After moving to Detroit, Michigan, with his family in his late teens, he matriculated from Northwestern High School. [28] From 1990 to 1992, she was married to director Brian Gibson, with whom she had a daughter, Grace. 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. Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today), Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love, I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You), Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me), (Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need, Mama I Gotta Brand New Thing (Don't Say No), Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are), You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth, 2003-2023 Among Mr. Whitfields other hits were Papa Was a Rollin Stone, written with Mr. Strong. On December 22, 1945 she was married to Norman L. Britten who preceded her in death on November 1, 1995. February 28, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. This was a classic Whitfield strategy. He was survived by his daughter and four sons from who he had eight grandchildren. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. 12: Daughter: Ida Whitfield. Private services were held at the L. E. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home for Miss Irasha Graham Whitfield, 40, of Beverly Hills, Calif. who departed this life Sunday, July 3. 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. Yesterday I heard through the grapevine that he passed away on Tuesday afternoon. She co-starred in the Chris Rock comedy film Head of State (2003) and Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006). His father, Friendly Womack, spotted Bobby's talent on the guitar at an early age, and Bobby was only Nova Whitfield is a lovely young lady with an angelic appearance. [1] Longer songs, distorted guitars, multitracked drums, and inventive vocal arrangements became trademarks of Whitfield's productions, and later of records produced by Motown staffers he coached, including Frank Wilson. Levi was born on January 10, 1932, to Allen Edgar Whitfield and Hattie Ellen Adams Whitfield in Old Joe,. Starr's version of "War" w Show more. Norman Whitfield was one of the architects of the Motown sound, from its early peak as a national label through its waning days of major chart success. Access is free so discover Norman Whitfield's story today. Norman Whitfield, renowned BMI songwriter, producer and arranger of many Motown Records hits, including "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" and "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone," died September 16. Mrs. Estelle Whitfield, age 98, passed away November 23, 2020. A native of Harlem, Whitfield spent his early teen years hanging out in local pool halls. his father's car broke down there. In late 1962, Whitfield became part of the early boom era at Motown Records, joining the ranks of Harvey Fuqua, Mickey Stevenson, and the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team. Selected singles production/songwriting credits, Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today), Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me), Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental, Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, Grammy Award for Best Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special, Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Category:Albums produced by Norman Whitfield, List of songs written by Norman Whitfield, I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You), Ain't Too Proud to Beg - The Temptations | AllMusic, "The Associated Press: Motown writer, producer Norman Whitfield dies", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Norman_Whitfield&oldid=1136555329, 1969: "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down" The Temptations (US #20, US R&B #2), 1970: "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)" Gladys Knight & the Pips (US #35, US R&B #3), also recorded by the Temptations, 1974: "Help Yourself" The Undisputed Truth (US #63, US R&B #19), This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 22:49. - Anti-Vietnam War song recorded by Temptations, on album Psychedelic Shack. This engagement provided the basis for Norman Whitfields net worth and also helped him to set his foot in the world of songwriting. . : Lynn Whitfield became Josephine Baker, Budapest became Paris and Harlem as HBO raced to complete the first movie about the storied entertainer's life", "HBO's 'Josephine Baker': The Naked Truth", "Lynn Whitfield Shimmies into the Skin of Sultry Josephine Baker", "TV Weekend; With Josephine Baker Through a Long Life", "2 Emmys For James Earl Jones; 'L.A. Auxiliary Post 5319. 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]. However, his real breakthrough came in 1966 when Whitfield became the main producer for The Temptations music group. Norman Whitfield was born on May 12, 1940 (age 67) in New York City, New York, United States. SOLUTIONS. 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. She also starred as Dorothea Garibaldi in the Disney Channel films The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2. On January 18, 2005, Whitfield pleaded guilty for failing to report royalty income he earned from 1995 to 1999 to the Internal Revenue Service. Your email address will not be published. [25] She guest-starred as Shaunette Rene Wilson's mother, a famous Nigerian surgeon, on the Fox medical drama The Resident in 2019. Jacob Lewis Fuller. All net worths are calculated using data drawn from public sources. With Wynk Music, you will not only enjoy your favourite MP3 songs online, but you will also have access to our hottest playlists such as English Songs, Hindi Songs, Malayalam Songs, Punjabi Songs, Tamil Songs . In the mid-1970s, Mr. Whitfield left Motown to start his own label, Whitfield Records. Whitfield achieved wide recognition in the title role of The Josephine Baker Story (1991), portraying the American who became a Folies Bergre