
00:40:46,645 --> 00:40:49,615
I was out trying to shoot
marbles and play football
with the rest.
626
00:40:49,648 --> 00:40:52,017
They didn't figure
I had any talent.
627
00:40:52,050 --> 00:40:56,755
But I'd be listening to
everything that she was teaching
when I was in the living room.
628
00:40:56,788 --> 00:41:00,792
Actually, I thought it was
a spiritual thing really,
the way that it came about.
629
00:41:00,826 --> 00:41:03,028
I was trying to play
"Stormy Weather."
630
00:41:03,061 --> 00:41:06,632
It looked like the keys
was just going by themselves.
631
00:41:06,665 --> 00:41:11,036
I was trying to stick my hands
into those holes
and catch up with the keys.
632
00:41:11,069 --> 00:41:13,672
When my grandmother came in,
she said, "Donna"--
633
00:41:13,705 --> 00:41:17,743
That's what she called
my mother-- "This boy is in
here playing 'Stormy Weather.'"
634
00:41:17,776 --> 00:41:23,615
My favorite classical pianist
was Rachmaninov.
635
00:41:23,649 --> 00:41:26,752
I heard him. He had
such a terrific left hand.
636
00:41:26,785 --> 00:41:29,721
I said, I wish my left hand
could be like that.
637
00:41:29,755 --> 00:41:32,858
I'd put my right hand
in my pocket
and just play with my left,
638
00:41:32,891 --> 00:41:38,564
trying to get as fast as
Art Tatum and Rachmaninov.
639
00:41:38,597 --> 00:41:41,933
[ Narrator ]
In the 1960s, jazz clubs were
springing up all over Detroit...
640
00:41:41,967 --> 00:41:47,072
with names like
the Flame Show Bar,
Phelps Lounge, the Apex,
641
00:41:47,105 --> 00:41:49,941
the 20 Grand and the Chit Chat.
642
00:41:49,975 --> 00:41:52,878
These venues were oases
where the Funk Brothers
could escape...
643
00:41:52,911 --> 00:41:55,647
the pressure cooker atmosphere
of the studio...
644
00:41:55,681 --> 00:42:00,051
by returning to their roots
and playing cool jazz into
the wee hours of the morning.
645
00:42:00,085 --> 00:42:03,121
New ideas that hatched in
these spirited jam sessions...
646
00:42:03,154 --> 00:42:05,791
often shimmied their way
into the Snakepit,
647
00:42:05,824 --> 00:42:09,595
adding new textures and rhythms
to the Motown sound.
648
00:42:09,628 --> 00:42:13,899
My stage name was
Lottie the Body,
and I had a beautiful body.
649
00:42:13,932 --> 00:42:18,136
I was an exotic dancer--
one of the greatest
exotic dancers in the world.
650
00:42:18,169 --> 00:42:21,106
As a matter of fact,
I considered being the greatest.
651
00:42:21,139 --> 00:42:24,743
I worked with small bands,
big, big orchestras.
652
00:42:24,776 --> 00:42:28,647
Teddy Harris' big orchestra.
I worked with Count Basie.
653
00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:31,817
You had to know how--
If she moved one cheek,
654
00:42:31,850 --> 00:42:34,786
there was a certain drum
she wanted you to hit.
655
00:42:34,820 --> 00:42:39,090
If she moved the left leg,
there was a certain drum.
You had to catch all this stuff,
656
00:42:39,124 --> 00:42:41,593
plus keep in rhythm
with the band.
657
00:42:41,627 --> 00:42:45,363
But after you worked with her
a while, you feel her out,
and it was a little easier.
658
00:42:45,396 --> 00:42:48,133
But the first time
I worked with her,
[ Lottie Laughs ]
659
00:42:48,166 --> 00:42:51,002
I swore I wasn't
gonna do it again.
[ Laughter ]
660
00:42:51,036 --> 00:42:54,973
[ Lottie ]
I'm sorry, darling.
Oh, it was a pleasure.
661
00:42:55,006 --> 00:42:57,108
You feel like it?
Yeah. Let's do it, baby.
662
00:42:57,142 --> 00:42:59,711
Don't kill me, baby.
I ain't gonna
kill you.
663
00:42:59,745 --> 00:43:01,813
Just kind of
make me feel good.
664
00:43:01,847 --> 00:43:04,883
Whoo!
665
00:43:04,916 --> 00:43:07,886
[ Jones ]
A lot of the rhythms
that we did do in the studio...
666
00:43:07,919 --> 00:43:10,889
is rhythms that came
from working with Lottie.
667
00:43:10,922 --> 00:43:15,393
Because we wasn't doing
too much what you call
Afro-Cuban, you know.
668
00:43:15,426 --> 00:43:21,132
So, just like both "Grapevines."
Marvin Gaye's, like--
[ Imitates Drumbeat ]
669
00:43:21,166 --> 00:43:23,902
And Gladys--
[ Imitates Faster Drumbeat ]
670
00:43:23,935 --> 00:43:27,138
All that's Latin stuff.
We did all
that stuff with Lottie.
671
00:43:27,172 --> 00:43:31,643
This is the spot where
a whole lot of stuff happened.
672
00:43:31,677 --> 00:43:33,645
The third--
One, two, three--
673
00:43:33,679 --> 00:43:37,649
The third door over there.
That's where the Chit Chat was.
674
00:43:37,683 --> 00:43:41,653
When I was coming here
today earlier,
and when I passed by here,
675
00:43:41,687 --> 00:43:43,889
I looked over,
and I said, "There they are."
676
00:43:43,922 --> 00:43:45,891
It couldn't be no clearer.
677
00:43:45,924 --> 00:43:48,860
The Chit Chat was a place--
Though it was small,
678
00:43:48,894 --> 00:43:51,797
everybody in Detroit
knew about the Chit Chat...
679
00:43:51,830 --> 00:43:54,032
and knew what was happening
at the Chit Chat.
680
00:43:54,065 --> 00:43:57,869
With Motown being not that far
down the street here, you had--
681
00:43:57,903 --> 00:44:01,072
Any Motown act would show up
at the Chit Chat,
682
00:44:01,106 --> 00:44:04,009
from Marvin...
683
00:44:04,042 --> 00:44:06,144
to the Four Tops,
684
00:44:06,177 --> 00:44:08,446
Contours, the Originals,
685
00:44:08,479 --> 00:44:10,716
the Temps.
686
00:44:10,749 --> 00:44:14,219
We was still really enjoying
our jazz thing then, you know.
687
00:44:14,252 --> 00:44:18,023
But we did things here
that we would do
in the session the next day.
688
00:44:18,056 --> 00:44:21,960
Right.
That was the uniqueness
of the Funk Brothers,
689
00:44:21,993 --> 00:44:26,765
because, if we were doing
a tune and a change was
similar to something...
690
00:44:26,798 --> 00:44:29,034
in one of the jazz tunes
that we played,
691
00:44:29,067 --> 00:44:32,704
Earl would say,
"Well, do so-and-so, so-and-so
like we did last night."
692
00:44:32,738 --> 00:44:36,708
And we would interject that
into the change of the song.
That's right.
693
00:44:36,742 --> 00:44:40,779
And the song would take on
a different color-- something
they hadn't planned on.
694
00:44:40,812 --> 00:44:43,982
Of course, the producers--
"Oh, man, That's hip."
And they had a hit.
695
00:44:44,015 --> 00:44:47,986
[ Narrator ]
The Funk Brothers ruled
the nightlife...
696
00:44:48,019 --> 00:44:50,822
of Detroit's club scene
in the '60s,
697
00:44:50,856 --> 00:44:53,258
but their realm was
a rough-and-tumble world,
698
00:44:53,291 --> 00:44:55,761
where getting paid
at the end of the evening...
699
00:44:55,794 --> 00:44:58,864
often proved as challenging
as the music they were playing.
700
00:44:58,897 --> 00:45:01,032
[ Hunter ]
Benny was working with us.
701
00:45:01,066 --> 00:45:05,270
And Benny used to go in there
in the daytime when we wasn't
working and drink.
702
00:45:05,303 --> 00:45:09,941
And sometimes I think the
waitresses would put a higher
tab on him than anything else.
703
00:45:09,975 --> 00:45:13,244
But when the owner
got ready to pay us off,
704
00:45:13,278 --> 00:45:17,515
he'd reach up in his thing
and pull out
a great big, old fat gun--
705
00:45:17,548 --> 00:45:20,285
looked like
a German "Lukas" .45--
Mm-hmm.
706
00:45:20,318 --> 00:45:24,856
and popped it on the table
and he looked around
at each one of us and said,
707
00:45:24,890 --> 00:45:28,894
"Your drummer Benny
has over-tabbed."
708
00:45:28,927 --> 00:45:31,296
He says, "In fact,
he's gone into y'all's money."
709
00:45:31,329 --> 00:45:36,935
At that particular time,
Jamerson pulled out a piece--
his piece-- and laid it down.
710
00:45:36,968 --> 00:45:39,170
He says,
"I got to feed my family."
He looked.
711
00:45:39,204 --> 00:45:42,173
Then Robert White
pulled out a piece--
712
00:45:42,207 --> 00:45:45,844
and nobody expected
Robert to pull out a piece--
and he laid his down.
713
00:45:45,877 --> 00:45:50,882
He looked around,
and I pulled out my little
.22 and laid it down.
714
00:45:50,916 --> 00:45:53,318
He said, "What kind of band
have I got here?"
715
00:45:53,351 --> 00:45:56,321
He got so confused
until he even paid Benny.
716
00:45:56,354 --> 00:45:58,957
He paid everybody.
[ Chuckles ]
Yeah.
717
00:45:58,990 --> 00:46:04,029
Motown was really--
It was America's introduction...
718
00:46:04,062 --> 00:46:07,098
to soul music.
719
00:46:07,132 --> 00:46:09,367
It was America's introduction
to soul music.
720
00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:13,171
And soul music is powerful.
Soul music makes you believe.
721
00:46:13,204 --> 00:46:17,275
Soul music gives you hope
in the way that you feel--
722
00:46:17,308 --> 00:46:19,344
in the way that
you want to feel.
723
00:46:19,377 --> 00:46:23,815
That's what was coming
out of the sounds I heard
these men making as a child.
724
00:46:23,849 --> 00:46:27,953
It gave me unconscious hope.
I didn't know why.
It gave my father hope.
725
00:46:27,986 --> 00:46:31,222
So, for years and years,
players...
726
00:46:31,256 --> 00:46:34,893
and producers
have been trying to...
727
00:46:34,926 --> 00:46:39,097
find that magic
Motown sound and pocket...
728
00:46:39,130 --> 00:46:42,067
as if it's
some sort of a formula.
729
00:46:42,100 --> 00:46:45,003
People would always say
everything but the musicians.
730
00:46:45,036 --> 00:46:48,106
They would say it was
the artist, the producers,
731
00:46:48,139 --> 00:46:52,944
the way the building
was structured
or the wood in the floor,
732
00:46:52,978 --> 00:46:55,413
or maybe even food.
733
00:46:55,446 --> 00:47:01,186
I'd like to see 'em take some
barbecue ribs or hamburgers
and throw down in that studio,
734
00:47:01,219 --> 00:47:05,123
shut the door and count out
one, two, three, four
and get a hit out of there.
735
00:47:05,156 --> 00:47:07,125
[ Jones ]
The formula was the musicians.
736
00:47:07,158 --> 00:47:10,128
I'll be Earl Van Dyke.
737
00:47:10,161 --> 00:47:14,132
Take "Ain't Too Proud To Beg,"
which I think everybody
is familiar with.
738
00:47:14,165 --> 00:47:17,903
All right.
Uriel, give it to me--
you and Pistol.
739
00:47:19,905 --> 00:47:22,040
See how that feels
right there?
740
00:47:22,073 --> 00:47:25,010
I'm gonna put
a little bass in there.
One, two, three, four.
741
00:47:27,212 --> 00:47:30,415
All right. Now bring
a little bit of guitars
in there for you.
742
00:47:30,448 --> 00:47:34,886
One, two, three, four.
743
00:47:34,920 --> 00:47:38,423
All right. We'll bring
a little Johnny Griffith
on keyboard in there.
744
00:47:42,327 --> 00:47:44,429
You see how that feels?
745
00:47:44,462 --> 00:47:46,898
That's part of
the Motown sound, right?
746
00:47:46,932 --> 00:47:49,167
Now I'm gonna add
my tambourine to it.
747
00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:51,369
Only a beat better.
