Motown icon wrote enduring hit songs
Barrett Strong, an important figure in the early days of Motown Records who sang on the studio's first hit single, Money (That's What I Want), and later co-wrote some of its most enduring songs, including War, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, died Jan. 28 at his home in La Jolla, Calif. He was 81.
His son Chelson Strong confirmed the death but did not provide a specific cause.
Opening with an ebullient piano riff and the indelible lyrics The best things in life are free/but you can give them to the birds and bees, the 1960 release of Money was a breakthrough moment for Berry Gordy Jr.'s nascent recording company, which was headquartered in a Detroit house emblazoned with the sign Hitsville U.S.A.
Later covered by the Beatles, the Doors and the Rolling Stones, among other bands and performers, Money quickly shot to No. 2 on the R&B chart and No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Strong was a teen when he met Gordy, a friend of his sister. On a visit to the Strong house, Gordy heard Strong playing Ray Charles songs on the piano and invited him to the studio to record.
Gordy and Strong squabbled over royalties and credit for Money, with Strong accusing Motown of removing him from copyright documents. Whatever fame Strong earned on radios across America didn't quite last.
In 1961, he left Motown for other studios but was lured back a few years later by an opportunity to write songs. With producer Norman Whitfield, he co-wrote I Heard it Through the Grapevine, performed by Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pips; War for Edwin Starr; and several songs for the Temptations, including Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.
Barrett Strong Jr. was born Feb. 5, 1941, in West Point, Miss., the only son of six children. He was four when the family moved to Detroit, and his father, a minister, soon bought him a piano. He began singing in school, which he attended with Aretha Franklin, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Before connecting with Gordy, he performed at local music joints around Detroit.
Strong drifted in and out of music, working at Chrysler and other blue-collar jobs to support his family. In the early 1970s, Strong signed with Epic Records, releasing two albums and later moved to California.
His wife of 35 years, Sandy White, died in 2002. Survivors include seven children and 10 grandchildren.