LOS ANGELES (AP) - Norman Whitfield, who co-wrote a string of Motown classics including "War" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," has died. Estelle leaves behind two daughters, Lynn Whitfield and Kathy Carroll (John), grandsons, Chad Carroll and Kevin Carroll (Lauren), two great-grandchildren, Ryleigh and Isaiah Carroll. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. Until yesterday I was still holding out the slenderest hope of somehow securing an interview with Norman Whitfield, the reclusive genius of psychedelic soul. Your email address will not be published. Both parents were instrumental in developing Whitfield's initial interest in acting, as they were actively involved in the Baton Rouge art scene. Home; Trees; . We will remember him forever. A NORMAN WHITFIELD SONGBOOK 2,527 views Aug 29, 2019 One of the great composer of MOTOWN. Survived by his daughter, Irasha; sons, Norman; Michael; Johnnie; and Roland; a brother, Bill; eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. "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. In the early 1980s, Whitfield began working as a producer for Motown again, helming the Temptations' 1983 hit single "Sail Away" and the soundtrack to The Last Dragon.[1]. 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. Whitfield worked extensively with the Temptations as a producer and songwriter, producing eight of their albums between 1969 and 1973. The song was so well-known that 22 years later, its lyrics ("War, what is it good for") figured in a key joke (involving Tolstoy's War and Peace) at the center of an episode of Seinfeld. Ball Of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) - The Temptations. 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. And the Temptations, whose singing had taken on a darker sound in 1968 when original lead singer David Ruffin was succeeded by Dennis Edwards, effectively became his "instrument," Whitfield conceiving ever more ambitious songs and productions in which to employ them; their singles and albums were his canvas, which he filled up with his songs, creating ever more involved and ambitious works in the process. Even amid all of this activity with the Temptations, he found other important outlets for his compositions, most notably in the person of Edwin Starr. She also had a regular role on the short-lived NBC detective series The Cosby Mysteries from 1994 to 1995 and later guest-starred on Martin and Touched by an Angel. DC Young Fly Daughter's Nova Whitfield: Age, Mom, Bio, Parents, Net Worth! [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. his father's car broke down there. Founder Berry Gordy Jr. recognized Whitfield's persistence and hired him for the quality control department, which determined which songs would or would not be released. He was survived by his daughter and four sons from who he had eight grandchildren. His father, Friendly Womack, spotted Bobby's talent on the guitar at an early age, and Bobby was only Twitter. In his late teens his family moved to Detroit, Michigan so that his father could join his sister and work in her husband's chain of drug stores, and Norman began attending Northwestern High School. The song was first sung by the Temptations and then reproduced for Motown featuring Edwin Starr as the vocalist. Norman Whitfield Whitfield was a native of Brooklyn, New York, and spent much of his teen years in local pool halls. Their separation was brief, however, as Shirley passed away on August 14, 2021. My thing was to out-Sly Sly Stone, Mr. Whitfield said. Norman Whitfield. February 28, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. [15] She also had a recurring role on Hit the Floor[16] and appeared as the abusive mother of April (Rochelle Aytes) on Mistresses. Norman Whitfield net worth: Norman Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer who had a net worth of $10 million. Her love of movies was shared by her maternal grandmother, Estelle Devall Butler, who exposed her to them. In 1969, Whitfield won three BMI Awards for the songs "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "I Wish It Would Rain," and "You're My Everything."[5]. All these accomplishments provided a significant boost to Norman Whitfields wealth. His death was announced Sunday on social media by the Motown Museum, which did not immediately provide further details. 