DakutiusMaximus said:

You're welcome.

When it comes to Motown, I'm always one of the first to answer.
[Edited 9/17/08 22:14pm]

I just read this tonight. Whitfield and Strong wrote some classic hits. Unfortunately, like so many other black songwriters, they never receive the mainstream recognition for their talent. It seems black songwriters never get too much recognition outside of the industry. However, Whitfield and Strong, like Ashford and Simpson and Holland Dozier Holland, were one of the most gifted American songwriting teams of their time - or any other for that matter. Their songs will endure forever.

Rest peacefully, brother!

Motown Writer/Producer Norman Whitfield Dies
September 15, 2008
Link

Norman Whitfield knew how to get the best out of an artist, even if the singer hated him for it.
The opening of Papa Was a Rollin' Stone— "It was the third of September. That day I'll always remember, 'cause that was the day that my daddy died" — coincidentally rang true for Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards, whose own father had died on that date.

Whitfield refused to change it, and Edwards' seething delivery set the tone for the stirring tale of paternal abandonment.

It was just one example of how the producer/songwriter steered Motown's sunny sound into darker territory in the late '60s and into the '70s.

Whitfield, who died Tuesday in Los Angeles at 67 from complications of diabetes, wrote and produced some of the label's most memorable pop hits in the early '60s before ushering in an era of socially relevant themes.

Much of what is now regarded as classic soul owes a large debt to Whitfield, who persuaded skeptical Motown founder Berry Gordy to let him stray from a wildly successful formula. His mold-breaking encouraged Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and others to pursue directions that would yield some of their greatest works.

Teamed with lyricist Barrett Strong, Whitfield produced such classics as Gaye's and Gladys Knight & The Pips' I Heard It Through the Grapevine and The Tempts' Ain't Too Proud to Beg.

But his most enduring legacy came with his Sly Stone/P-Funk-influenced shift to the psychedelic funk/soul sound that featured sinister keys, reverberating guitars, moaning horns and haunting strings.

After David Ruffin parted with The Tempts in 1968 and was replaced by gruff-voiced Edwards, the group de-emphasized love songs to deal with poverty, politics, drug abuse and despair.

Between 1968 and 1973, The Tempts took to Cloud Nine, scolded the Runaway Child, Running Wild, warned Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down, partied at the Psychedelic Shack and painted a grim urban Masterpiece. Meanwhile, Edwin Starr raged against War and the Undisputed Truth cautioned about Smiling Faces Sometimes.

Whitfield left Motown in 1973 as artists grew weary of long tracks dominated by heavy instrumentation — and his outsized ego. (The back cover of The Tempts' Masterpiece album was taken up mostly by Whitfield's huge Afro and face, with only a small picture of the band.)

Establishing Whitfield Records, he had his greatest post-Motown success with Rose Royce, who scored a No. 1 pop hit in 1977 with Car Wash and had other classics like I Wanna Get Next to You, Ooh Boy, I'm Going Down and Love Don't Live Here Anymore.

I heard yesterday, very sad. He was truly talented.

R.I.P

I had actually spent the last month buying up the catalogue from his own "whitfield" records catalogue. Maybe now, which is always the case, he'll get the true recognition that he deserves. All 8 Undisputed Truth albums are imho absolute masterpieces, a wonder why only 'face to face with the truth' got a cd re-issue, especially since they've got much better albums than that one. Their 10+ minute version of Ball of confusion is mind blowing... as is their version of "(i know) I'm losing you."

On the Whitfield label, the Two Mammatapee albums ('mammatapee' and 'on the one', The Masterpiece album "the girls alright" and Spyder Turners " Only love" and "on the one" are true underground gems. I would have love to, as in one of Norman Whitfields compositions "taken a stroll through his mind" If you haven't heard these albums, then you need to do so.

R.I.P Norman Whitfield.
[Edited 9/18/08 16:00pm]

Oh and the Whitfield produced, Yvonne Fairs "the Bitch is black".. recently released on cd... got it in my hand right now

I heard about this, yesterday. RIP, Mr. Whitfield.

Yeah this man was truly a great talent. "just my imagination" will always be one of top favs from the Temps.

He will be truly missed.

missfee said:

That song to this day just floors me. It is an amazingly beautiful, flawless song.

Peace to his soul.

R.I.P.

seventhson1975 said:

Does anyone know if he owned Whitfield Records, or if it was just an imprint for a major label?

daPrettyman said
[Edited 9/18/08 16:00pm]
[/quote]

Does anyone know if he owned Whitfield Records, or if it was just an imprint for a major label?[/quote]

As far as I know he owned the Whitfield label, (like puffy owned bad boy and of course like prince owned paisley park) which was distributed through Warner Bros. Apart from solo artists on his rosta, he put the rest of the groups together as his own 'projects' as he did with 'the truth' at Motown. Rose Royce were formed from the session musicians he used for Edwin Starr and Undisputed Truth.
Whitfield records (The 'W' looking like an upside down 'M' that Motown used as their logo in the 70's) had less than 20 album releases, between 1976 and 1981

It would be blinding if they remastered the whitfield catalogue. I know they did it with a few of the Rose Royce albums already

This guy's responsible for some of my all time favourite music. "Just My Imagination", "Ball of Confusion", "I Heard it Through The Grapevine", the list goes on and on. Music at it's very best.

seventhson1975 said:

Does anyone know if he owned Whitfield Records, or if it was just an imprint for a major label?[/quote]

As far as I know he owned the Whitfield label, (like puffy owned bad boy and of course like prince owned paisley park) which was distributed through Warner Bros. Apart from solo artists on his rosta, he put the rest of the groups together as his own 'projects' as he did with 'the truth' at Motown. Rose Royce were formed from the session musicians he used for Edwin Starr and Undisputed Truth.
Whitfield records (The 'W' looking like an upside down 'M' that Motown used as their logo in the 70's) had less than 20 album releases, between 1976 and 1981

It would be blinding if they remastered the whitfield catalogue. I know they did it with a few of the Rose Royce albums already[/quote]

I know he doesn't own the Rose Royce catalog. When I purchased "In Full Bloom" and their Greatest Hits, it says WB owns the masters with the Whitfield imprint. Now, since the other projects are out of print, it's a good possibility that he owns the other projects.

Since I don't have any of the projects that you mentioned, I can't verify if he owns the master recordings.

Wrote many memorable songs. Ah, Motown sure was great.

Props to both Norman and Barrett for being music pioneers.