He paved the way for classics such as What Going On and Innervisions within Motown, plus hard-hitting political statements by the likes of the O'Jays and the Isley Brothers outside of it. TV Mini-Series documentary writer - 1 episode, writer: "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", writer: "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", writer: "Just my imagination running away with me" - as Norman I. Whitfield, writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "I Wanna Get Next to You", writer: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", as N. Whitfield, "Holler If Ya Hear Me" / writer: "Holler If Ya Hear Me" - as N. Whitfield, writer: "Ball of Confusion That's What the World Is Today", Madonna: The Girlie Show - Live Down Under, TV Movie documentary writer: "Rain" - as N. Whitfield, TV Movie writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", Raisins Sold Out: The California Raisins II, TV Movie writer: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", producer: "War" / writer: "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", "War", writer: "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", TV Movie writer: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" - uncredited, Documentary "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" / producer: "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", writer: "Wherever I Lay My Hat That's My Home", TV Special documentary writer: "That's the way Love is", producer: "The Last Dragon", "Stand Your Ground", "The Final Test" / writer: "The Last Dragon", "Stand Your Ground", "The Final Test", TV Series writer - 1 episode, 1985 lyrics - 1 episode, 1982 music - 1 episode, 1982, Video writer: "Friendship Train", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", writer: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", TV Movie documentary writer: "Needle in a Haystack", Documentary "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", lyrics: "WAR" - as N. Whitfield / music: "WAR" - as N. Whitfield, Bassie en Adriaan en het geheim van de sleutel, lyrics: "Which Way Is Up?" Whitfield was born in Harlem, where his main achievement was to become a skilled pool player. How rich would Norman Whitefield be today? Levi was born on January 10, 1932, to Allen Edgar Whitfield and Hattie Ellen Adams Whitfield in Old Joe,. 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. Whitfield's rise was down to a cocktail of talent, ego, luck and, most of all, persistence. 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. The title track on the Temptations' album Masterpiece (1973) was the quintessential effort in this direction, an epic-length production propelled by a driving beat and lush instrumentation (in several layers) and filled with lyrics steeped in the urban landscape of the time -- ironically, as impressive as the latter was as a production, five people who were not entirely pleased with the track or the album were the Temptations themselves, who felt that they'd taken something of a back seat to the instrumentation and the overall production on what was supposed to be their album. Mr. Whitfield, who had been charged with failing to report more than $4 million in income, was fined $25,000 and sentenced to six months home detention. Age, Height, Husband, Net Wor What is Jo Anne Worley doing now? She was a 1993 graduate of Hubbard High School and obtained a Bachelor's Degree from. He co-wrote "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone", "Ball of Confusion", "War", "Smilin' Faces", and "Just My Imagination (Runnin' Away with Me)". 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. Salli Richardson-Whitfield and daughter Parker during Golden Globe Gifting Suite - Boom Boom Room at Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, CA, United States. The song was first sung by the Temptations and then reproduced for Motown featuring Edwin Starr as the vocalist. At 19, Whitfield began frequenting Motown's Hitsville USA offices for a chance to work for the growing label. 2023 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved. The song also became one of the most valuable copyrights owned by Motown, as it was covered by hundreds of artists, most notably Creedence Clearwater Revival, both on an edited single, and as an epic-length jam on their perennially popular LP Cosmo's Factory. Norman Whitfield Popularity Most Popular #126320 First Name Norman #23 May 12 Singer #27 Last Name Whitfield #15 Norman Whitfield Is A Member Of Born In 1940 R&B Singers [5] In his review, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly said: "Whitfield is exceptionally good as the legendary singer-dancer who came to prominence in the 20s for her throaty singing and her notorious "banana dance"a wiggly little number executed while wearing nothing except a skirt of real bananas. Whitfield and lyrical collaborator Barrett Strong were inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2004. Norman Whitfield Whitfield was a native of Brooklyn, New York, and spent much of his teen years in local pool halls. Structural Info Facts Pictures Filmography Awards Known for movies Norman Whitfield. 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. Levi was born on January 10, 1932, to Allen Edgar Whitfield and Hattie Ellen Adams Whitfield in Old Joe,. Whitfield gave the song to Gladys Knight and the Pips, who made it Motown's bestselling single at the time. Whitfield often recorded notably different versions of songs with different artists in search of a hit, and did so successfully in the cases of Edwin Starr, with "War" (1970; originally recorded by the Temptations), and the Undisputed Truth, with "Smiling Faces Sometimes" (1971; also originally by the Temptations). Miss Whitfield was born September 5, 1975 in Hollywood, a daughter of Norman Whitfield and Asari Graham. He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motown Sound and of the late-1960s subgenre of psychedelic soul. The early 1940s were dominated by World War II. 