Reconstructing the History of Motown Session Musicians
Its recordings featured a four-beat drum pattern, prominent electric bass lines, distinctive melodic and chord structures, and a call-and-response singing style. These defining traits were cultivated in the studio and shaped a sound that remained popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, James Jamerson grew up immersed in music. By age ten, he was a piano player, studied trombone in elementary school, and soaked up jazz, gospel, and blues music from local radio stations.
In 1954, he relocated to Detroit with his mother and began playing in clubs in the area. He quickly made a name for himself as one of the city's finest upright bass players.
He was part of a core of studio musicians known as the Funk Brothers (later credited as The Funks) and performed on most Motown recordings during the 1960s. They improvised with one another freely, using acoustic double basses and electric Fender Precision basses to produce distinctive, funky bass lines that stood out from the mix.
But as other musicians went on to use high-tech amps, round-wound strings, and more straightforward, more repetitive bass lines incorporating new techniques like thumb slapping, Jamerson's style fell out of favor with producers. He could not find work as a session musician after the 1970s and was wracked with alcoholism by the 1980s.
One of the most prominent bassists in the history of popular music, Carol Kaye lent her distinctive low-end fretboard licks to some of the best-known pop and soul hits of the 1950s. A member of a prestigious collective of elite West Coast session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew, Kaye was a constant in-demand player who laid down distinctive guitar and bass tracks on scores of Top 10 smashes.
Her sultry tone and subtle melodies enhanced recordings by diverse artists, from Phil Spector to the Beach Boys, Ray Charles to Simon & Garfunkel. She also accompanied Brian Wilson on his Pet Sounds sessions.
As a bassist, she had a unique style and was in high demand for Motown sessions. Her clean, crisp sound and solid but subtle melodies added depth to countless hit songs, including some of the most iconic bass lines in modern rock history.
Nick Ashford, the songwriter-producer who wrote many of Motown's most beloved soul classics with his writing partner and wife, Valerie Simpson, has died. His publicist said he died of throat cancer on August 22 in New York City.
As one of the prolific songwriting duos, Ashford and Simpson crafted classics for Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross and Chaka Khan. Their songs are so ingrained in American culture that it's difficult to imagine the world without them.
Their biggest hits include "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "I'm Every Woman," and "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" (for Gaye and Terrell). They also wrote many of the songs on Diana Ross' first solo album, including the title track and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" as well as "Solid as a Rock."
As a Motown songwriter Valerie Simpson, together with her partner Nick Ashford, racked up timeless hit after timeless hit, from Diana Ross' debut number one single, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," to her solo hits like the lovely ballads she wrote for Florence Ballard, "Your Precious Love" and the heart-tugging duet "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)."
She and Ashford made a strong impression on label boss Berry Gordy, who had them join Tamla/Motown in 1966. As session musicians, they contributed to a host of hits for artists like Maxine Brown and Chuck Jackson and cut their own solo LPs.
Her music is available on various digital services, including her two Ashford and Simpson albums for Tamla/Motown. In addition, there's an exemplary assembly of their songs sung by various artists called The Real Thing. She's a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was awarded a Founder's Award from ASCAP in 2002.
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