748
00:48:10,956 --> 00:48:13,191
* I know you wanna leave me
749
00:48:13,224 --> 00:48:17,162
* But I refuse to let you go
750
00:48:17,195 --> 00:48:21,132
* If I have to beg, plead
for your sympathy *
751
00:48:21,166 --> 00:48:24,469
* I don't mind
'cause you mean
that much to me *
752
00:48:24,502 --> 00:48:27,472
* Ain't too proud to beg
753
00:48:27,505 --> 00:48:29,474
* Oh, you know
* Sweet darling
754
00:48:29,507 --> 00:48:31,709
* Please don't leave me, girl
* Don't you go
755
00:48:31,742 --> 00:48:34,212
* Ain't too proud to plead
756
00:48:34,245 --> 00:48:36,214
* Baby, baby
757
00:48:36,247 --> 00:48:39,985
* Please don't leave me, girl
* Don't you go
758
00:48:40,018 --> 00:48:44,189
* Now I've heard a cryin' man
is half a man *
759
00:48:44,222 --> 00:48:47,425
* With no, no sense of pride
760
00:48:47,458 --> 00:48:50,261
* But if I have to cry
to keep you *
761
00:48:50,295 --> 00:48:56,101
* I don't mind weepin'
if it will keep you
by my side *
762
00:48:56,134 --> 00:48:59,204
* I ain't too proud to beg
sweet darling *
763
00:48:59,237 --> 00:49:02,140
* Please don't leave me, girl
* Don't you go
764
00:49:02,173 --> 00:49:06,311
* Ain't too proud to plead
baby, baby *
765
00:49:06,344 --> 00:49:10,248
- * Please don't leave me,
girl *
- * Don't you go
766
00:49:10,281 --> 00:49:15,020
* If I have to sleep
on your doorstep
all night and day *
767
00:49:15,053 --> 00:49:17,755
* Just to keep you
from walkin' away *
768
00:49:17,788 --> 00:49:20,391
* Let your friends laugh
769
00:49:20,425 --> 00:49:22,527
* Even this I can stand
* Whoa, whoa
770
00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:26,031
* I wanna keep you
any way I can *
771
00:49:26,064 --> 00:49:28,266
* And I ain't too proud to beg
772
00:49:28,299 --> 00:49:31,302
* Ooh, sweet darling
* Please don't leave me, girl
773
00:49:31,336 --> 00:49:33,471
* Don't you go
774
00:49:33,504 --> 00:49:37,008
* Ain't too proud to plead
baby, baby *
* Baby, baby
775
00:49:37,042 --> 00:49:39,777
* Please don't leave me, girl
* Don't you go
776
00:49:39,810 --> 00:49:44,049
* Whoa, no
I ain't too proud to beg *
777
00:49:47,452 --> 00:49:49,487
* Oh, I'm beggin' ya, baby
778
00:49:54,825 --> 00:49:59,564
* Now, I've got a love
so deep in my heart *
779
00:49:59,597 --> 00:50:03,234
* And each day it grows
more and more *
780
00:50:03,268 --> 00:50:08,173
* I'm not ashamed to call
and plead to you, baby *
781
00:50:08,206 --> 00:50:10,808
* If pleading keeps you
from walking out the door *
782
00:50:10,841 --> 00:50:12,810
* Ain't too proud to beg
783
00:50:12,843 --> 00:50:15,380
* Sweet darling
Please *
784
00:50:15,413 --> 00:50:17,615
- * Don't leave me, girl
- * Don't you go
785
00:50:17,648 --> 00:50:22,153
* Ain't too proud to plead
baby, baby *
786
00:50:22,187 --> 00:50:24,489
* Please don't leave me, girl
* Don't you go
787
00:50:24,522 --> 00:50:28,593
- * Whoa
I ain't too proud to beg *
- * Ooh, sweet darlin'
788
00:50:28,626 --> 00:50:31,329
* I ain't too proud to beg
Lord *
789
00:50:31,362 --> 00:50:34,065
* Don't you go
* Down on my
Down on my knees *
790
00:50:34,099 --> 00:50:38,136
- * Ooh, baby, baby
- * On my knees
791
00:50:38,169 --> 00:50:42,373
* Please don't leave me, girl
Don't you go *
* Ain't too proud to beg *
792
00:50:42,407 --> 00:50:45,276
[ Narrator ]
By the time the Funk Brothers
recorded Jimmy Ruffin's...
793
00:50:45,310 --> 00:50:48,246
"What Becomes of
the Brokenhearted" in 1966,
794
00:50:48,279 --> 00:50:52,150
the Motown sound
had traveled a great distance
from the twist records...
795
00:50:52,183 --> 00:50:55,486
and blues and doo-wop-influenced
tracks of its early days.
796
00:50:55,520 --> 00:51:00,425
Advances in recording technology
and an influx of skilled
arrangers and composers...
797
00:51:00,458 --> 00:51:05,296
had brought about
new levels of sonic clarity
and musical sophistication.
798
00:51:05,330 --> 00:51:08,366
But the most noticeable
difference was power--
799
00:51:08,399 --> 00:51:10,868
raw power.
800
00:51:10,901 --> 00:51:14,672
The added muscle coincided
with the emergence of
keyboardist Earl Van Dyke...
801
00:51:14,705 --> 00:51:18,109
as one of the central figures
down in Studio "A."
802
00:51:18,143 --> 00:51:20,445
He was a natural born leader
whose forceful playing style...
803
00:51:20,478 --> 00:51:24,115
was jokingly called
"gorilla piano."
804
00:51:24,149 --> 00:51:28,319
Van Dyke became the hub
through which Motown's
producers and arrangers...
805
00:51:28,353 --> 00:51:32,123
often communicated
their ideas to the band.
806
00:51:32,157 --> 00:51:35,393
He was like the glue
for everything-- Earl was.
807
00:51:35,426 --> 00:51:38,629
He's-- solid keyboard.
He'd have the piano
rocking actually.
808
00:51:38,663 --> 00:51:41,299
Actually rocking.
That's why we call him Big Funk.
809
00:51:41,332 --> 00:51:45,270
They'd have to have
a piano tuner come in
and redo things...
810
00:51:45,303 --> 00:51:48,506
after Earl got through
playing because he put
so much muscle into it.
811
00:51:48,539 --> 00:51:53,178
When Earl came in, that's
when we developed the style
of two pianos playing--
812
00:51:53,211 --> 00:51:56,281
not together--
but accompanying each other.
813
00:51:56,314 --> 00:51:59,650
But there were so many
good days among
the musicians in the studio.
814
00:51:59,684 --> 00:52:03,188
[ Man ]
You guys had fun.
We had fun. We had fun.
815
00:52:03,221 --> 00:52:05,323
[ Van Dyke ]
And you must--
Like I've said before--
816
00:52:05,356 --> 00:52:08,293
there were kids like Stevie
who we could never get rid of.
817
00:52:08,326 --> 00:52:12,263
Stevie liked to
hang out with the guys,
him being a musician.
818
00:52:12,297 --> 00:52:15,533
We could never really
get rid of Stevie.
Stevie was always there.
819
00:52:15,566 --> 00:52:19,637
Stevie and the Four Tops
and Marvin Gaye--
820
00:52:19,670 --> 00:52:21,639
They were always in there.
Bobby Taylor.
821
00:52:21,672 --> 00:52:24,375
The older guys have
always been our favorites.
822
00:52:24,409 --> 00:52:27,478
* How sweet it is
to be loved by you *
823
00:52:27,512 --> 00:52:30,348
[ Stevie Wonder ]
He was part of
the foundation of Motown.
824
00:52:30,381 --> 00:52:33,684
He was one of the first ones
to teach me piano.
825
00:52:33,718 --> 00:52:38,523
A lot of the people
here today are really, um,
826
00:52:38,556 --> 00:52:43,428
people that were
the musical foundation
of Motown.
827
00:52:43,461 --> 00:52:46,664
Earl was a great man
and, most of all,
a spiritual man.
828
00:52:46,697 --> 00:52:50,335
Stevie came here with Mr. Paul--
Clarence Paul.
829
00:52:50,368 --> 00:52:53,971
They were standing on the steps
as you go into the studio.
830
00:52:54,004 --> 00:52:56,741
When we got through
doing the little ditty,
831
00:52:56,774 --> 00:52:59,644
first thing he walked over to
was the piano where I was.
832
00:52:59,677 --> 00:53:02,280
He says,
"I like the way
you play the piano."
833
00:53:02,313 --> 00:53:05,350
I showed him a few chords.
He said, "What's that?"
834
00:53:05,383 --> 00:53:08,719
I said, "That's an E-flat major,
and I'm throwing
a color tone in there,
835
00:53:08,753 --> 00:53:11,356
which is the flatted fifth,"
and so forth and so on.
836
00:53:11,389 --> 00:53:13,791
He shake his head, "Yeah."
837
00:53:13,824 --> 00:53:18,496
Finally I found out
about a year later
he didn't need me.
838
00:53:18,529 --> 00:53:21,666
[ Laughter ]
He done learned
more than I'd learned.
839
00:53:21,699 --> 00:53:25,303
The same thing with Benny.
Benny taught him
how to hold his wrists...
840
00:53:25,336 --> 00:53:29,374
and how to use those sticks,
and I don't think
he needed Benny.
841
00:53:29,407 --> 00:53:31,542
- [ Man ] He fired everybody
he worked with.
- Yeah.
842
00:53:34,445 --> 00:53:38,716
When I started playing music,
I didn't start on drums.
I was playing trombone.
843
00:53:38,749 --> 00:53:42,687
At the same time I was playing
trombone, I was training
down at Brewster Center.
844
00:53:42,720 --> 00:53:46,691
You know, boxing.
I was determined
to do both of them.
845
00:53:46,724 --> 00:53:51,362
But it was kind of hard,
'cause they was kicking my butt
at Brewster,
846
00:53:51,396 --> 00:53:54,632
and when I'd come to class
to play trombone,
my lip would be swollen.
847
00:53:54,665 --> 00:53:57,435
I'd be trying to play
out the side of my mouth.
848
00:53:57,468 --> 00:54:00,037
My music teacher told me,
"You gotta make up your mind.
849
00:54:00,070 --> 00:54:04,342
You're gonna either box
or you're gonna be a musician."
850
00:54:04,375 --> 00:54:07,812
So I said, "Okay."
That's when I started
playing drums.
851
00:54:07,845 --> 00:54:10,615
So, I didn't have
no full set of drums.
852
00:54:10,648 --> 00:54:15,653
I had a snare drum.
I had a high hat. I don't know
what I was using for a cymbal.
853
00:54:15,686 --> 00:54:21,659
But I know my bass drum
was one of those old
heavy cardboard beer cases.
854
00:54:21,692 --> 00:54:24,795
And right to the day,
I have never
found the sound...
855
00:54:24,829 --> 00:54:27,598
that sound as good
as that beer case did.
856
00:54:29,334 --> 00:54:34,605
We were sneaking around town.
Different studios. United Sound.
857
00:54:34,639 --> 00:54:36,741
[ Man ]
Pack Three.
Pack Three.
858
00:54:36,774 --> 00:54:42,513
You know.
We was doing a little
outside moonlighting.
859
00:54:42,547 --> 00:54:44,715
And you weren't
supposed to?
860
00:54:44,749 --> 00:54:49,854
No, see, 'cause some of these
guys were under contract--
exclusive contracts.
861
00:54:49,887 --> 00:54:52,890
Motown wanted to
keep the sound.
862
00:54:52,923 --> 00:54:57,395
Yeah. Yeah.
I guess they was paying for it.
I guess a few bucks. You know.
863
00:54:59,129 --> 00:55:05,102
So they started
putting spies around
in different places.
864
00:55:05,135 --> 00:55:09,106
Like, in hidden cars
and behind buildings...
865
00:55:09,139 --> 00:55:13,811
and the shrubbery
that was near the studio.
866
00:55:13,844 --> 00:55:16,581
They had spies
like that around, you know.
867
00:55:16,614 --> 00:55:19,550
They offered me
a hundred dollars
a week to be a spy.
868
00:55:19,584 --> 00:55:21,552
[ Man ]
How much?
A hundred.
869
00:55:21,586 --> 00:55:23,821
One hundred dollars.
870
00:55:23,854 --> 00:55:27,425
Extra hundred bucks a week.
Naturally, I took it.
I said, "Well, yeah."
871
00:55:27,458 --> 00:55:30,595
Throw it all in the pot.
It's all the same to me.
[ Men Chuckling ]
872
00:55:30,628 --> 00:55:33,631
I had no intentions
of spying on anybody anyway.
873
00:55:33,664 --> 00:55:37,835
When they'd see us coming out,
there would be at least
a couple of them are gonna say,
874
00:55:37,868 --> 00:55:42,607
"We caught you.
You're fired.
You're fired.
875
00:55:42,640 --> 00:55:44,609
You're fired."
876
00:55:44,642 --> 00:55:47,912
This is real.
And you said to Jack,
877
00:55:47,945 --> 00:55:51,849
"You're fired twice...
[ Laughter ]
878
00:55:51,882 --> 00:55:56,387
because we saw you
coming out of there
yesterday."
879
00:55:56,421 --> 00:55:59,624
Finally they called me in
and said,
"Look, we're paying you.
880
00:55:59,657 --> 00:56:02,593
You haven't told us anything.
Who's doing what where?"
881
00:56:02,627 --> 00:56:04,829
I said, "Well,
there's nothing happening."
