Standing In The Shadows Of Motown ((install))

For decades, the musicians responsible for that sound were anonymous. They were the unsung architects of the "Sound of Young America." They were the Funk Brothers. And in 2002, the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown finally pulled them out of the wings and into the spotlight they so richly deserved.

Directed by Paul Justman, the 2002 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown standing in the shadows of motown

You learn about the "chanking" rhythm guitar, the specific way the drums were muffled, and the uncredited jazz virtuosos who brought a level of sophistication to three-minute pop songs. They made "My Girl" swing and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" simmer. The film illustrates that while the singers were the face of Motown, the Funk Brothers were the soul. For decades, the musicians responsible for that sound

Yet, when the records spun on radios across the globe, nobody knew their names. They were session musicians working out of the "Snakepit"—the nickname for Studio A at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit. Directed by Paul Justman, the 2002 documentary Standing

While the documentary brilliantly celebrates — the uncredited, mostly Black session musicians behind Motown’s biggest hits (over 100 #1 singles) — some reviews note a tension: