HISTORY MAKER BARRETT STRONG PASSES

Strong didn’t use it as a springboard for a long recording career of his own. Instead, he teamed with music wunderkind Norman Whitfield to create one of the most successful songwriting teams in popular music. The two penned the guts of Motown’s biggest hits in the late 60s and early 70s by such artists as The Temptations (“Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” “Just My Imagination,” “Cloud Nine” and many more), Marvin Gaye (“I Heard It Through The Grapevine”), and Edwin Starr (“War”). Strong and Whitfield’s ability to move the label’s sweet, orchestral soul into a hot, grittier blend that incorporated rock and the funk sounds pioneered by Sly & The Family Stone and James Brown gave Motown its second life as America’s #1 record label.

Barrett Strong (born February 5, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best known for his songwriting work, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfield. “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” was initially written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966 and made famous by Marvin Gaye in a single released in October 1968.

The Mississippi-born Strong was one of the first artists to sign to the fledgling Motown label in 1960. Later that same year, the 19-yearold delivered the first significant hit for Berry Gordy’s company, shooting to #2 on the charts with “Money (That’s What I Want),” a chugging number that announced the arrival of the Detroit label to the world.

“Money” went on to be recorded countless times over the years by various artists, but

In the early 70s, Motown relocated to the West Coast, and Whitfield left the fold to form his label. This became the opportunity for Strong to resurrect his solo career. He released albums on both Capitol Records and Epic Records, achieving some success with the single “Is It True” and the 1975 album Stronghold. While his production slowed down beginning in the 80s and beyond, Strong continued to write for other artists and returned in 2008 to record a sequel to his Stronghold album, Stronghold II. He was not a household name, but it is difficult to overstate the role that Barrett Strong played in establishing the most fantastic Black record label ever and then moving popular R&B music to the funk-driven soul that would define it from the late 60s into the mid-70s.

Barrett Strong ended his working relationship with Motown in 1971, but his contributions to the company’s success would earn him induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.

Strong just recently passed; he will be greatly missed, even as we celebrate his tremendous contribution. This man made it into the Black History books.