2002 American film
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Theatrical release poster for Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Directed by Paul Justman Written by Walter Dallas,
Ntozake Shange ,
Allan Slutsky Produced by Paul Justman Sandford Passman Allan Slutsky Narrated by
Andre Braugher Distributed by
Artisan Entertainment Release date
November 15, 2002 (2002-11-15 )
Running time
116 mins Country United States Language English
Standing in the Shadows of Motown is a 2002 American
documentary film directed by Paul Justman that recounts the story of
the Funk Brothers , the uncredited and largely unheralded
studio musicians who were the house band that
Berry Gordy hand-picked in 1959.
Background
The Funk Brothers recorded and performed on
Motown 's recordings from 1959 to 1972.
[1] The film was inspired by the 1989 book Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson , a
bass guitar instruction book by
Allan Slutsky , which features a biography of
James Jamerson along with his bass lines.
[2]
The film covers the Funk Brothers' career via
interviews with surviving band members, archival footage and still photos, dramatized re-enactments, and narration by actor
Andre Braugher . The film also features new live performances of several Motown
hit songs , with the Funk Brothers backing up
Gerald Levert ,
Me'shell Ndegeocello ,
Joan Osborne ,
Ben Harper ,
Bootsy Collins ,
Chaka Khan , and
Montell Jordan .
[1]
The impetus behind making the film was to bring these influential players out of anonymity. In addition to bassist James Jamerson, the Funk Brothers consisted of the following musicians:
Jack Ashford (percussion);
Bob Babbitt (bass);
Joe Hunter (keyboards);
Uriel Jones (drums);
Joe Messina (guitar);
Eddie Willis (guitar);
Richard "Pistol" Allen (drums);
Benny "Papa Zita" Benjamin (drums);
Eddie "Bongo" Brown (percussion);
Johnny Griffith (keyboards);
Earl Van Dyke (keyboards); and
Robert White (guitar).
The Funk Brothers produced more hits than
the Beatles ,
the Rolling Stones ,
the Beach Boys and
Elvis Presley combined. It was their sound, according to
Mary Wilson (of
the Supremes ), that backed
the Temptations ,
the Supremes ,
the Miracles , the
Four Tops ,
Gladys Knight & the Pips ,
Marvin Gaye ,
Stevie Wonder , and
Mary Wells , among other noteworthy bands during their tenure from 1959 to 1972.
[3]
Soundtrack album
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating
AllMusic
[4]
Released by
Hip-O Records .
"
(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave " –
Joan Osborne
"
You've Really Got a Hold on Me " –
Meshell Ndegeocello
"
Do You Love Me " –
Bootsy Collins
"
Bernadette " –
The Funk Brothers
"
Reach Out I'll Be There " –
Gerald Levert
"
Ain't Too Proud to Beg " -
Ben Harper
"
Shotgun " –
Gerald Levert featuring
Tom Scott
"
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted " –
Joan Osborne
"
I Heard It Through the Grapevine " –
Ben Harper
"
You Keep Me Hangin' On " –
The Funk Brothers
"
Cool Jerk " –
Bootsy Collins
"
Cloud Nine " –
Meshell Ndegeocello
"
What's Going On " –
Chaka Khan
Band Introduction/"
Ain't No Mountain High Enough " –
Chaka Khan &
Montell Jordan
"The Flick" –
Earl Van Dyke
"
Boom Boom " –
John Lee Hooker [Deluxe Edition bonus track]
"
(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher " –
Jackie Wilson [Deluxe Edition bonus track]
"
Scorpio " –
Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band [Deluxe Edition bonus track]
In The Snakepit: Naked Instrumental Remixes Of The Original Hits
Deluxe Edition bonus CD, 2004
"Funk Brothers in the House" –
Bootsy Collins
"
Standing in the Shadows of Love " –
The Funk Brothers
Dialogue:
Joe Hunter , in the beginning –
Joe Hunter
"
The One Who Really Loves You " –
The Funk Brothers
"
Pride and Joy " –
The Funk Brothers
Dialogue:
Robert White invents a classic –
Robert White
"
My Girl " –
The Funk Brothers
"
Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart " –
The Funk Brothers
"
Don't Mess with Bill " (Live) –
The Funk Brothers
"
The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game " –
The Funk Brothers
Dialogue:
Eddie ,
Uriel and
Jack speaking the "language" –
Eddie Willis ,
Uriel Jones &
Jack Ashford
"
I Second That Emotion " –
The Funk Brothers
"
I Was Made to Love Her " –
The Funk Brothers
Dialogue:
"Pistol" picks up the beat –
Richard "Pistol" Allen
"
I Heard It Through the Grapevine " (
Gladys Knight & the Pips version) –
The Funk Brothers
"
Home Cookin' " –
The Funk Brothers
"
For Once in My Life " –
The Funk Brothers
Dialogue:
Jack in the club groove –
Jack Ashford
"
I Can't Get Next to You " –
The Funk Brothers
"
It's a Shame " –
The Funk Brothers
"
Ain't No Mountain High Enough " (
Diana Ross version) –
The Funk Brothers
Dialogue:
Eddie takes it to the bridge –
Eddie Willis
"
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) " –
The Funk Brothers
Dialogue: Feeling the Funk, Brother –
Lamont Dozier
"
You're My Everything " –
James Jamerson &
The Temptations (Bonus Track)
Awards
Home media
The film was released on DVD and VHS on April 22, 2003.
[5]
References
^
a
b Ellis, Karen (December 14, 2001).
"The Funk Brothers" . Archived from
the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2012 .
^ Colin Devenish (December 19, 2002).
"Motown's Lost Heroes Emerge" . Rolling Stone.
Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019 .
^ Jones, Steve (November 28, 2002).
"Motown's Funk Brothers cast long 'Shadows' " . USA Today.
Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2012 .
^ William Ruhlmann.
"AllMusic: Standing in the Shadows of Motown [Original Soundtrack] – review" . AllMusic.
Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2019 .
^ Villa, Joan (February 28, 2003).
"Motown Among Grammy Winners" .
Hive4media.com . Archived from
the original on March 22, 2003. Retrieved September 29, 2019 .
External links
Awards for Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Best Documentary 1980–1997 Best Non-Fiction Film 1998–present