Tribute to Barrett Strong, featuring Sheldon Zoldan

Barrett Strong wrote hit songs for such Motown artists as the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. As a performing artist, he had only one hit: "Money, That's What I Want," which is the featured song in this tribute. The Beatles covered it early in their career.  

This is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. My guest Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and newspaper editor, wrote these tributes and recorded them. 

To hear "Money, That's What I Want," please go to YouTube. Strong may not be a household name, but take a look at the comments below the video. They're wonderful, and they really speak to Strong's impact on listeners' lives.

Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. To get on the Song of the Day subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to the show!

Available on Apple, Spotify, Audible and in other directories, and on YouTube.

Transcript

Kate:
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Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation,

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a show about living our purpose and lifting

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our vibes for ourselves

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and the world.

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I'm Kate Jones here with a tribute to

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Barrett Strong,

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a writer of songs that other performers turned

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into classics.

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This is one of 44 short yet illuminating

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episodes

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about significant figures in the music industry who

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passed away in 2023.

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My guest Sheldon Zoldan,

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a longtime writer and newspaper editor,

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wrote these tributes and recorded them. Here's what

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he says about Strong, who died on January

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28th

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of last year.

Sheldon:
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Barrett Strong had one hit as a singer,

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but he didn't care. He was happy writing

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songs that others turned into classics.

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Barrett, along with his writing partner, Norman Whitfield,

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wrote "I Heard it Through the Grapevine,"

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"War," "Ball of Confusion,"

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"I Wish it Would Rain,"

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"Papa was a Rolling Stone"

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and "Just My Imagination"

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for Motown artists The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and

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Marvin Gaye.

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Strong died January 28th

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in San Diego, California.

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He was

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81.

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Strong started singing and playing the piano in

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Detroit with his sisters.

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He had just turned 20 when he signed

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on with Barry Gordy,

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who had just started Motown.

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The Song of the Day,

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"Money

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(That's What I Want," became Motown's first hit

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record, a million-seller

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reaching Number 2 on Billboard's

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R&B chart

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and 23

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on the Hot 100 in 1960.

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It also gave Gordy the money he needed to

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expand Motown.

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Strong said when he wrote the song, he created

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the piano opening while riffing to Ray Charles'

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"What I Say."

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What he didn't know was his name was

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removed from the writing credits.

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Gordy claims Strong's name originally was on the

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copyright

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because of a clerical error.

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"Money" might have been what he wanted, but

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he didn't get it. His name was added

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in 1987

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and then taken off again in 1988.

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The Beatles recorded the song in

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1963, and the Flying Lizards had a hit

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with it in England, where it reached number

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5 on the charts.

Kate:
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This is Kate again. Sheldon also writes Song

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of the Day, a music-related story sent

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daily to an email list of subscribers.

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All of those stories

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and these tributes

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include links to the featured songs.

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In this episode's description,

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you can visit YouTube to hear Strong's Money

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(That's What I Want," which he performed himself.

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Also in the description, you can find out

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how to join Sheldon's subscriber list.

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If you enjoyed this tribute,

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please check out the next one about prolific

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songwriter

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and hitmaker

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Bert Bacharach,

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and share the tributes with anyone who might

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appreciate these well-researched glimpses

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into the lives of the talented people

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who created some of the music we love.

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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.