882
00:56:04,862 --> 00:56:09,534
They said, "Well, no,
we've got pictures of people
coming out of the studios...
883
00:56:09,567 --> 00:56:11,936
"and, you know--
884
00:56:11,969 --> 00:56:15,840
As a result, you're fired."
[ Laughter ]
885
00:56:15,873 --> 00:56:19,677
I said, "Wait a minute.
How can you fire me?
886
00:56:19,710 --> 00:56:23,414
"From what I've seen--
James Bond and all these guys--
887
00:56:23,448 --> 00:56:27,885
"the usual spy-- you get
a Maserati or you get a--
[ Laughter ]
888
00:56:27,918 --> 00:56:31,689
You gonna give me a hundred
dollars a week--
I can't even buy gas."
889
00:56:31,722 --> 00:56:34,559
They said, "Look,
890
00:56:34,592 --> 00:56:36,561
we're still firing you."
891
00:56:36,594 --> 00:56:38,696
So I lost my job as a spy,
892
00:56:38,729 --> 00:56:43,200
but they let me continue to--
to play piano.
[ Laughter ]
893
00:56:43,233 --> 00:56:46,937
[ Narrator ]
Even during Motown's
golden period,
894
00:56:46,971 --> 00:56:49,840
when Hitsville sessions
were going on around the clock,
895
00:56:49,874 --> 00:56:52,610
the Funk Brothers were still
dashing all over Detroit...
896
00:56:52,643 --> 00:56:55,446
recording for any studio
or record label...
897
00:56:55,480 --> 00:56:59,584
that offered them
another opportunity
to create some magic.
898
00:56:59,617 --> 00:57:03,554
Among the hits recorded outside
of Motown were Jackie Wilson's
"Higher and Higher,"
899
00:57:03,588 --> 00:57:05,723
John Lee Hooker's
"Boom Boom Boom"...
900
00:57:05,756 --> 00:57:08,859
and the Capitols'
hit dance tune,
"Cool Jerk."
901
00:57:08,893 --> 00:57:11,862
* Cool jerk
Well *
902
00:57:11,896 --> 00:57:14,599
* This cat they talkin' about
903
00:57:14,632 --> 00:57:16,734
* I wonder who could it be
904
00:57:16,767 --> 00:57:19,604
* 'Cause I know
I'm the heaviest cat *
905
00:57:19,637 --> 00:57:22,940
* The heaviest cat
you ever did see *
906
00:57:22,973 --> 00:57:26,477
* When they see me
walkin' down the street *
907
00:57:26,511 --> 00:57:28,813
* Hey, hey, hey
* None of the fellas
want to speak *
908
00:57:28,846 --> 00:57:31,749
* Hey, hey, hey
* On their faces
they don't wear a smirk *
909
00:57:31,782 --> 00:57:33,651
* 'Cause they know
I'm the king of the *
910
00:57:33,684 --> 00:57:36,787
* Cool jerk
911
00:57:36,821 --> 00:57:39,624
- * Whoo
- * Cool jerk
912
00:57:39,657 --> 00:57:41,959
- * Come on, people
- * Cool jerk
913
00:57:41,992 --> 00:57:44,562
- That's what I'm talking about.
- * Cool jerk
914
00:57:44,595 --> 00:57:46,764
* Sho 'nuff funky
915
00:57:46,797 --> 00:57:49,066
* Cool jerk
* Yeah, think I'm a--
916
00:57:49,099 --> 00:57:51,836
* Lookin' at me
like I'm some kind of fool *
* Cool jerk
917
00:57:51,869 --> 00:57:55,039
* But deep down inside
y'all know I'm cool *
918
00:57:55,072 --> 00:57:57,508
* Cool jerk
* Yeah, let me say now
919
00:57:57,542 --> 00:57:59,577
* The moment of truth
has finally come *
920
00:57:59,610 --> 00:58:02,079
* I'm the one that's
givin' up the funk *
921
00:58:02,112 --> 00:58:05,583
* Keepin' up the funk
922
00:58:05,616 --> 00:58:07,552
* Drummer
hit me now *
923
00:58:10,120 --> 00:58:12,690
* Hey, Bobby
Come on, baby
Hit me *
924
00:58:14,124 --> 00:58:18,062
* Yeah, Johnny
Johnny *
925
00:58:18,095 --> 00:58:22,667
* Johnny
Show me those hands, baby.
That's what I'm talking about.
926
00:58:22,700 --> 00:58:25,570
Y'all know it's funky.
* Funky
927
00:58:25,603 --> 00:58:27,572
* Ain't it funky now
928
00:58:27,605 --> 00:58:29,807
* Uh-huh
* Ain't if funky
929
00:58:29,840 --> 00:58:32,577
- * Can we do it, can we do it
- * Can we do it, can we do it *
930
00:58:32,610 --> 00:58:36,681
* Can we do it
* Can we do it, can we do it
can we do it, can we do it *
931
00:58:36,714 --> 00:58:39,884
* Come on, people
* Cool jerk
932
00:58:39,917 --> 00:58:43,788
* Well... when they see me
walkin' down the street *
933
00:58:43,821 --> 00:58:46,691
* Hey, hey, hey
* They think twice
before they speak *
934
00:58:46,724 --> 00:58:49,827
* Hey, hey, hey
* On their faces
they don't wear a smirk *
935
00:58:49,860 --> 00:58:54,098
* 'Cause they know I'm the king
of the cool jerk *
936
00:58:54,131 --> 00:58:56,834
- That's what I'm talkin' about.
- * Cool jerk
937
00:58:56,867 --> 00:58:58,969
* Oh, Mama, you move me
* Cool jerk
938
00:58:59,003 --> 00:59:00,971
* Oh, yeah, that's
what I'm talkin' about *
939
00:59:01,005 --> 00:59:04,809
* Cool jerk, cool jerk
* Oh, groove on, baby
940
00:59:04,842 --> 00:59:06,977
* Sho 'nuff funky, y'all
941
00:59:07,011 --> 00:59:09,013
* Can we do it, can we do it
can we do it, can we do it *
942
00:59:09,046 --> 00:59:12,149
- * Can we do it, can we do it
- * Come on, people
943
00:59:12,182 --> 00:59:15,720
* Can we do it, can we do it
can we do it, can we do it *
944
00:59:15,753 --> 00:59:18,022
* Can we do it, can we do it
can we do it, can we do it *
945
00:59:18,055 --> 00:59:20,691
- * Can you cool jerk *
- [ Audience Applauding ]
946
00:59:23,894 --> 00:59:26,864
[ Narrator ]
In the mid-'60s, Motown
was a permanent fixture...
947
00:59:26,897 --> 00:59:29,099
at the top
of the Billboard charts.
948
00:59:29,133 --> 00:59:32,136
As their artists chalked up one
number-one hit after another,
949
00:59:32,169 --> 00:59:35,640
they began to emerge as
some of the brightest stars...
950
00:59:35,673 --> 00:59:38,008
in the galaxy
of R&B and pop music.
951
00:59:38,042 --> 00:59:42,880
But the Funk Brothers
remained earthbound and unknown.
952
00:59:42,913 --> 00:59:45,650
While they were beginning
to share the financial success,
953
00:59:45,683 --> 00:59:49,153
they missed out
on that elusive entity-- glory.
954
00:59:49,186 --> 00:59:52,790
Their last great tour
before they became totally
studio-bound...
955
00:59:52,823 --> 00:59:56,026
opened their eyes
to what fame could mean.
956
00:59:56,060 --> 00:59:59,096
It was the acclaimed
1965 Tamla-Motown revue...
957
00:59:59,129 --> 01:00:02,132
that took England by storm.
958
01:00:02,166 --> 01:00:04,635
[ Ashford ]
What amazed me--
959
01:00:04,669 --> 01:00:06,671
they actually knew
the musicians.
960
01:00:06,704 --> 01:00:08,673
When we got off of the plane
in London,
961
01:00:08,706 --> 01:00:11,008
these little British guys
come up to us with these signs,
962
01:00:11,041 --> 01:00:14,144
and I said,
"Who are these guys?"
963
01:00:14,178 --> 01:00:17,648
They walked up and said,
"We're the James Jamerson
Appreciation Fan Club."
964
01:00:17,682 --> 01:00:21,085
I said, "James Jamerson?
He's not even with us.
965
01:00:21,118 --> 01:00:25,990
Maybe I'll be James Jamerson.
I could use a fan club."
That's right.
966
01:00:26,023 --> 01:00:29,727
[ Narrator ]
While Motown invaded the U.K.,
967
01:00:29,760 --> 01:00:33,097
the British were invading
the U.S., armed with some
American weapons--
968
01:00:33,130 --> 01:00:35,432
Motown tunes.
969
01:00:35,465 --> 01:00:37,702
The Beatles landed in New York
with cover versions...
970
01:00:37,735 --> 01:00:40,971
of "Please, Mr. Postman,"
"Money"...
971
01:00:41,005 --> 01:00:44,675
and "You've Really
Got a Hold on Me"
in their musical arsenal.
972
01:00:44,709 --> 01:00:48,045
John Lennon remarked
that the Motown drummer hit
a snare with so much force...
973
01:00:48,078 --> 01:00:50,715
"it sounded like he hit it
with a bloody tree."
974
01:00:50,748 --> 01:00:55,953
There was no doubt they were
listening to Motown's musicians
and listening hard.
975
01:00:55,986 --> 01:00:59,223
In subsequent years,
other British bands
covered Motown hits,
976
01:00:59,256 --> 01:01:03,193
including the Rolling Stones,
with their renditions of
"Ain't Too Proud to Beg,"
977
01:01:03,227 --> 01:01:05,996
"My Girl"
and "Going to a Go-Go."
978
01:01:06,030 --> 01:01:10,735
The Funk Brothers'
musical influence had spread
to musicians all over the world,
979
01:01:10,768 --> 01:01:12,937
whether they knew it or not.
980
01:01:12,970 --> 01:01:15,940
[ Ashford ]
You know, in the mid-'60s
when we were at Motown,
981
01:01:15,973 --> 01:01:19,109
we were pretty hot
and we would have producers
lined up back to back...
982
01:01:19,143 --> 01:01:21,812
waiting to get into the studio
to work with us.
983
01:01:21,846 --> 01:01:25,883
They didn't even consider
the fact that it was a 12-hour
or 14-hour day sometimes.
984
01:01:25,916 --> 01:01:28,719
"Rig" means when you play
the song so much...
985
01:01:28,753 --> 01:01:31,288
until it begins to get stiff
and everybody's tired,
986
01:01:31,321 --> 01:01:33,858
you'd say,
"Rigor mortis is here now."
987
01:01:33,891 --> 01:01:37,127
'Cause you exhausted
your creativity on it, you know.
988
01:01:37,161 --> 01:01:40,831
Which happens sometimes,
especially when we had
a producer...
989
01:01:40,865 --> 01:01:44,769
that we told him
he was wasting his money, then
he was gonna prove he wasn't.
990
01:01:44,802 --> 01:01:49,306
"Take 64!"
He starts floggin' us.
[ Laughing ]
991
01:01:49,339 --> 01:01:52,242
Wasn't nothin' really
gonna happen then.
992
01:01:52,276 --> 01:01:55,512
[ Ashford ]
So we had to find
someplace to relax...
993
01:01:55,545 --> 01:01:59,149
because it was really
a pressure cooker
in the Snakepit at that time.
994
01:01:59,183 --> 01:02:01,919
This one time, Earl came up
and said that he'd found...
995
01:02:01,952 --> 01:02:05,022
a funeral parlor
that we could go and hide out.
996
01:02:05,055 --> 01:02:07,758
Shit.
So we would just do this
on many occasions...
997
01:02:07,792 --> 01:02:09,894
because, as I said, we were
cutting seven days a week.
998
01:02:09,927 --> 01:02:13,530
The studio finally found out
where we were hanging out,
999
01:02:13,563 --> 01:02:17,768
and damn if Motown didn't
send somebody over there
from management...
1000
01:02:17,802 --> 01:02:20,104
to find out
where we were hiding.
What's that smell?
1001
01:02:20,137 --> 01:02:22,106
Just a little
embalming fluid.
1002
01:02:22,139 --> 01:02:25,810
Earl had had the funeral
director trained what to say...
1003
01:02:25,843 --> 01:02:28,345
in the event that someone
would come over there.
1004
01:02:28,378 --> 01:02:32,216
- But I really, really
have to go.
- Wait.
1005
01:02:32,249 --> 01:02:36,186
I want to show you how to use
my saw and bone crusher.
1006
01:02:36,220 --> 01:02:38,255
We would fall down laughing.
1007
01:02:40,290 --> 01:02:44,061
[ Ashford ]
You're not gonna believe this. I
was forced to play a tambourine.
1008
01:02:44,094 --> 01:02:46,831
[ Ndegeocello ]
In church?
No. With Charles Harrison.
1009
01:02:46,864 --> 01:02:49,834
Came to the rehearsal
when they were the big
tambourines.
1010
01:02:49,867 --> 01:02:52,336
Looked like a dishpan.
