Review

GUITARS, BARS, AND MOTOWN SUPERSTARS DENNIS COFFEY

Edwin Starr once said - “Guitarist Dennis Coffey was in that elite band of musicians who helped to create the Motown Sound.” . And, to be honest, there can never be enough stories told by these unsung heroes who stood in the shadows for so long, while the artists they backed climbed to stardom.

Without a doubt, Motown boss Berry Gordy kept his musicians on a tight rein, but that didn’t prevent them moonlighting for other companies. The $500 fine he imposed was chicken feed to the kind of money the musicians were earning at the time. But, in all of this, it wasn’t all down to the money really, it was the fact that these guys weren’t acknowledged on record sleeves. They remained anonymous to the record buying public until the tide eventually turned with Ashford & Simpson, which, in turn, slowly opened the floodgates, and the unsung heroes received the public credit they rightly deserved.

By reading this book, I’ve enjoyed such an intimate and totally absorbing insight into Motown’s very soul, and I feel as if I’ve personally rubbed literary shoulders with all the musicians, thanks to Dennis, a musical legend himself, who also introduced innovations, like the wah-wah pedal into the studio. He first learned his craft on an old Hawaiian slide guitar, then a Harmony electric, through others until the present day with the Gibson 335 in his collection. Writing about sessions in the famous Snakepit, he speaks of folks like Hank Cosby, Norman Whitfield, Earl Van Dyke, Stevie Wonder, as if they’re everyday people. Hell, they’re all stars to us!! Dennis’ biggest career break started with The Temptations (check out his guitar work on 'Cloud Nine') but he also worked with Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Miracles, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes..and so on. So he can be heard on hundreds of Motown tracks. He writes about early Motown as if it was yesterday, and about the company leaving Detroit for Los Angeles. A move that broke the very heart of the motor city and its artists alike. To survive, Dennis relocated to the West Coast to work with newly signed and established acts on the Mowest label. Outside of the Motown camp, he can be heard on records released by Fantasy, Atlantic, Polydor, Sony, and with non-Motown names like Del Shannon, Harry Nilsson, the Dramatics, Quincy Jones and Ringo Starr – and these are, of course, but a handful.

I’m a sponge when it comes to reading about Berry’s musicians; I have to know how the magic was created, and Dennis goes to great lengths to dissect the Motown Sound – which is a first for me. To a certain extent this is a rags to riches tale; it’s personal yet work-related. It is a compulsive read, often entertaining but always informative. A real must for people like me, and thank you Dennis for my fascinating journey.
Words SHARON DAVIS