Dennis Coffey
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Biography
As a guitarist in legendary Motown studio band the Funk Brothers, Dennis Coffey played on several of the labelâs hits and landed a few of his own in the process. Born in Detroit on November 11, 1940, Coffey started playing on studio sessions as a teenager and worked his way up to a spot in the Funk Brothers from 1967-1972.
Coffey brought a different sound to Motown, one that featured hard rock distortion and the wah-wah pedal, which hinted towards the coming sounds of the â70s. Some of his most noteworthy Motown contributions include the Temptationsâ journey into psychedelic soul on the 1969 album Psychedelic Shack, Edwin Starrâs classic âWarâ, Freda Payneâs Number 3 hit âBand of Goldâ (on which he played electric sitar), and âSomeday Weâll Be Togetherâ, the final Number 1 hit credited to Diana Ross & the Supremes, but essentially Rossâ debut solo single.
In 1970, Coffey took a studio gig playing guitar on the album Cold Fact by an unknown Detroit musician who recorded as Rodriguez. The album was unnoticed in the United States but earned the mysterious Rodriguez a devoted international following, which was explored in the 2012 documentary Searching for Sugar Man. Coffey appeared in the film to discuss his work on Rodriguezâ debut.
Coffey made his own success in 1971 with his instrumental single âScorpioâ, which hit Number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him the honor of being the first white performer to appear on the American television series Soul Train. The accompanying LP, Evolution, credited to Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Army, was comprised of originals and a take on Led Zeppelinâs âWhole Lotta Loveâ, and made it to Number 13 on the R&B album chart. A follow-up single, âTaurusâ, failed to make the impact of its predecessor.
The hits dried up by the mid-â70s, but Coffey continued to perform and record, including his work scoring the 1974 blaxploitation film Black Belt Jones and a 2011 self-titled album that reworked some of his classic tunes and showed off his still-sharp sense for playing and composition.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- By the Time I Get to Phoenix
- The Look of Love
- Maiden Voyage
- The Big D
- Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over)
- Wade in the Water
- Space Traveller
- What It Is It Aint
- Never Can Say Goodbye
- Knockabout
- It's Too Late
- Toast And Jam
- Ride, Sally, Ride
- Midnight Blue
- Bridge Over Troubled Water
- Man And Boy (main Theme)
- Twins Of Gemini
- A Time For Love
- Kathy
- Outrageous The Mind Excursion
- Sonata
- Moon Star
- Chicano
- Miss Millie Feat. Kings Go Forth
