Music
Jack Ashford
born 1934 · percussionist, vibraphonist, producer
Funk Brothers percussionist whose tambourine is on hundreds of Motown records, from "Nowhere to Run" to "War"; the last surviving Funk Brother.
- Born
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
age 92- Detroit years
- 1963–mid-1970s, 1980s–
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
A Philadelphia-born vibraphonist, Ashford was hired by Motown in 1963 and became its busiest percussionist, playing tambourine, vibes, marimba and almost anything else that could be struck or shaken, including a hotel bedsheet and foot stomps. His tambourine drives Martha and the Vandellas' "Nowhere to Run", the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love", Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and, most famously, Edwin Starr's "War"; his vibes are on "Where Did Our Love Go" and "What's Going On". While at Motown he also ran his own Detroit production companies and labels, including Pied Piper, working with singer Lorraine Chandler. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, then returned to Detroit and retired from music. His memoir, Motown: The View From The Bottom, appeared in 2003.
Highlights
- Tambourine on "War", "Nowhere to Run" and "You Can't Hurry Love"
- Vibraphone on "Where Did Our Love Go" and "What's Going On"
- Founded Pied Piper Productions in Detroit
- Memoir Motown: The View From The Bottom (2003)
- Last surviving Funk Brother after 2022
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Recorded here · 1963–1972
Motown Museum
Played on Motown sessions in Studio A, the basement room the musicians nicknamed the "Snake Pit".