Norman Whitfield in the 1940 Census | Ancestry Phonographic Copyright - Ace Records Ltd. Licensed To - Ace Records Ltd. New York-born music legend Norman Whitfield came to Detroit by chance. Album by Larry Parham. Marvin Gaye, "Let's Get it On" (1973) - Written . In 1996, Whitfield was cast as the female lead opposite Martin Lawrence in the dark romantic comedy film A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. Whitfield became the company's spark plug as music entered the psychedelic era, taking to the new sound, and especially the use of sound effects, more easily than most of the label's production personnel. His genres are R&B,soul,pop,psychedelic soul,funk,disco. In 2004, Norman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He spent the last few months at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles. His first professional engagement came at his age of 19, when he began serving in Motown headquarters Hitsville U.S.A. in its quality control department. The next year, he was in the news again after he pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. . Net Jung Seung Hwan - Age, Height, Net Worth, Parents, Morena Baccarin's Wiki, Husband, Net Worth, Measur Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, Songwriter, Record producer, Film Score Composer, Johnnie Whitfield, Norman Whitfield, Irasha Whitfield, Roland Whitfield, Michael Whitfield, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Norman passed away in 2008. Lynn Whitfield - Wikipedia Norman Whitfield Biography. Even amid all of this activity with the Temptations, he found other important outlets for his compositions, most notably in the person of Edwin Starr. Gordy also soon learned to trust Whitfield's bouts of seemingly reckless enthusiasm. That year he left Motown to set up Whitfield Records but his only subsequent major success was Rose Royce, who released the likes of Car Wash and Wishing on a Star, and he retired from music in the early 80s. Norman Whitfield was born on May 12, 1940 (age 67) in New York City, New York, United States. It absolutely called upon everything I thought I could do at that point. However, his real breakthrough came in 1966 when Whitfield became the main producer for The Temptations music group. July 15, 2022 11:34 AM EDT. William Warren Lange. Whitfield was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the daughter of Jean (ne Butler), a former president of the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, and Dr. Valerian Smith, who was also a composer who wrote the musicals, The Supper and The Wake. Your email address will not be published. We will remember him forever. He paved the way for classics such as What Going On and Innervisions within Motown, plus hard-hitting political statements by the likes of the O'Jays and the Isley Brothers outside of it. He had been with Motown for several years without scoring a major hit, but in 1970 he enjoyed the biggest single of his career with "War," co-written by Whitfield and Holland. Date (s): Feb 09. - Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Miss Whitfield was born September 5, 1975 in Hollywood, a daughter of Norman Whitfield and Asari Graham. Both parents were instrumental in developing Whitfield's initial interest in acting, as they were actively involved in the Baton Rouge art scene. Norman Whitfield - Bio, Personal Life, Family & Cause Of Death - CelebsAges Artist Norman Whitfield Real name Norman Jesse Whitfield Born May 12, 1940 Died September 16, 2008 Country United States IPI 00032841992 45 works 00063704487 74 works Affiliation BMI Comments Songwriter and producer credited as one of the creators of the Motown sound. The first Temptations single to feature this new psychedelic soul style was "Cloud Nine" in late 1968, which earned Motown its first Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental). Whitfield created a new group around this time out of the ruins of a failed Motown act called the Delicates and one ex-member of a group called the Preps -- he put Billie Rae Calvin, Brenda Joyce Evans, and Joe Harris together as the Undisputed Truth and, calling all of the shots for the group as far as songs and recordings, they became one of his two principal vehicles for his musical ideas. [1] He also composed the theme song for the 1977 motion picture Which Way Is Up?, performed by Stargard. Whitfield later was cast in a leading role in Greenleaf's planned spinoff. He was well known for working with Berry Gordy's Motown labels in the 1960s. Norman Whitfield | Artist | GRAMMY.com Artist Norman Whitfield WINS* 2 NOMINATIONS* 4 19th Annual GRAMMY Awards WINNER Album Of Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or Television Special Car Wash View All Nominations For This Artist Through the 65th GRAMMY Nominations Norman Whitfield News View All News Birth name. - Fell in love with jazz guitarist, Slim Gaillard's young daughter, Janis Hunter. My thing was to out-Sly Sly Stone, Mr. Whitfield said. Had he worked for a label like Columbia or RCA Victor in the middle/late '50's, with a roster of artists spanning the musical spectrum, Whitfield might well have been cutting R&B, country, pop, and rock & roll (and vocal and instrumental) versions of his songs. Whitfield was born in Harlem, where his main achievement was to become a skilled pool player. In 1983, she appeared