I'd never touched one.
Right.
1011
01:02:52,369 --> 01:02:55,940
So I got finished
doing my solo. He said,
"Pick the tambourine up, man."
1012
01:02:55,973 --> 01:02:58,242
I said, "Hell, no."
He said, "Pick the tambourine--"
1013
01:02:58,275 --> 01:03:00,978
He got angry 'cause I wouldn't
pick the tambourine up.
1014
01:03:01,011 --> 01:03:03,247
So I picked the damn
tambourine up.
1015
01:03:04,982 --> 01:03:08,218
I didn't know what happened. I
said, "Damn, this feels good."
1016
01:03:08,252 --> 01:03:12,056
I started playin',
and the tambourine just
took on a life of its own.
1017
01:03:12,089 --> 01:03:15,592
I came from Memphis, Tennessee,
and I started--
1018
01:03:15,625 --> 01:03:18,328
first began on the drums
and everything.
1019
01:03:18,362 --> 01:03:22,232
I started in a commerce class,
you know, on a Royal typewriter.
1020
01:03:22,266 --> 01:03:25,369
You know? I wanted to be
a CPA, an engineer.
1021
01:03:25,402 --> 01:03:28,005
So we had to take
typing class, you know.
1022
01:03:28,038 --> 01:03:31,075
So I was sitting there
at the desk listening
to drum beats,
1023
01:03:31,108 --> 01:03:34,979
so I wind up playin'
drum beats on the typewriter.
1024
01:03:35,012 --> 01:03:40,117
So the teacher'd say,
"Hey, what do you want to do?
Play the drums or be a CPA?"
1025
01:03:40,150 --> 01:03:44,154
I said, "I want to play drums."
So she kicked me out, and that's
how I got into playing drums.
1026
01:03:44,188 --> 01:03:48,392
And I moved to Detroit,
West End, with all the guys,
1027
01:03:48,425 --> 01:03:50,995
got into the jazz thing.
1028
01:03:51,028 --> 01:03:54,031
Then while at the 20 Grand
with Levi Mann,
1029
01:03:54,064 --> 01:03:57,334
Benny used to come in
and play some of the shows;
I met Benny Benjamin.
1030
01:03:57,367 --> 01:04:00,404
And Benny said,
"Hey, man, you sound good.
Why don't you come down?
1031
01:04:00,437 --> 01:04:02,907
"You can play this stuff.
It's easy.
1032
01:04:02,940 --> 01:04:06,276
All you gotta do is play--
[ Muttering Sounds ]
and keep your mouth closed."
1033
01:04:06,310 --> 01:04:08,412
Fine. I got in.
1034
01:04:08,445 --> 01:04:11,348
"Grapevine--" The beat
on the tom-tom like that--
Mm-hmm.
1035
01:04:11,381 --> 01:04:15,019
It came like the old days,
took it from the backbeat.
Yes.
1036
01:04:15,052 --> 01:04:18,889
** [ Humming ]
1037
01:04:18,923 --> 01:04:23,160
With a backbeat to it.
So Shank, Joe Messina
and three guitars--
1038
01:04:23,193 --> 01:04:27,031
Uh-huh.
So Jamerson came in--
** [ Imitating Bass ]
1039
01:04:27,064 --> 01:04:31,301
So Shank, Joe and Robert
came an octave ahead of,
you know, Jamerson.
1040
01:04:31,335 --> 01:04:34,404
That's where that funk
got to get in. But you got
to have that head action.
1041
01:04:34,438 --> 01:04:37,041
Uh-huh.
You like that?
1042
01:04:37,074 --> 01:04:40,444
* Ooh, I bet you wonder
how I knew *
Yeah, baby!
1043
01:04:40,477 --> 01:04:45,049
She's getting down already.
Turn the tape on.
** [ Continues ]
1044
01:04:45,082 --> 01:04:48,052
** [ "I Heard It
Through the Grapevine" ]
1045
01:04:48,085 --> 01:04:50,654
[ Audience Cheering ]
1046
01:05:02,499 --> 01:05:07,037
* Ohh, I bet you wonder
how I knew *
1047
01:05:07,071 --> 01:05:10,941
* About your plans
to make me blue *
1048
01:05:10,975 --> 01:05:14,478
* With some other guy
you knew before *
1049
01:05:14,511 --> 01:05:18,482
* Between the two of us guys
you know I love you more *
1050
01:05:18,515 --> 01:05:22,452
* It took me by surprise
I must say *
1051
01:05:22,486 --> 01:05:27,491
* When I found out yesterday
Don't you know that *
1052
01:05:27,524 --> 01:05:30,494
* I heard it
through the grapevine *
1053
01:05:30,527 --> 01:05:34,298
* Not much longer
would you be mine *
1054
01:05:34,331 --> 01:05:38,235
* Hey, I heard it
through the grapevine *
1055
01:05:38,268 --> 01:05:43,273
* And I'm just about to lose
my mind, honey, honey *
1056
01:05:43,307 --> 01:05:47,477
* Heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you
be my baby *
1057
01:05:49,579 --> 01:05:53,150
* Well, I know a man
ain't supposed to cry *
1058
01:05:53,183 --> 01:05:57,387
* But these tears
I can't hold inside *
1059
01:05:57,421 --> 01:06:02,259
* 'Cause losing you
would mean my life, you see *
1060
01:06:02,292 --> 01:06:06,030
* 'Cause you mean
that much to me *
1061
01:06:06,063 --> 01:06:10,400
* You could've
told me yourself *
1062
01:06:10,434 --> 01:06:14,538
* That you love someone else
Don't you know *
1063
01:06:14,571 --> 01:06:17,374
* I heard it
through the grapevine *
1064
01:06:17,407 --> 01:06:21,478
* Not much longer
would you be mine, hey *
1065
01:06:21,511 --> 01:06:25,282
* I heard it
through the grapevine *
1066
01:06:25,315 --> 01:06:29,219
* And I'm just about
to lose my mind *
1067
01:06:29,253 --> 01:06:32,489
* Honey, honey, yeah
* Heard it through
the grapevine *
1068
01:06:32,522 --> 01:06:35,459
* Not much longer
would you be my baby *
1069
01:06:35,492 --> 01:06:38,095
* Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
1070
01:06:44,401 --> 01:06:49,339
* People say believe
half of what you see *
1071
01:06:49,373 --> 01:06:53,043
* Son, and none
of what you hear *
1072
01:06:53,077 --> 01:06:56,313
* But I can't help
but be confused *
1073
01:06:56,346 --> 01:07:00,350
* If it's true
won't you tell me, dear *
1074
01:07:00,384 --> 01:07:04,588
* Do you plan to let me go
1075
01:07:04,621 --> 01:07:07,357
* For the other guy
you loved before *
1076
01:07:07,391 --> 01:07:12,429
* Don't you know I heard it
through the grapevine *
1077
01:07:12,462 --> 01:07:16,466
* Not much longer
would you be mine, hey *
1078
01:07:16,500 --> 01:07:20,137
* I heard it
through the grapevine *
1079
01:07:20,170 --> 01:07:24,574
* And I'm just about to lose
my mind, honey, honey **
1080
01:07:24,608 --> 01:07:30,314
We were all quite happy
about the success of... "I Heard
It Through the Grapevine."
1081
01:07:30,347 --> 01:07:35,485
At the same time, there was
a mixed emotion type thing
going on with Benny Benjamin.
1082
01:07:35,519 --> 01:07:38,522
He had a drug problem,
a bad drug problem.
1083
01:07:38,555 --> 01:07:40,857
He was just about
at the bottom.
1084
01:07:40,890 --> 01:07:46,596
But at one point,
Benny kind of disappeared
for a couple of weeks.
1085
01:07:46,630 --> 01:07:52,336
So Earl, you know,
started trying to find out
what happened to him.
1086
01:07:52,369 --> 01:07:55,639
And he, uh--
he found Benny.
1087
01:07:55,672 --> 01:08:01,278
And Earl came in just before
the session started and said,
1088
01:08:01,311 --> 01:08:06,250
"Guys, I don't think
there's gonna be no session.
See, Benny just died."
1089
01:08:06,283 --> 01:08:09,386
And, uh, you know,
that was it.
1090
01:08:09,419 --> 01:08:11,521
It turned everybody around.
Yeah, it turned--
1091
01:08:11,555 --> 01:08:15,192
So we didn't do
no session that day.
Yeah.
1092
01:08:15,225 --> 01:08:18,562
You know, when they would pass
the music out to the musicians,
1093
01:08:18,595 --> 01:08:21,498
every group would get
their own little stuff together.
1094
01:08:21,531 --> 01:08:24,301
I'd get together with Earl
because I played vibes,
1095
01:08:24,334 --> 01:08:27,137
and they'd pass the music
over to the guitar players.
1096
01:08:27,171 --> 01:08:31,341
And they would huddle together
like a group of little magpies
workin' on it.
1097
01:08:31,375 --> 01:08:35,345
They'd be tryin' their parts
and laughin' up their sleeves.
[ Laughing ]
1098
01:08:35,379 --> 01:08:39,716
So Earl would just look at 'em,
and he named 'em Heckle,
Jeckle and Son.
1099
01:08:39,749 --> 01:08:43,287
And they'd jump up and say,
"Yeah, we got it. We're ready."
1100
01:08:43,320 --> 01:08:47,557
And so, you know-- They'd really
tear it up, too, because they
really did have it together.
1101
01:08:47,591 --> 01:08:51,261
All of it was important,
as you know-- the parts.
1102
01:08:51,295 --> 01:08:55,699
And we'd just work around
each other, and nothin' ever
ran into each other.
1103
01:08:55,732 --> 01:08:59,203
I think the magic was
we'd listen to each other.
1104
01:08:59,236 --> 01:09:01,705
And we liked each other,
which was important.
1105
01:09:01,738 --> 01:09:05,609
Yeah, right, Joe. Yeah.
We had a friendship.
I think that helped.
1106
01:09:05,642 --> 01:09:09,613
I was born in Mississippi.
My little town was Grenada,
Mississippi.
1107
01:09:09,646 --> 01:09:13,717
I built my own guitar
out of a broom wire...
1108
01:09:13,750 --> 01:09:16,520
and attached it to the house,
and I made the house rock.
1109
01:09:16,553 --> 01:09:21,191
I moved to Detroit
in '52. 1952.
1110
01:09:21,225 --> 01:09:25,729
My dad had
a guitar in the house.
He liked the instrument.
1111
01:09:25,762 --> 01:09:29,566
He used to play Italian
weddings. You know, they
played the Italian music.
1112
01:09:29,599 --> 01:09:32,402
[ Willis ]
All that influenced me.
You know, just anybody.
1113
01:09:32,436 --> 01:09:34,738
Whoever was playing guitar.
Listening to radio,
1114
01:09:34,771 --> 01:09:37,974
and listening to Chet Atkins,
B.B. King or Albert King.
1115
01:09:38,007 --> 01:09:42,279
[ Messina ]
I'd practice all day. At times,
I would skip school to practice.
1116
01:09:42,312 --> 01:09:45,449
First gig was with this group
with Marv Johnson,
1117
01:09:45,482 --> 01:09:49,753
and eventually he did
take me into Motown and I did
a couple of his recordings.
1118
01:09:49,786 --> 01:09:53,423
It so happened, everybody
liked what they heard, you know.
1119
01:09:53,457 --> 01:09:56,593
I was playing some pretty good
funk, man, you know.
1120
01:09:56,626 --> 01:10:00,430
And they kind of went for it,
so I ended up stayin' there.
1121
01:10:00,464 --> 01:10:03,600
I end up on the night show
with Soupy Sales.
1122
01:10:03,633 --> 01:10:06,002
Uh, I was there
for 14 years.
1123
01:10:06,035 --> 01:10:08,638
We had some very good
musicians.
1124
01:10:08,672 --> 01:10:11,775
Who used to come there?
We had Charlie Parker,
1125
01:10:11,808 --> 01:10:14,478
Miles, Coltrane.
1126
01:10:14,511 --> 01:10:17,781
I never listened
to guitar players.
Mainly horn men.
1127
01:10:17,814 --> 01:10:20,550
I was more
in the jazz vein.
1128
01:10:20,584 --> 01:10:23,553
I liked Charlie Parker,
so I'd get all his records.
1129
01:10:31,795 --> 01:10:34,531
[ Messina ]
I was working a club
called the 20 Grand...
1130
01:10:34,564 --> 01:10:36,666
with Levi Mann,
and Berry came in.
1131
01:10:36,700 --> 01:10:41,371
And, uh, he talked to me.
He asked me if I wanted
to record for him.
1132
01:10:41,405 --> 01:10:44,274
I said, "Yes, I will."
1133
01:10:44,308 --> 01:10:47,677
Did y'all mention Eddie Bongo?
'Cause he was a Funk Brother.
All through.
1134
01:10:47,711 --> 01:10:50,614
Eddie was a good guy. Eddie
kept a whole lot of mess going,
1135
01:10:50,647 --> 01:10:52,849
and he was Marvin's
right-hand man.
