Norman Whitfield

Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter, composer, and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s. He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motown Sound and of the late-1960s subgenre of psychedelic soul. In 2024, Whitfield was posthumously selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical excellence category. Whitfield was also inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2021.

Early life and education Whitfield was born and raised in Harlem, New York, and spent much of his teen years in local pool halls. In his late teens, he and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan where he attended Northwestern High School.

Career At 19, Whitfield began frequenting Motown's Hitsville USA offices for a chance to work for the growing label. Founder Berry Gordy Jr. recognized Whitfield's persistence and hired him for the quality control department, which determined which songs would or would not be released. Whitfield joined Motown's in-house songwriting staff, co-writing the Marvin Gaye hit "Pride and Joy", the Marvelettes's "Too Many Fish in the Sea" and the Velvelettes's "Needle in a Haystack". He took over Smokey Robinson's role as the main producer for the Temptations in 1966, after his "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" performed better than Robinson's "Get Ready" on the pop charts.

The Temptations

From 1963 to 1974, Whitfield produced virtually all of the Temptations' music, experimenting with sound effects and other production techniques.

"Psychedelic soul" After Temptations lead singer David Ruffin was replaced by Dennis Edwards in 1968, Whitfield moved the group into a harder, darker sound that featured a blend of psychedelic rock and funk heavily inspired by the work of Sly & the Family Stone and Funkadelic. He added contemporary song topics, moving from love songs to the social issues of the time, such as war, poverty and politics. The first Temptations single to feature this new psychedelic soul style was "Cloud Nine" in late 1968, which earned Motown its first Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental.

The psychedelic soul records Whitfield produced for the Temptations and other artists such as Edwin Starr and the Undisputed Truth experimented with and updated the Motown sound for the late-1960s. Whitfield died on September 16, 2008. He is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.

Discography

Selected singles production/songwriting credits 1963: "Pride & Joy" – Marvin Gaye (US #10, US R&B #2) 1964: "Too Many Fish in the Sea" – The Marvelettes (US #25, US R&B #5) 1964: "Needle in a Haystack" – The Velvelettes (US #45) 1964: "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" – The Velvelettes (US #64, US R&B #21) 1964: "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" – The Temptations (US #26, US R&B #11) 1966: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" – The Temptations (US #13, US R&B #1, UK #21) 1966: "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" – The Temptations (US #3, US R&B #1, UK #18) 1966: "(I Know) I'm Losing You" – The Temptations (US #8, US R&B #1, UK #19) 1967: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" – Gladys Knight & the Pips (US #2, US R&B #1), also recorded by Marvin Gaye (US #1, US R&B #1, UK #1) 1967: "You're My Everything" – The Temptations (US #6, US R&B #3, UK #26) 1967: "I Wish It Would Rain" – The Temptations (US #4, US R&B #1), also recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips (US #41, US R&B #15) 1968: "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" – The Temptations (US #13, US R&B #1) 1968: "The End of Our Road" – Gladys Knight & the Pips (US #15, US R&B #5), also recorded by Marvin Gaye (US #40, US R&B #7) 1968: "Cloud Nine" – The Temptations (US #6, UK #15) 1968: "The Nitty Gritty" – Gladys Knight & the Pips (US #19, US R&B #2) 1969: "Friendship Train" – Gladys Knight & the Pips (US #17, US R&B #2) 1969: "Runaway Child, Running Wild" – The Temptations (US #6, US R&B #1) 1969: "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" – Marvin Gaye (US #4, US R&B #1, UK #5), originally recorded by the Temptations 1969: "I Can't Get Next to You" – The Temptations (US #1, US R&B #1, UK #13) 1969: "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down" – The Temptations (US #20, US R&B #2) 1970: "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)" – Gladys Knight & the Pips (US #35, US R&B #3), also recorded by the Temptations 1970: "Psychedelic Shack" – The Temptations (US #7, US R&B #2, UK #33) 1970: "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" – The Temptations (US #3, US R&B #2, UK #7) 1970: "War" – Edwin Starr (US #1, US R&B #3, UK #3), originally recorded by the Temptations 1971: "Smiling Faces Sometimes" – The Undisputed Truth (US #3, US R&B #2), originally recorded by the Temptations 1971: "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" – The Temptations (US #1, US R&B #1, UK #8) 1972: "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" – The Temptations (US #1, US R&B #1, UK #8), originally recorded by the Undisputed Truth (US #63, US R&B #24) 1973: "Masterpiece" – The Temptations (US #7, US R&B #1) 1973: "Law of the Land" – The Temptations (UK #41), also recorded by the Undisputed Truth (US R&B #40) 1973: "Let Your Hair Down" – The Temptations (US #27, US R&B #1) 1974: "Help Yourself" – The Undisputed Truth (US #63, US R&B #19) 1975: "It Should Have Been Me" – Yvonne Fair (US #85, UK #5), also recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips (US #40, US R&B #9) 1976: "Car Wash" – Rose Royce (US #1, UK #9) 1976: "You + Me = Love" – The Undisputed Truth (US #48, US R&B #37, UK #43) 1976: "I'm Going Down" – Rose Royce (US #70, US R&B #10) 1976: "I Wanna Get Next to You" – Rose Royce (US #10) 1977: "Ooh Boy" – Rose Royce (US #72, US R&B #3, UK #46) 1977: "Wishing on a Star" – Rose Royce (UK #3) 1977: "Theme Song from 'Which Way Is Up'" - Stargard (Aus #79, US #21, NL #20) 1978: "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" – Rose Royce (US #32, UK #2)