Barrett Strong | |
|---|---|
 Strong in 1996 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Barrett Strong Jr. (1941-02-05)February 5, 1941 West Point, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | January 28, 2023(2023-01-28) (aged 81) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1959–2023 |
| Labels | |
Spouse | Sandy White (died 2002) |
Barrett Strong Jr. (February 5, 1941 – January 28, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter known for his recording of "Money (That's What I Want)", which was the first hit single for theMotown record label.[1] He is also known for his songwriting work in association with producerNorman Whitfield;[2] together, they penned such songs as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "War", "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)", and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone".[1]
In 2004, Strong was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame alongside Whitfield.[3]
Strong was born inWest Point, Mississippi, on February 5, 1941,[4] the only boy of six children born to Barrett Strong Sr., a minister. His family moved to Detroit, Michigan, when he was four years old, and his father bought him a piano soon after.[5] Strong began singing at Hutchins Intermediate School in Detroit, where his classmates includedAretha Franklin andLamont Dozier.[6]
Strong was among the first artists signed toBerry Gordy's fledgling label,Tamla Records, and was the performer (vocal and piano) on the company's first hit single, "Money (That's What I Want)",[7] which was recorded live at the music studio where other legendary artists would eventually record. The song reached No. 2 USR&B in 1960. Gordy later disputed claims that Barrett had part in writing this song, stating that Strong's name was only included because of a clerical error.[8] The single was originally released on Tamla, Motown's first label, but was then leased to theAnna label as it was getting airplay, and it was on the Anna label that it was a hit. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded agold disc by theRIAA.[9]
"Money"[4] was later recorded by a number of acts, includingthe Beatles,the Rolling Stones,Led Zeppelin,the Kingsmen,Richard Wylie and His Band,Jerry Lee Lewis,the Searchers,the Flying Lizards,the Sonics, andBuddy Guy. Strong expressed that he co-wrote "Money" with Gordy andJanie Bradford; and his name appears on the song's original copyright registration with theUnited States Copyright Office.
In the mid-1960s, Strong became a Motown writer lyricist, teaming with producerNorman Whitfield.[7] Together, they wrote some of the most successful and critically acclaimed soul songs ever to be released by Motown, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by bothMarvin Gaye andGladys Knight & the Pips; "War" byEdwin Starr; "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" byMarvin Gaye; "Smiling Faces Sometimes" bythe Undisputed Truth; and the long line of "psychedelic soul" records bythe Temptations, including "Cloud Nine", "I Can't Get Next to You", "Psychedelic Shack", "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)", and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", amongst others.[7]
Strong received aGrammy Award for Best R&B Song in1973 for "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". Strong and Whitfield also co-wrote the ballad "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)",[7] a 1971Billboard No. 1 that also marked the last Temptations single to feature original membersEddie Kendricks andPaul Williams.
After Motown moved its operations base from Detroit, Michigan, to Los Angeles, California, Strong left the label and resumed his singing career.[7] He signed withEpic in 1972.[7] Strong left the label forCapitol Records,[7] where herecorded two albums in the 1970s:[4]Stronghold (1975) andLive & Love (1976).[10] The former reached No. 47 onBillboard'sBlack Albums chart.[11]
In the 1980s, Strong recorded "Rock It Easy" on anindependent label, and wrote "You Can Depend on Me", which appeared onthe Dells'The Second Time album (1988).[4] In 1995, Strong founded the record label Blarritt Records.[3][12] He founded the company as a means of providing opportunity and support for aspiring musicians in Detroit;[12] he stated, "Young people were always coming to me: 'Can you help us get something going?' I thought, 'Wow, there's still so much talent here. They just don't have anywhere to go.'"[12] In 2001, he released the albumStronghold II, which he wrote and composed in collaboration with vocalistEliza Neals, through Blarritt.[3][12] The album would later be re-released in 2008 for digital distribution oniTunes.[13]
Alongside Whitfield, Strong was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.[3]
In 2010, Strong appeared in "Misery", his first music video in his fifty years of recording music, co-produced by Eliza Neals and Martin "Tino" Gross with Strong at the helm.[14]
Strong died at home in theLa Jolla district of San Diego, California, on January 28, 2023, aged 81.[5] He was survived by seven children and ten grandchildren. His wife of 35 years, Sandy White, died in 2002.[5]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Ref(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||
| Stronghold | — | 47 | [11] | |
| Live & Love |
| — | — | [10][15] |
| Love Is You |
| — | — | [1] |
| Stronghold II |
| — | — | [3] |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Ref(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | CAN | FRA | UK | |||
| 1959 | "Let's Rock" / "Do the Very Best You Can" | — | — | — | — | — | [16] |
| 1959 | "Money (That's What I Want)" / "Oh I Apologize" | 23 | 2 | — | — | — | [17][18] |
| 1960 | "Yes, No, Maybe So" / "You Knows What to Do" | — | — | — | — | — | [19][20] |
| 1960 | "Whirlwind"(with the Rayber Voices) / "I'm Gonna Cry (If You Quit Me)" | — | — | — | — | — | [21] |
| 1961 | "Money and Me" / "You Got What It Takes" | — | — | — | — | — | [22] |
| 1961 | "Misery" / "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right" | — | — | — | — | — | [22] |
| 1962 | "Seven Sins" / "What Went Wrong" | — | — | — | — | — | [23] |
| 1964 | "Make Up Your Mind" / "I Better Run" | — | — | — | — | — | [24] |
| 1967 | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Recorded byGladys Knight & the Pips Co-written withNorman Whitfield | 2 | — | — | — | 47 | [25] |
| 1967 | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Recorded byMarvin Gaye Co-written with Whitfield | 1 | — | 8 | 88 | 1 | [26][27][28] |
| 1971 | "Just My Imagination" Recorded bythe Temptations Co-written with Whitfield | 1 | 1 | 72 | — | 8 | [25][29] |
| 1972 | "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" Recorded bythe Undisputed Truth Co-written with Whitfield | 63 | 24 | — | — | — | [30] |
| 1972 | "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" Recorded by the Temptations Co-written with Whitfield | 1 | — | 12 | 42 | 8 | [31][32] |
| 1973 | "Stand Up and Cheer for the Preacher" / (Instrumental version) | — | 82 | — | — | — | [33] |
| 1975 | "Surrender" / "There's Something About You" | — | — | — | — | — | [34] |
| 1975 | "Is It True" / "Anywhere" | — | 45 | — | — | — | [35] |
| 1976 | "Man Up in the Sky" / "Gonna Make It Right" | — | — | — | — | — | [10] |
| 1980 | "Love Is You" / "You Make Me Feel the Way I Do" | — | — | — | — | — | [36] |
| 1981 | "Rock It Easy" / "Love Will Make It Alright" | — | — | — | — | — | [10][37] |
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