in the comedy film Doctor Detroit (1983), playing the supporting role of Thelma Cleland. The song itself may have said more than it meant to about the time in which it was written, recorded, and released, with a slow tempo and an ominous mood. Shirley Hickman Whitfield (1935-2021) - Memorial Find a Grave Lisa Wright always knew she was adopted, but had no idea her biological mother was a star on one of her favorite television shows. Her daughter has opted to pursue a career in music, and Lynn has been very supportive of her endeavors. [28] From 1990 to 1992, she was married to director Brian Gibson, with whom she had a daughter, Grace. Thanks to him, songs could pass the 10-minute mark, use every studio trick available and speak to the concerns of a tougher, angrier black America. My dad, Marvelous Mal | CNN Additionally, the 1968 single "Cloud Nine" became the first Motown record to win a Grammy Award, for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group. His interest in R&B dates from his mid-teens, and it was not long after that the New York-born Whitfield found himself stranded in Detroit, when his father's car broke down while on the way back from a relative's funeral in California. Suddenly, topical comment and audacious psychedelic arrangements were on the agenda, and Whitfield-Strong were on a roll: Ball of Confusion, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, War and Smilin' Faces Sometimes all smouldered with tension and paranoia befitting the era of Vietnam, Nixon and the Black Panthers. his father's car broke down there. From 2016 to 2020, she starred as Lady Mae Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network dramatic series Greenleaf, for which she won critical acclaim and garnered two NAACP Image Awards and a Gracie Award. Norman Whitfield - Wikipedia War was recorded by the Temptations before Edwin Starr, and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone was tried out on Whitfield's pet group the Undisputed Truth prior to the Temptations. In 2005 he faced tax evasion charges apparently between 1995 and 1999 he earned around $500,000 per year but failed to report a total income of over $2 million. Shere Whitfield Shares New Photo of Daughter Kaleigh Whitfield | Style The psychedelic soul records Whitfield produced for the Temptations and other artists such as Edwin Starr and the Undisputed Truth experimented with and updated the Motown sound for the late-1960s. Norman Whitfield was born in Harlem, New York in May 1940 and passed away . This memorial website was created in memory of Robert M Whitfield, 78, born on December 30, 1926 and passed away on March 2, 2005. NEW YORK (AP) Barrett Strong, one of Motown's founding artists and most gifted songwriters who sang lead on the company's breakthrough single "Money (That's What I Want)" and later collaborated with Norman Whitfield on such classics as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "War" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," has died . Whitfield also starred in a number of movies in the 2000s and 2010s. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. A junior figure at Hitsville, hungry for his big break, he hung around the studio watching more established producers such as Holland-Dozier-Holland at work. Levi and Shirley Whitfield enjoyed more than 66 years together until death parted them when Levi passed away on June 4, 2021. Norman Whitfield - Bio, Age, net worth, Wiki, Facts and Family - in4fp.com When Whitfield wasn't producing the albums himself, Frank Wilson, using techniques and approaches he'd learned from Whitfield, was in charge. [18][19] The series also starred Keith David, Merle Dandridge, Kim Hawthorne, and Oprah Winfrey. For the next few years, Whitfield or his protg, Frank Wilson, produced virtually all of the Temptations' recordings, although as Gordy recalled in his autobiography, Whitfield was ambitious enough to extend his influence as a producer far and wide; he still wrote songs as well, and he was always looking for different ways of presenting the same composition. He produced soul group Masterpiece in 1980. In 1975, Whitfield left Motown, following its move from Detroit, to form his own label, Whitfield Records. Estelle leaves behind two daughters, Lynn Whitfield and Kathy Carroll (John), grandsons, Chad Carroll and Kevin Carroll (Lauren), two great-grandchildren, Ryleigh and Isaiah Carroll. Though largely invisible professionally in his later years, he did re-emerge in the news in 2005 when he pleaded guilty to settle a tax evasion case from the late '90s. General Info Family After 1968, Whitfield turned towards darker and harder sound, blending funk and psychedelic rock. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. Whitfield was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the daughter of Jean (ne Butler), a former president of the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, and Dr. Valerian Smith, who was also a composer who wrote the musicals, The Supper and The Wake. In this regard, Whitfield's approach to music resembled that of the record producers of what was, by then, a bygone era. He was bad. [6] He added contemporary song topics, moving from love songs to the social issues of the time, such as war, poverty and politics. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. One is hard-pressed to find anything less than 100 percent enthusiasm from the Temptations, especially on "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," but while their performance of "Masterpiece" is energetic (and the song receives a rousing roar at start and finish from the crowd), it's also abbreviated and pushes the vocalists to the fore, and doesn't even attempt to emulate Whitfield's elaborate studio approach. After several years fighting diabetes, Norman Whitfield passed away at the age of 68, on the 16th September 2008 in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Rather than content himself -- as most of his contemporaries did -- with producing one hit version of a song done a certain way and aimed at a particular audiences, he would treat the same song differently with a variety of artists, looking for new permutations of its appeal to put before the public. I Can't Get Next To You - The Temptations. Anthony Ciccone, Madonna's older brother, dies at 66: 'You planted many Whitfield has been credited with helping create the Motown Sound and helping the development of the subgenre psychedelic soul. "[22] She won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2019 and 2020 as well as the Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series in 2017. He was a longtime Motown producer and founded his own record label, Whitfield Records, in 1973. Award-Winning Songwriter/Producer Norman Whitfield Dead at 68 He recruited new members, most notably Taka Boom (aka Yvonne Stevens, the sister of Chaka Khan), later with the Glass Family, to work with Joe Harris, and saw hits from this version of the group with "You + Me = Love" and "Let's Go Down to the Disco." He then started his own label, Whitfield Records, in 1975, which yielded the Rose Royce hit "Car Wash". In the early 1980s, Whitfield began working as a producer for Motown again, helming the Temptations' 1983 hit single "Sail Away" and the soundtrack to The Last Dragon.[1]. Car Wash - Rose Royce. [1] He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motown Sound and of the late-1960s subgenre of psychedelic soul. Norman Whitfield Born 12 May 1940, New York, NY, United States Died 16 September 2008, Los Angeles, CA, United States Member of Popcorn and The Mohawks The Temptations, , Marvin Gaye, The Undisputed Truth, Rose Royce Also Known As Norman Jesse Whitfield [birth name] Genres Motown Sound Share Tweet Follow 7 followers ADVERTISEMENT Discography 3 - Anti-Vietnam War song recorded by Temptations, on album Psychedelic Shack. When it comes to his personal life, Norman Whitfield managed to keep it private he had five children but details of their mother(s) is lacking. Lynn Whitfield Wiki Bio, Daughter, Nationality, Wealth. Married? Mrs. Estelle Whitfield, age 98, passed away November 23, 2020. She was a 1993 graduate of Hubbard High School and obtained a Bachelors Degree from Ohio State University and a Masters Degree from UCLA. Gordy refused to release versions of I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the Miracles, the Isley Brothers and Marvin Gaye. Doubtlessly, all these ventures made positive impact on Whitfields net worth. Motown producer/songwriter who helped define the label's sound. In the meantime, he became an admirer of Berry Gordy as the latter emerged as the most promising new music entrepreneur in Detroit. But while Hayes was a famously charming and outgoing character hence those frustratingly reductive obits that mentioned Shaft and South Park and left it at that Whitfield was always a mystery. Leonard Levi Whitfield (1932-2021) - Memorial Find a Grave Norman Whitfield. Motown hitmaker Norman Whitfield dies in L.A | Reuters secondhandsongs.com. He was 68 and lived in Toluca Lake, Calif. [9][10] At the time of filming, Lawrence was 12 years younger than Whitfield, who was then 42. His the best movie is Car Wash. Gordy then agreed to have Gaye record it, and Gaye's version remains Motown's biggest hit single. Norman studied briefly at a technical school in Detroit before joining Thelma Records, a local label, when he was about 19. Norman Whitfield Obituary (2008) - Los Angeles, CA - Legacy He was also widely recognized for his work with The Temptations, producing eight of their studio albums, as well as for his own record label Whitfield Records. The title track on the Temptations' album Masterpiece (1973) was the quintessential effort in this direction, an epic-length production propelled by a driving beat and lush instrumentation (in several layers) and filled with lyrics steeped in the urban landscape of the time -- ironically, as impressive as the latter was as a production, five people who were not entirely pleased with the track or the album were the Temptations themselves, who felt that they'd taken something of a back seat to the instrumentation and the overall production on what was supposed to be their album. [7]" Whitfield won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role, and said this gave her "the greatest sense of accomplishment and realization of my vision. SOLUTIONS. Following graduation, she first garnered attention on the stage by performing with the Black Repertory Company in Washington, D.C. She married playwright/director/actor Vantile Whitfield, one of the company's co-founders and a pioneer of black theatre, in 1974. This was after Gordy had rejected the idea of recording it with Gaye, the Miracles, or the Isley Brothers. .more .more 57 Dislike Share Save Alain Robert 12.3K subscribers Subscribe Comments 6 Add a. Jason, Scott, Shelly, Wanda,Taylor & Brad Stone. I knew that this was extremely unlikely given his ongoing struggles with a) illness and b) the IRS, not to mention a longstanding reluctance to talk to the press. "His will to live was so. She leaves to cherish her memory, her mother, of Hubbard; 4 brothers; 1 uncle, Bill Whitfield of Calif.; many cousins and host of other family members and friends. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Norman Whitfield, who co-wrote a string of Motown classics including "War" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," has died. In his memoir To Be Loved, Motown founder Berry Gordy remembers the young Whitfield as a tall, shy man who earned a living in his teens as a hotshot pool player. She also had a regular role on the short-lived NBC detective series The Cosby Mysteries from 1994 to 1995 and later guest-starred on Martin and Touched by an Angel. Her accounts mostly post personal photos, behind the scenes footage, and promotions of her projects. Whitfield also appeared in The Women (2008), The Rebound (2009), and Mama, I Want to Sing (2011) and had many roles in low-profile B-movies. Norman Whitfield net worth: Norman Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer who had a net worth of $10 million. Following the death of Isaac Hayes last month, it's been a bad year for fans of heavily orchestrated, epic soul. He also helped usher in the era of psychedelic soul, producing the work of artists like Edwin Starr and the Undisputed Truth. Some of his first projects included releasing The Undisputed Truths hit single You + Me = Love. Mr. Whitfields songs were recorded by a string of Motown luminaries, who besides Mr. Gaye included the Temptations and the Jackson Five. Motown's Barrett Strong heralded at funeral as music icon, family man He was born in Harlem in 1943. I'll be doing something similar tonight. Motown producer/songwriter who helped define the label's sound. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. Legendary songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield, the anchor of Motown 's early 70s movement toward funk, has died. Hayes and Whitfield were two of my heroes for the way they redrew the boundaries of soul, letting songs thunder and swirl far beyond the traditional pop song format. A native of Harlem, Whitfield spent his early teen years hanging out in local pool halls. - Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. [3] After a highly publicized casting call, Whitfield was chosen over hundreds of women. THE WORKS OF WHITFIELD, AND THE PROMISE OF A DOCUMENTARY. Now Wright is sharing the story of having been reunited . The cause was heart and kidney failure resulting from diabetes, his daughter, Irasha Whitfield, said. Meet Lynn Whitfield & Brian Gibson's Daughter Grace Learn about Her Hollywood Career By Stephen Thompson Aug 02, 2020 04:00 P.M. Buy Meta Added by Bastien Works 87 Discussions 1 All Songs written by Norman Whitfield. Norman Whitfield Beckford - The Nassau Guardian Have you ever wondered how much wealth he accumulated for life? "Grapevine" writer Whitfield, 68, helped solidify Motown sound Whitfield gave the song to Gladys Knight and the Pips, who made it Motown's bestselling single at the time. The song also became one of the most valuable copyrights owned by Motown, as it was covered by hundreds of artists, most notably Creedence Clearwater Revival, both on an edited single, and as an epic-length jam on their perennially popular LP Cosmo's Factory. United States. [12] In 1998, Whitfield had supporting role of an oncologist in the comedy-drama film Stepmom.[13][14]. [1] The Undisputed Truth scored their second biggest hit in 1976 with the disco song "You + Me = Love", their first single on Whitfield Records. Funeral Home website by. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. He was known especially for his work with the Temptations; he produced many of their recordings for Motown, including the album Cloud Nine, whose title track earned the group a Grammy in 1969. Gordy finally came to appreciate Whitfield's persistence as an attribute they shared, and put him in charge of "quality control" -- he would listen to blank label copies of the company's latest finished sides and critique them without knowing who was on or behind them, boil his observations down to a numerical score, and give the results to Gordy to think about. He was to see sides and potential in that group's sound that would enhance both of their careers in the decade to follow. Norman Whitfield - Psychedelic Soul (Produced By Norman - Discogs He caught the psychedelic thing. Norman Whitfield's Life Path Number is 22 as per numerology. Norman Jesse Whitfield was born on the 12th May 1940, in Harlem, New York City, USA, and was a songwriter, music producer and arranger, and is best known for his collaboration with Berry Gordys record label Motown for which he wrote numerous hit singles such as I Heard it Through the Grapevine, War, Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) and Papa Was a Rollin Stone among plenty of others. Age, Height, Husband, Net Wor What is Jo Anne Worley doing now? TV Mini-Series documentary writer - 1 episode, writer: "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", writer: "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", writer: "Just my imagination running away with me" - as Norman I. Whitfield, writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "I Wanna Get Next to You", writer: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", as N. Whitfield, "Holler If Ya Hear Me" / writer: "Holler If Ya Hear Me" - as N. Whitfield, writer: "Ball of Confusion That's What the World Is Today", Madonna: The Girlie Show - Live Down Under, TV Movie documentary writer: "Rain" - as N. Whitfield, TV Movie writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", Raisins Sold Out: The California Raisins II, TV Movie writer: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", producer: "War" / writer: "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", "War", writer: "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", TV Movie writer: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" - uncredited, Documentary "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" / producer: "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", writer: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", writer: "Wherever I Lay My Hat That's My Home", TV Special documentary writer: "That's the way Love is", producer: "The Last Dragon", "Stand Your Ground", "The Final Test" / writer: "The Last Dragon", "Stand Your Ground", "The Final Test", TV Series writer - 1 episode, 1985 lyrics - 1 episode, 1982 music - 1 episode, 1982, Video writer: "Friendship Train", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", writer: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", TV Movie documentary writer: "Needle in a Haystack", Documentary "Just My Imagination Running Away With Me", lyrics: "WAR" - as N. Whitfield / music: "WAR" - as N. Whitfield, Bassie en Adriaan en het geheim van de sleutel, lyrics: "Which Way Is Up?" But success corrupted the once-shy outsider. Norman Whitfield: 16: Daughter: Sedonia Whitfield. By Matt Wesley. By age five, Whitfield decided she wanted to be in them. He turned around and annoyed Gordy intensely, finally cajoling him into okaying another attempt at the song by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Norman was raised in Harlem where he spent the majority of his spare time in pool halls. Whitfield's rise was down to a cocktail of talent, ego, luck and, most of all, persistence. After wood-shedding on local . Norman Whitfield | Discography | Discogs [5] In his review, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly said: "Whitfield is exceptionally good as the legendary singer-dancer who came to prominence in the 20s for her throaty singing and her notorious "banana dance"a wiggly little number executed while wearing nothing except a skirt of real bananas. In 1983, Whitfield teamed up with Motown again, and produced The Temptations hit single Sailing Away while in 1985 he produced the original soundtrack of another Schultz movie, the martial arts cult classic The Last Dragon. By way of Wilson's contemporary work with the Four Tops, Whitfield's influence extended to other corners of the Motown stable during this era. Until yesterday I was still holding out the slenderest hope of somehow securing an interview with Norman Whitfield, the reclusive genius of psychedelic soul. [27], Whitfield has been married twice. She later co-starred in the films The Slugger's Wife, Silverado, and Jaws: The Revenge. DC Young Fly Daughter's Nova Whitfield: Age, Mom, Bio, Parents, Net Worth! Alongside his Motown lyrical collaborator Barrett Strong, he was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2004. After a long bout with diabetes and subsequent health issues, Whitfield died in Los Angeles, CA, on September 16, 2008, at age 65. Norman Whitfield, a long time friend and best friend during our growing up years, was laid to rest at the Lower Greens Creek Cemetery - he lived in Eastland at the time of his death. Award-winning actress Lynn Whitfield and her movie director ex-husband Brian Gibson share a beautiful daughter named Grace Gibson who fell in love with her parents' career and followed in their footsteps. Norman Whitfield - Rate Your Music Daughter Mignon Strong said her father's strength of spirit persisted through his final days. Later that year his Cloud Nine, performed by The Temptations was honored with a prestigious Grammy Award which was followed by another Grammy for Papa Was a Rollin Stone which was released in 1973. In the mid-1970s, Mr. Whitfield left Motown to start his own label, Whitfield Records. Whitfield's motives are still unclear - was he truly passionate about social change or just a canny hitmaker who sensed the mood of the times and catered to it? I could match him though, rhythm for rhythm, horn for horn., Norman Whitfield, Motown Songwriter and Producer, Dies at 68, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/arts/music/18whitfield.html. Mini Bio (1) Music producer, arranger, and songwriter Norman Jessie Whitfield was born on May 12, 1941 in New York City. Her mother is an African-American while her father is Creole making her half Native American. Norman Whitfield. While we work diligently to ensure that our numbers are as accurate as possible, unless otherwise indicated they are only estimates.
