Benny Benjamin, Richard "Pistol" Allen and Uriel Jones have long been the Holy Trinity for drummers. Long unknown to the general public, they finally got their due thanks to the film "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown". The Funk Brothers, as the studio band was known, played on virtually every track that was recorded in Detroit.
Drummers around the world have spent years trying to find out who these guys were. I even wrote a letter to Motown in 1965 as part of a school assignment requesting information on who played drums. They replied that several drummers played on the recordings.
Drummers around the world have spent years trying to find out who these guys were. I even wrote a letter to Motown in 1965 as part of a school assignment requesting information on who played drums. They replied that several drummers played on the recordings.
Benny Benjamin (pictured left) who played on many of the early recordings, was a veteran of the big band and blues scene. He is the originator of the Motown drum sound and of the drum pickup (pictured below). This pick up and it's variations are heard on every Motown recording.
"Get Ready" by the Temptations is a great example of Benny's style. It features not only the pickup, but an interlude with big band figures and fills. The song also features Benny's tom tom bump on the "and of four" which was his personal signature.
"Get Ready" by the Temptations is a great example of Benny's style. It features not only the pickup, but an interlude with big band figures and fills. The song also features Benny's tom tom bump on the "and of four" which was his personal signature.
Richard "Pistol" Allen of Memphis was recruited by Benjamin and added his relaxed but driving beat to Motown. His boiling Shuffle groove on "Heat Wave" is heard here. Watch his hands at 2:02 and you will see what a real Memphis Shuffle looks like. The real kicker in the track is the Charleston figure he plays in the bass drum.
Uriel Jones (my wife's favorite drummer) was a large gentle man who brought his powerful rock feel to the mix. In the following segment Uriel explains the Motown sound and plays "Ain't To Proud To Beg" with Ben Harper doing the vocal. If you listen carefully you can hear him push the beat on the chorus and pull it back in the verses.
The Motown drum section had a fan in John Lennon, who once quipped that the Motown drummer sounded like he was "hitting the head with a bloody tree stump". The Drummers were ably assisted by Percussionist and tambourine master Jack Ashford and Eddie "Bongo" Brown and a production team that knew how to get a "live" drum sound.
The drummers also doubled up on many songs. They either played in unison or with one part split between them. The two ingredients common among all the Funk brothers was their Jazz background and years of live performance. Motown sessions were often scheduled in the early morning hours after their nightclub performances where the musicians were still warm.
Benny, Pistol and Uriel are gone now but the groove continues.
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