Don't Forget The Funk
A couple of Thursday nights ago, I wanted to watch the documentary about the musicians who were the the players on almost all of the Motown hits. They were know as the Funk Brothers. Most of them were Jazz musicians but could play other styles. They recorded in the Snake Pit which was the name for the first floor studio in Motown's home/office/studio. From this small space, the Funk Brothers would play take after take until the song was right. It was all live due to the limitations of recording technology back in the day. So, the Snake Pit was an apt name. Motown had very high standards and the exacting nature of the work was stressful. Much of the recognition deserved to the Funk Brothers was never given. In fact, until Marvin Gaye's legendary album and late in Motown's run, What's Going On , these musicians were never even listed in the record's liner notes. They played in anonymity. Yet, their innovative musicianship was the backbone for the Motown songboo