Much Respect and Rest in Peace to the mighty Edwin Starr of Funk, Soul, and Disco fame.
Apparently Starr was something of an anomaly as a musician at the legendary Motown label:
Edwin was somewhat unusual member of the Motown family, he co-wrote some of his numbers and stood out from the Motown programme with his rough soul shout. The visionary producer, Norman Whitfield (Temptations, Gladys Knight, Rose Royce) was looking for just this kind of voice. He chose Edwin to sing the re-recording of the song “War, huh, Whatizzit Good For, Absolutely Nothing” and the single marched all the way to number 1.
Some background on Starr’s most well-known track:
The biggest hit of his career, which cemented his reputation, was the Vietnam War protest song “War” (1970). Starr’s intense vocals transformed a Temptations album track into a #1 chart success, which spent three weeks in the top position on the US Billboard charts, an anthem for the antiwar movement and a cultural milestone that continues to resound in movie soundtracks and hip hop music samples. It sold over three million copies, and was awarded a gold disc .
And if you haven’t gotten down to his Disco hit “Contact”, go home and do your research!
Make sure to visit Edwin Starr’s website.
