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.
Overview
Barrett Strong Jr. (February 5, 1941 – January 28, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter known for his recording of "Money (That's What I Want)", which was the first hit single for the Motown record label. He is also known for his songwriting work in association with producer Norman Whitfield; together, they penned such songs as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "War", "Just My Imagination (Running Away with…
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- record producer / singer / songwriter / recording artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
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 items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.