Standing in the Shadows of Motown

In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers.

6.9

116 min

Cast

Richard 'Pistol' Allen

as Self

Jack Ashford

as Self

Bob Babbitt

as Self

Benny 'Papa Zita' Benjamin

as Self (archive footage)

Eddie 'Bongo' Brown

as Self (archive footage)

Bootsy Collins

as Self

Johnny Griffith

as Self

Ben Harper

as Self

Joe Hunter

as Self

James Jamerson

as Self (archive footage)

Uriel Jones

as Self

Montell Jordan

as Self

Chaka Khan

as Self

Gerald Levert

as Self

Joe Messina

as Self

Meshell Ndegeocello

as Self

Joan Osborne

as Self

Rudy Robinson

as Self

James Jamerson Jr.

as Self

Paul Riser

as Self

Andre Braugher

as Narrator (voice)

Gary Bosek

as Young Bob Babbitt

Director

Paul Justman