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Barrett Strong

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Barrett Strong was born in 1941 in West Point, Mississippi, the son of a minister. When he was four, the family moved to Detroit. His father bought him a piano, and at school he sang in the same class as Aretha Franklin and Lamont Dozier. He was one of the first artists Berry Gordy signed to his new label Tamla, the forerunner of Motown.

Music and breakthrough

Strong sang and played piano on Money (That's What I Want), which in 1960 became the company's first hit. The song was later covered by, among others, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. A dispute over its authorship later arose with Gordy. After a few singles Strong gave up singing and became a lyricist. In the mid-1960s he formed a partnership with producer Norman Whitfield. Together they wrote I Heard It Through the Grapevine, which both Gladys Knight & the Pips and Marvin Gaye recorded, War for Edwin Starr, and for The Temptations Cloud Nine, Ball of Confusion, Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, which won a Grammy.

Influence

With Whitfield, Strong took Motown soul towards a darker, more socially conscious sound, psychedelic soul. The lyrics dealt with war, poverty and urban decay. When Motown moved to Los Angeles, Strong began singing again himself. In 2004 he was inducted, with Whitfield, into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He died in 2023.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to I Heard It Through the Grapevine in the version by Marvin Gaye. Notice the ominous mood of the accompaniment and the lyrics about someone who hears through rumours that his lover is cheating.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists