Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)

The soul behind the sound.

  • Genre: Documentary, Music
  • Release Date: 2002-11-15
  • User Rating: 6.9/10 from 43 ratings
  • Runtime: 1h 56min
  • Language: English
  • Production Country: United States of America
  • Director: Paul Justman
star 6.9/10
From 43 Ratings

Trailer

Summary

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.

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  • Richard 'Pistol' Allen

    as Himself
  • Jack Ashford

    as Himself
  • Bob Babbitt

    as Himself
  • Benny 'Papa Zita' Benjamin

    as Himself (archive footage)
  • Eddie 'Bongo' Brown

    as Himself (archive footage)
  • Bootsy Collins

    as Himself
  • Johnny Griffith

    as Himself
  • Ben Harper

    as Himself
  • Joe Hunter

    as Himself
  • James Jamerson

    as Himself (archive footage)
  • Uriel Jones

    as Himself
  • Montell Jordan

    as Himself
  • Chaka Khan

    as Herself
  • Gerald Levert

    as Himself
  • Joe Messina

    as Himself
  • Meshell Ndegeocello

    as Herself
  • Joan Osborne

    as Herself
  • Rudy Robinson

    as Himself
  • James Jamerson Jr.

    as Himself
  • Paul Riser

    as Himself
  • Andre Braugher

    as Narrator
  • Gary Bosek

    as Young Bob Babbitt
Production Michael Q. Martin Associate Producer
Crew Michael Q. Martin Post Production Supervisor
Directing Paul Justman Director
Sound Alan Slutsky Music
Writing Walter Dallas Writer
Writing Alan Slutsky Novel
Writing Ntozake Shange Writer
Production David Scott Executive Producer