Icon Movies

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.

The soul behind the sound.

Genres: Documentary

Starring: Richard 'Pistol' Allen, Jack Ashford, Bob Babbitt

Released: November 15, 2002

Runtime: 116.0

Popularity Rating: 0.643

United States of America

Himself Richard 'Pistol' Allen
Himself Jack Ashford
Himself Bob Babbitt
Himself (archive footage) Benny 'Papa Zita' Benjamin
Himself (archive footage) Eddie 'Bongo' Brown
Himself Bootsy Collins
Himself Johnny Griffith
Himself Ben Harper
Himself Joe Hunter
Himself (archive footage) James Jamerson
Himself Uriel Jones
Himself Montell Jordan
Herself Chaka Khan
Himself Gerald Levert
Himself Joe Messina
Herself Meshell Ndegeocello
Herself Joan Osborne
Himself Rudy Robinson

Directing — Director: Paul Justman
Sound — Music: Alan Slutsky
Writing — Novel: Alan Slutsky
Writing — Writer: Ntozake Shange
Writing — Writer: Walter Dallas