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Barrett Strong, the popular Motown singer and songwriter, died on January 29 at the age of 81 in Detroit. The cause of death has not yet been revealed. Strong, who provided major successes throughout Motown's formative years as a composer and vocalist, was a crucial force in music throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.
He was also among the first artists to sign to the Motown label, and give his first hit with the label, Money (That’s What I Want), which was released in 1959. Barrett Strong, along with Norman Whitfield, is said to be one of Motown's most popular songwriters.
Motown founder Berry Gordy in a statement informed of Strong’s death:
“I am saddened to hear of the passing of Barrett Strong, one of my earliest artists, and the man who sang my first big hit “Money (That’s What I Want)” in 1959. 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, primarily with the Temptations.”
Gordy further added:
“Their hit songs were revolutionary in sound and captured the spirit of the times like ‘Cloud Nine’ and the still relevant, ‘Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today).’ My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. Barrett is an original member of the Motown Family and will be missed by all of us.”
Barrett Strong worked on a Grammy winning single in 1973
Barrett Strong is known to collaborate on songs including Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Edwin Starr’s War and the Undisputed Truth’s Smiling Faces Sometimes.
Barrett Strong, along with Norman Whitman, worked on several songs together and received a Grammy in 1973 for best rhythm and blues song for the Temptations’ Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.
His contributions to The Temptations also included Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me), I Wish It Would Rain, Cloud Nine, and Psychedelic Shack.
Billboard quoted the songwriter speaking about his early songwriting days. He said:
“It was a great time. We were just kids, and we did it for the fun, not the money. We enjoyed being at the studio all day, working. Nowadays people want the money first, which I can understand. But we used to put the product first and figured if we worked hard we would get paid. It was just an era.”
Barrett Strong later left Motown and went on to work on a solo career in which they released with a pair of albums on Capitol Records and Epic Records. In 1975, he released the 1975 LP, Stronghold, which featured the hit single, Is It True.
As per Billboard, Strong managed a production company called Boomtown in Detroit, where he mentored and performed with younger artists. In 2010, the artist released his first album in 30 years called Stronghold II.
In an interview in 2016, he said:
“You don’t quit. You just slow down. You take your time more. But you have to keep up, too, and relate to the younger people now. I don’t want to be left behind.”
Apart from his Grammy award, Strong also won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Songwriters in 1990. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction in 2004.
