Among his early successes was "I Couldn't Cry If I Wanted To," written in collaboration with Eddie Holland and cut by the Temptations in late 1962. William Warren Lange. SOLUTIONS. Advertisement From 1966 to 1974, Whitfield produced virtually all of the Temptations' music, experimenting with sound effects and other production techniques. His enthusiasm was infectious, and Gordy marveled at the moments when Whitfield was hooked on an idea. It's very much the Temptations' own approach to the song, as distinct from Whitfield's, not that it would have been a simple matter to re-create the latter's approach live. Funeral Home website by. Norman Whitfield Whitfield was a native of Brooklyn, New York, and spent much of his teen years in local pool halls. In the meantime, he became an admirer of Berry Gordy as the latter emerged as the most promising new music entrepreneur in Detroit. A demanding egotist in the studio, he worked the Temptations into the ground. He had been with Motown for several years without scoring a major hit, but in 1970 he enjoyed the biggest single of his career with "War," co-written by Whitfield and Holland. Alongside his Motown lyrical collaborator Barrett Strong, he was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2004. Phonographic Copyright - Ace Records Ltd. He was a longtime Motown producer and founded his own record label, Whitfield Records, in 1973. [28] From 1990 to 1992, she was married to director Brian Gibson, with whom she had a daughter, Grace. Over 25 years Whitfield co-wrote and produced many Motown hits including "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "Cloud Nine", "War", "I Can't Get Next to You", "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)", and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". Whitfield has been credited with helping create the Motown Sound and helping the development of the subgenre psychedelic soul. His death was announced Sunday on social media by the Motown Museum, which did not immediately provide further details. In 1975 he split with Motown and founded his own record label Whitfield Records. He was 81. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. [17], In 2015, Whitfield was cast as the main villain in Greenleaf, the Oprah Winfrey Network original scripted drama series about the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch. Norman Whitfield. Whitfield is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Nova Whitfield is best known for being the daughter of DcYoungFly, a rapper, comedian, and performer who has starred on MTV's Wild N Out. He caught the psychedelic thing. Who is Teesha Renee? She was a 1993 graduate of Hubbard High School and obtained a Bachelor's Degree from. His first professional engagement came at his age of 19, when he began serving in Motown headquarters Hitsville U.S.A. in its quality control department. He wound up in Detroit when his father's car broke down on the way back from his grandmother's funeral in California and the family settled in. Facing charges of tax evasion on more than $2 million worth of income, he was sentenced to six months of house confinement and a $25,000 fine. Norman Whitfield Born 12 May 1940, New York, NY, United States Died 16 September 2008, Los Angeles, CA, United States Member of Popcorn and The Mohawks The Temptations, , Marvin Gaye, The Undisputed Truth, Rose Royce Also Known As Norman Jesse Whitfield [birth name] Genres Motown Sound Share Tweet Follow 7 followers ADVERTISEMENT Discography 3 He also helped usher in the era of psychedelic soul, producing the work of artists like Edwin Starr and the Undisputed Truth. secondhandsongs.com. [1] Additionally, the 1968 single "Cloud Nine" became the first Motown record to win a Grammy Award, for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group. From 1963 onward, Whitfield had produced most of their recordings of his own songs, and by 1966, he'd completely taken over producing the Temptations in the wake of their huge hit "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," as well as "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" and "I Know I'm Losing You." Norman Whitfield was born in Harlem, New York in May 1940 and passed away in September 2008. A native of Harlem, Whitfield spent his early teen years hanging out in local pool halls. Whitfield was born and raised in Harlem, New York, and spent much of his teen years in local pool halls. But Berry did not want to damage Temptations' image by blatant political statement. [9][10] At the time of filming, Lawrence was 12 years younger than Whitfield, who was then 42. 2023 L.E. It soon became clear to Gordy that Whitfield's talents extended to arranging and production, and it was in the latter capacity that he came to prominence at the label. In his late teens, he and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan, so that his father could join his sister and work in her husband's chain of drug stores, Barthwell Drugs. Gordy also soon learned to trust Whitfield's bouts of seemingly reckless enthusiasm. Family Life He fathered four sons and one daughter. War actually sounds like war; Ball of Confusion is indeed a ball of confusion. Undeterred,Whitfield gave the song to Gladys Knight and the Pips, who made it Motown's best-selling single to date. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Robert Dwayne Womack was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the third of five brothers. In 1975 he started Whitfield Records which produced the hit single "Car Wash" by Rose Royce. The trio never hit again as big as they did with that song, as Whitfield concentrated most of his efforts on the Temptations, but he used the Undisputed Truth to try out funk and psychedelic experiments, both with his own songs (including the first version of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone") and covers of other writers' songs. Whitfield was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the daughter of Jean (ne Butler), a former president of the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, and Dr. Valerian Smith, who was also a composer who wrote the musicals, The Supper and The Wake. Whitfield achieved wide recognition in the title role of The Josephine Baker Story (1991), portraying the American who became a Folies Bergre star, a French Resistance fighter during World War II, and a civil rights activist. My thing was to out-Sly Sly Stone, Mr. Whitfield said. Net Jung Seung Hwan - Age, Height, Net Worth, Parents, Morena Baccarin's Wiki, Husband, Net Worth, Measur Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, Songwriter, Record producer, Film Score Composer, Johnnie Whitfield, Norman Whitfield, Irasha Whitfield, Roland Whitfield, Michael Whitfield, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. / music: "Which Way Is Up? 1 on the R&B charts in 1966. Had he worked for a label like Columbia or RCA Victor in the middle/late '50's, with a roster of artists spanning the musical spectrum, Whitfield might well have been cutting R&B, country, pop, and rock & roll (and vocal and instrumental) versions of his songs. Legendary songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield, the anchor of Motown 's early 70s movement toward funk, has died. [2] She also was a regular cast member in the short-lived 1988 ABC female-driven medical drama series HeartBeat alongside Kate Mulgrew, Laura Johnson, and Gail Strickland. Facebook. Whitfield joined Motown's in-house songwriting staff, co-writing the Marvin Gaye hit "Pride & Joy", the Marvelettes's "Too Many Fish in the Sea" and the Velvelettes's "Needle in a Haystack". Access is free so discover Norman Whitfield's story today. [15] She also had a recurring role on Hit the Floor[16] and appeared as the abusive mother of April (Rochelle Aytes) on Mistresses. Login or Sign-up to show all important data, death records and obituaries absolutely for free! Psychedelic Soul - Produced By Norman Whitfield Various Artists (Producer Series) 13.12 Buy Now Free delivery in the UK Save item Genre: Modern Soul Label: Kent Format: CD Catalogue Id: CDTOP 504 Here is the first-ever compilation dedicated to the distinctive and influential productions of Norman Whitfield. The group hit right out of the box with another Whitfield song that managed to capture its time and place, "Smiling Faces Sometimes," which became a number three hit in 1971. Birth name. His father, Friendly Womack, spotted Bobby's talent on the guitar at an early age, and Bobby was only Norman Whitfield, who co-wrote a string of Motown classics including "War" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," has died at 67. From 2016 to 2020, she starred as Lady Mae Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network dramatic series Greenleaf, for which she won critical acclaim and garnered two NAACP Image Awards and a Gracie Award. He also changed the main subjects of his lyrics, from love to social issues such as politics, war and poverty. Licensed To - Ace Records Ltd. Norman Whitfield was born on May 12, 1940 (age 67) in New York City, New York, United States. After Temptations lead singer David Ruffin was replaced by Dennis Edwards in 1968, Whitfield moved the group into a harder, darker sound that featured a blend of psychedelic rock and funk heavily inspired by the work of Sly & the Family Stone and Funkadelic. He was 67. One of Whitfield's last major hits at Motown was Yvonne Fair's "It Should Have Been Me" (1975), a song he had written in 1963 and recorded originally with Kim Weston. The HBO biopic required her to age from 18 to 68. However, his real breakthrough came in 1966 when Whitfield became the main producer for The Temptations music group. Daughter Mignon Strong said her father's strength of spirit persisted through his final days. Anyone can read what you share. Norman Whitfield. When a notification about first-round voting in the 2021 Grammys slipped into my digital letterbox the other day, the initial thought which came to mind was of Motown's first such honour - for 1968's "Cloud Nine" by the Temptations - and the man behind it, Norman Whitfield.. Norman Whitfield. For all his renown as