RIP Funk Brother/early Motown bandleader Joe Hunter

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

As reported here. His AMG bio gives a sense of it, but put in simple terms -- anyone who was playing piano for Hank Ballard before he ended up performing on "Money," "Shop Around," "Do You Love Me" and "Heat Wave," among other stuff, as well as leading the early touring bands and helping get James Jamerson on board, deserves yer respect several times over.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 5 February 2007 07:56 (eighteen years ago)

Sad. Yea, I saw him on one of those Funk Brothers play Motown songs tour, and got the dvd where Joe and others discussed their roles in Motown's glory days. An unsung hero.

― curmudgeon (DC Steve), Monday, 5 February 2007 13:38 (eighteen years ago)

ripped off, like so many great musicians.

found this in an obit in one of the detroit papers:

The glamour of Motown wore off quickly for Hunter after the '60s. When Philadelphia musician/historian Allan Slutsky set out to find all the Funk Brothers in the 1980s, he found Hunter playing for tips at the Troy Marriott. Hotel guests had no idea who he was.

"Joe was kind of a throwback character, an English country gentleman in an R&B blues body," said Slutsky, whose book and film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" chronicled the Funk Brothers' saga.

"He would come off with that backwoods thing, talking about corn 'likker'and stuff, but then he would quote Shakespeare," Slutsky added.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 5 February 2007 14:40 (eighteen years ago)

Yea, when Slutsky brought them around the country on tour in recent years they looked so thrilled to be finally getting some respect (even though, yea it didn't/wouldn't make up for all those years of not properly getting financial or media credit for their input in transforming Holland Dozier Holland et. al. songs into the brilliance that we all know).

― curmudgeon (DC Steve), Monday, 5 February 2007 15:09 (eighteen years ago)

I was just listening to the soundtrack to the doc last night and loving the piano on "You Really Got A Hold On Me" all over again.

I was at the doc premiere where he and a few of the other Funk Bros. played a short set, undoubtedly one of the tightest and most fun small combo sets I've ever seen.

RIP Mr. Hunter.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Monday, 5 February 2007 15:41 (eighteen years ago)

I think I'm gonna have to throw in my "Standing In The Shadows of Motown" DVD in Joe's honour today.

― shorty (shorty), Monday, 5 February 2007 15:46 (eighteen years ago)

A lot of great music people have been dying lately. RIP Mr. Hunter

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 07:53 (eighteen years ago)

Speaking of which, Barbara McNair passed away Sunday...

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 08:15 (eighteen years ago)

not to mention Billy Henderson

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 08:55 (eighteen years ago)

All three with Motown connections . . .

― A Radio Picture (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 10:48 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.