1136
01:10:52,882 --> 01:10:58,054
The thing I remember about him
most was his conga playing.
He could really play.
1137
01:10:58,087 --> 01:11:03,427
If there's one guy
that kept things loose,
it was Eddie "Bongo" Brown.
1138
01:11:03,460 --> 01:11:08,465
Bongo's got the music sheets
up there. I don't know why they
put that music sheet up there.
1139
01:11:08,498 --> 01:11:12,702
He couldn't even read.
Had the sheets sitting up there.
Got the producer tricked.
1140
01:11:12,736 --> 01:11:16,306
Bongo's just playing
his ass off. He's playing.
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
1141
01:11:16,340 --> 01:11:19,709
I look over there,
and he's got a nudie magazine
sittin' up there...
1142
01:11:19,743 --> 01:11:22,846
with legs gaped over him
with moon feet.
[ Laughing ]
1143
01:11:22,879 --> 01:11:27,551
Oh, my God! And they
swore that he was readin'.
Readin'.
1144
01:11:27,584 --> 01:11:30,620
[ White ]
He invented a couple licks
that I hear a lot now--
1145
01:11:30,654 --> 01:11:33,490
I think he borrowed them
from the Caribbean--
1146
01:11:33,523 --> 01:11:37,694
where he'd lick his finger
and slide it over the drum
and get a great sound.
1147
01:11:37,727 --> 01:11:40,830
[ Making Sliding Sound ]
He got all kinds
of neat little sounds that way.
1148
01:11:40,864 --> 01:11:42,899
He'd put 'em in
between his licks,
1149
01:11:42,932 --> 01:11:45,769
and people would say,
"What was that? What was that?"
1150
01:11:45,802 --> 01:11:49,473
The producer would go crazy.
"What's that? Do that again."
1151
01:11:49,506 --> 01:11:53,477
When I started out singing,
I used to sing in this little
blues bar called Dan Lynch,
1152
01:11:53,510 --> 01:11:55,512
and they had
this amazing jukebox.
1153
01:11:55,545 --> 01:11:58,382
I would go over there
pretty much every night
after I played,
1154
01:11:58,415 --> 01:12:00,750
and I would play that song,
"What Becomes
of the Brokenhearted."
1155
01:12:00,784 --> 01:12:03,753
I feel as though
"Brokenhearted" is a song
that could really live again.
1156
01:12:03,787 --> 01:12:06,756
This'll be the audition
today, and see if we can--
1157
01:12:06,790 --> 01:12:10,494
No, it won't be an audition.
You've already passed the test.
For me.
1158
01:12:10,527 --> 01:12:14,631
It's a good opportunity
to see if you really like it
after we finish playing it--
1159
01:12:14,664 --> 01:12:16,766
[ Laughing ]
to see if we still have it.
1160
01:12:16,800 --> 01:12:19,703
[ Audience Cheering ]
1161
01:12:44,628 --> 01:12:49,666
* As I walk this land
of broken dreams *
1162
01:12:49,699 --> 01:12:54,671
* I have visions
of many things *
1163
01:12:54,704 --> 01:12:59,809
* That happiness
is just an illusion *
1164
01:12:59,843 --> 01:13:04,814
* Filled with sadness
and confusion *
1165
01:13:04,848 --> 01:13:09,819
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
1166
01:13:09,853 --> 01:13:14,624
* Who had love
that's now departed *
1167
01:13:14,658 --> 01:13:18,928
* I know I've got to find
some kind of peace of mind *
1168
01:13:18,962 --> 01:13:23,867
* Baby
1169
01:13:23,900 --> 01:13:29,773
* The roots of love
grow all around *
1170
01:13:29,806 --> 01:13:34,578
* But for me
they come tumbling down *
1171
01:13:34,611 --> 01:13:39,749
* Every day heartaches
grow a little stronger *
1172
01:13:39,783 --> 01:13:44,754
* I can't stand
this pain much longer *
1173
01:13:44,788 --> 01:13:48,792
* I walk in shadows
searching for light *
1174
01:13:48,825 --> 01:13:53,997
* Cold and alone
No comfort in sight *
1175
01:13:54,030 --> 01:13:59,469
* Hoping and praying
for someone who cares *
1176
01:13:59,503 --> 01:14:04,608
* Always moving
and going nowhere *
1177
01:14:04,641 --> 01:14:08,745
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
1178
01:14:08,778 --> 01:14:13,883
* Who had love
that's now departed *
1179
01:14:13,917 --> 01:14:18,488
* I know I've got to find
some kind of peace of mind *
1180
01:14:18,522 --> 01:14:22,792
* Help me, please
1181
01:14:22,826 --> 01:14:28,898
* I'm searching
though I don't succeed *
1182
01:14:28,932 --> 01:14:33,737
* But someone look
There's a growing need *
1183
01:14:33,770 --> 01:14:38,775
* All is lost, there's
no place for beginning *
1184
01:14:38,808 --> 01:14:43,780
* All that's left
is an unhappy ending *
1185
01:14:43,813 --> 01:14:48,652
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
1186
01:14:48,685 --> 01:14:53,690
* Who had love
that's now departed *
1187
01:14:53,723 --> 01:14:58,294
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
1188
01:14:58,327 --> 01:15:03,567
* Who had love
that's now departed *
1189
01:15:03,600 --> 01:15:08,805
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
1190
01:15:08,838 --> 01:15:13,777
- * Tell me, mmm-mmm
- * Tell me what
1191
01:15:13,810 --> 01:15:18,081
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
1192
01:15:18,114 --> 01:15:22,819
- * Tell me, tell me, ohhh
- * Tell me
1193
01:15:22,852 --> 01:15:27,991
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
1194
01:15:28,024 --> 01:15:33,830
- * Tell me, tell me, tell me
- * Tell me what
1195
01:15:33,863 --> 01:15:39,769
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
* The brokenhearted
1196
01:15:39,803 --> 01:15:42,639
* Who had love
that's now departed *
* That's now departed
1197
01:15:42,672 --> 01:15:47,844
* I know I've got to find
some kind of peace of mind *
1198
01:15:47,877 --> 01:15:53,583
* I'll be searching everywhere
just to find someone
who cares *
1199
01:15:53,617 --> 01:15:58,121
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
1200
01:15:58,154 --> 01:16:02,726
* Who had love
that's now departed *
1201
01:16:02,759 --> 01:16:07,764
* What becomes
of the brokenhearted *
1202
01:16:07,797 --> 01:16:15,004
* Who had love
that's now departed *
1203
01:16:15,038 --> 01:16:22,879
* Ohhh, ohhh *
1204
01:16:22,912 --> 01:16:26,783
[ Applause, Cheering ]
1205
01:16:34,023 --> 01:16:37,026
** [ "My Girl" ]
1206
01:16:49,238 --> 01:16:54,077
You know, that's probably
one of the more recognizable...
1207
01:16:54,110 --> 01:16:57,914
guitar licks
of the early Motown days,
1208
01:16:57,947 --> 01:17:02,418
and when I originally
played it 27 years ago,
1209
01:17:02,451 --> 01:17:05,989
I didn't think much about it--
only that it worked.
1210
01:17:06,022 --> 01:17:10,827
In the small confines
of Studio "A,"
1211
01:17:10,860 --> 01:17:13,763
myself and the rest of
the musicians didn't realize...
1212
01:17:13,797 --> 01:17:16,800
what an impact we'd have
on the rest of the world.
1213
01:17:16,833 --> 01:17:19,869
He was very quiet, and
he had a mystique about him.
1214
01:17:19,903 --> 01:17:24,674
But you couldn't find
a better, steadier guitarist.
1215
01:17:24,708 --> 01:17:27,811
And the chords were jazz,
but he made it fit in R&B.
1216
01:17:27,844 --> 01:17:32,849
They called us
the Oreo Cookie Guitar Section,
1217
01:17:32,882 --> 01:17:37,687
because...
Robert White sat to my right
and Eddie Willis sat to my left.
1218
01:17:37,721 --> 01:17:41,090
And the white boy.
[ Laughing ]
Joseph.
1219
01:17:41,124 --> 01:17:46,730
[ Man ]
Shortly after Earl Van Dyke
died in 1992,
1220
01:17:46,763 --> 01:17:50,099
I was going out
to visit Robert in Los Angeles.
1221
01:17:50,133 --> 01:17:53,703
We went out to eat,
and wouldn't you know it,
1222
01:17:53,737 --> 01:17:55,905
as we're about to order
and the waiter's comin' over,
1223
01:17:55,939 --> 01:17:58,474
all of a sudden you hear the
guitar line from "My Girl"...
1224
01:17:58,507 --> 01:18:01,477
come over the speaker
in the restaurant.
1225
01:18:01,510 --> 01:18:04,247
And Robert got real excited,
real animated, and he said--
1226
01:18:04,280 --> 01:18:08,117
as the waiter walked over,
he said, "Hey, man, you hear
that? That's-- That's--"
1227
01:18:08,151 --> 01:18:11,054
And he stopped dead.
1228
01:18:11,087 --> 01:18:14,724
Then he kind of looked
embarrassed and looked down
at the menu, and he says,
1229
01:18:14,758 --> 01:18:16,860
"I think I'll have
the barbecued chicken."
1230
01:18:16,893 --> 01:18:19,128
Then I just ordered my thing,
and the guy walked away,
1231
01:18:19,162 --> 01:18:22,832
and I said, "Robert,
you were gonna tell him
that was you, weren't you?"
1232
01:18:22,866 --> 01:18:25,802
He said-- He kind of looked
embarrassed, and he said,
1233
01:18:25,835 --> 01:18:30,106
"Yeah, yeah, but-- I don't know.
He'd look at me and say
look at this tired old fool.
1234
01:18:30,139 --> 01:18:33,877
He'd never believe it."
And that floored me.
1235
01:18:33,910 --> 01:18:38,882
Because here's a guy
who played a guitar line
that's the equivalent--
1236
01:18:38,915 --> 01:18:41,751
It's like one of the top five
all-time guitar hooks.
1237
01:18:41,785 --> 01:18:44,153
It's right up there with
"Satisfaction" by the Stones...
1238
01:18:44,187 --> 01:18:47,924
and "Paperback Writer" or
"Come As You Are" from Nirvana.
1239
01:18:47,957 --> 01:18:52,295
At that point I realized, here's
a guy who's lived for 30 years,
this close to his dream,
1240
01:18:52,328 --> 01:18:56,299
and yet instead of being
inside the dream looking out,
1241
01:18:56,332 --> 01:19:01,004
he was on the outside
of the dream looking in,
never able to touch that dream.
1242
01:19:01,037 --> 01:19:05,909
I knew at that point
Robert desperately needed some
recognition in his lifetime.
1243
01:19:05,942 --> 01:19:09,913
But he didn't make it
across the finish line
with the rest of the guys.
1244
01:19:09,946 --> 01:19:12,916
* When it's cold outside...
1245
01:19:12,949 --> 01:19:16,052
[ Narrator ]
The summer of love
introduced the world...
1246
01:19:16,085 --> 01:19:20,189
to the soaring guitar
and pulsating wah-wah
of Jimi Hendrix.
1247
01:19:20,223 --> 01:19:25,361
The following year, Sly Stone's
relentless Oakland funk
swept over an enraptured public.
1248
01:19:25,394 --> 01:19:31,067
Mesmerized by these new trends,
Motown producer Norman Whitfield
enlisted the Funk Brothers,
1249
01:19:31,100 --> 01:19:35,872
along with innovative
newcomers Wah Wah Watson
and Dennis Coffey,
1250
01:19:35,905 --> 01:19:39,342
to help fuse these new elements
into the Motown sound.
1251
01:19:39,375 --> 01:19:43,579
Psychedelic soul had arrived
down in the Snakepit.
1252
01:19:43,612 --> 01:19:46,249
[ Coffey ]
In San Francisco
with Jimi Hendrix,
1253
01:19:46,282 --> 01:19:49,018
they had
a lot of the fuzz tones...
1254
01:19:49,052 --> 01:19:52,121
and they had the wah-wah pedal
and things like that--
1255
01:19:52,155 --> 01:19:54,257
the special effects
on some of the guitars.
1256
01:19:54,290 --> 01:19:57,260
And what happened was, in one
of those earlier sessions...
1257
01:19:57,293 --> 01:20:00,263
where we were rehearsing
and working with producers,
1258
01:20:00,296 --> 01:20:04,400
Norman Whitfield came in
and he brought in this song,
"Cloud Nine."
1259
01:20:04,433 --> 01:20:09,005
And I had a wah-wah pedal
with me, and I took it out
and started playing it.
1260
01:20:09,038 --> 01:20:11,407
And within a few days, I got
the call to do the session.
