Funk Brothers, The

The Funk Brothers were the unsung heroes behind Motown Records' success, playing an integral role in shaping the immortal Motown Sound and contributing to countless hit records throughout the 1960s and early 1970s.

The Funk Brothers - a rotating ensemble of gifted session musicians and hired guns summoned to Motown's Detroit recording studio, the fabled Hitsville USA - spanned keyboardists, guitarists, bassists, drummers, percussionists, and brass and woodwind players. Their inimitable style, which incorporated elements of R&B, jazz, funk and gospel, produced tight, infectious grooves characterized by intricate bass lines, driving drums, melodic guitar riffs and soulful horn arrangements. Moreover, the versatility and improvisational skills of the individual contributors enabled the Funk Brothers to seamlessly adapt to various genres and artists, resulting in a wide range of musical styles represented across the tens of thousands of sessions they cut for Motown under the supervision of label founder Berry Gordy Jr. and staff producers like Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield and the team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland.

There is no one definitive list of Funk Brothers members: some historians have claimed that virtually every musician ever to play on a Motown session would qualify for inclusion in their ranks. Some of the most notable and prolific Funk Brothers include bassist James Jamerson, pianist Joe Hunter, keyboardist Earl Van Dyke, guitarists Robert White and Eddie Willis, and drummers Benny Benjamin and Richard "Pistol" Allen.

Despite their immense contributions, the Funk Brothers' work went largely unrecognized during Motown's commercial heyday. That changed with Paul Justman's 2002 feature documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, which highlighted the Funk Brothers' role in Motown history and shed light on their immense talent and influence.

Unofficial list of the Funk Brothers:

Detroit

Keyboardists:
Joe Hunter (band leader, 1959–1964)*
Earl Van Dyke (band leader, 1964–1972)*
Richard "Popcorn" Wylie (1959–1962)
Marvin Gaye (1961–1962)
Raynoma Liles "Miss Ray" Gordy (1959–1962)
George Fowler (1962–1969)
Leonard Caston Jr. (1969–1972)
H. B. Barnum (1963–1972)
Johnny Griffith (1963–1972)*
James Gittens (1959–1967)
Ted Sheely (1967–1972)

Guitarists:
Robert White (1959–1972)*
Eddie "Chank" Willis (1959–1972)*
Joe Messina (1959–1972)*
Larry Veeder (1959–1962)
Dave Hamilton (1959–1962)
Huey Davis (1959–1967, the Contours' road and studio guitarist)
Marvin Tarplin (1959–1972, the Miracles' road and studio guitarist)
Cornelius Grant (1963–1972, the Temptations' road guitarist and band leader)
Dennis Coffey (1966–1972)
Melvin "Wah Wah Watson" Ragin (1968–1972)
Ray Parker Jr. (1968–1972)
Ray Monette
Paul Warren

Bassists:
James Jamerson (1959–1972)*
Clarence Isabell (1959–1962)
Bob Babbitt (1966–1972)*
Greg Reeves (1966–1969, the Temptations' road bassist)
Edward Pickens (1968–1972)
Bill White (1969–1972, the Temptations' road bassist)
Tweed Beard
Joe Williams
Michael Henderson
Joe James
Antonio "Tony" Newton (the Miracles' road bassist)

Accordion:
John "Johnnie Miles" Milewski (1965–1970)

Drummers:
William "Benny" Benjamin (1959–1969)*
Richard "Pistol" Allen (1959–1972)*
George McGregor (1959–1962)
Corey Jahns (1959–1967) bongos
Clifford Mack (1959–1962)
Marvin Gaye (1961–1962) (also listed above)
Uriel Jones (1963–1972)*
Freddie Waits (1963–1967)
Melvin Brown (1967–1972, the Temptations' road drummer)
Andrew Smith (1968–1972)
Kenneth "Spider Webb" Rice (1968–1972)
Aaron Smith (1970–1972)

Percussionists:
Jack Ashford (1959–1972, tambourine)*
Eddie "Bongo" Brown (1959–1972, various)*
R. Dean Taylor (1960s, tambourine)
Bobbye Hall (1963–1972, various)
Stacey Edwards (1967–1972, the Temptations' road percussionist)

Vibraphones/Marimbas:
Jack Ashford (1959–1972) (also listed above)*
Dave Hamilton (1959–1962) (also listed above)
James Gittens (1959–1967) (also listed above)
Jack Brokensha (1963–1972)

Trumpets:
Herbie Williams
John "Little John" Wilson
Marcus Belgrave
Russell Conway
Johnny Trudell
Floyd Jones
Maurice Davis
Billy Horner
Gordon Stump
Don Slaughter
Eddie Jones

Saxophones:
Henry "Hank" Cosby
Andrew "Mike" Terry
Norris "Kasuku Mafia" Patterson
Thomas "Beans" Bowles
Ted Buckner
Walter "Choker" Campbell
Frank Harvey Jackson
Ronnie Wakefield
"Lefty" Edwards
George F. Benson
Eli Fountain
Ernie Rodgers
Eugene "BeeBee" Moore
William "Wild Bill" Moore
Angelo Carlisi
Dan Turner
Bernie Peacock
Larry Nozero
Lanny Austin

Trombones:
McKinley Jackson
Bob Cousar
George Bohanon
Paul Riser
Jimmy Wilkens
Don White
Carl Raetz
Patrick Lanier
Bill Johnson
Ed Gooch

Flute:
Dayna Hartwick
Thomas "Beans" Bowles

Piccolo:
Dayna Hartwick

Strings:
Gordon Staples and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra string section
Violins
Zinovi Bistritzky
Beatriz Budinsky
Lillian Downs
Virginia Halfmann
Richard Margitza
Felix Resnick
Alvin Score
Linda Sneeden Smith
James Waring
Violas
Nathan Gordon
David Ireland
Eduard Kesner
Anne Mischakoff
Meyer Shapiro
Cellos
Italo Babini
Edward Korkigian
Thaddeus Markiewicz
Marcy Schweickhardt

Los Angeles

Los Angeles was an alternate recording center for Motown artists beginning in the mid-1960s, utilizing a different set of musicians. Hit tracks recorded in L.A. include the Miracles' "More Love", many of Brenda Holloway's songs, and all the early hits of the Jackson 5.

Many of the Los Angeles players were members of the Wrecking Crew, a loose-knit group of studio musicians.

Keyboardists:
Mike Rubini
Joe Sample
Billy Preston
Clarence McDonald
Larry Knechtel (also bass)
Freddie Perren (also percussion)
William "Smitty" Smith
Mike Finnigan
Leonard Caston Jr.
Michael Lovesmith

Guitarists:
Ray Parker Jr.
Don Peake
Deke Richards
Wah Wah Watson
Arthur Wright
David T. Walker
Tommy Tedesco
Louis Shelton
Mike Deasy
Dean Parks
Dennis Coffey
Willie Hutch

Bassists:
Carol Kaye (also guitar)
Wilton Felder (also saxophone)
Scott Edwards
Jerry Knight
Max Bennett
Joe Osborn
Chuck Rainey
Alphonzo Mizell (also keyboards)
Ron Brown
Michael Mickey Durio (also drums)

Drummers:
Hal Blaine
Earl Palmer
Harvey Mason
Spider Webb
James Gadson
Ed Greene
Gene Pello
Paul Humphrey

Percussionists:
Bobbye Hall Porter (various)
King Errisson
Joe Clayton
Sandra Crouch (tambourine)
Jerry Steinholtz
Emil Richards (mallets)