a composer, Mr. Whitfield was even more prominent as a producer and arranger. He produced soul group Masterpiece in 1980. [1] Longer songs, distorted guitars, multitracked drums, and inventive vocal arrangements became trademarks of Whitfield's productions, and later of records produced by Motown staffers he coached, including Frank Wilson. Norman Whitfield | Artist | GRAMMY.com Artist Norman Whitfield WINS* 2 NOMINATIONS* 4 19th Annual GRAMMY Awards WINNER Album Of Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or Television Special Car Wash View All Nominations For This Artist Through the 65th GRAMMY Nominations Norman Whitfield News View All News The cause was heart and kidney failure resulting from diabetes, his daughter, Irasha Whitfield, said. I knew that this was extremely unlikely given his ongoing struggles with a) illness and b) the IRS, not to mention a longstanding reluctance to talk to the press. Age, Height, Husband, Net Wor What is Jo Anne Worley doing now? Gordy finally came to appreciate Whitfield's persistence as an attribute they shared, and put him in charge of "quality control" -- he would listen to blank label copies of the company's latest finished sides and critique them without knowing who was on or behind them, boil his observations down to a numerical score, and give the results to Gordy to think about. Norman Jesse Whitfield Profile: American songwriter and producer (born May 12, 1940, in Harlem, New York - died September 16, 2008, in Los Angeles) best known for his work with Berry Gordy 's Motown label during the 1960s. His songwriting career began in the early 1960s when he was included in co-writing The Marvelettes hit single Too Many Fish in the Sea, Marvin Gayes Pride & Joy and later Needle in a Haystack written for The Velvelettes. Gordy refused to release versions of I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the Miracles, the Isley Brothers and Marvin Gaye. TV Mini-Series documentary writer - 1 episode, writer: "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", writer: "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", writer: "Just my imagination running away with me" - as Norman I. Whitfield, writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "I Wanna Get Next to You", writer: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", as N. Whitfield, "Holler If Ya Hear Me" / writer: "Holler If Ya Hear Me" - as N. Whitfield, writer: "Ball of Confusion That's What the World Is Today", Madonna: The Girlie Show - Live Down Under, TV Movie documentary writer: "Rain" - as N. Whitfield, TV Movie writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", Raisins Sold Out: The California Raisins II, TV Movie writer: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", producer: "War" / writer: "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", "War", writer: "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", TV Movie writer: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" - uncredited, Documentary "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" / producer: "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", writer: "Wherever I Lay My Hat That's My Home", TV Special documentary writer: "That's the way Love is", producer: "The Last Dragon", "Stand Your Ground", "The Final Test" / writer: "The Last Dragon", "Stand Your Ground", "The Final Test", TV Series writer - 1 episode, 1985 lyrics - 1 episode, 1982 music - 1 episode, 1982, Video writer: "Friendship Train", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", writer: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", TV Movie documentary writer: "Needle in a Haystack", Documentary "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", lyrics: "WAR" - as N. Whitfield / music: "WAR" - as N. Whitfield, Bassie en Adriaan en het geheim van de sleutel, lyrics: "Which Way Is Up?" Starr's version of "War" w Show more. Skip Ancestry main menu Main Menu. Mastered At - Sound Mastering Ltd Designed At - the-unknown.co.uk Marketed By - Ace Distributed By - Ace Credits Beginning with their soundtrack to the movie Car Wash, the group enjoyed a series of three hit albums and accompanying hit singles for Whitfield's label. Story highlights. Mr. Whitfield, who often wrote both lyrics and music, had more than 450 songs released in his lifetime, his daughter said. "Marvelous Mal" Whitfield was an Olympic medalist, Tuskegee airman and longtime U.S. diplomat. Whitfield was born and raised in Harlem, New York. Miss Whitfield was born September 5, 1975 in Hollywood, a daughter of Norman Whitfield and Asari Graham. Mr. Whitfields songs were recorded by a string of Motown luminaries, who besides Mr. Gaye included the Temptations and the Jackson Five. The Car Wash soundtrack won Whitfield a Grammy Award for Best Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special. One is hard-pressed to find anything less than 100 percent enthusiasm from the Temptations, especially on "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," but while their performance of "Masterpiece" is energetic (and the song receives a rousing roar at start and finish from the crowd), it's also abbreviated and pushes the vocalists to the fore, and doesn't even attempt to emulate Whitfield's elaborate studio approach. Date (s): Feb 09. In the 2000s, Whitfield had many supporting roles on television and in films. 