Died On This Date (September 17, 2008) Norman Whitfield / Famed Motown Producer

Norman Whitfield
1943 – September 17, 2008

Norman Whitfield is best remembered as one of the musical geniuses responsible for creating the Motown Sound during the 1960s.  As a house songwriter and producer, Whitfield had his hand in at least three dozen of the greatest pop songs to come out of Detroit.  That list includes “Ain’t To Proud To Beg” by the Temptations, “War” by Edwin Starr, “Too Many Fish In The Sea” by the Marvelettes, and “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Gladys Knight & the Pips.  Whitfield formed his own label in 1973 and enjoyed great success with the big disco hit, “Car Wash” by Rose Royce.  Whitfield was awarded a Grammy in 1976 for the score soundtrack to the film, Car Wash.  A mostly bedridden Norman Whitfield died as a result diabetes and other ailments at the age of 68.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums

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