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Standing in the Shadows of Motown

PG20021h 56mPaul Justman
IMDb 7.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 91% · Metacritic 76

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Synopsis

"The soul behind the sound."

In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers.

DocumentaryMusic
MotownMusic BusinessRock MusicPop Music

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Frequently asked questions

What is Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002) about?

In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and…

Who stars in Standing in the Shadows of Motown?

Standing in the Shadows of Motown stars Richard 'Pistol' Allen (Self), Jack Ashford (Self), Bob Babbitt (Self), Benny 'Papa Zita' Benjamin (Self (archive footage)), Eddie 'Bongo' Brown (Self (archive footage)). The film was directed by Paul Justman.

How long is Standing in the Shadows of Motown?

Standing in the Shadows of Motown has a runtime of 1 min and premiered in 2002. It is rated PG.

Is Standing in the Shadows of Motown worth watching?

Standing in the Shadows of Motown holds an IMDb rating of 7.8/10. On Rotten Tomatoes it scores 91. Fans of Documentary, Music are most likely to enjoy it — TasteRay can tell you how well it matches your personal taste.

Where can I watch Standing in the Shadows of Motown?

Streaming availability for Standing in the Shadows of Motown changes by country and service. TasteRay tracks where it is available across Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Apple TV+ and 50+ other platforms — the current options for your country are shown on this page.