There is, however, a documentary that has been out on DVD for several years and deals with another set of studio musicians. This time the focus is on Motown and the studio musicians known as The Funk Brothers. They played on all the Motown hits of the period 1959-1972. The documentary is titled Standing In the Shadows of Motown.
Founded by Berry Gordy Jr, and from a small basement studio at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit (known as Hitsville USA) the combination of soul and pop music originated that came to be known as The Motown Sound. The artists were the superstars of their time but the musicians that played on all their hits were unknown. That is, until director Paul Justman sought them out and told the story of The Funk Brothers in this documentary.
While the names of the musicians may not be as well known (people like keyboardists Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, and Joe Hunter; guitarists Joe Messina, Robert White, and Eddie Willis; percussionists Eddie "Bongo" Brown and Jack Ashford; drummers Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, and Richard "Pistol" Allen; and bassists James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt) the musical legacy they left is the history of Motown. In fact, they played on more #1 records than The Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley combined.
These are some of the artists The Funk Brothers played for: The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Marvelettes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, The Jackson 5, and on and on.
The documentary is widely available and a must-see for music lovers and particularly Motown music lovers.
Here is a trailer for the documentary, Standing In the Shadows of Motown.
And as a bonus, a video with Cornelius Grant of The Temptations and how The Funk Brothers, Berry Gordy, and Hitsville USA operated.
Enjoy!
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