Unlike the conflict it described, this particular recording was good for something, after all. Later, it was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. One of Motown’s seven Number Ones on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970, “War” also became Starr’s signature song. I mean, there was very few places where you could go and sing, ‘War – what is it good for’ in the political atmosphere of the United States.”Īnd yet the message resonated at home and abroad, including the U.K., where Edwin scored a major hit two months after the record was victorious at home. While the song was number one, I never did any work at all. So…‘Good God y’all’ and all those ‘Absolutely nothings’ are my ad-libs.” Later, Starr acknowledged the criticism he received. “I said, ‘I can do this but I have to sing the vocals my way,’” he recalled in liner notes for The Complete Motown Singles Volume 10: 1970. After producer Norman Whitfield was told of the Temptations’ career risk, he focused on cutting the song first with Rare Earth – they refused – and then Starr.Įdwin was determined to stamp “War” with his own personality. According to author Gerri Hirshey in her book Nowhere To Run, more than 4,000 students then wrote to Motown asking for “War” to be released as a single, or re-recorded by another artist. The group had recorded the song just a few months earlier, for their Psychedelic Shack album. (Read more about the singer here.)īy contrast, the Temptations did, and the record company was concerned about how such a provocative lyric would affect their career and play in the media. The artists of Motown were hardly known at that time for social commentary and controversial material, but Starr had no superstar reputation to put at risk when he cut the song in May 1970. SONGWRITERS: Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield.īACKSTORY: On the day that Edwin Starr’s “War” was released in June 1970, two Detroiters in their twenties were jailed for five years for ransacking a Chicago draft board office and burning its records – yet another example of the anger and rebellion which America’s prosecution of the Vietnam war was continuing to stir among the country’s young. charts for the week ending Saturday, November 14, 1970. These were I Am The Man For You Baby (R&B #45/Pop #112) and Way Over There (Pop #119).DAY & DATE: Reaches its No. Two more singles, issued on Gordy, charted in the US during the same year as the album release. These include the aforementioned Agent Double-O-Soul and Starr's other top ten Ric-Tic release, 1966's Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S) (R&B #9/Pop #48/UK #35), as well as Headline News (Pop #84). With soul music in the 60's, and especially with Motown, the emphasis was on singles, so the album did not chart but does boast a number of R&B hit singles. Soul Master was Starr's debut album and was released on Motown's Gordy imprint in 1968. More Ric-Tic hits followed before Berry Gordy bought out Starr's contract in 1967 and took him and his music to the fabled Motown imprint, making the James Brown and Stax influenced singer the rawest vocalist on the celebrated label. Edwin Starr hailed from Nashville, Tennessee and is best remembered for his rasping Vietnam protest song War from 1970.Īfter a stint as vocalist for Bill Doggetts touring band Starr was able to secure a solo recording deal with Detroit's Ric-Tic Records in 1965 and immediately gained chart success with his self- penned hit Agent Double-O-Soul (R&B #8/Pop #21).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |