Motown singer and songwriter Barrett Strong passes away at 81

Motown’s iconic singer and songwriter Barrett Strong has passed away at the age of 81. Strong’s demise was confirmed on Monday, January 30 by Motown Museum without mentioning the cause of his death.


Barrett Strong was born in 1941 in Mississippi and raised in Detroit. He was remarkably, one of the first artists to be signed by the future Motown maven Berry Gordy. Strong started by recording for Gordy’s label, Tamla Records in the 1950s and by the next ten years, he would sing ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ which emerged to become the first hit of both artists. The song was defining for the early years of Motown.


The song went on to be recorded by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Despite the song’s success, Strong felt he was not earning enough money and reportedly, he briefly worked on Chrysler’s factory floor in the early 60s. By the late 60s, he returned to Motown as a staff songwriter. He went on to write several legendary songs with producer Norman Whitfield including I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone among several others.

In the 70s, Strong left Motown and started recording for Capitol Records. In 2004, Strong was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was unable to pursue a career in music largely after he suffered a stroke in 2009. In a tribute to Strong, Motown founder Berry Gordy said that the classic songs that the 81-year-old wrote were “revolutionary in sound and captured the spirit of the times”.

FAQs:

1. How old was Barrett Strong?
   81
2. Where was Barrett Strong born?
   Barrett Strong was born in 1941 in Mississippi and raised in Detroit.