Died On This Date (July 16, 2012) Bob Babbitt / Legendary Motown Funk Brothers Bassist
themusicsover Bob Babbitt
DOB Unknown – July 16, 2012
Bob Babbitt was a Pittsburgh-born journeyman bassist who can rightfully claim to have played on more than 25 gold and platinum albums along with over 200 top 10 hits. As part of the legendary Motown house band known as the Funk Brothers from 1966 to 1972, Babbitt can be heard playing on such timeless classics as Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” the Temptations‘ “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” Edwin Starr’s “War,” and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles‘ “The Tears Of A Clown” to name just a few. Prior to his stint at Motown, Babbitt played on several Del Shannon records, including “Little Town Flirt” and “I Go To Pieces.” Following his run at Motown, Babbitt continued his hit-record contributions as part of Philadelphia International Records’ answer to the Funk Brothers, MFSB. Within that capacity, for instance, he played on several hits by the Spinners. Babbitt also recorded or performed live with such superstars as Jimi Hendrix, Phil Collins, Jim Croce, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, and Bonnie Raitt. During the ’80s, he played on several prominent commercial jingles and even dabbled in jazz with Herbie Mann and Stanley Turrentine. In 2002, he was profiled in the award-winning Funk Brothers documentary, Standing In The Shadows Of Motown. In March of 2011, Babbitt made his last television appearance with Jacob Lusk during American Idol’s Motown Week. Bob Babbitt died of brain cancer on July 16, 2012. He was 74.
What You Should Own
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Kitty Wells was actually one of a very few country music stars who were actually born in Music City. Wells launched her music career when she was around 17, at first singing on a local radio station with her sisters as the Deason Sisters. At 18, she married 
Maurice D. Davis was a respected trumpet player who, over the course of his long career, graced over 1500 recordings. After graduating from Tennessee State University and teaching for two years at Rust College, Davis found himself in Detroit, Michigan. The year was 1965, and Davis soon found himself playing in the legendary Motown session band, the Funk Brothers. During his term that lasted until 1980, Davis played on recordings by or toured with the likes of the Supremes, the Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, and the Temptations on whose “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” he particularly shined. Beyond Motown, Davis played with Tony Bennett, 
Born into a musical family in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Bucky Adams was just a child when he at first picked up the trumpet. And when he was just 11, he played for the Queen of England during a visit to Canada. In those early years, Adams played the trumpet alongside his father, but when the trumpet could no longer keep him, he switched to the sax. By the 1950s, Adams began fronting his own bands, and over the next three decades entertained audiences far and wide with the Rockin’ Rebels, Club Unusual, Generations, and Basin St. Trio, with whom he made his first recordings. Throughout his long career, Adams played with or for such luminaries as