First will not always be last, sometimes they will be second.

Barrett Strong was the first to have a real hit with the newly founded Motown label and company;

but after that he acted more like that from the second row.

If what is said is true, it was like this: It was a hot August day in 1959 in Detroit, Michigan.

The 18-year-old was hanging around in the brand new studio at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, Motown boss Berry Gordy (who is still alive at 93) strummed the piano and at one point called out: "Can't you think of anything?

Think of something everyone needs!” And one of them didn’t call out “love” but “money!”

All I need is money

Edo Reents

Editor in the Feuilleton.

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Barrett Strong, who was a fine pianist and a passable singer, grabbed the song that Gordy rushed to write with songwriter Janie Bradford, and "Money (That's What I Want)" was the first Motown hit, number 2 on the Rhythm & Blues charts.

Strong soon stopped singing in order to find his true purpose: together with Norman Whitfield, he replaced the songwriting trio that had written everything in Motown up until then (1967): Holland-Dozier-Holland.

In an excellent symbiosis with the genius Whitfield, who was mainly responsible for the music, he expanded the lyrical and instrumental possibilities of expression of the classic soul song considerably, up to symphonic formats of ten or fifteen minutes.

The vehicles that interpreted much of this exquisite, psychedelic best-informed catalog were, until 1972, when Strong went to Capitol Records, where he also sang again, especially the Temptations, a little too, as the only white group with the company , Rare Earth.

Suffice it to say a few titles: Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, Cloud Nine, I Wish It Would Rain, plus of course I Heard It Through the Grapevine and Too Busy Thinking About My Baby ', both of which went around the world in the Marvin Gaye version, along with the downright militant anti-war song 'War'.

Barrett Strong came from Mississippi and must have been happy that he ended up in Detroit: the weather was worse, i.e. freezing cold in winter, but the climate was comparatively good (for black people).

He has now passed away at the age of almost 82.

Classic soul, yes, pop music in general, loses an enormously influential figure.