Standing in the Shadows of Motown EPK

They were the Motown sound, yet they shared none of the fame nor money for their legendary studio work. The Funk Brothers produced more hits than The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and Elvis Presley combined. For this featurette on the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, we interview several of the surviving unsung heros of Detroit’s signature sound. They were the backup bands for The Temptations, The Supremes, The Miracles, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Mary Wells.

James Jamerson, Eddie Van Dyke, Richard Pistol Allen and Robert White were just four of 13 musical pioneers considered one of the most successful groups of studio musicians in music history. The Funk Brothers played on Motown hits such as “My Girl”, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”, “Baby Love”, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours”, “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”, “The Tears of a Clown”, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, and “Heat Wave”.