1261
01:20:16,045 --> 01:20:19,015
[ Audience Cheering ]
1262
01:20:33,997 --> 01:20:37,934
* The childhood part of my life
wasn't very pretty *
1263
01:20:37,967 --> 01:20:42,271
* I was born on the streets
of the city *
1264
01:20:42,305 --> 01:20:46,876
* It was a one-room shack
with ten other children
beside me *
1265
01:20:46,910 --> 01:20:50,346
* We hardly had enough food
or room to sleep *
1266
01:20:50,379 --> 01:20:54,050
- * It was... so hard
- * It was hard times
1267
01:20:54,083 --> 01:20:59,923
* I needed something
to ease my mind *
1268
01:20:59,956 --> 01:21:03,159
* My father didn't know
the meaning of work *
1269
01:21:03,192 --> 01:21:06,963
* He disrespected Mother
and treated us like dirt *
1270
01:21:06,996 --> 01:21:11,667
* I left home seeking a job
I never did find *
1271
01:21:11,700 --> 01:21:15,138
* Depressed and downhearted
I took to crime *
1272
01:21:15,171 --> 01:21:19,442
* Now I'm doing fine
1273
01:21:19,475 --> 01:21:22,178
* On cloud nine
1274
01:21:22,211 --> 01:21:28,017
* One more time
* I'm doing fine
1275
01:21:28,051 --> 01:21:30,453
* On cloud nine
1276
01:21:30,486 --> 01:21:33,456
* What's that you tell me
1277
01:21:33,489 --> 01:21:36,392
* Say, give yourself a chance
Don't let life pass you by *
1278
01:21:36,425 --> 01:21:41,364
* 'Cause the world around
is a rat race where only
the strong survive *
1279
01:21:41,397 --> 01:21:46,502
* It's a dog-eat-dog world
Ain't no lie *
* Ain't no lie
1280
01:21:46,535 --> 01:21:50,073
* It ain't even safe no more
to walk the streets at night *
1281
01:21:50,106 --> 01:21:53,242
* I'm doing fine
1282
01:21:53,276 --> 01:21:57,213
* On cloud nine
1283
01:21:57,246 --> 01:22:02,385
* On cloud nine
* You sure can be
what you wanna be *
1284
01:22:02,418 --> 01:22:06,422
* Cloud nine
* You ain't got
no responsibility *
1285
01:22:06,455 --> 01:22:11,060
- * Cloud nine
- * Every man and his
mind is free *
1286
01:22:11,094 --> 01:22:15,431
- * Cloud nine
- * You're a million miles
from reality *
1287
01:22:15,464 --> 01:22:18,501
- * Reality
- * I wanna stay up, up
1288
01:22:18,534 --> 01:22:21,504
* Higher
* Up, up
* Up
1289
01:22:21,537 --> 01:22:26,509
* Up and away
1290
01:22:26,542 --> 01:22:30,246
* Cloud nine
1291
01:22:30,279 --> 01:22:34,517
* I wanna say I love
the life I live *
1292
01:22:34,550 --> 01:22:38,321
* And I'm gonna live
the life I love *
1293
01:22:38,354 --> 01:22:41,257
* Here on cloud nine
1294
01:22:41,290 --> 01:22:47,430
* Oooooh
1295
01:22:47,463 --> 01:22:52,401
- * Cloud nine
- * Wish I could be
what I need to be *
1296
01:22:52,435 --> 01:22:57,273
- * Cloud nine
- * You ain't got
no responsibility *
1297
01:22:57,306 --> 01:23:01,344
* Cloud nine
* Every man and his
mind is free *
1298
01:23:01,377 --> 01:23:05,781
- * On cloud nine
- * You're a million miles
from reality *
1299
01:23:05,814 --> 01:23:08,551
* Reality
* I wanna stay up, up
1300
01:23:08,584 --> 01:23:12,155
* Higher
* Up, up, up
1301
01:23:12,188 --> 01:23:15,291
* Up and away
1302
01:23:15,324 --> 01:23:18,327
* On cloud nine *
1303
01:23:18,361 --> 01:23:24,167
I haven't heard anybody
play "What's Going On" like
the record, ever. Nobody.
1304
01:23:24,200 --> 01:23:28,271
The only person I ever heard
do it was Babbitt last week.
I never heard Babbitt.
1305
01:23:28,304 --> 01:23:30,606
Oh, Babbitt did it last week?
1306
01:23:30,639 --> 01:23:34,310
When I heard Babbitt--
I'm sorry-- the other night,
it just blew me away, man.
1307
01:23:34,343 --> 01:23:39,582
Dang, I felt like
I was back, you know,
35, 40 years ago as a kid.
1308
01:23:39,615 --> 01:23:42,051
I'm sorry. What'd you say?
Ralphe, you remember?
1309
01:23:42,085 --> 01:23:44,553
As a bass player in Detroit,
I know I came a little later--
1310
01:23:44,587 --> 01:23:47,323
You were late.
It was '74, '72.
1311
01:23:47,356 --> 01:23:52,328
But if you could not play
that solo from that record
that Bob Babbitt did--
1312
01:23:52,361 --> 01:23:55,264
You remember?
"Scorpio"?
Oh, yeah.
1313
01:23:55,298 --> 01:23:59,235
You weren't a bass player.
You couldn't get a gig!
That's right.
1314
01:23:59,268 --> 01:24:02,071
You couldn't play, man.
He's tellin' the truth.
1315
01:24:02,105 --> 01:24:04,840
You couldn't get a gig.
"Scorpio."
[ Making Bass Sounds ]
1316
01:24:04,873 --> 01:24:10,279
You couldn't get a gig
if you couldn't play that.
You wasn't doin' nothin'.
1317
01:24:10,313 --> 01:24:14,550
See, what was so beautiful
about it-- People loved Babbitt.
It wasn't about no color.
1318
01:24:14,583 --> 01:24:17,120
They just loved
his musicianship.
That's all it was.
1319
01:24:17,153 --> 01:24:20,055
All the cats in the hood.
"Man, that's Babbitt."
1320
01:24:26,362 --> 01:24:28,631
[ Babbitt ]
When I went to--
1321
01:24:28,664 --> 01:24:32,101
seventh grade, I guess it was,
I was in the choir,
1322
01:24:32,135 --> 01:24:37,540
and the same choir teacher
was also the orchestra teacher.
1323
01:24:37,573 --> 01:24:41,577
She said to me, "I know
somebody that's gonna play bass
in the orchestra next year."
1324
01:24:41,610 --> 01:24:45,181
And I-- Boom, it's me she's
looking at and pointing at.
1325
01:24:45,214 --> 01:24:47,583
So I started playing
upright bass.
1326
01:24:47,616 --> 01:24:52,455
I'm supposed to be studying
classical, which I am as long as
my mother and dad are up.
1327
01:24:52,488 --> 01:24:56,425
Soon as they go to bed,
they had some stations
on the radio in Pittsburgh...
1328
01:24:56,459 --> 01:25:01,297
where they had what they call
"race music," where you could
hear the black music.
1329
01:25:01,330 --> 01:25:04,667
And I'd take my bass
and go into the kitchen,
1330
01:25:04,700 --> 01:25:09,172
turn the radio on
while everybody's sleeping, and
I'd be playing with the radio.
1331
01:25:09,205 --> 01:25:14,277
Around 1967, I had been working
live with Stevie Wonder, and...
1332
01:25:14,310 --> 01:25:19,282
Stevie brought me in to do
my first session at Motown.
1333
01:25:19,315 --> 01:25:22,251
You gotta remember, James--
1334
01:25:22,285 --> 01:25:25,721
he set the bass style
for the Motown sound.
1335
01:25:29,458 --> 01:25:32,161
Man, nobody can play this.
1336
01:25:32,195 --> 01:25:35,164
What?
Nobody could play this
laying on their back.
1337
01:25:35,198 --> 01:25:37,300
You could if you
were James Jamerson.
1338
01:25:37,333 --> 01:25:40,703
[ Ashford ]
This is the story. This is hard
to believe, but it's true.
1339
01:25:40,736 --> 01:25:43,272
[ Watts ]
You gotta tell me this one.
1340
01:25:43,306 --> 01:25:47,576
Let me tell you. Marvin
was puttin' this together
with "What's Goin' On."
1341
01:25:47,610 --> 01:25:51,314
And he was experimenting
with a lot of things.
1342
01:25:51,347 --> 01:25:55,951
* We've got to find...
But what happened--
He decided he needed Jamerson.
1343
01:25:55,984 --> 01:26:00,556
** [ Continues ]
1344
01:26:00,589 --> 01:26:05,628
So Jamerson was workin'
a local club, and Marvin
found out where he was workin'.
1345
01:26:05,661 --> 01:26:08,464
He went over there to get him.
Jamerson was blasted.
1346
01:26:08,497 --> 01:26:11,500
So he said, "Well, I gotta
get him back, because I got
this. I gotta get it off."
1347
01:26:11,534 --> 01:26:13,736
Brought him back over here
to the studio.
1348
01:26:13,769 --> 01:26:16,205
Jamerson really
didn't want to do this,
1349
01:26:16,239 --> 01:26:18,507
but because of Marvin,
he said, "Okay, I'll try it."
1350
01:26:18,541 --> 01:26:21,777
So Jamerson couldn't sit up on--
You know, he had a high stool
he used to sit on.
1351
01:26:21,810 --> 01:26:24,680
He was afraid
he was gonna fall.
Like a string bass player.
1352
01:26:24,713 --> 01:26:28,284
He laid right out
where you were laying
and started playing this.
1353
01:26:28,317 --> 01:26:30,753
No one believed it.
1354
01:26:30,786 --> 01:26:34,257
He did a job that no one
could do standing up.
1355
01:26:34,290 --> 01:26:38,561
He did it laying down.
That was James Jamerson.
Mm-hmm. Yeah, the master.
1356
01:26:38,594 --> 01:26:42,398
- * Oooh
- Pressure meant nothing to you?
1357
01:26:42,431 --> 01:26:47,336
You felt no pressure?
It was like I'd go in,
I'd-I'd have to go play-- bang.
1358
01:26:47,370 --> 01:26:52,275
Sure there was pressure.
I mean, uh, you're sitting
in Jamerson's seat.
1359
01:26:52,308 --> 01:26:55,511
Right.
And... you know
what I'm sayin'?
1360
01:26:55,544 --> 01:26:58,281
And-And as far as that--
there was--
1361
01:26:58,314 --> 01:27:03,252
To do what he did was--
you know, you couldn't--
It was almost impossible.
1362
01:27:03,286 --> 01:27:07,290
I'm sure you
just were yourself.
I tried to do the best I could.
1363
01:27:07,323 --> 01:27:09,725
Another strange question.
1364
01:27:09,758 --> 01:27:14,763
Watching a documentary that
was talking about some
of the Atlantic recordings...
1365
01:27:14,797 --> 01:27:18,367
with Aretha Franklin--
early recordings.
1366
01:27:18,401 --> 01:27:23,339
And she had, like, basically,
a totally white band
from Nashville.
1367
01:27:23,372 --> 01:27:28,043
They were from Memphis
and Muscle Shoals.
Right. Okay.
1368
01:27:28,076 --> 01:27:31,780
And then Martin Luther King
was assassinated.
1369
01:27:31,814 --> 01:27:36,419
Uh, James Brown started
to change his vibe with
"I'm Black and I'm Proud."
1370
01:27:36,452 --> 01:27:38,821
The whole thing changed,
and a lot of people felt,
1371
01:27:38,854 --> 01:27:42,291
well, we didn't want to use
the white musicians.
1372
01:27:42,325 --> 01:27:44,593
Did you feel any sort of--
1373
01:27:44,627 --> 01:27:49,398
Coming into this environment,
did you feel any sort of
racial difference?
1374
01:27:49,432 --> 01:27:54,537
There was--
There was such a--
1375
01:27:54,570 --> 01:27:56,705
a closeness.
1376
01:27:56,739 --> 01:27:58,741
I mean, I can't--
1377
01:27:58,774 --> 01:28:02,311
And when Martin Luther King
died--
1378
01:28:02,345 --> 01:28:06,615
[ Musicians Chattering ]
They never
expressed to me...
1379
01:28:06,649 --> 01:28:09,852
any kind of hostility
or anything,
1380
01:28:09,885 --> 01:28:13,589
and I was--
I felt as sad as they did.
1381
01:28:13,622 --> 01:28:17,560
And, uh, uh--
1382
01:28:17,593 --> 01:28:21,864
But I never felt anything
from any of those guys.
1383
01:28:21,897 --> 01:28:26,869
I always felt like--
I don't know, like--
1384
01:28:26,902 --> 01:28:30,639
I was, like,
one of them, you know?
Yeah.
1385
01:28:30,673 --> 01:28:34,443
And-And, uh--
1386
01:28:34,477 --> 01:28:38,881
[ Sighs ]
I'm sorry.
No, that's okay.
1387
01:28:38,914 --> 01:28:42,885
[ Narrator ]
On the evening of July 23, 1967,
1388
01:28:42,918 --> 01:28:46,889
the Detroit police busted up
an after-hours blind pig
speakeasy...
