Barrett Strong (born February 5, 1941 in West Point, Mississippi) is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry Gordy’s Motown label, and is the performer on the label’s first hit, “Money (That’s What I Want)” (#2 US R&B in 1960).
In the mid-1960s, Strong became a Motown staff lyricist, teaming with producer Norman Whitfield. Together, Strong and Whitfield wrote some of the most successful and critically acclaimed songs ever to be released by Motown, including “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by both Gladys Knight & the Pips and Marvin Gaye, “War” by Edwin Starr, “Smiling Faces Sometimes” by The Undisputed Truth, and the long line of “psychedelic soul” records by The Temptations, including “Cloud Nine”, “I Can’t Get Next to You”, “Psychedelic Shack”, “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today)”, and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”, among others. Strong received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for co-writing “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”.
After Motown moved its operations base from Detroit, Michigan to Los Angeles, California, Strong left the label and resumed his singing career, recording two albums for Capitol Records in the mid-1970s. |
