Benny Benjamin
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| Benny Benjamin | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Papa Zita |
| Born | July 25, 1925 Mobile, Alabama |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day Detroit, Michigan |
| Genres | R&B, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1958–1968 |
| Labels | Motown |
| Associated acts | The Funk Brothers |
William "Benny" Benjamin (July 25, 1925 – April 20, 1969), nicknamed Papa Zita, was an American musician, most notable as the primary drummer for the Motown studio band known as The Funk Brothers. He was a native of Birmingham, Alabama.[1]
Benjamin originally learned to play drums in the style of the big band jazz groups.[2] In 1958, Benjamin was Motown's first studio drummer, where he was noted for his dynamic style. Several Motown record producers, including Berry Gordy, refused to work on any recording sessions unless Benjamin was the drummer and James Jamerson was the bassist. The Beatles singled out his drumming style upon meeting him in the UK. Among the Motown songs Benjamin performed the drum tracks for are early hits such as "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong and "Do You Love Me" by The Contours; as well as later hits such as "Get Ready" and "My Girl" by The Temptations, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" by Stevie Wonder, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & the Pips and "Going to a Go-Go" by The Miracles.
Benjamin was influenced by the work of drummers Buddy Rich and Tito Puente. He recorded with a studio set composed of Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers and Gretsch components and probably Zildjian cymbals.
By the late 1960s, Benjamin struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and fellow Funk Brothers Uriel Jones and Richard "Pistol" Allen increasingly recorded more of the drum tracks for the studio's releases. Benjamin died on April 20, 1969 of a stroke at age 43, and was inducted into the "Sidemen" category of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.[1]
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />External links
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Standing in the Shadows of Motown at IMDb
- Benny Benjamin at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
| #1 hit singles |
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- Pages with reference errors
- Use mdy dates from November 2015
- Age error
- Articles with hCards
- 1925 births
- 1969 deaths
- The Funk Brothers members
- African-American drummers
- American soul musicians
- American drummers
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
- Musicians from Birmingham, Alabama
- American session musicians
- 20th-century American musicians
- Rhythm and blues drummers
- American jazz drummers
- Soul drummers
- Deaths from stroke
