Joe Hunter was the leader of the session band from 1959 until 1962, when Earl Van Dyke was recruited to Motown and took over the leadership up to 1972. He was born in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1927 and moved to Detroit in 1938. His mother was a piano teacher, which clearly inspired his love of that instrument.
Joe Hunter (Photo: From The Vaults)
During his military service in the army, Hunter played in a Jazz band, which he continued in civilian life, touring with the Midnighters and playing in Detroit clubs. He was recruited by Berry Gordy in 1958 and played on most of the company’s early recordings, including songs by Marv Johnson, Barrett Strong, the Miracles, Martha & the Vandellas, the Contours and Marvin Gaye. Hunter had a key role at the studio – he rehearsed each artist or group prior to each recording session, ensuring that they were fully prepared. He left Motown in 1963 to become a freelance arranger and producer.
His autobiography Musicians, Motown and Myself: The Dawn of a New Sound was published in 1996. At the age of seventy-five, he joined up with some of the ssurviving Funk Brothers to appear in Paul Justman’s film Standing in the Shadow of Motown. Probably as a result of the publicity that the film generated for the Funk Brothers, he and his colleagues were given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. Hunter continued to perform as a musician in the Detroit area until his death on 2nd February 2007.
Johnny Griffiths first came to Motown in 1961, but was never under contract to Berry Gordy’s company, so was able to combine sessions in Studio A with work in other studios for a variety of labels. He came in the hope of being able to play Jazz and was given the opportunity to record two albums for Motown’s Workshop Jazz division. His main contribution was, however, playing keyboards for Motown’s R&B artists.
Griffiths was classically-trained and often teamed up with Earl Van Dyke to create a double keyboard sound, combining acoustic piano with electric piano or organ. He played all three, plus celeste, harpsichord and Fender Rhodes, and can be heard on the Supremes’ “Stop In The Name Of Love” and Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”.
Richard “Popcorn” Wylie was born in Detroit in 1939. His family were musical and he learned to play piano. At school, he formed a group that he called Popcorn and the Mohawks, bringing life to the name by wearing a Mohawk head-dress at the group’s performances. The group was a talented band, including six other lads who went on to work at Motown: Norman Whitfield, James Jamerson, Lamont Dozier, Mike Terry, Clifford Mack and Eddie Willis.
Wylie recorded a single in 1960 called “Pretty Girl” for the Northern label, before switching to Motown. Three solo singles followed, plus a couple of duets with Janie Bradford in 1961, credited as Janard. He also became a regular in Studio A, playing on many of the early Motown hits, including the Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman” and the Miracles’ “Shop Around”. He was appointed Head of A&R and also led the band in 1962’s Motortown Revue tour. Sadly, he left Motown in 1962 following a disagreement with Berry Gordy, and moved to rival Detroit recording company Correc-Tone Records.
Earl Van Dyke took over from Wylie, then become lead keyboard player at Motown when Joe Hunter left in 1963. He was born in Detroit in 1930 and took up the piano at the age of five. His first appearance in the musical sphere was as a member of various Jazz bands. He met James Jamerson in 1959, when the latter was playing in Jackie Wilson’s backing group. Jamerson encouraged him to join Motown, but it took three years to happen. Then, things started to move much more quickly.
In addition to his work in the studio, Van Dyke led a small touring band drawn from the Motown musicians that opened for several of the best-known Motown artists. The band was given the opportunity to record in its own right, credited as Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers. He was a talented and versatile musician, playing piano, Hammond organ, electric piano, celeste and harpsichord. In Studio A he played the company’s Steinway piano with some force, according to his fellow musicians.
When Van Dyke left Motown, he joined Freda Payne’s touring band. Later he returned to Detroit to teach music in the public school system.
One or more of these four keyboard players featured on almost every song recorded at Motown between 1959 and 1972.
