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  1. #1
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    Norman Whitfield - Motown's Most Prolific Producer?

    Now, I have worked it out and come to the conclusion that Norman Whitfield has produced the most Motown acts, like, EVER! I know Smokey was pretty busy too but I think Norman still beats him...

    So, the brilliant Norman Whitfield has worked with:

    The Temptations
    The Four Tops
    The Undisputed Truth
    The Isley Brothers
    The Jackson Five
    Rare Earth
    Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers
    The Supremes
    The Marvelettes
    The Velvelettes
    Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
    The Miracles
    The Monitors
    The Elgins
    Gladys Knight & The Pips
    Marvin Gaye
    Jimmy Ruffin
    David Ruffin
    Junior Walker
    Edwin Starr
    Chuck Jackson
    Marv Johnson
    Billy Eckstine
    Mary Wells
    Kim Weston
    Yvonne Fair
    Barbara McNair

    Amazing, right!?
    Last edited by TomatoTom123; 02-19-2017 at 10:01 PM.

  2. #2
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    Also, have I missed any?!

  3. #3
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    La Brenda Ben, Carolyn Crawford, The Downbeats, The Spinners, Tammi Terrell and Earl Van Dyke.

  4. #4
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    Dwight David, Vincent Dimirco, Alfie Silas,

  5. #5
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    Tommy Good, Eddie Holland, Brenda Holloway and Freddie Gorman.

  6. #6
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    Wow! There's even more!!!! Thanks Mike & Roger

    Oh, and also, The Underdogs!

  7. #7
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    What a legacy! I don't think he even gets the adulation that he deserves.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by kenneth View Post
    What a legacy! I don't think he even gets the adulation that he deserves.
    Oh yes, kenneth! Definitely. The guy is a genius, from start to finish... right through from those stomping productions on The Velvelettes and Marvelettes, classic soul songs with The Temptations and Marvin Gaye, magnificent, extended epics with The Tempts and even those funk-tastic floorfillers with The Undisputed Truth and Yvonne Fair.

  9. #9
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    I don't understand why Norman Whitfield isn't in the Rock Hall yet for his work as songwriter and producer.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by bradsupremes View Post
    I don't understand why Norman Whitfield isn't in the Rock Hall yet for his work as songwriter and producer.
    When I first read that I thought you were mistaken, but it's actually only the Songwriters Hall of Fame that he [[and Barrett Strong) has been inducted into... why on earth is he not in the R&R Hall??? Can't we start a petition or something... lol

  11. #11
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    For anyone who missed this one, a video with Russ and me honoring Norman.

    https://youtu.be/SFZmG3keN7s

  12. #12
    Norman Whitfield was indeed one of Motown's most prolific producers, and also a very good mixing engineer as well!

    I haven't checked all the Duplicate Master [[DM) codes of the producers who were allowed to mix, but he certainly managed to get a fair few of his mixes [[of his own product) as the released mix that chosen for release as the 45!

    I always found it fascinating that in his early days at Hitsville [[as Berry Gordy noted in his biography), that Norman was extremely shy of his boss, and would often hide or make himself less conspicuous when Berry was around.

    Yet, only a few years later [[after taken the run of hits on the Temptations from Smokey) he was apparently driving Berry nuts, pestering him wherever he bumped into him over his latest tune, 'I Heard it Through The Grapevine'.

    Well, we all know what happened there!

    Of course a few years after that, I seem to recall he had himself mocked up as Superman on one of the Temptations album covers.

    Quite a turnaround from that shy, newbie songwriter, to one of Motown's top writers and producers!

    Cheers

    Paul

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by ralpht View Post
    For anyone who missed this one, a video with Russ and me honoring Norman.

    https://youtu.be/SFZmG3keN7s
    Hi Ralph, I watched this recently and loved every second of it. Such a great video. It was fascinating and a fitting tribute to a great man! It sent me on a YouTube watching spree and I have since watched your ones on Marvin Gaye, Levi Stubbs, the closure of Motown and I plan to watch them all!!! You guys are so great. Thanks so much!

    [[Love the earthquakes too... I didn't know making YouTube videos could be so dangerous )

  14. #14
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    Glad you enjoyed the video, Tom. I don't remember how the earthquake riff got started. Probably from my brother who is a little goofy.

  15. #15
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    Hehe! I like it

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by kenneth View Post
    What a legacy! I don't think he even gets the adulation that he deserves.
    Me neither. In my opinion, Norman is an absolute genius.

  17. #17
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    Norman's first production on the temps is my alltime fav...girl[why you wanna make me blue]1964.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by arr&bee View Post
    Norman's first production on the temps is my alltime fav...girl[why you wanna make me blue]1964.
    Oh yes, that one is brilliant, arr&bee... the Tempts-Norman collaboration was pure class from the first record to the last


  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    So, the brilliant Norman Whitfield has worked with:

    The Temptations
    The Four Tops
    The Undisputed Truth
    The Isley Brothers
    The Jackson Five
    Rare Earth
    Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers
    The Supremes
    The Marvelettes
    The Velvelettes
    Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
    The Miracles
    The Monitors
    The Elgins
    Gladys Knight & The Pips
    Marvin Gaye
    Jimmy Ruffin
    David Ruffin
    Junior Walker
    Edwin Starr
    Chuck Jackson
    Marv Johnson
    Billy Eckstine
    Mary Wells
    Kim Weston
    Yvonne Fair
    Barbara McNair
    We forgot one...!

