Jack Ashford
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Jack Ashford | |
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Ashford at a ceremony in March 2013 to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for the Funk Brothers | |
Background information | |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | May 18, 1934
Instruments | Percussion, tambourine |
Labels | Motown |
Associated acts | The Funk Brothers |
Jack Ashford (born May 18, 1934), known to his friends as Jashford, is an American musician widely known as the percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing the tambourine on hundreds of Motown recordings. His definitive performance is on "War" by Edwin Starr; other notable songs Ashford played tambourine on include "Nowhere to Run" by Martha & the Vandellas, "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, and "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston. He also played vibes, shakers, and the marimba on the label's recordings, such as The Miracles' "Ooh Baby Baby". The early 1980s saw production work from Ashford but it proved to be the end of his career in music. However, in 2014, he made a recent appearance on The Secret Sisters' second album Put Your Needle Down.[1]
He is not known to be related to famed singer-songwriter Nick Ashford, who also worked for Motown Records.
Instruments he is known to have played are the tambourine, vibraphone, marimba, maracas, cabasa, bells, chimes, bell tree, finger cymbals, kazoo, triangle, wood block, handclaps, foot stomps and hotel sheet.[2]
Following the death of Eddie Willis in August 2018, Ashford is one of the last two living members the Funk Brothers, along with Joe Messina.
Session work
- The Mighty Clouds of Joy - Kickin' - ABC Records, 1975 - (percussion)[3]
- The Mighty Clouds of Joy - Live and Direct - ABC Records, 1977 - (hotel sheet, percussion)[4]
References
- ^ "A quick hello from Laura, and an album update!". secretsistersblog.com. The Secret Sisters Blog. Retrieved 2015-02-09.
- ^ http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/funksbio.htm
- ^ ABC LP, ABCX-889
- ^ ABC LP, 9022-1038
- Ashford, Jack (2003). Motown: The View From The Bottom. Bank House Books. ISBN 1-904408-03-6
External links
- Standing in the Shadows of Motown on IMDb
- Bankhousebooks.com
- Jack Ashford Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2013)
This biographical article related to R&B/Soul music is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- African-American drummers
- American soul musicians
- 1934 births
- Living people
- The Funk Brothers members
- Musicians from Philadelphia
- American percussionists
- Musicians from Detroit
- Tambourine players
- Maracas players
- Triangle players
- Tubular bells players
- American vibraphonists
- Marimbists
- 20th-century American drummers
- American male drummers
- 20th-century male musicians
- Rhythm and blues and soul music biography stubs