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. Read Full Biography. Songs written by Norman Whitfield. Birth name. Legendary songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield, the anchor of Motown 's early 70s movement toward funk, has died. But friction and antagonism grew between Whitfield and the Temptations; the group hated how Whitfield put more emphasis on the instrumentation instead of their vocals, and that he was writing fewer romantic ballads for them. She was a former member of McGuffey Road Church of Christ and was fond of music. His daughter, CNN Anchor Fredricka Whitfield, recalls the lessons he taught his . Buy Meta Added by Bastien Works 87 Discussions 1 All During the next 12 years til 1974, he produced all the groups material, including eight studio albums, and also wrote a dozen of their hit singles. Norman moved with his family to Detroit, Michigan when he was in his late teens. Norman Whitfield was born in Harlem, New York in May 1940 and passed away . .more .more 57 Dislike Share Save Alain Robert 12.3K subscribers Subscribe Comments 6 Add a. "[22] She won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2019 and 2020 as well as the Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series in 2017. He was not imprisoned because of health problems such as diabetes. NEW YORK (AP) Barrett Strong, one of Motown's founding artists and most gifted songwriters who sang lead on the company's breakthrough single "Money (That's What I Want)" and later collaborated with Norman Whitfield on such classics as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "War" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," has died . In this regard, Whitfield's approach to music resembled that of the record producers of what was, by then, a bygone era. She later co-starred in the films The Slugger's Wife, Silverado, and Jaws: The Revenge. The song itself may have said more than it meant to about the time in which it was written, recorded, and released, with a slow tempo and an ominous mood. Whitfield was born and raised in Harlem, New York, and spent much of his teen years in local pool halls. Norman Whitfield, a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and arranger for Motown Records whose many hits, including the signature song I Heard It Through the Grapevine, helped solidify the Motown sound in the 1960s and afterward, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Photos by Larry Parham. In 1975, Whitfield left Motown, following its move from Detroit, to form his own label, Whitfield Records. . Hayes and Whitfield were two of my heroes for the way they redrew the boundaries of soul, letting songs thunder and swirl far beyond the traditional pop song format. Yesterday I heard through the grapevine that he passed away on Tuesday afternoon. Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today), Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love, I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You), Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me), (Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need, Mama I Gotta Brand New Thing (Don't Say No), Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are), You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth, 2003-2023 - Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Norman Whitfield was one of the architects of the Motown sound, from its early peak as a national label through its waning days of major chart success. Whitfield was born and raised in Harlem, New York. With Wynk Music, you will not only enjoy your favourite MP3 songs online, but you will also have access to our hottest playlists such as English Songs, Hindi Songs, Malayalam Songs, Punjabi Songs, Tamil Songs . [3] Whitfield died on September 16, 2008. On television, Whitfield had recurring roles on Boston Public and Without a Trace in the 2000s. He then started his own label, Whitfield Records, in 1975, which yielded the Rose Royce hit "Car Wash". Mastered At - Sound Mastering Ltd Designed At - the-unknown.co.uk Marketed By - Ace Distributed By - Ace Credits 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. The dawn of the '70s and the success of albums such as Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and Stevie Wonder's Innervisions saw the company enter a last, great flowering in its recordings. "Barrett was not only a great singer and piano player, but he, along with his writing partner Norman Whitfield, created an incredible body of work," Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement. Dorian Lynskey. He is a celebrity Record producer, Songwriter, Film Score Composer. Elgin Freeman. 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. However, his real breakthrough came in 1966 when Whitfield became the main producer for The Temptations music group. Your email address will not be published. In 2004, Norman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The first Temptations single to feature this new psychedelic soul style was "Cloud Nine" in late 1968, which earned Motown its first Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental). Whitfield and lyrical collaborator Barrett Strong were inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2004. He produced soul group Masterpiece in 1980. Whitfield created a new group around this time out of the ruins of a failed Motown act called the Delicates and one ex-member of a group called the Preps -- he put Billie Rae Calvin, Brenda Joyce Evans, and Joe Harris together as the Undisputed Truth and, calling all of the shots for the group as far as songs and recordings, they became one of his two principal vehicles for his musical ideas. She was a member of the Burlington Seventh Day Adventist Church serving as treasurer for eight years and was a Life Member of Athens V.F.W. After a long bout with diabetes and subsequent health issues, Whitfield died in Los Angeles, CA, on September 16, 2008, at age 65. A lot more than that, nevertheless, Whitfield and his personal travel became a significant area of the mental dynamic . [1] He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motown Sound and of the late-1960s subgenre of psychedelic soul. The single's instrumental B-side earned Whitfield and arranger Paul Riser a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance. February 27, 2023 (74 years old) View obituary. The early 1940s were dominated by World War II. It was written as a Vietnam war protest song. Following graduation, she first garnered attention on the stage by performing with the Black Repertory Company in Washington, D.C. She married playwright/director/actor Vantile Whitfield, one of the company's co-founders and a pioneer of black theatre, in 1974. writer: "Too Many Fish in the Sea" - as Norman Whitfield Jr. writer: "Ball of Confusion That's What The World Is Today" 1970 - as Norman J. Whitfield, writer: "Back Again" - as Norman Jesse Whitfield, Documentary writer: "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me" - as W. Norman, writer: "I Can't Get Next To You" - as Norman J. Whitfield, writer: "I Can't Get Next to You" - as Norman J. Whitfield, TV Special writer: "I Heard It Through The Grape Vine", Video Game writer: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", Video Game as Norman J. Whitfield, "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", Documentary writer: "Just My Imagination Running Away with Me", "Ball of Confusion That's What the World Is Today" - as Norman J Whitfield, writer: "I heard it through the grapevine", "I heard it through the Grapevine", writer: "Just My Imagination Running Away with Me" - as Norman J. Whitfield, writer: "I Can't Get Next to You" 1964 - as Norman J. Whitfield, as Norman J. Whitfield, "CLOUD NINE", "I WISH IT WOULD RAIN", "TAKE A LOOK AROUND", "PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE", "SMILING FACES SOMETIMES", TV Movie documentary writer: "Needle in a Haystack", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", writer: "I Can't Get Next to You" 1969 - as Norman J. Whitfield, writer: "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" - as Norman J. Whitfield, writer: "I Wanna Get Next to You" - as Norman Jesse Whitfield, music: "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", "Just My Imagination Running Away with Me", Documentary writer: "Holler If Ya' Hear Me", writer: "Pride and Joy" - as Norman J. Whitfield, Party at the Palace: The Queen's Concerts, Buckingham Palace, TV Movie documentary writer: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", Documentary as Norman J. Whitfield, "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Cloud Nine", "Girl Why You Wanna Make Me Blue", "Ball Of Confusion That's What The World Is Today", "Pride And Joy", writer: "Anything For You Divine Mill Film Re-Mix" - as Norman J. Whitfield, TV Series 1 episode, 1977 writer - 3 episodes, 1977 - 2000, writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Superstar Remember How You Got Where You Are", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", writer: "Car Wash The Pop Rox Car Jack Remix", TV Movie writer: "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", "Smiling Faces Sometimes" - uncredited, writer: "Too Many Fish in the Sea" - as Norman J. Whitfield, writer: - as N. Whitfield / writer: "Luv Me, Luv Me", TV Movie writer: "I Wanna Get Next To You", "Car Wash" - uncredited, TV Series writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", writer: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special. - Anti-Vietnam War song recorded by Temptations, on album Psychedelic Shack. But Berry did not want to damage Temptations' image by blatant political statement. Born in West Point, Mississippi in 1941, singer/composer Barrett Strong was a pivotal figure in Motown's formative years, and is perhaps best known for his collaborations during the late '60s and early '70s with fellow Motown . That year he left Motown to set up Whitfield Records but his only subsequent major success was Rose Royce, who released