Legendary Motown Records pioneer Barrett Strong has passed away at the age of 82.  :\'(

https://www.showbiz411.com/2023/01/29/rip-barrett-strong-who-had-the-first-hit-for-motown-with-money-thats-what-i-want-was-82

Barrett sang the first hit for Motown called Money (That’s What I Want) and the label went on to dominate the charts for decades.  8)

Strong went on to co-write a bunch of Motown hits with Norman Whitfield, including “”I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by both Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pimps; Edwin Starr’s “War,” “Smiling Faces Sometimes” by the Undisputed Truth; the Temptations’ “Cloud Nine”, “I Can’t Get Next to You”, “Psychedelic Shack”, “Ball of Confusion,” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”, among others. Strong received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1973 for “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”. Strong and Whitfield also co-wrote the ballad “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me).” 8)

I knew him best for singing the original version of “Money (That’s What I Want)”, but I did not know that he wrote hits for other artists. Especially “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (which was originally a hit for and Gladys Knight & the Pips and then for Marvin Gaye; the band Creedence Clearwater Revival also recorded a 10-minute cover of it in 1970).

Anyways, R.I.P. to Barrett.

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I liked his Motown contributions, performing and writing - sad to say goodbye    :\'(  :\'(  :\'(

R.I.P. Barrett Strong

So sad to hear of this, and so many wonderful songs.