The Funk Brothers

E163922
American musical group session musician collective

The Funk Brothers were the legendary group of session musicians who played on countless Motown hits in the 1960s and early 1970s, helping define the label’s signature sound.

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All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
The Funk Brothers canonical 34
Motown session musicians 2
Funk Brothers 1

Statements (55)

Predicate Object
instanceOf American musical group ⓘ
session musician collective ⓘ
activeInPeriod 1960s ⓘ
early 1970s ⓘ
late 1950s ⓘ
associatedWith Motown ⓘ
surface form: Motown Records
backedArtist The Four Tops ⓘ
surface form: Four Tops

Gladys Knight & the Pips ⓘ
Jr. Walker & the All Stars ⓘ
Martha and the Vandellas ⓘ
Marvin Gaye ⓘ
Mary Wells ⓘ
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ⓘ
surface form: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Stevie Wonder ⓘ
The Marvelettes ⓘ
The Supremes ⓘ
The Temptations ⓘ
basedIn Detroit ⓘ
disbandedAfter Motown’s move from Detroit to Los Angeles in early 1970s ⓘ
estimatedNumberOfMembersOverTime more than a dozen core musicians ⓘ
genre R&B ⓘ
funk ⓘ
pop ⓘ
soul music ⓘ
helpedDefine Motown ⓘ
surface form: Motown sound
influenced subsequent soul and R&B rhythm sections ⓘ
locationOfStudioWork 2648 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit ⓘ
notableMember Benny Benjamin ⓘ
Earl Van Dyke ⓘ
Eddie "Bongo" Brown ⓘ
Eddie Willis ⓘ
Jack Ashford ⓘ
Jack Brokensha ⓘ
James Jamerson ⓘ
Joe Hunter ⓘ
Joe Messina ⓘ
Johnny Griffith ⓘ
Richard "Pistol" Allen ⓘ
Robert White ⓘ
Uriel Jones ⓘ
performedOn most Motown recordings released between 1959 and 1972 ⓘ
playedOnHit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” ⓘ
surface form: "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Dancing in the Street ⓘ
surface form: "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas

(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave ⓘ
surface form: "Heat Wave" by Martha and the Vandellas

I Heard It Through the Grapevine ⓘ
surface form: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye

"My Girl" by The Temptations ⓘ
Reach Out I'll Be There ⓘ
surface form: "Reach Out I’ll Be There" by Four Tops

"Shotgun" by Jr. Walker & the All Stars ⓘ
Stop! In the Name of Love ⓘ
surface form: "Stop! In the Name of Love" by The Supremes

You Can’t Hurry Love ⓘ
surface form: "You Can’t Hurry Love" by The Supremes
receivedHonor Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award ⓘ
surface form: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (as a group, 2004)
recognizedBy Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ⓘ
surface form: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as part of the Motown sound legacy)
recordedPrimarilyAt Motown Studio A ⓘ
surface form: Hitsville U.S.A. studio
role house band for Motown Records in Detroit era ⓘ
subjectOf documentary film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" ⓘ

Referenced by (38)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

I’m Gonna Make You Love Me → hasBackingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
subject surface form: I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
The Four Tops → associatedAct → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Hitsville U.S.A. → associatedWith → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
this entity surface form: Funk Brothers
Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations → associatedAct → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Martha Reeves → associatedAct → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) → associatedAct → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
My Girl → hasVibraphonePerformer → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Ain't Too Proud to Beg → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
The Way You Do the Things You Do → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Cloud Nine → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Masterpiece → hasBackingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Shop Around → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Where Did Our Love Go → featuresBackingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Baby Love → rhythmSection → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Come See About Me → hasBackingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Stop! In the Name of Love → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
You Can’t Hurry Love → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
You Keep Me Hangin’ On → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
The Supremes A’ Go-Go → associatedAct → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me → featuresInstrumentalEnsemble → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Reach Out I'll Be There → performer → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) → featuresBackingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Standing in the Shadows of Love → performingMusicians → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
It's the Same Old Song → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Reach Out → featuresBackingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
That Stubborn Kinda Fellow → contributor → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Nowhere to Run → hasBackingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Quicksand → backingBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
My Baby Loves Me → hasMusicalEnsemble → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Ain't That Asking for Trouble → associatedAct → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Clarence Paul → collaboratedWith → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
this entity surface form: Motown session musicians
I Gotta Have a Song → performer → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
this entity surface form: Motown session musicians
Mary Wells → associatedAct → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Motown Studio A → usedBy → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Motown Studio A → primaryHouseBand → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
Paul Riser → memberOf → The Funk Brothers ⓘ
this entity surface form: Motown house band The Funk Brothers