Remembering great artists who deserved renown
The somewhat lesser known James Jamerson, one of the most influential bass guitarists of all time.
When talking about those who didn’t ‘make it’ it’s important to lay down some criteria. ‘Making it’ these days might mean becoming a star or wealthy, though the music industry was always a place where even successful artists could easily die broke.
Many artists who created some of the most cherished songs of all time did not enjoy financial reward. My mind thinks back to a scene from Standing in the Shadows of Motown, a powerful documentary on the Funk Brothers, a group of musicians who basically built the Motown soul sound of the 60s and 70s in Detroit. The Funk Brothers produced more hits than The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and Elvis Presley combined. Hardcore music fans might know of James Jamerson, who died broke in 1983, and who is basically one of the most important and influential bass guitarists of all time. Earl Van Dyke and Eddie “Bongo” Brown might stir up some recognition for music fans, but the Funk Brothers largely remain obscure names on the periphery of the music world. Berry Gordy’s Motown was modelled very similarly to the large car companies that dominated Detroit. For a time, he was equally successful. Sadly the Funk Brothers were treated like just another small component in the production line.
They were basically the musicians who played the songs that Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and The Supremes made famous. They were jazz musicians at heart and probably made more money playing jazz clubs every evening than in their long daytime sessions for Motown. They were paid a small fee for the Motown sessions, but importantly received no real writing credits. I haven’t watched the movie in 20 years but I have a recollection of Robert White of the Funk Brothers hearing ‘My Girl’ in a diner many years later, and excitingly telling the waiter that that was his guitar line playing. The waiter looked at him like he was some crazy old man. Robert White died not long after. The documentary brought some of the Funk Brothers some overdue acclaim, and a few gigs, but their story remains in the shadows.
It’s imperative that us music fans who do have a platform try to give credit to those great artists who helped give us so much joy. My favourite artist, Marvin Gaye, would not have been so great without the basslines of Jamerson, so it’s obvious that I will tell others about the great bassist. I’ve done radio and YouTube documentaries about Marvin Gaye, and even if they only reached a few, it can help amplify the music of the great musicians behind some of Gaye’s best songs.
As a DJ, I learned about soul, funk, jazz, and other formats through my love of hip-hop and sampling. As time progresses, most hip-hop fans fall in love with the source material too. I’ve had many great conversations with legends of soul and jazz who visited Cork over the years. Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Jimmy Smith, Marlena Shaw, and many others, appreciated that young people found their music through hip-hop.
None of these artists are really household names. But ask Kanye, Pharrell, Dr Dre, Tyler the Creator or any other big producers of this era about the above and they will tell you what’s up. Many have collaborated with the original names and even in his 80s Roy Ayers remains active on stage and in the studio. The producers, rappers, DJs and journalists have an obligation to tell the world about the people who paved the way. Hip-hop was once treated as something which took and stole from other genres, but the big payback has been in motion for decades now!
