Barrett Strong
His voice launched Motown's first hit, but his pen wrote some of its most powerful and socially conscious anthems.
1941–2023 (age 82)·American singer and songwriter·Birthday: February 5·The Silent Generation
Biography
Barrett Strong's story is the story of Motown itself, moving from behind the microphone to behind the scenes where his true impact resonated. As a young singer from Mississippi via Detroit, his pounding piano and urgent vocal on 'Money (That's What I Want)' provided Berry Gordy's fledgling label with its first commercial success. Yet Strong's greater gift was partnership. Teaming with producer Norman Whitfield, he co-wrote a string of monumental hits for The Temptations that pushed the group—and popular music—into grittier, more ambitious territory. Their songs, like 'War,' 'Ball of Confusion,' and the epic 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone,' blended social commentary with psychedelic soul, proving that the Motown sound could be as intellectually potent as it was danceable. Strong's legacy is that of a foundational architect, his work echoing through soul, rock, and protest music.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Barrett was born in 1941, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Barrett Was Born
The biggest hits of 1941
#1 Movie
Sergeant York
Best Picture
How Green Was My Valley
Barrett's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1941Born
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1946Started school
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1954Became a teenager
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Could drive
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959Could vote
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Turned 21
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1971Turned 30
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 40
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 50
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 60
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 70
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 80
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2023Died at 82
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
Key Achievements
- Recorded 'Money (That's What I Want),' Motown Record Corporation's first hit single in 1960.
- Co-wrote 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' for Gladys Knight & the Pips and later Marvin Gaye.
- As part of the Whitfield-Strong songwriting team, penned multiple classics for The Temptations including 'War,' 'Just My Imagination,' and 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.'
- Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022.
- Received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1973 for 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.'
Did You Know?
He was originally credited as the sole writer of 'Money,' though Berry Gordy later added his name to the credits, a subject of long-standing dispute.
Strong was a skilled pianist and often composed at the keyboard.
He turned down an opportunity to tour as a performer early in his career to focus on songwriting at Motown.
The famous guitar intro to 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' was allegedly composed by Strong on a piano.
“Money's what I want, and that's what I need.”
