Who were the Funk Brothers and just what is their significance to soul music? They were the house band at Motown records from 1959 until 1972 when the company moved from Detroit to Los Angeles.

The Funk Brothers were never credited on the records they backed although their top notch musicianship is largely responsible for the “Motown Sound.” The band was under strict contract and in only a few instances were members allowed to moonlight doing sessions for performers other than on Motown. This band was one of the reasons Motown dominated the music charts from 1963-1967.

In the late 60s, the sound of music began to change and their were problems within the Funk Brothers due to substance abuse by two of it’s members, Benny Benjamin and James Jamerson. Benjamin passed away in 1968 and Jamerson became unreliable. The band held together until 1972 when Motown moved to Los Angeles, and without ceremony, booted the band. One of the last big Motown hits the band performed on was Marvin Gaye’s “Whats Goin' On” where you can hear some of the bands Jazz talent. For once, the musicians were credited on an artists album.

After Motown, most of the band remained in the Detroit area. Some stayed in the music business, others moved on to do other things. James Jamerson and Eddie “Bongo” Brown died in 1983. Earl Van Dyke passed in 1992 and Robert White in 1994. In 2002, Richard “Pistol” Allen, and Johnny Griffith passed away.

Allen Slutsky’s book “Standing In The Shadows of Motown”  (see link below) has raised awareness of the Funk Brothers although the book focused primarily in James Jamerson and his talent. In 2002 a documentary was released under the same name that recognized the entire group as a whole. The documentary received excellent reviews.

Reference for this article "All Music Guide To Soul" available at Amazon.com. Just click on the picure of the book below. 

Sir Soul

http://www.SoulClassics247.com