Obituary: Norman Whitfield

Sep 19 2008 by David Charters, Liverpool Daily Post

WHEN he saw the soul singer Smokey Robinson sitting as cool as you like in a Cadillac, the pool player became a tambourine man on his way to writing and producing some of the songs which would define his era.

Pop music’s capacity to hang in the memory has been its strongest force.

And few songs have done that more successfully than I Heard It Through the Grapevine, whether you prefer the version by Gladys Knight and the Pips (1967 – number two in the USA and 47 in Britain), or the version by Marvin Gaye (1968, a number one in both countries).

Norman Whitfield co-wrote it with his friend Barrett Strong, whose name had been made by Money (That’s What I Want), a staple of beat groups, including The Beatles.

Whitfield’s songs would be recorded by many Tamla Motown artists including the Undisputed Truth, Edwin Starr and Rare Earth, but his closest association was with The Temptations, for whom he wrote and produced in the late 1960s, when their music was heavily influenced by social comment and British rock.

This period produced Cloud Nine; Runaway Child, Running Wild; Psychedelic Shack; Ball of Confusion and Papa Was A Rolling Stone. It was the age of Afro hair.

There was some opposition to these more freaky sounds, which contrasted with the sweet music, with which Berry Gordy had established his Tamla Motown label.

But Whitfield robustly held his ground. Besides, the new sound was popular. “War” was particularly contentious, with its sentiment against American involvement in Vietnam. It was recorded by The Temptations and then became an international hit for Edwin Starr.

Whitfield was brought up in Harlem, and only came to Detroit when his father’s car broke down, forcing the family to stop there.

Young Whitfield was a fine pool player, but his life took a new direction when he saw Smokey Robinson in his Cadillac and decided to stir his own musical talent – first as the tambourine player with Popcorn and the Mohawks.

His career as a writer/ producer was lifted by collaborations with Eddie Holland on big hits, including Too Many Fish in the Sea and Needle in a Haystack.

Married with three sons, Whitfield’s post-Motown career was most famously marked by his soundtrack for the film Car Wash, which included a chart-topping hit of the same name in 1977.

Norman Whitfield, songwriter; born 1943, died August 16, 2008.