Photo: John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Barrett Strong is one of my favorite kinds of legend: the one most people never picture. Born in Mississippi in 1941, he sang Money, Motown's first real hit, but his true genius was as a songwriter. Paired with Norman Whitfield, he wrote I Heard It Through the Grapevine, War, and a string of songs woven into the fabric of popular music. Singers get the spotlight; craftsmen like Strong build the foundation everyone else stands on. He died in 2023, yet his melodies are still playing somewhere right now. I have endless respect for the architects working just out of frame.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Barrett Strong
- Name (Japanese)
- バレット・ストロング
- Reading
- ばれっと・すとろんぐ
- Born
- February 5, 1941 – January 28, 2023
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Snake
- Origin
- West Point, Mississippi, United States
- Occupation
- record producer / singer / songwriter / recording artist
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Barrett Strong born?
February 5, 1941 – January 28, 2023.
Where is Barrett Strong from?
Barrett Strong is from West Point, Mississippi, United States.
What does Barrett Strong do?
Barrett Strong works as record producer, singer, songwriter, recording artist.
Record producer — see all → · Singer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.