star, a French Resistance fighter during World War II, and a civil rights activist. Despite Gordy's reservations over its perceived pro-drug message, it changed Motown overnight. She was a former member of McGuffey Road Church of Christ and was fond of music. Birth name. A native of Harlem, Whitfield spent his early teen years hanging out in local pool halls. Elgin Freeman. [26] In 2022, she set to appear opposite Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman in the action comedy film, The Retirement Plan. In this regard, Whitfield's approach to music resembled that of the record producers of what was, by then, a bygone era. He pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $25,000 fine and spend the next six months in house confinement. Whitfield wrote or co-wrote more than 60 hits on the UK charts and 90 on the US charts. View Norman Whitfield's 1940 US census record to find family members, occupation details & more. Lisa Wright always knew she was adopted, but had no idea her biological mother was a star on one of her favorite television shows. He turned around and annoyed Gordy intensely, finally cajoling him into okaying another attempt at the song by Gladys Knight & the Pips. He was a longtime Motown producer and founded his own record label, Whitfield Records, in 1973. In 1983, she appeared in the comedy film Doctor Detroit (1983), playing the supporting role of Thelma Cleland. "Where words leave off, music begins!". He then started his own label, Whitfield Records, in 1975, which yielded the Rose Royce hit "Car Wash". In 2004, Mr. Whitfield was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. [6] He added contemporary song topics, moving from love songs to the social issues of the time, such as war, poverty and politics. In 2021, she co-starred in the comedy film Vacation Friends. Twitter. After 1968, Whitfield turned towards darker and harder sound, blending funk and psychedelic rock. And even as the label's fortunes were starting to turn downward, Whitfield and the Temptations generated a triple-decker award-winning single in "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," which won two Grammys plus a songwriter's award. Alongside his Motown lyrical collaborator Barrett Strong, he was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2004. 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. 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. It absolutely called upon everything I thought I could do at that point. 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. Facing charges of tax evasion on more than $2 million worth of income, he was sentenced to six months of house confinement and a $25,000 fine. 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? Norman Whitfield. Car Wash - Rose Royce. 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. Skip Ancestry main menu Main Menu. Songs written by Norman Whitfield. Read Full Biography. Buy Meta Added by Bastien Works 87 Discussions 1 All He was well known for working with Berry Gordy's Motown labels in the 1960s. [4] In the movie, she appeared nude on-screen. Mr. Whitfields songs were recorded by a string of Motown luminaries, who besides Mr. Gaye included the Temptations and the Jackson Five. Norman was raised in Harlem where he spent the majority of his spare time in pool halls. The early 1940s were dominated by World War II. Sly was definitely sly, and his sound was new, his grooves were incredible, he borrowed a lot from rock. Cloud Nine - The Temptations. She also starred in the television films The George McKenna Story opposite Denzel Washington and Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI as the title character and in the ABC miniseries The Women of Brewster Place alongside Oprah Winfrey and Cicely Tyson). 1 on the R&B charts in 1966. His the best movie is Car Wash. The cause was heart and kidney failure resulting from diabetes, his daughter, Irasha Whitfield, said. CNN . Share Your Memories and Sympathies and Join the Bereaved! 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. 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. Norman Whitfield was among the architects from the Motown audio, from its early top being a country wide label through its waning times of major graph achievement. 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. She continued her career, starring in the made-for-television movies A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story (1991); Stompin' at the Savoy (1992) with Vanessa L. Williams, Jasmine Guy, and Vanessa Bell Calloway; Taking the Heat (1993) with Tony Goldwyn; State of Emergency (1994) with Joe Mantegna; Sophie and the Moonhanger (1996); The Wedding (1998), as Halle Berry's mother; The Color of Courage (1998) alongside Linda Hamilton; and Deep in My Heart (1999) opposite Anne Bancroft. [1] The Undisputed Truth scored their second biggest hit in 1976 with the disco song "You + Me = Love", their first single on Whitfield Records. She was preceded in death by her father; grandparents, Julius and Annie Graham, William and Gertrude Whitfield; and 3 aunts. Robert Dwayne Womack was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the third of five brothers. His work was also recorded over the years by artists as varied as Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bruce Springsteen. The HBO biopic required her to age from 18 to 68. United States. The second thought was regret: that there has been . Following the end of the war, it was the start of the Baby Boomer years and technology advancements such as the jet engine, nuclear fusion, radar, rocket technology and others later became the starting points for Space Exploration and Improved Air Travel. 04:13. 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." Story highlights. His main interest as a youth was centered on the pool hall, not the dance hall -- according to Nelson George in his book Where Did Our Love Go?, Whitfield not only developed a steady hand with a pool cue, but a good eye for observing and sizing up those around him.