In his late teens, he and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan, so that his father could join his sister and work in her husband's chain of drug stores, Barthwell Drugs. "I Can't Get Next to You," "Ball of Confusion," and "Cloud Nine" -- all written with his main songwriting partner, Barrett Strong -- were among the best records to come out of the label during the turn of the '60s and into the '70s. I could match him though, rhythm for rhythm, horn for horn., Norman Whitfield, Motown Songwriter and Producer, Dies at 68, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/arts/music/18whitfield.html. Sly was definitely sly, and his sound was new, his grooves were incredible, he borrowed a lot from rock. Buy Meta Added by Bastien Works 87 Discussions 1 All A native of Harlem, Whitfield spent his early teen years hanging out in local pool halls. And even as the label's fortunes were starting to turn downward, Whitfield and the Temptations generated a triple-decker award-winning single in "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," which won two Grammys plus a songwriter's award. Whitfield did return to Motown briefly in the early '80s to produce the Temptations' "Sail Away," and also the soundtrack album to the movie The Last Dragon. [1] He also composed the theme song for the 1977 motion picture Which Way Is Up?, performed by Stargard. Read Full Biography. Psychedelic Soul - Produced By Norman Whitfield Various Artists (Producer Series) 13.12 Buy Now Free delivery in the UK Save item Genre: Modern Soul Label: Kent Format: CD Catalogue Id: CDTOP 504 Here is the first-ever compilation dedicated to the distinctive and influential productions of Norman Whitfield. He was also widely recognized for his work with The Temptations, producing eight of their studio albums, as well as for his own record label Whitfield Records. Whitfield gave the song to Gladys Knight and the Pips, who made it Motown's bestselling single at the time. After 1968, Whitfield turned towards darker and harder sound, blending funk and psychedelic rock. Norman Whitfield, who died on Tuesday aged 67, was a songwriter and producer and one of the principal architects of the Motown sound; he was responsible for many of the label's greatest hits . He is a celebrity Record producer, Songwriter, Film Score Composer. Inspired by Sly and the Family Stone's wild arrangements, he wrote the hard-driving, socially aware Cloud Nine with lyricist Barrett Strong (who is himself currently recovering from a stroke) for the Temptations. [1] He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motown Sound and of the late-1960s subgenre of psychedelic soul. Doubtlessly, all these ventures made positive impact on Whitfields net worth. Whitfield enjoyed some success as a composer with "Too Many Fish in the Sea" by the Marvelettes, and "Needle in a Haystack" by the Velvettes, but it was his drive and his vision as a producer that allowed him to take over the helm of the Temptations' records. She co-starred in the Chris Rock comedy film Head of State (2003) and Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006). He pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $25,000 fine and spend the next six months in house confinement. Mr. Whitfields songs were recorded by a string of Motown luminaries, who besides Mr. Gaye included the Temptations and the Jackson Five. A native of Harlem, Whitfield spent his early teen years hanging out in local pool halls. [18][19] The series also starred Keith David, Merle Dandridge, Kim Hawthorne, and Oprah Winfrey. Norman Whitfield was born in 1940s. Read Full Biography Overview Biography Songs Credits Awards Related Share on facebook twitter tumblr Related Artists Associated with Barrett Strong Associated with The Temptations Followed by Terence Trent D'Arby Influenced by The Coasters His "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" one of the most played songs of the 20th century on American radio and TV. Whitfield's big chance came when Holland-Dozier-Holland stormed out of Motown in early 1968 in a row over profit-sharing. She was a member of the Burlington Seventh Day Adventist Church serving as treasurer for eight years and was a Life Member of Athens V.F.W. 2023 L.E. In 1975 he split with Motown and founded his own record label Whitfield Records. Whitfield created a new group around this time out of the ruins of a failed Motown act called the Delicates and one ex-member of a group called the Preps -- he put Billie Rae Calvin, Brenda Joyce Evans, and Joe Harris together as the Undisputed Truth and, calling all of the shots for the group as far as songs and recordings, they became one of his two principal vehicles for his musical ideas. With Wynk Music, you will not only enjoy your favourite MP3 songs online, but you will also have access to our hottest playlists such as English Songs, Hindi Songs, Malayalam Songs, Punjabi Songs, Tamil Songs . When Whitfield wasn't producing the albums himself, Frank Wilson, using techniques and approaches he'd learned from Whitfield, was in charge. The song also became one of the most valuable copyrights owned by Motown, as it was covered by hundreds of artists, most notably Creedence Clearwater Revival, both on an edited single, and as an epic-length jam on their perennially popular LP Cosmo's Factory. : Lynn Whitfield became Josephine Baker, Budapest became Paris and Harlem as HBO raced to complete the first movie about the storied entertainer's life", "HBO's 'Josephine Baker': The Naked Truth", "Lynn Whitfield Shimmies into the Skin of Sultry Josephine Baker", "TV Weekend; With Josephine Baker Through a Long Life", "2 Emmys For James Earl Jones; 'L.A. Norman Whitfield, who co-wrote a string of Motown classics including "War" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," has died at 67. He then started his own label, Whitfield Records, in 1975, which yielded the Rose Royce hit "Car Wash". [1] He found a songwriting collaborator in lyricist Barrett Strong, the performer on Motown's first hit record, "Money (That's What I Want)", and wrote material for the Temptations and other Motown artists such as Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pips, both of whom recorded Whitfield-produced hit versions of the Whitfield/Strong composition "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". Norman Whitfield was born in Harlem, New York in May 1940 and passed away in September 2008. Licensed To - Ace Records Ltd. Age, Height, Husband, Net Wor What is Jo Anne Worley doing now? High School Dropout Berry Gordy Turned An $800 Loan Into Motown Records And A $400 Million Fortune. His main interest as a youth was centered on the pool hall, not the dance hall -- according to Nelson George in his book Where Did Our Love Go?, Whitfield not only developed a steady hand with a pool cue, but a good eye for observing and sizing up those around him. She leaves to cherish her memory, her mother, of Hubbard; 4 brothers; 1 uncle, Bill Whitfield of Calif.; many cousins and host of other family members and friends. Alongside his Motown lyrical collaborator Barrett Strong, he was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2004. Meet Lynn Whitfield & Brian Gibson's Daughter Grace Learn about Her Hollywood Career By Stephen Thompson Aug 02, 2020 04:00 P.M. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). A NORMAN WHITFIELD SONGBOOK 2,527 views Aug 29, 2019 One of the great composer of MOTOWN. This was a classic Whitfield strategy. When it comes to his personal life, Norman Whitfield managed to keep it private he had five children but details of their mother(s) is lacking. Either way, he changed the landscape of soul. According to sources, it is estimated that the total amount of Norman Whitfields net worth, as of early 2017, would exceed the sum of $10 million, acquired by his prosperous career in the music industry which spanned almost 50 years. General Info Family http://www.allmusic.com/artist/norman-whitfield-mn0000957729. Story highlights. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Norman Whitfield, who co-wrote a string of Motown classics including "War" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," has died. Using his keen eye for observation, Whitfield found a mentor in Motown founder Berry Gordy. Miss Whitfield was born September 5, 1975 in Hollywood, a daughter of Norman Whitfield and Asari Graham. His interest in R&B dates from his mid-teens, and it was not long after that the New York-born Whitfield found himself stranded in Detroit, when his father's car broke down while on the way back from a relative's funeral in California. His the best movie is Car Wash. Skip Ancestry main menu Main Menu. . He told later interviewers that his family had settled in Detroit after their car broke down there. Strong eventually went behind the scenes as a songwriter, teaming with producer Norman Whitfield in the mid-1960s to cowrite smashes for Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Edwin Starr and the . In 2004, Mr. Whitfield was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He caught the psychedelic thing. He was known especially for his work with the Temptations; he produced many of their recordings for Motown, including the album Cloud Nine, whose title track earned the group a Grammy in 1969. Marvin Gaye, "Let's Get it On" (1973) - Written . In 1983, Whitfield teamed up with Motown again, and produced The Temptations hit single Sailing Away while in 1985 he produced the original soundtrack of another Schultz movie, the martial arts cult classic The Last Dragon. Private services were held at the L. E. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home for Miss Irasha Graham Whitfield, 40, of Beverly Hills, Calif. who departed this life Sunday, July 3. During the next 12 years til 1974, he produced all the groups material, including eight studio albums, and also wrote a dozen of their hit singles. Following the death of Isaac Hayes last month, it's been a bad year for fans of heavily orchestrated, epic soul. Thu 18 Sep 2008 09.15 EDT. He was survived by his daughter and four sons from who he had eight grandchildren. Mr. Whitfield, who had been charged with failing to report more than $4 million in income, was fined $25,000 and sentenced to six months home detention. But while Hayes was a famously charming and outgoing character hence those frustratingly reductive obits that mentioned Shaft and South Park and left it at that Whitfield was always a mystery. "Even as his body began to fail him, his mind was so strong," she said. The song was first sung by the Temptations and then reproduced for Motown featuring Edwin Starr as the vocalist. Norman Whitfield: 16: Daughter: Sedonia Whitfield. The critic Greil Marcus remembers friends who pulled their cars over the first time they heard Papa Was a Rollin' Stone and sat "waiting, shivering, as the song crept out of the box and filled up the night". [5] In his review, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly said: "Whitfield is exceptionally good as the legendary singer-dancer who came to prominence in the 20s for her throaty singing and her notorious "banana dance"a wiggly little number executed while wearing nothing except a skirt of real bananas. Home; Trees; . She continued her career, starring in the made-for-television movies A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story (1991); Stompin' at the Savoy (1992) with Vanessa L. Williams, Jasmine Guy, and Vanessa Bell Calloway; Taking the Heat (1993) with Tony Goldwyn; State of Emergency (1994) with Joe Mantegna; Sophie and the Moonhanger (1996); The Wedding (1998), as Halle Berry's mother; The Color of Courage (1998) alongside Linda Hamilton; and Deep in My Heart (1999) opposite Anne Bancroft. Legendary songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield, the anchor of Motown 's early 70s movement toward funk, has died. Whitfield also starred in a number of movies in the 2000s and 2010s. The Car Wash soundtrack won Whitfield a Grammy Award for Best Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special. 1 on the R&B charts in 1966. [17], In 2015, Whitfield was cast as the main villain in Greenleaf, the Oprah Winfrey Network original scripted drama series about the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch. Submit a correction suggestion and help us fix it! Later that year his Cloud Nine, performed by The Temptations was honored with a prestigious Grammy Award which was followed by another Grammy for Papa Was a Rollin Stone which was released in 1973.
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