Benny Benjamin
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Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". William "Benny" Benjamin (July 25, 1925 – April 20, 1969),[1]Template:Efn nicknamed Papa Zita,[2] was an American musician, most notable as the primary drummer for the Motown Records studio band The Funk Brothers.[3] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and was named the eleventh best drummer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2016.[4][5]
Life and career
Benjamin was a native of Birmingham, Alabama.[6] He originally learned to play drums in the style of the big band jazz groups in the 1940s.[3][6]
In 1958, he was Motown's first studio drummer, where he was noted for his dynamic style. Several Motown record producers, including Berry Gordy, refused to work on any recording sessions unless Benjamin was the drummer[2] and James Jamerson the bassist. The Beatles singled out Benjamin's drumming style upon meeting Gordy in the UK.[3][5] Among the Motown songs he performed on are early hits such as "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong, "Shop Around" by the Miracles and "Do You Love Me" by the Contours; as well as later hits such as "Get Ready" and "My Girl" by the Temptations, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by the Four Tops, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" by Stevie Wonder, "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & the Pips, and "Going to a Go-Go" by the Miracles.[7][2][8][9]Template:Efn
Benjamin was influenced by the work of drummers Buddy Rich and Tito Puente. He recorded with a studio set composed of Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers and Gretsch components and probably Zildjian cymbals.[6]
By the late 1960s, Benjamin struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and the fellow Funk Brothers Uriel Jones and Richard "Pistol" Allen increasingly recorded more of the drum tracks for the studio's releases.[3][6] He died on April 20, 1969, of a stroke at age 43.[10]
Notes
References
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External links
- Template:Trim/ Template:Trim at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:WikidataCheck
- Template:Rockhall
- 10 Best Rhythm Sections of All Time – Drum! magazine
- Sunday Sounds: Benny Benjamin's 'Supreme' Motown Sound – Drum! magazine
- Secrets of Motown: The Tracks of Their Drums – Modern Drummer magazine
Template:The Funk Brothers Template:2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Pages with script errors
- 1925 births
- 1969 deaths
- 20th-century African-American musicians
- 20th-century American drummers
- 20th-century American male musicians
- African-American drummers
- American jazz drummers
- American male drummers
- American male jazz musicians
- American session musicians
- American soul musicians
- Drummers from Alabama
- Jazz musicians from Alabama
- Musicians from Birmingham, Alabama
- Rhythm and blues drummers
- Soul drummers
- The Funk Brothers members