Wikipedia

Benny Benjamin

For the songwriter Claude "Bennie" Benjamin, seeBennie Benjamin.

William "Benny" Benjamin(July 25, 1925 – April 20, 1969),[1][a]nicknamedPapa Zita,[4]was an American musician, most notable as the primary drummer for theMotown Recordsstudio bandThe Funk Brothers.[5]He was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 2003 and was named the eleventh best drummer of all time byRolling Stonemagazine in 2016.[6][7]

Benny Benjamin
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Benjamin Jr.
Also known asPapa Zita
Born(1925-07-25)July 25, 1925
Birmingham, Alabama,U.S.
DiedApril 20, 1969(1969-04-20)(aged 43)
Detroit, Michigan,U.S.
GenresR&B,jazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums
Years active1940s–1969
LabelsMotown
Formerly ofThe Funk Brothers

Life and career

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Benjamin was a native ofBirmingham,Alabama.[8]He originally learned to play drums in the style of the big band jazz groups in the 1940s.[5][8]

In 1958, he was Motown's first studio drummer, where he was noted for his dynamic style. Several Motownrecord producers,includingBerry Gordy,refused to work on any recording sessions unless Benjamin was the drummer[4]andJames Jamersonthe bassist.The Beatlessingled out Benjamin's drumming style upon meeting Gordy in the UK.[5][7]Among the Motown songs he performed on are early hits such as "Money (That's What I Want)"byBarrett Strong,"Shop Around"bythe Miraclesand "Do You Love Me"bythe Contours;as well as later hits such as "Get Ready"and"My Girl"bythe Temptations,"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)"by theFour Tops,"Uptight (Everything's Alright)"byStevie Wonder,"You Can't Hurry Love"bythe Supremes,"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"byGladys Knight & the Pips,and "Going to a Go-Go"by the Miracles.[9][4][10][11][b]

Benjamin was influenced by the work of drummersBuddy RichandTito Puente.He recorded with a studio set composed ofLudwig,Slingerland,RogersandGretschcomponents and probablyZild giancymbals.[8]

By the late 1960s, Benjamin struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and the fellow Funk BrothersUriel JonesandRichard "Pistol" Allenincreasingly recorded more of the drum tracks for the studio's releases.[5][8]He died on April 20, 1969, of a stroke at age 43.[12]

Notes

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  1. ^Some sources list the date of birth as July 15, 1925.[2][3]
  2. ^Some sources attribute "Uptight (Everything's Alright)"to drummerPistol Allen.(Source 1,Source 2)

References

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  1. ^Betts, Graham (2014).Motown Encyclopedia.AC Publishing. pp. 45–46.ISBN9781311441546.RetrievedNovember 2,2022.
  2. ^U.S. Social Security Death Index, 377-20-0866
  3. ^William Benjamin Jr., Applications for Headstones, 1/1/1925 - 6/30/1970; NAID: NAID 596118; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General
  4. ^abcAbbo, Andrea (June 19, 2020)."Benny Benjamin, an outstanding drummer".Zero to Drum.Archivedfrom the original on August 30, 2022.RetrievedApril 20,2021.
  5. ^abcd"Benny Benjamin – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame biography (2019)".Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.2003. Archived fromthe originalon March 20, 2019.RetrievedApril 20,2021.
  6. ^"Benny Benjamin".Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.Archivedfrom the original on December 6, 2019.RetrievedApril 20,2021.
  7. ^abWeingarten, Christopher; Dolan, Jon; Diehl, Matt; Micallef, Ken; Ma, David; Smith, Gareth; Wang, Oliver; Heller, Jason; Runtagh, Jordan (March 31, 2016)."100 Greatest Drummers of All Time".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on July 29, 2018.RetrievedApril 20,2021.
  8. ^abcd"The Funk Brothers".Standing in the Shadows of Motown.Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2003.RetrievedApril 20,2021.
  9. ^Slutsky, Allan (2003)."Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Eighteenth Annual Induction booklet"(PDF).rockhall.Archived(PDF)from the original on January 6, 2022.RetrievedOctober 29,2022.
  10. ^"AllMusic: Benny Benjamin – credits".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on November 3, 2022.RetrievedNovember 2,2022.
  11. ^McCollum, Brian (June 5, 2016)."Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs".Detroit Free Press.Archivedfrom the original on March 24, 2022.RetrievedNovember 2,2022.
  12. ^Sisario, Ben (March 25, 2009)."Uriel Jones, a Motown Drummer, Dies at 74".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 22, 2022.RetrievedApril 20,2021.
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