Standing in the Shadows of Motown
The soul behind the sound.
In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers.
Directed by Paul Justman · Written by Walter Dallas
Cast
- Richard 'Pistol' Allen Self
-
Jack Ashford Self -
Bob Babbitt Self -
Benny 'Papa Zita' Benjamin Self (archive footage) - Eddie 'Bongo' Brown Self (archive footage)
-
Bootsy Collins Self - Johnny Griffith Self
-
Ben Harper Self - Joe Hunter Self
-
James Jamerson Self (archive footage) -
Uriel Jones Self -
Montell Jordan Self
Make it a double feature
2h 54m together
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
The Doors: Live in Europe 1968
Both from Paul Justman.