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. Miss Whitfield was born September 5, 1975 in Hollywood, a daughter of Norman Whitfield and Asari Graham. DC Young Fly Daughter's Nova Whitfield: Age, Mom, Bio, Parents, Net Worth! [20][21] One critic stated: "Whitfield has the imperious aura of a grand soap opera diva in the tradition of Joan Collins. Your email address will not be published. Have you ever wondered how much wealth he accumulated for life? In the mid-1970s, Mr. Whitfield left Motown to start his own label, Whitfield Records. Buy Meta Added by Bastien Works 87 Discussions 1 All Private services were held at the L. E. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home for Miss Irasha Graham Whitfield, 40, of Beverly Hills, Calif. who departed this life Sunday, July 3. [1] He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motown Sound and of the late-1960s subgenre of psychedelic soul. Strong eventually went behind the scenes as a songwriter, teaming with producer Norman Whitfield in the mid-1960s to cowrite smashes for Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Edwin Starr and the . his father's car broke down there. 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 [12] In 1998, Whitfield had supporting role of an oncologist in the comedy-drama film Stepmom.[13][14]. She was a 1993 graduate of Hubbard High School and obtained a Bachelors Degree from Ohio State University and a Masters Degree from UCLA. His enthusiasm was infectious, and Gordy marveled at the moments when Whitfield was hooked on an idea. CNN . "I Can't Get Next to You," "Ball of Confusion," and "Cloud Nine" -- all written with his main songwriting partner, Barrett Strong -- were among the best records to come out of the label during the turn of the '60s and into the '70s. WHITFIELD Alan Victor of Darlington aged 77 years on 18th February, peacefully at home with his loving wife Joan and daughter Dawn by his side. Whitfield made her professional screen debut in 1981 as Jill Thomas in the critically acclaimed NBC serial drama Hill Street Blues. But success corrupted the once-shy outsider. The family eventually relocated there, and Whitfield hustled pool and performed other marginal pursuits to survive, and also began watching and learning what was needed to work in music. In 2005, he was sentenced to six months house arrest for tax evasion, avoiding imprisonment only because of diabetes and other health problems. Net Jung Seung Hwan - Age, Height, Net Worth, Parents, Morena Baccarin's Wiki, Husband, Net Worth, Measur Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, Songwriter, Record producer, Film Score Composer, Johnnie Whitfield, Norman Whitfield, Irasha Whitfield, Roland Whitfield, Michael Whitfield, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. 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. Skip Ancestry main menu Main Menu. He told later interviewers that his family had settled in Detroit after their car broke down there. His first professional engagement came at his age of 19, when he began serving in Motown headquarters Hitsville U.S.A. in its quality control department. 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. His first act was the Undisputed Truth, whom he had convinced to leave Motown, followed by Rose Royce, Willie Hutch, Yvonne Fair, Nytro, Mammatapee and Junior Walker. 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. In 2005 he faced tax evasion charges apparently between 1995 and 1999 he earned around $500,000 per year but failed to report a total income of over $2 million. The next year, he was in the news again after he pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. His father, Friendly Womack, spotted Bobby's talent on the guitar at an early age, and Bobby was only Photos by Larry Parham. Required fields are marked *. - Anti-Vietnam War song recorded by Temptations, on album Psychedelic Shack. 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. I could match him though, rhythm for rhythm, horn for horn., Norman Whitfield, Motown Songwriter and Producer, Dies at 68, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/arts/music/18whitfield.html. War actually sounds like war; Ball of Confusion is indeed a ball of confusion. [9][10] At the time of filming, Lawrence was 12 years younger than Whitfield, who was then 42. 1972 Grammy winner for Best R&B Song for "Papa Was a Rolling Stone.". 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. [3] After a highly publicized casting call, Whitfield was chosen over hundreds of women. Read Full Biography. 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. He was to see sides and potential in that group's sound that would enhance both of their careers in the decade to follow. Whitfield enjoyed a professional triumph with the Temptations' All Directions (1972), and followed it up with his greatest effort, the appropriately named Masterpiece (1973); and it was a two-fold personal and professional triumph, for both albums featured a lineup of the group -- Dennis Edwards, Richard Street, Damon Harris, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams -- which, though well-regarded, lacked the presence of acknowledged stars Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. Survived by his daughter, Irasha; sons, Norman; Michael; Johnnie; and Roland; a brother, Bill; eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). 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. He was bad. 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. Copyright - Ace Records Ltd. Strong eventually went behind the scenes as a songwriter, teaming with producer Norman Whitfield in the mid-1960s to cowrite smashes for Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Edwin Starr and the . Suddenly, topical comment and audacious psychedelic arrangements were on the agenda, and Whitfield-Strong were on a roll: Ball of Confusion, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, War and Smilin' Faces Sometimes all smouldered with tension and paranoia befitting the era of Vietnam, Nixon and the Black Panthers.