Barrett Strong delivered Motown’s first hit!
There are two sides to Barrett Strong’s career. First, as an artist who recorded Motown’s first hit Money (That’s What I Want) in 1959. A song that was actually written by the president of Motown, Berry Gordy.
Money was Barrett and Motown’s first hit tune and has since been covered by The Beatles, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Rolling Stones, and most Motown/Soul bands on a seemingly weekly basis.
As important as this was to kick start the label, Barrett’s strongest part of his career came in terms of the lyrics he wrote for other artists.
Perhaps most notably I Heard It Through The Grapevine, War, Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home), and Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone. Most of Barrett’s hits were created alongside producer Norman Whitfield.
When Motown relocated from Detroit to Los Angeles, Barrett stayed behind, and even though he remained active, the glory days were behind him the day he walked away from the Motown factory.
Barrett Strong received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1973 for Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.
Barrett Strong Tunes | Related Pages
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Learn how to play I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, a backing track, and video guitar lessons.
| Ebm | Ebm | Bb Ab | Ab6 Ab |
I bet you’re wonderin’ how I knew, ’bout your plans to make me blue…
Money (That’s What I Want)
Learn how to play Money (That’s What I Want) by Barrett Strong using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, a backing track, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| F N.C | N.C Bb C |
The best things in life are free…
Barrett Strong on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was an article about Barrett Strong tunes, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.