the likes of Car Wash and Wishing on a Star, and he retired from music in the early 80s. She continued her career, starring in the made-for-television movies A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story (1991); Stompin' at the Savoy (1992) with Vanessa L. Williams, Jasmine Guy, and Vanessa Bell Calloway; Taking the Heat (1993) with Tony Goldwyn; State of Emergency (1994) with Joe Mantegna; Sophie and the Moonhanger (1996); The Wedding (1998), as Halle Berry's mother; The Color of Courage (1998) alongside Linda Hamilton; and Deep in My Heart (1999) opposite Anne Bancroft. That success was complicated by the growing antipathy of the Temptations themselves, who sometimes felt like backup participants on their own records amid Whitfield's production efforts -- and Whitfield's prominent visual presence on Masterpiece's artwork -- a rare level of prominence for a producer -- couldn't have helped matters with the group. Norman Whitfield passed away on September 16, 2008 at 68 years old. High School Dropout Berry Gordy Turned An $800 Loan Into Motown Records And A $400 Million Fortune. "Marvelous Mal" Whitfield was an Olympic medalist, Tuskegee airman and longtime U.S. diplomat. Whitfield received positive reviews from critics for her performance. But Masterpiece's critical notices were better than its sales, and Whitfield soon found himself, like most of the label's other producers, being discouraged from further recordings as ambitious as that, particularly as Motown's fortunes declined. After moving to Detroit, Michigan, with his family in his late teens, he matriculated from Northwestern High School. Gordy also soon learned to trust Whitfield's bouts of seemingly reckless enthusiasm. SecondHandSongs is building the most comprehensive source of cover song information. 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. On the cover of their last album together, 1973's Masterpiece, his own picture loomed larger than the band's. War was recorded by the Temptations before Edwin Starr, and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone was tried out on Whitfield's pet group the Undisputed Truth prior to the Temptations. His genres are R&B,soul,pop,psychedelic soul,funk,disco. Norman Whitfield had an international smash hit in 1976 with Rose Royce's "Car Wash", issued on MCA Records. He is survived by his Daughters: Linda Dean, Ann-Marie Major, Sherry Beneby, Hilly Harper, and Lerlene Moss-Walcott; Sons: Eugene and Andrew Beckford; Adopted Daughter: Judy Deleveaux; and a host of other relatives . Until yesterday I was still holding out the slenderest hope of somehow securing an interview with Norman Whitfield, the reclusive . Anyone can read what you share. Norman Whitfield, who co-wrote a string of Motown classics including "War" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," has died at 67. Jason, Scott, Shelly, Wanda,Taylor & Brad Stone. United States. Royalty-free Creative Video Editorial Archive Custom Content Creative Collections. Whitfield has won a total of seven NAACP Image Awards. When Motown moved to. Whitfield's big chance came when Holland-Dozier-Holland stormed out of Motown in early 1968 in a row over profit-sharing. His "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" one of the most played songs of the 20th century on American radio and TV. Cloud Nine - The Temptations. 12: Daughter: Ida Whitfield. After wood-shedding on local . How rich would Norman Whitefield be today? His enthusiasm was infectious, and Gordy marveled at the moments when Whitfield was hooked on an idea. He told later interviewers that his family had settled in Detroit after their car broke down there. [9][10] At the time of filming, Lawrence was 12 years younger than Whitfield, who was then 42. Besides his daughter, Irasha, of Los Angeles, Mr. Whitfield is survived by four sons, Norman, of Los Angeles; Michael, of Toluca Lake; Johnnie, of Atlanta; and Roland, of Murrieta, Calif.; a brother, Bill, of Los Angeles; eight grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. [1], During his 25-year career, Whitfield co-wrote and produced many enduring hits for Motown artists, including "Ain't Too Proud to Beg",[2] "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Cloud Nine", "I Can't Get Next to You", "War", "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)", "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". 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. With Eddie Holland, Mr. Whitfield wrote Aint Too Proud to Beg for the Temptations, which reached No. Her first husband, from 1974 to 1978, was Vantile Whitfield. Norman Whitfield was born on May 12, 1940 (age 67) in New York City, New York, United States. On January 18, 2005, Whitfield pleaded guilty for failing to report royalty income he earned from 1995 to 1999 to the Internal Revenue Service. After her breakthrough as Josephine Baker, Whitfield had the recurring role in the ABC legal drama Equal Justice, appearing opposite Joe Morton. 