1389
01:28:46,922 --> 01:28:50,793
at the corner
of 12th and Claremount,
and all hell broke loose.
1390
01:28:50,826 --> 01:28:55,598
The Funk Brothers
came out of a recording session
to a city in flames.
1391
01:28:55,631 --> 01:28:59,502
[ Ashford ]
Yeah, the sky was red.
Everything was burnin' down.
1392
01:28:59,535 --> 01:29:02,638
You'd protect your family.
That's just the way it was.
1393
01:29:02,671 --> 01:29:07,843
And I would've gone down
for them, even if it was at
the hands of a black brother...
1394
01:29:07,876 --> 01:29:10,679
'cause he's invading
my territory.
1395
01:29:10,713 --> 01:29:14,417
That's just the way I felt.
I didn't think about color.
These are my brothers here.
1396
01:29:14,450 --> 01:29:19,488
So no one had to rally us.
It was just, we have to get
from here to the car,
1397
01:29:19,522 --> 01:29:22,625
and that was the only thing
we were interested about.
1398
01:29:22,658 --> 01:29:25,594
It was our mission
to get our people home safe.
1399
01:29:25,628 --> 01:29:27,930
But I also feel
at the same time...
1400
01:29:27,963 --> 01:29:30,699
that had the role
been reversed...
1401
01:29:30,733 --> 01:29:35,471
and we had been
in an area where it was more
predominantly a white area,
1402
01:29:35,504 --> 01:29:39,908
and something broke out
that I would've took
a bullet for Jack.
1403
01:29:39,942 --> 01:29:42,811
I believe it.
I believe it.
I would've done the same.
1404
01:29:42,845 --> 01:29:47,516
[ Narrator ]
The end of the 1960s found
America watching in horror...
1405
01:29:47,550 --> 01:29:51,954
as a daily stream
of televised death came back
from the war in Vietnam.
1406
01:29:51,987 --> 01:29:55,691
Back on the home front,
the cultural and social
revolution...
1407
01:29:55,724 --> 01:29:59,628
being waged in the streets
was further polarizing
the masses.
1408
01:29:59,662 --> 01:30:03,899
Motown played a preeminent role
in the cultural sound track
that framed all these events,
1409
01:30:03,932 --> 01:30:06,669
and nowhere more so
than in Vietnam...
1410
01:30:06,702 --> 01:30:08,904
where terrified and
disillusioned G.I.'s...
1411
01:30:08,937 --> 01:30:12,575
found comfort in the grooves
played by the Funk Brothers...
1412
01:30:12,608 --> 01:30:15,978
and in the words and melodies
sung by Motown's stars.
1413
01:30:16,011 --> 01:30:19,615
But there was no comforting
refrain down in the Snakepit.
1414
01:30:19,648 --> 01:30:21,984
Still reeling from the death
of Benny Benjamin...
1415
01:30:22,017 --> 01:30:24,987
and concerned
that James Jamerson's
personal demons...
1416
01:30:25,020 --> 01:30:27,523
were leading him
down the same path,
1417
01:30:27,556 --> 01:30:30,726
the Funk Brothers
needed a rallying cry
to pull themselves together.
1418
01:30:30,759 --> 01:30:34,463
In 1970 they found it
in "What's Going On,"
1419
01:30:34,497 --> 01:30:38,233
Marvin Gaye's anguished plea
for sanity in a world gone mad.
1420
01:30:38,266 --> 01:30:40,803
Helping Marvin
realize his vision,
1421
01:30:40,836 --> 01:30:43,706
the Funk Brothers elevated
the level of their artistry...
1422
01:30:43,739 --> 01:30:46,542
from the dance floor
to the world stage.
1423
01:30:46,575 --> 01:30:50,012
* Mother, mother
1424
01:30:50,045 --> 01:30:53,616
* There's too many
of you crying *
1425
01:30:55,518 --> 01:30:59,021
* Brother, brother, brother
1426
01:30:59,054 --> 01:31:03,759
* There's far too many
of you dying *
1427
01:31:03,792 --> 01:31:08,497
* You know we've
got to find a way *
1428
01:31:08,531 --> 01:31:11,033
* To bring some lovin'
1429
01:31:11,066 --> 01:31:15,037
* Here today
1430
01:31:15,070 --> 01:31:17,773
* Father, father
1431
01:31:17,806 --> 01:31:22,778
* We don't need
to escalate, no *
1432
01:31:22,811 --> 01:31:26,882
* You see, war
is not the answer *
1433
01:31:26,915 --> 01:31:31,654
* Only love
can conquer hate *
1434
01:31:31,687 --> 01:31:36,692
* We've got to find
a way, yeah *
1435
01:31:36,725 --> 01:31:42,631
* To bring back
understanding here today *
1436
01:31:42,665 --> 01:31:44,600
* Picket lines
* Sister
1437
01:31:44,633 --> 01:31:47,636
- * Picket lines
- * Sister
1438
01:31:47,670 --> 01:31:49,705
- * Don't punish me
- * Sister
1439
01:31:49,738 --> 01:31:52,074
* With brutality
* Sister
1440
01:31:52,107 --> 01:31:54,543
* Talk to me
* Sister
1441
01:31:54,577 --> 01:31:56,712
* So you can see
* Sister
1442
01:31:56,745 --> 01:31:58,814
* What's going on
* What's going on
1443
01:31:58,847 --> 01:32:01,049
* What's going on
* What's going on
1444
01:32:01,083 --> 01:32:03,552
* What's going on
* What's going on
1445
01:32:03,586 --> 01:32:08,857
* What's going on
* What's going on
1446
01:32:10,726 --> 01:32:16,131
** [ Scatting ]
1447
01:32:24,106 --> 01:32:27,610
** [ Scatting Continues ]
1448
01:32:33,381 --> 01:32:38,153
* Mother, mother
1449
01:32:38,186 --> 01:32:42,625
* Everybody thinks we're wrong
Yes they do *
1450
01:32:42,658 --> 01:32:46,795
* Ah, but who are they
to judge us *
1451
01:32:46,829 --> 01:32:51,867
* Simply 'cause
our hair is long *
1452
01:32:51,900 --> 01:32:56,972
* Don't you know
we've got to find a way *
1453
01:32:57,005 --> 01:33:01,977
* Bring a little
understanding here today *
1454
01:33:02,010 --> 01:33:04,747
* Oh, picket lines
* Brother
1455
01:33:04,780 --> 01:33:07,015
- * Picket lines
- * Brother
1456
01:33:07,049 --> 01:33:09,117
* Don't punish me
* Brother
1457
01:33:09,151 --> 01:33:11,854
- * With brutality
- * Brother
1458
01:33:11,887 --> 01:33:13,856
* Come on, talk to me
* Brother
1459
01:33:13,889 --> 01:33:16,759
* So you can see
* Brother
1460
01:33:16,792 --> 01:33:18,794
* What's going on
* What's going on
1461
01:33:18,827 --> 01:33:21,129
* Going on
* What's going on
1462
01:33:21,163 --> 01:33:24,633
* What's going on
* What's going on
1463
01:33:24,667 --> 01:33:27,770
* Going on
* What's going on
1464
01:33:27,803 --> 01:33:31,674
** [ Scatting ]
1465
01:34:07,743 --> 01:34:10,946
* Just wanna know
what's going on *
1466
01:34:10,979 --> 01:34:13,916
* What's going on
1467
01:34:13,949 --> 01:34:17,219
** [ Vocalizing ]
1468
01:34:17,252 --> 01:34:21,857
* I wanna know
what's going on *
1469
01:34:21,890 --> 01:34:26,661
* Yeah, yeah, yeah
yeah, yeah **
1470
01:34:29,064 --> 01:34:32,167
[ Ashford ]
When Marvin Gaye first recorded
"What's Going On,"
1471
01:34:32,200 --> 01:34:35,704
to us, it was
a very important record.
1472
01:34:35,738 --> 01:34:40,042
Musically, we felt that
it was some of our best work.
1473
01:34:40,075 --> 01:34:45,714
It was the first record that
Motown ever given the musicians
some credit on an album.
1474
01:34:45,748 --> 01:34:48,717
And little did we know,
you know, we were--
1475
01:34:48,751 --> 01:34:51,787
we were biding our own time.
1476
01:34:53,889 --> 01:34:58,060
But we kept recording
for about another year...
1477
01:34:58,093 --> 01:35:01,196
and that-- many more hits
to come, you know.
1478
01:35:01,229 --> 01:35:04,767
So one day...
1479
01:35:04,800 --> 01:35:08,503
we went to the studio
and we were supposed to record.
1480
01:35:08,536 --> 01:35:11,840
There was a big sign
on the door saying, uh,
1481
01:35:11,874 --> 01:35:16,879
"There won't be any work
here today. Motown are moving
to Los Angeles."
1482
01:35:16,912 --> 01:35:19,748
Wow, what a break.
1483
01:35:19,782 --> 01:35:23,518
I suppose they were just
looking for a new sound,
1484
01:35:23,551 --> 01:35:26,955
I suppose, you know?
1485
01:35:26,989 --> 01:35:30,225
So we just kept doing
what we usually do-- what we
were doing before Motown--
1486
01:35:30,258 --> 01:35:33,161
and that was playing
in the clubs around the city--
1487
01:35:33,195 --> 01:35:37,032
playing our blues,
playing our jazz.
1488
01:35:37,065 --> 01:35:39,201
That's just about
the way it ended.
1489
01:35:39,234 --> 01:35:41,970
When Motown left Detroit,
there was no warning,
1490
01:35:42,004 --> 01:35:45,040
no announcement and no way
of preparing for it.
1491
01:35:45,073 --> 01:35:47,275
And that's the move
they had to make.
1492
01:35:47,309 --> 01:35:50,979
A major company
doesn't have to explain to every
individual that they're moving.
1493
01:35:51,013 --> 01:35:53,916
But it kind of left
all of us kind of like,
"What are we gonna do?"
1494
01:35:53,949 --> 01:35:58,120
The funny thing was we always
had that idea about how
it would never end.
1495
01:35:58,153 --> 01:36:02,024
You know, we felt like
it would go on and on and on,
1496
01:36:02,057 --> 01:36:04,860
but as you can see,
it ended.
1497
01:36:04,893 --> 01:36:06,929
[ Narrator ]
Hoping to hold on
to their dreams,
1498
01:36:06,962 --> 01:36:10,833
some of the Funk Brothers
followed Motown to Los Angeles.
1499
01:36:10,866 --> 01:36:13,969
But the west coast music scene
was too foreign to them,
1500
01:36:14,002 --> 01:36:16,839
and without the emotional
support the Funk Brothers'
family...
1501
01:36:16,872 --> 01:36:20,342
had always provided
for each other, they were lost.
1502
01:36:20,375 --> 01:36:25,247
He missed his friends,
the Funk Brothers.
1503
01:36:25,280 --> 01:36:30,252
Just the atmosphere.
It's totally different
in California than Detroit.
1504
01:36:30,285 --> 01:36:34,890
He wasn't getting--
receiving the phone calls
like before,
1505
01:36:34,923 --> 01:36:37,826
working in a studio--
yeah, to work in a studio.
1506
01:36:37,860 --> 01:36:41,864
And... there was
a battle there, you know,
1507
01:36:41,897 --> 01:36:46,368
of emotions and probably
feeling less than a man...
1508
01:36:46,401 --> 01:36:49,137
or less than a dad
to provide for us...
1509
01:36:49,171 --> 01:36:51,606
from what he used to do before.
1510
01:36:51,639 --> 01:36:54,376
I've seen a lot of hurt and pain
and the illness...
1511
01:36:54,409 --> 01:36:56,979
and the struggles
with the alcohol.
1512
01:36:57,012 --> 01:36:59,948
It wasn't going right for him.
He wanted to do everything.
1513
01:36:59,982 --> 01:37:02,851
He's used to doing
everything for everyone.
1514
01:37:02,885 --> 01:37:06,922
And then it was his time
where he needed help,
1515
01:37:06,955 --> 01:37:10,058
and a lot of times
no one was there.
1516
01:37:10,092 --> 01:37:13,261
Or he didn't wanna listen,
'cause he could be
hardheaded too, so--
1517
01:37:13,295 --> 01:37:17,933
[ Narrator ]
In 1983, James Jamerson
scalped a ticket...
1518
01:37:17,966 --> 01:37:21,269
for the nationally televised
show Motown 25...
1519
01:37:21,303 --> 01:37:24,272
and slipped into a balcony seat.
1520
01:37:28,110 --> 01:37:32,180
Two months later,
he slipped away... forever.
1521
01:37:32,214 --> 01:37:36,318
* A new day is dawning
sunny and bright *
1522
01:37:36,351 --> 01:37:41,189
* But after I've been
crying all night *
1523
01:37:41,223 --> 01:37:46,061
* The sun is cold
and the new day seems old *
1524
01:37:46,094 --> 01:37:49,031
* Since I lost my baby
1525
01:37:49,064 --> 01:37:52,034
[ Announcer ]
Ladies and gentlemen,
it's time to give it up!
