Guitars, bars, and Motown superstars
By: Dennis Coffey
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Ann Arbor
Language: eng
Number of pages: 184
ISBN-13: 9780472113996
Subjects: Rock musicians; Motown Records; Biography; Guitarists
Description: "Under Berry Gordy, Motown was a place where studio musicians usually stood in the shadows, unlike the solo stars whose names appeared on the albums. Gordy held a tight rein on his musicians, forbidding them from playing for other record companies, and denying them credit on his records." "In Guitars, Bars, and Motown Superstars, author and guitarist Dennis Coffey tells how he slipped Gordy's draconian rules and went on to success as both a Motown musician and a million-selling solo artist. He offers a backstage look at the Detroit, L.A., and New York music scenes in the '60s and '70s, with side trips to the smoky clubs and funky studios where the Motown Sound was born." "Coffey is credited with creating a lot of that sound, including the famous guitar intro to the Temptations' classic "Cloud Nine." He played on hundreds of Motown albums, and introduced such innovations as the wah-wah pedal into the Motown recording studio." "Guitars, Bars, and Motown Superstars is a memoir of one of the most dynamic and influential periods in contemporary pop culture, and a unique insight into the ups and downs of the studio guitar-for-hire. It's also a look at the dizzying rags-to-riches-and-back-again career of a rock musician who went from million-seller with a house in the Hollywood Hills, and ultimately back to his roots in the Detroit area. A must for fans of Motown, rock, and you-are-there pop-culture history."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes index.

Discography: p. 169-175.
Table of contents: title: Early years; title: Makin' records; title: Sweet Southern soul music; title: Theo-Coff productions; title: Motown calls "The Rock & Roll Kid"; title: Cloud nine and all points South; title: Live in the Motor City; title: Motown music makers; title: Scorpio; title: Taking it on the road; title: California dreamin'; title: Life in the valley; title: L.A. superstars; title: Movies and television; title: More movies and television; title: Back home; title: Moving to the Big Apple; title: New York, New York; title: Back in the big "D"; title: Generous motors; title: Epilogue.