1972 Grammy winner for Best R&B Song for "Papa Was a Rolling Stone.". Miss Whitfield was born September 5, 1975 in Hollywood, a daughter of Norman Whitfield and Asari Graham. 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. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. Motown producer/songwriter who helped define the label's sound. It's possible to glimpse the fine line the quintet and its producer were walking on the live recordings from the tour for Masterpiece, on In Japan. Whitfield also appeared in The Women (2008), The Rebound (2009), and Mama, I Want to Sing (2011) and had many roles in low-profile B-movies. 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. "Where words leave off, music begins!". This engagement provided the basis for Norman Whitfields net worth and also helped him to set his foot in the world of songwriting. - Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Facebook. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home Inc.. All Rights Reserved. He was 68 and lived in Toluca Lake, Calif. 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. She eventually moved to New York and appeared off-Broadway in such shows as The Great Macdaddy and Showdown Time before earning international acclaim touring the United States, Australia and London's West End in the 1977 production of the landmark play "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf" alongside Alfre Woodard.[2]. A spokeswoman at Cedars-Sinai Medical Cent In the meantime, he became an admirer of Berry Gordy as the latter emerged as the most promising new music entrepreneur in Detroit. Lisa Wright always knew she was adopted, but had no idea her biological mother was a star on one of her favorite television shows. She also starred as Dorothea Garibaldi in the Disney Channel films The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2. 1 - 49 of 49 Total. The Temptations' version earned a second Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for Whitfield and the Temptations, and Whitfield and Strong shared the songwriters' award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Motown producer/songwriter who helped define the label's sound. He was a fast learner, too -- at 18, he'd written and produced at Detroit's Thelma Records, including sides by Richard Street (future member of the Temptations), and played as a member of the Distants, the precursors to the latter group; he'd also played tambourine with the band Popcorn and the Mohawks on some Thelma sides backing the Distants. The Gladys Knight & the Pips' version was the best-selling Motown single so far, but it was surpassed a year later by Gaye's version. 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. Whitfield kept moving with the times, his songs taking on an edge of gritty social realism in their lyrics that were far removed from the romantic ballads on which much of the "Motown Sound" had been built across the company's first decade. In 1996, Whitfield was cast as the female lead opposite Martin Lawrence in the dark romantic comedy film A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. Later that year his Cloud Nine, performed by The Temptations was honored with a prestigious Grammy Award which was followed by another Grammy for Papa Was a Rollin Stone which was released in 1973. Nova Whitfield is a lovely young lady with an angelic appearance. Levi was born on January 10, 1932, to Allen Edgar Whitfield and Hattie Ellen Adams Whitfield in Old Joe,. [3] He wrote or co-wrote 61 hits on the UK charts and 92 on the US charts.[4]. Have you ever wondered how much wealth he accumulated for life? After writing hits for Marvin Gaye, the Marvelettes and the Velvelettes, he wrested creative control of the Temptations from Smokey Robinson in 1966 with the success of Ain't Too Proud to Beg. Whitfield later was cast in a leading role in Greenleaf's planned spinoff. He was bad. 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. He recruited new members, most notably Taka Boom (aka Yvonne Stevens, the sister of Chaka Khan), later with the Glass Family, to work with Joe Harris, and saw hits from this version of the group with "You + Me = Love" and "Let's Go Down to the Disco." In 2005, he was sentenced to six months house arrest for tax evasion, avoiding imprisonment only because of diabetes and other health problems. He was born in Harlem in 1943. In 1975, faced with reduced options at the recording company that had been his professional home for more than a decade, Whitfield left Motown to start his own label, Whitfield Records.
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