1526
01:37:52,067 --> 01:37:54,236
Give up the love...
1527
01:37:54,269 --> 01:37:58,306
for Detroit's
unsung musical heroes!
1528
01:37:58,340 --> 01:38:01,176
The drum section--
1529
01:38:01,209 --> 01:38:04,446
Uriel Jones and Pistol Allen...
1530
01:38:04,479 --> 01:38:07,682
and the late Benny Benjamin.
1531
01:38:07,715 --> 01:38:11,019
On the vibes and percussion,
1532
01:38:11,053 --> 01:38:15,924
the fabulous tambourine man,
Jack Ashford...
1533
01:38:15,958 --> 01:38:19,928
and the late Bongo Eddie!
1534
01:38:19,962 --> 01:38:23,065
Guitar section--
1535
01:38:23,098 --> 01:38:27,469
the one, none other,
the brother, Eddie Willis,
1536
01:38:27,502 --> 01:38:31,006
Joe Messina...
1537
01:38:31,039 --> 01:38:34,276
and the late Robert White.
1538
01:38:34,309 --> 01:38:39,281
On the keyboards, Joe Hunter,
Johnny Griffith...
1539
01:38:39,314 --> 01:38:43,385
and the late, great
Earl Van Dyke.
1540
01:38:43,418 --> 01:38:47,522
And on bass, Bob Babbitt...
1541
01:38:47,555 --> 01:38:52,460
and the greatest
bass player of all time,
1542
01:38:52,494 --> 01:38:55,497
James Jamerson!
1543
01:38:55,530 --> 01:38:59,101
[ Applause ]
Here they are.
1544
01:38:59,134 --> 01:39:04,372
Ladies and gentlemen,
the greatest hit machine...
1545
01:39:04,406 --> 01:39:08,243
in music history...
1546
01:39:08,276 --> 01:39:12,981
the... Funk Brothers!
1547
01:39:13,015 --> 01:39:15,550
[ Cheering ]
1548
01:39:28,130 --> 01:39:30,532
* Listen, baby
1549
01:39:30,565 --> 01:39:32,534
* Ain't no mountain high
1550
01:39:32,567 --> 01:39:34,536
* Ain't no valley low
1551
01:39:34,569 --> 01:39:38,173
* Ain't no river
wide enough, baby *
1552
01:39:38,206 --> 01:39:41,409
* If you need me, call me
No matter where you are *
1553
01:39:41,443 --> 01:39:44,212
* No matter how far
1554
01:39:44,246 --> 01:39:46,348
* Don't worry, baby
1555
01:39:46,381 --> 01:39:50,052
* Just call my name
I'll be there in a hurry *
1556
01:39:50,085 --> 01:39:52,554
* You don't have to worry
'Cause, baby, there *
1557
01:39:52,587 --> 01:39:56,524
* Ain't no mountain
high enough *
1558
01:39:56,558 --> 01:40:00,195
* Ain't no valley
low enough *
1559
01:40:00,228 --> 01:40:03,365
* Ain't no river wide enough
1560
01:40:03,398 --> 01:40:06,234
* To keep me from gettin'
to you, babe *
1561
01:40:06,268 --> 01:40:09,471
* Remember the day
you set me free *
1562
01:40:09,504 --> 01:40:13,341
* I told you you can always
count on me, girl *
1563
01:40:13,375 --> 01:40:16,811
* From that day on
I made a vow *
1564
01:40:16,844 --> 01:40:20,815
* I'd be there when you want me
some way, somehow *
1565
01:40:20,848 --> 01:40:25,353
* You know that there ain't
no mountain high enough *
1566
01:40:25,387 --> 01:40:29,357
* Ain't no valley low enough
1567
01:40:29,391 --> 01:40:33,195
* Ain't no river
wide enough *
1568
01:40:33,228 --> 01:40:36,631
* To keep me from gettin'
to you, babe *
1569
01:40:36,664 --> 01:40:39,367
* Oh, no, baby
1570
01:40:39,401 --> 01:40:41,603
- * No way
- * No way
1571
01:40:41,636 --> 01:40:43,605
- * No way
- * Yeah
1572
01:40:43,638 --> 01:40:46,341
* No winter storm
* No
1573
01:40:46,374 --> 01:40:48,610
* Could stop me, baby
1574
01:40:48,643 --> 01:40:51,413
* No, no, baby
* 'Cause you are my own
1575
01:40:51,446 --> 01:40:54,616
* With every trouble
I'll be there on the double *
1576
01:40:54,649 --> 01:40:58,620
[ Ndegeocello ]
I think it's very important
for people of my generation...
1577
01:40:58,653 --> 01:41:03,291
to not only know history
but to also experience it
and allow it to change them.
1578
01:41:03,325 --> 01:41:07,362
I have so much respect
and so much to learn from these
people that came before me.
1579
01:41:07,395 --> 01:41:11,099
The people are great people,
not just great musicians.
1580
01:41:11,133 --> 01:41:13,201
I think that's
what I'll carry with me--
1581
01:41:13,235 --> 01:41:16,138
just being able to converse
and talk to people...
1582
01:41:16,171 --> 01:41:21,109
who have done so much
to influence...
1583
01:41:21,143 --> 01:41:24,312
what I do
and what I want to be.
1584
01:41:24,346 --> 01:41:27,615
The people bring
the place alive, and I think
that's very important.
1585
01:41:27,649 --> 01:41:31,519
Hitsville wasn't this building.
It was the people that
were in the building.
1586
01:41:31,553 --> 01:41:35,157
And I think
that's been made very clear.
1587
01:41:35,190 --> 01:41:38,660
* Ain't no river
wide enough *
1588
01:41:38,693 --> 01:41:42,397
* Ain't no mountain
high enough *
1589
01:41:42,430 --> 01:41:45,533
* Ain't no valley
low enough *
1590
01:41:45,567 --> 01:41:47,569
* Ain't no river
1591
01:41:51,506 --> 01:41:54,642
* Ain't no mountain
high enough *
1592
01:41:54,676 --> 01:41:59,414
* Ain't no valley
low enough *
1593
01:41:59,447 --> 01:42:02,917
- * Ain't no river wide enough
- * Ain't no mountain
1594
01:42:02,950 --> 01:42:06,288
* Ain't no mountain
high enough *
* To get to you
1595
01:42:06,321 --> 01:42:09,424
* Ain't no valley
low enough *
1596
01:42:09,457 --> 01:42:13,428
* Ain't no river
wide enough *
1597
01:42:13,461 --> 01:42:16,931
* Ain't no mountain
high enough *
* Ain't no mountain
1598
01:42:16,964 --> 01:42:20,435
* Ain't no valley
low enough *
* To keep me from you
1599
01:42:20,468 --> 01:42:24,339
* Ain't no river
wide enough *
1600
01:42:24,372 --> 01:42:28,210
* Ain't no mountain
high enough *
* Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
1601
01:42:28,243 --> 01:42:31,446
* Ain't no valley
low enough *
* To keep me from you
1602
01:42:31,479 --> 01:42:34,716
* Ain't no river
wide enough *
1603
01:42:34,749 --> 01:42:38,586
* Ain't no mountain
high enough *
* Oh, baby
1604
01:42:38,620 --> 01:42:42,357
* Ain't no valley
low enough *
* To keep me from you
1605
01:42:42,390 --> 01:42:46,328
* Ain't no river
wide enough *
* Come on, come on, come on
1606
01:42:46,361 --> 01:42:49,531
* Ain't no mountain
high enough *
* Ain't no mountain
1607
01:42:49,564 --> 01:42:52,700
* Ain't no valley
low enough *
1608
01:42:52,734 --> 01:42:56,504
* Ain't no river
wide enough **
1609
01:43:03,545 --> 01:43:06,748
* Callin' out around the world
1610
01:43:06,781 --> 01:43:11,486
* Are you ready
for a brand-new beat *
1611
01:43:11,519 --> 01:43:15,323
* Summer's here
and the time is right *
1612
01:43:15,357 --> 01:43:18,293
* For dancin' in the streets
1613
01:43:18,326 --> 01:43:22,630
* They're dancin' in Chicago
* Dancin' in the street
1614
01:43:22,664 --> 01:43:25,633
* Down in New Orleans
* Dancin' in the street
1615
01:43:25,667 --> 01:43:28,736
* In New York City
* Dancin' in the street
1616
01:43:28,770 --> 01:43:31,573
* All we need is music
1617
01:43:31,606 --> 01:43:34,309
* Sweet music
* Sweet music
1618
01:43:34,342 --> 01:43:37,545
* There'll be music everywhere
* Music everywhere
1619
01:43:37,579 --> 01:43:41,716
* There'll be swingin', swayin'
and records playin' *
1620
01:43:41,749 --> 01:43:44,586
* And dancin' in the streets
1621
01:43:44,619 --> 01:43:48,723
* Oh, it doesn't matter
what you wear *
1622
01:43:48,756 --> 01:43:52,360
* Just as long
as you are there *
1623
01:43:52,394 --> 01:43:56,831
* So come on
Every guy grab a girl *
1624
01:43:56,864 --> 01:44:00,302
* Everywhere around the world
1625
01:44:00,335 --> 01:44:02,770
* There'll be dancin'
* Dancin' in the street
1626
01:44:02,804 --> 01:44:05,373
* They're dancin'
in the street *
1627
01:44:05,407 --> 01:44:07,675
* Dancin' in the street
1628
01:44:07,709 --> 01:44:11,579
* This is an invitation
across the nation *
1629
01:44:11,613 --> 01:44:15,049
* A chance for folks to meet
1630
01:44:15,082 --> 01:44:19,354
* There'll be laughin', singin'
and music swingin' *
1631
01:44:19,387 --> 01:44:22,357
* Dancin' in the streets
1632
01:44:22,390 --> 01:44:25,727
* Philadelphia, P.A.
* Dancin' in the street
1633
01:44:25,760 --> 01:44:29,364
* Baltimore and D.C. now
* Dancin' in the street
1634
01:44:29,397 --> 01:44:32,834
* Can't forget the motor city
* Dancin' in the street
1635
01:44:32,867 --> 01:44:35,737
* All we need is music
1636
01:44:35,770 --> 01:44:38,440
* Sweet music
* Sweet music
1637
01:44:38,473 --> 01:44:41,609
* There'll be music everywhere
1638
01:44:41,643 --> 01:44:45,847
* There'll be swingin', swayin'
and records playin' *
1639
01:44:45,880 --> 01:44:49,651
* And dancin'
in the street, oh *
1640
01:44:49,684 --> 01:44:52,687
* It doesn't matter
what you wear *
1641
01:44:52,720 --> 01:44:56,358
* Just as long
as you are there *
1642
01:44:56,391 --> 01:45:00,862
* So come on
Every guy grab a girl *
1643
01:45:00,895 --> 01:45:04,399
* Everywhere around the world
1644
01:45:04,432 --> 01:45:06,901
* They're dancin'
1645
01:45:06,934 --> 01:45:10,705
* They're dancin'
in the streets *
* Dancin' in the street
1646
01:45:10,738 --> 01:45:13,541
* Way down in L.A.
1647
01:45:13,575 --> 01:45:18,112
* Every day, they're
dancin' in the street *
* Dancin' in the street
1648
01:45:18,145 --> 01:45:21,916
** [ Continues, Indistinct ]
1649
01:45:27,922 --> 01:45:31,826
[ Man On Radio ]
We're at the Chit Chat Lounge,
and what a crowd we have here.
1650
01:45:31,859 --> 01:45:35,630
We took our microphones out
to the new Chit Chat Lounge...
1651
01:45:35,663 --> 01:45:39,634
located at 8235 12th Street
at Virginia Park...
1652
01:45:39,667 --> 01:45:43,571
where we present again
Operation Jazz.
1653
01:45:43,605 --> 01:45:46,441
[ Applause ]
1654
01:45:58,686 --> 01:46:02,390
This is Jack Sherell
at the Chit Chat Lounge now,
1655
01:46:02,424 --> 01:46:04,559
and what a crowd we have here.
1656
01:46:04,592 --> 01:46:06,794
We'll be presenting
the James Jamerson Quartet,
1657
01:46:06,828 --> 01:46:09,797
plus our little jam session
and guest stars--
1658
01:46:09,831 --> 01:46:12,434
guest artists
who will be popping in.
1659
01:46:12,467 --> 01:46:14,769
So come on by. We still
have a few more chairs--
1660
01:46:14,802 --> 01:46:16,938
a few more seats,
I should say.
1661
01:46:16,971 --> 01:46:19,474
And join in on the fun.
1662
01:46:19,507 --> 01:46:22,844
Now the James Jamerson Quartet
gets things under way nicely.
1663
01:46:22,877 --> 01:46:25,580
** [ Jazz Instrumental ]
1664
01:46:49,937 --> 01:46:52,807
[ Applause ]
1665
01:47:49,931 --> 01:47:52,634
[ Applause ]
1666
01:47:58,039 --> 01:48:01,743
[ Chattering ]
137883
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