    I was just listening to LeBrenda Ben's "Do You Know What I'm Talking About?" and the backing track sounds identical to that of "I Want My Baby Back"....

    I checked and "Do You Know" was produced by Norman... and so was "I Want My Baby Back"... which means we can add Stevie Wonder to the list!

    Last edited by TomatoTom123; 05-15-2017 at 03:23 PM.

  20. #20
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    Seeing it all written down like you guys have done I’m gobsmacked at how much Norman has done, it’s phenomenal. Love all the works he did with The Temptations

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by McMotown View Post
    Seeing it all written down like you guys have done I’m gobsmacked at how much Norman has done, it’s phenomenal. Love all the works he did with The Temptations
    Yea, McMotown, it's just amazing! This is of course just the work he did at Motown. At Whitfield Records he worked with Rose Royce, Willie Hutch, Spyder Turner [[etc!) and so there's even more!

  22. #22
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    Tom, if I remember didn't Jr Walker go to Whitfield records and record Back Street Boogie?

  23. #23
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    Yes indeed he did, McMotown! Norman produced that whole album for Junior in 1978. But, luckily we can count Norman as having produced Junior at Motown thanks to one track on Junior's 1983 Motown album Blow The House Down called "T-O-O [[T Double O)" which was written by John and Michael Whitfield [[relatives I assume?) and produced by Norman. I havent heard the song yet though!!

  24. #24
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    No I've not heard it either, I can only find the single Blow The House Down.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by McMotown View Post
    No I've not heard it either, I can only find the single Blow The House Down.
    Hey McMotown, all of the tracks from the album except "T Double O" are available on YouTube.

    "In And Out": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs1Z3iXKpRo

    "Rise And Shine": https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y6eJOEv_hyg

    "Closer Than Close": https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpg91fBf3CQ

    "Urgent": https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vyPxRolUlbg

    "Sexpot": https://rutube.ru/video/4e4b78594c00...0b7e8a46663f1/

    "Ball Baby": https://rutube.ru/video/38a55d12da2e...ac7f5b0f7c8e5/

    Check your private messages too

  26. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    Hey McMotown, all of the tracks from the album except "T Double O" are available on YouTube.

    "In And Out": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs1Z3iXKpRo

    "Rise And Shine": https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y6eJOEv_hyg

    "Closer Than Close": https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpg91fBf3CQ

    "Urgent": https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vyPxRolUlbg

    "Sexpot": https://rutube.ru/video/4e4b78594c00...0b7e8a46663f1/

    "Ball Baby": https://rutube.ru/video/38a55d12da2e...ac7f5b0f7c8e5/

    Check your private messages too
    Thanks Tom - Loving all those Jr Walker tracks. Can't think of a bad Jr track, just love all his stuff.

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by McMotown View Post
    Thanks Tom - Loving all those Jr Walker tracks. Can't think of a bad Jr track, just love all his stuff.
    Yo' welcome, Paul... I love a bit of Junior Walker. And this album was apparently supposed to be somewhat sex-orientated... songs like "Ball Baby", "Sexpot" and "In And Out" are self-explanatory!

  28. #28
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    TomatoTom, I finally dug out the Blow The House Down vinyl album and ripped "T-O-O [[t Double O) for you as requested. I hope you find it interesting.
    Cheers
    Mike
    https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/m...05_42_43-07_00

  29. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by MIKEW-UK View Post
    TomatoTom, I finally dug out the Blow The House Down vinyl album and ripped "T-O-O [[t Double O) for you as requested. I hope you find it interesting.
    Cheers
    Mike
    https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/m...05_42_43-07_00
    Hi Mike, thank you very much!

    I actually have a confession to make: I tried to download Junior Walker's entire Blow The House Down album from some random website, and -- surprisingly -- it worked! So I have already heard and listened to "T Double O" but your podcast sounds better and doesn't cut out at the end. So thank you, Mike.

    However, 'interesting' is an understatement!!! "T Double O" is both fascinating and BRILLIANT in equal measure... I cannot believe how fantastic a song it is... the non-stop '80s-Funk-Disco style from Norman Whitfield, the hilarious lyrics, the wonderfully cheeky vocal performance from Junior, and, of course, THAT SAX! I LOVE IT!

  30. #30
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    Mike, great podcast and agree with Tom great track and with thar sax it was aways a sure winner for me

  31. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by McMotown View Post
    Mike, great podcast and agree with Tom great track and with thar sax it was aways a sure winner for me
    Hey thanks Paul. It's definitely my favourite track from the album. You can always count on Norman Whitfield for a stellar piece of funktastic Soul.

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