Archive for the Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) Category

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Earl Van Dyke

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , , , on January 30, 2023 by Cade

July 8, 1930 – September 18, 1992

Nicknamed “Chunk O Funk” or “Big Funk” by his session-mates, Earl Van Dyke was a piano player, keyboardist and band leader for the Motown in-house band collectively known as the Funk Brothers. Van Dyke stepped into the role when Joe Hunter left Motown in 1964 and played on hit records for artists like the Temptations, the Four Tops and Marvin Gaye. He also recorded and played his own records, many of which were Motown inspired or covers of classic Motown songs.

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Johnnie Mae Matthews

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags on January 16, 2023 by Cade

December 31, 1922 – January 6, 2002

The first African American woman to own her own record label, Johnnie Mae Matthews was a hugely – if quietly – influential figure in the early 1960’s Detroit R&B music scene. A recording artist in her own right, Matthews worked early on with the likes of Otis Williams and the Distants, Jimmy and David Ruffin, Norman Whitfield, Richard Street and Berry Gordy. Gordy often cited Matthews as the one who showed him the ropes of the music business and encouraged him to start Motown records. Johnnie, under her label, Northern Recording Company, was the original manager of the Temptations when they were still known as “the Distants.”

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Aretha Franklin

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , on December 19, 2022 by Cade

March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018

Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1942. Her father, a Baptist minister, moved the family to Detroit when Aretha was 5 years-old to preach at New Bethel Baptist Church. After her mother died in 1952, 10 year-old Aretha found solace through singing in the church. It was immediately apparent to everyone who heard, that there was something special about her. She continued to sing and gain attention and by the time she turned 18, she signed a recording contract with Columbia records. Though her time with Columbia taught her about the business and generated a few minor hits, it would take a change for the world to finally meet Ms. Franklin. In 1966, Aretha Franklin signed with Atlantic records and exploded onto the international music landscape.

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Bobbie Smith

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , , , on December 12, 2022 by Cade

April 10, 1936 – March 16, 2013

The Spinners were a popular American R&B vocal group that formed in 1954 in a housing project outside of Detroit. The group got their professional start at Tri-Phi Records, which was eventually absorbed into Berry Gordy’s Motown label. While they paid their dues alongside hitmakers like the Temptations and the Four Tops, the Spinners’ success was finally realized when they left Motown and signed with Atlantic records in the early 1970’s. Through all the highs and lows, the most consistent lead vocal was that of Robert “Bobby” Smith. Bobby – or “Bobbie” as he sometimes spelled it – led the Spinners on certified Gold singles like “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” the duet with Dionne Warwick “Then Came You” and “I’ll Be Around.” The latter – originally a B-side – was an unexpected success as DJs preferred playing it to the A-side single. It became the Spinners’ first million-selling record and their first #1 hit.

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Lawrence Payton

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , , , on November 28, 2022 by Cade

March 2, 1938 – June 20, 1997

Lawrence Payton spent 43 years as part of one of the most successful R&B acts of the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. That act was the Four Tops and Payton was often cited as the musical backbone of the group. He was responsible for many of the Tops’ most memorable harmonies and arrangements.

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Uriel Jones

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , , , on October 31, 2022 by Cade

June 13, 1934 – March 24, 2009

As a drummer for the legendary house band, the Funk Brothers, Uriel Jones played on many of Motown Records’ biggest hits of the 1960s. From “Ain’t to Proud to Beg” and “I Can’t Get Next to You” by the Temptations, to Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life”, Jones’ smooth and funky rhythm came to be a staple in the exploding R&B scene out of Detroit.

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DeShaun “Proof” Holton

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , on October 17, 2022 by Cade

October 2, 1973 – April 11, 2006

DeShaun Holton was a Detroit-based rapper who grew to prominence in the 1990s and early 2000s. Under the performing name “Proof,” Holton formed a collective of local hip-hop artists in 1996 called D12. The group contained, at various times, other Detroit contemporaries like Eminem, Denaun and Bizarre among others. Proof and Eminem were close childhood friends and supported each other throughout their careers. Proof toured with Eminem and served as the latter’s hype man in concerts. He also appeared in Eminem’s critically-acclaimed 2002 motion picture, 8 Mile. D12 released two albums and a number of hit singles. As a solo artist, Proof released two EPs and two full-length studio albums spawning singles like “Trapped” and “Kurt Kobain”…which leaned heavily on prescient thoughts of his own death and legacy.

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Susie Garrett

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , on October 10, 2022 by Cade

December 29, 1929 – May 24, 2002

Susie Garrett was an actress and singer who grew up singing in jazz clubs in Detroit. In addition to singing, she enjoyed acting and appeared in a number of plays. By the 1980’s Susie’s younger sister, Marla Gibbs, had forged a career in television and was co-starring on the hit CBS sitcom, The Jeffersons. Garrett made a couple of walk-on appearances on the show and, in 1984, was offered a featured role on the new NBC show Punky Brewster.

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Pervis Jackson

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , , , on October 3, 2022 by Cade

May 17, 1938 – August 18, 2008

For more than half a century, Pervis Jackson was the swagger-filled bass voice of the hugely successful R&B group, the Spinners. Jackson was a founding member of the group along with fellow long-time Spinners Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough and Bobbie Smith. Originally based in Detroit, the Spinners signed with Motown Records in 1963, but only found moderate success. Encouraged by another Detroit artist that was experiencing great success, Aretha Franklin, the group let their Motown contract end and signed with Atlantic Records.

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Ronnie White

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , , , on September 26, 2022 by Cade

April 5, 1939 – August 26, 1995

As a founding member of the first successful group at Motown Records, Ronald “Ronnie” White’s place in American music history was solidified early on, even if he didn’t always get the recognition. In 1955, White – along with childhood friend, William “Smokey” Robinson – formed the vocal group that would eventually become the Miracles. When Berry Gordy was founding Tamla records in Detroit, the Miracles auditioned for him having found little interest from other labels. Gordy signed the group to the label that became Motown. The Miracles had their first hit with 1960’s “Shop Around.”

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