The Funk Brothers

The Funk Brothers var kallenavnet til studiomusikerne med tilholdssted i Detroit, Michigan som fungerte som backingband for Motown Records fra 1959 til plateselskapet flytta til Los Angeles i 1972. The Funk Brothers spilte på Motown-slagere som My Girl, I Heard it Through the Grapevine, Baby Love, Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, The Tears of a Clown, Ain't no Mountain High Enough og (Love is Like a) Heat Wave. 

Bandets betydning blir beskrevet i Paul Justmans dokumentarfilm Standing in the Shadows of Motown, basert på Allan Slutskys bok med samme navn. I begynnelsen av filmen blir det slått fast at The Funk Brothers «har spilt på flere listetopper enn The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones og The Beach Boys til sammen»

 Medlemmer 
Navnet «The Funk Brothers» blei ikke brukt om ett avgrensa ensemble. Selv om National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences anerkjenner 13 musikere som offisielle «funkbrødre», blir navnet ofte brukt som en samlebetegnelse for en hvilken som helst musiker som har spilt for Motown. 

Lista er basert på Allan Slutskys utgreiinger, med noen få endringer.

 Detroitmusikerne 
Keyboardister:
Joe Hunter (bandleder, 1959–1964)*
Earl Van Dyke (bandleder, 1964–1972)*
Richard "Popcorn" Wylie (1959–1962)
Johnny Griffith (1963–1972)*
Johnny Gittens (1963–1967)
Ted Sheely (1963–1967)
Gitarister:
Robert White (1959–1972)*
Eddie "Chank" Willis (1959–1972)*
Joe Messina (1959–1972)*
Larry Veeder (1959–1962)
Dave Hamilton (1959–1962)
Huey Davis (1959–1967, The Contours' turné- og studiogitarist)
Marvin Tarplin (1958–1973, The Miracles' turné- og studiogitarist).
Cornelius Grant (1963–1972, The Temptations' turnégitarist og bandleder)
Dennis Coffey (1967–1972)
Melvin "Wah Wah Watson" Ragin (1968–1972)
Ray Parker
Ray Monette
Bassister:
James Jamerson (1959–1972)*
Clarence Isabell (1959–1962)
Bob Babbitt (1967–1972)*
Edward Pickens (1968–1972)
Tweed Beard
Joe Williams
Michael Henderson
Joe James
Perkusjon:
William "Benny" Benjamin (1959–1969)*
Richard "Pistol" Allen (1959–1972)*
George McGregor (1959–1962)
Corey Jahns (1959–1967) bongo
Clifford Mack (1959–1962)
Marvin Gaye (1959–1962)
Uriel Jones (1963–1972)*
Frederick Waites (1963–1967)
Andrew Smith (1968–1972)
Percussion:
Jack Ashford (1959–1972, tamburin)*
Eddie "Bongo" Brown (1959–1972, diverse)*
Vibes:
Jack Ashford (1959–1972) *
Dave Hamilton (1959–1962)
James Gittens (1959–1962)
Jack Brokensha (1963–1972)Trompetister:
Herbie Williams
John "Little John" Wilson
Marcus Belgrave
Russell Conway
Johnny Trudell
Floyd Jones
Maurice Davis
Billy Horner
Don Slaughter
Eddie Jones
Saksofonister:
Henry "Hank" Cosby
Andrew "Mike" Terry
Norris Patterson
Thomas "Beans" Bowles
Teddy Buckner
Ronnie Wakefield
"Lefty" Edwards
Eli Fountain
Ernie Rodgers
Kasuka Malia
Eugene "BeeBee" Moore
William "Wild Bill" Moore
Angelo Carlisi
Dan Turner
Bernie Peacock
Larry Nozero
Lanny Austin
Trombonister:
Bob Cousar
George Bohanon
Paul Riser
Jimmy Wilkens
Don White
Carl Raetz
Patrick Lanier
Bill Johnson
Ed Gooch
Fløytister:
Dayna Hartwick
Strykere:
Gordon Staples og Detroit Symphony Orchestra sin strykeseksjon

 Listetopper The Funk Brothers medvirket på 
"Please Mr. Postman" The Marvelettes
"Fingertips Pt. 2" Little Stevie Wonder
"My Guy" Mary Wells
"Where Did Our Love Go" The Supremes
"Baby Love" The Supremes
"Come See About Me" The Supremes
"My Girl" The Temptations
"Stop! In the Name of Love" The Supremes
"Back in My Arms Again" The Supremes
"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" The Four Tops
"I Hear a Symphony" The Supremes
"You Can't Hurry Love" The Supremes
"Reach Out I'll Be There" The Four Tops
"You Keep Me Hangin' On" The Supremes
"The Happening" The Supremes
"Respect" Aretha Franklin
"Love Child" Diana Ross and the Supremes
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Marvin Gaye
"I Can't Get Next to You" The Temptations
"Someday We'll Be Together" Diana Ross and the Supremes
"ABC" The Jackson Five
"The Love You Save" The Jackson Five
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Diana Ross
"I'll Be There" The Jackson Five
"The Tears of a Clown" Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
"Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" The Temptations
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" The Temptations
"Superstition" Stevie Wonder
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life" Stevie Wonder
"Touch Me in the Morning" Diana Ross
"Let's Get It On" Marvin Gaye
"Midnight Train to Georgia" Gladys Night and the Pips
"Keep on Truckin' (Part 1)" Eddie Kendricks
"You Haven't Done Nothin'" Stevie Wonder

"Just a Little Misunderstanding"
"Shop Around"
"Shotgun"
"How Sweet it Is"
"The One who Really Loves You"
"The Way you Do the Things you Do"
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"
"Road Runner"
"Ain't too Proud to Beg"
"I Wish it would Rain"
"Heat Wave"
"Hitch Hike"
"What's so Good about Goodbye"
"I Was Made to Love Her"
"It's the Same Old Song"
"You Really Got a Hold on Me"
"Standing in the Shadows of Love"
"If I Were your Woman"
"Going to a Go-Go"
"Heaven Must Have Sent You"
"Dancing in the Street"
"Mercy Mercy Me"
"Cloud Nine"
"What's Goin' On"
"Do You Love Me"
"Get Ready"
"Function at the Junction"
"My Arms are Empty Without You"
"The Tracks of my Tears"
"Can I Get a Witness"
"Nowhere To Run"
"Here Comes The Judge"
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours"
"Beachwood 4-5789"
"Bernadette"
"Two Lovers"
"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
"My Cherie Amor"
"I Second That Emotion"
"Losing You"
"First I Look at the Purse"
"Ooo Baby Baby"
"I'll Be Doggone"
"Pride and Joy"
"Ball of Confusion"
"Losing You"
"It Takes Two"
"This Old Heart Of Mine"
"Uptight"
"Devil With a Blue Dress"
"Jimmy Mack"
"Since I Lost My Baby"
"War"
"Stubborn Kind Of Fellow"
"Don't Mess With Bill"
"You Beat Me to the Punch"
"Shake Me, Wake Me"
"Mickey's Monkey"
"Ain't That Peculiar"
"Shoo-be-doo-be-doo-da-day"

 Eksterne lenker 

 Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Kategori:Musikkgrupper fra USA
Kategori:Studiomusikere fra USA