0
Paul Riser
Paul Riser
American musician
1
William Stevenson
William Stevenson
American songwriter and record producer for Motown Records
2
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas
American vocal group
3
Leon Ware
Leon Ware
American recording artist, songwriter and composer
4
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
American Music Executive, Record Producer
5
Henry Cosby
Henry Cosby
American Motown songwriter and record producer
6
Anna Gordy Gaye
Anna Gordy Gaye
American businesswoman, music executive and songwriter
7
The Originals
The Originals
band
8
Mary Wells
Mary Wells
American pop/soul singer
9
The Supremes
The Supremes
American female singing group
10
Jack Ashford
Jack Ashford
American musician
11
Four Tops
Four Tops
American Motown vocal group
12
Sylvia Moy
Sylvia Moy
American songwriter and record producer (1938-2017)
13
Ivy Jo Hunter
Ivy Jo Hunter
American songwriter, record producer
14
Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
American recording artist; R&B singer-songwriter and record producer
15
Ronald White
Ronald White
American singer, songwriter
16
Martha Reeves
Martha Reeves
American singer and politician
17
The Miracles
The Miracles
American rhythm and blues vocal group
18
Johnny Griffith
Johnny Griffith
American musician
19
The Temptations
The Temptations
American Motown vocal group
20
David Ruffin
David Ruffin
American singer
21
Ewart Abner
Ewart Abner
American music industry executive
22
Marv Tarplin
Marv Tarplin
American guitarist and songwriter
23
Wah-Wah Watson
Wah-Wah Watson
American guitarist
24
Nathan Watts
Nathan Watts
American musician
25
Cornelius Grant
Cornelius Grant
American musician
26
David T. Walker
David T. Walker
American musician
27
Tammi Terrell
Tammi Terrell
American singer–songwriter
28
Bobby Rogers
Bobby Rogers
American singer
29
Frank Wilson
Frank Wilson
American musician, songwriter (1940-2012)
30
Joe Stubbs
Joe Stubbs
musical artist
31
Warren Moore
Warren Moore
American singer-songwriter and record producer
32
Syreeta Wright
Syreeta Wright
American singer-songwriter
The Funk Brothers
group of Motown studio musicians

The Funk Brothers

Intro
group of Motown studio musicians
Record Labels
Awards Received
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Members, past and present

The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972.

Its members are considered among the most successful groups of studio musicians in music history. Among their hits are "My Girl", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Baby Love", " I Was Made to Love Her", "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", "The Tears of a Clown", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", and "Heat Wave". Some combination of the members played on each of Motown's 100-plus U.S. R&B number one singles and 50-plus U.S. Pop number ones released from 1961 and 1972.

There is no undisputed list of the members of the group. Some writers have claimed that virtually every musician who ever played on a Motown track was a "Funk Brother". There are 13 Funk Brothers identified in Paul Justman's 2002 documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown, based on Allan Slutsky's book of the same name. These 13 members were identified by NARAS for the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and were recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2007, the Funk Brothers were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.