2023 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved. In this regard, Whitfield's approach to music resembled that of the record producers of what was, by then, a bygone era. Their version, almost a gospel rendition, was a huge hit, by some accounts the biggest-selling single in the history of the label up to that time; in its wake, the Marvin Gaye rendition, much more raw sounding (and also produced by Whitfield), was issued, and it chalked up even bigger sales than its predecessor. - Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. WHITFIELD Alan Victor of Darlington aged 77 years on 18th February, peacefully at home with his loving wife Joan and daughter Dawn by his side. When it comes to his personal life, Norman Whitfield managed to keep it private he had five children but details of their mother(s) is lacking. Mr. Whitfield, who had been charged with failing to report more than $4 million in income, was fined $25,000 and sentenced to six months home detention. I Can't Get Next To You - The Temptations. If he thought something was a hit, he would keep pushing until it was. But Berry did not want to damage Temptations' image by blatant political statement. Mini Bio (1) Music producer, arranger, and songwriter Norman Jessie Whitfield was born on May 12, 1941 in New York City. Meet Lynn Whitfield & Brian Gibson's Daughter Grace Learn about Her Hollywood Career By Stephen Thompson Aug 02, 2020 04:00 P.M. Levi and Shirley Whitfield enjoyed more than 66 years together until death parted them when Levi passed away on June 4, 2021. [4] In the movie, she appeared nude on-screen. Have you ever wondered how much wealth he accumulated for life? A lot more than that, nevertheless, Whitfield and his personal travel became a significant area of the mental dynamic . At 19, Whitfield began frequenting Motown's Hitsville USA offices for a chance to work for the growing label. He turned around and annoyed Gordy intensely, finally cajoling him into okaying another attempt at the song by Gladys Knight & the Pips. For the next few years, Whitfield or his protg, Frank Wilson, produced virtually all of the Temptations' recordings, although as Gordy recalled in his autobiography, Whitfield was ambitious enough to extend his influence as a producer far and wide; he still wrote songs as well, and he was always looking for different ways of presenting the same composition. Born in New York in 1943, Whitfield wasn't yet in his teens when R&B began exerting itself as a major musical force. He took over Smokey Robinson's role as the main producer for the Temptations in 1966, after his "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"[2] performed better than Robinson's "Get Ready" on the pop charts. After several years fighting diabetes, Norman Whitfield passed away at the age of 68, on the 16th September 2008 in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. THE WORKS OF WHITFIELD, AND THE PROMISE OF A DOCUMENTARY. - Anti-Vietnam War song recorded by Temptations, on album Psychedelic Shack. - Fell in love with jazz guitarist, Slim Gaillard's young daughter, Janis Hunter. Beginning with the single "I Wish It Would Rain," written in collaboration with lyricist Eddie Holland, he moved both the group and Motown into a new era, which opened up the subject matter as well as the sound of their songs. Norman Whitfield was born in Harlem, New York in May 1940 and passed away . "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (1972) was done first by the Undisputed Truth, before Whitfield rerecorded the song with the Temptations for a longer, more definitive (and massively successful) version. Survived by his daughter, Irasha; sons, Norman; Michael; Johnnie; and Roland; a brother, Bill; eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Is she dead? His interest in R&B dates from his mid-teens, and it was not long after that the New York-born Whitfield found himself stranded in Detroit, when his father's car broke down while on the way back from a relative's funeral in California. Norman Jesse Whitfield was born on the 12th May 1940, in Harlem, New York City, USA, and was a songwriter, music producer and arranger, and is best known for his collaboration with Berry Gordys record label Motown for which he wrote numerous hit singles such as I Heard it Through the Grapevine, War, Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) and Papa Was a Rollin Stone among plenty of others. Songs written by Norman Whitfield. Norman Whitfield passed away on September 16, 2008 at 68 years old. The cause of death was heart and kidney failure due to diabetes. Norman studied briefly at a technical school in Detroit before joining Thelma Records, a local label, when he was about 19. Whitfield also starred in a number of movies in the 2000s and 2010s.