Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield died earlier this week in Los Angeles. Best known for ‘(I Heard It Through) The Grapevine’, Whitfield brought a new, grittier sound to Motown in the late 1960’s.
Whitfield and his songwriting partner Barrett Strong initiated the transformation of Detroit Soul label Motown from an innocent pop factory into a socially aware hotbed for artists who shaped a new, funkier sound. There is only one year between Gladys Knight & The Pips releasing the classic Motown stomper ‘(I Heard It Through) The Grapevine’ and The Temptation’s unleashing the biting ‘Cloud 9′ - Both co-penned by Whitfield.
Listen Here To Norman Whitfield’s Songs
Whitfield had been writing hits for Motown since 1963. Five years later the label’s trademark sound full of polished, uptempo optimism had fallen out of step with the Zeitgeist. It’s Whitfield’s songs who put Motown back on the agenda: ‘Don’t Let The Joneses Get You Down’ (Temptations, 1969), ‘Ball Of Confusion’ (Temptations, 1970) and most pointedly ‘War’ (Edwin Starr, 1970).
Watch Edwin Starr on YouTube
A few years on, Whitfield plugged into the then still underground Disco scene with the timeless groove of ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’, performed with gusto by the Temptations.
Watch The Temptations On YouTube
He left Motown around ‘73 to set up his own label, Whitfield Records, focusing on Disco and Funk with former Motown band The Undisputed Truth as his main act. Whitfield had his last major hit in ‘76 with ‘Car Wash’ for Rose Royce.
Norman Whitfield died 16th September 2008 in Los Angeles, aged 68, of diabetes related illness.
