News

Barrett Strong, one of Motown‘s founding artists and most gifted songwriters who sang lead on the company’s breakthrough single “Money (That’s What I Want)” and later collaborated with Norman Whitfield on such classics as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “War” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” has died. He was 81.

His death was announced Sunday on social media by the Motown Museum, which did not immediately provide further details.

“Barrett was not only a great singer and piano player, but he, along with his writing partner Norman Whitfield, created an incredible body of work,” Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement.

Strong had yet to turn 20 when he agreed to let his friend Gordy, in the early days of building a recording empire in Detroit, manage him and release his music. Within a year, he was a part of history as the piano player and vocalist for “Money,...

More than 73 years ago, Barrett Strong, as a singer, declared “Money (That’s What I Want)” — for the first hit single from the Motown empire.

What he actually wound up getting was musical immortality. As a songwriter.

Strong — who died Sunday, Jan. 29, at the age of 81 in Detroit — co-wrote some of Motown’s most enduring hits, with a variety of collaborators but primarily the late Norman Whitfield. Those included “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” for Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pips, “War” for Edwin Starr, the Undisputed Truth’s “Smiling Faces Sometimes” and a wealth of material for the Temptations — “I Wish It Would Rain,” “Just My Imagination,” “Cloud Nine,” “Psychedelic Shack” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” for which Strong shared a Grammy Award.

The transition from performer to songwriter suited him well. “I never felt comfortable with myself as a recording artist,” Strong told Billboard in...

Barrett Strong, the Motown artist who sang the label’s first major hit “Money (That’s What I Want)” and wrote songs for the Temptations and others, has died. He was 81.

“Barrett was not only a great singer and piano player, but he, along with his writing partner Norman Whitfield, created an incredible body of work, primarily with the Temptations,” Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement. “Their hit songs were revolutionary in sound and captured the spirit of the times like ‘Cloud Nine’ and the still relevant, ‘Ball...

In today’s TV News roundup, Showtime dropped a new trailer for its upcoming comedy “Black Monday” and Facebook Watch released a new clip from the second season of “Red Table Talk.”

Dates

Netflix will release “Motown Magic” on Nov. 20. The children’s series inspired by the iconic music of Motown will feature original characters in a fantastical world from Josh Wakely. The show will feature 52 newly-recorded versions of songs first made famous by artists including Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gay, the Jackson 5, Lionel Richie, the Supremes, the Temptations and Stevie Wonder. Some of the contemporary artists who will be featured in the 11-minute episodes include Ne-Yo, Becky G, Bj The Chicago Kid, Skylar Grey, Calum Scott and Trombone Shorty.

First Looks

Showtime released the official trailer for its upcoming comedy “Black Monday,” which is set to premiere Jan. 20 at 10 p.m. Released on the anniversary of the United States’ worst...

The Michael Jackson estate and Columbia Stage are developing a musical based on the King of Pop’s catalog, adding one more jukebox show to the Broadway boards.

Lynn Nottage, a Pulitzer Prize winner for her plays Ruined and Sweat, will write the show’s book. The choreography and direction will be handled by Christopher Wheeldon, a Tony Award winner for An American in Paris.

The project adds to a growing roster of jukebox musicals hitting Broadway of late. The past season brought shows built on the music of Jimmy Buffett and Donna Summer. Upcoming are shows based on the Go-Gos and Cher. Possible Broadway entries are in the offing for the Temptations, Tina Turner and Alanis Morrissette. A Bob Dylan-based show has an Off-Broadway run set for the fall.

The success of jukebox shows such as Jersey Boys (based on Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons), Mamma Mia...

The King of Pop is hitting the Great White Way.

The Michael Jackson Estate and Columbia Live Stage announced Tuesday that they are developing a new stage musical inspired by the life of Michael Jackson. The as yet untitled show is expected to arrive on Broadway in 2020, though the backers did not announce what theater they plan to book for the run.

The show will boast a book by Lynn Nottage, a two time Pulitzer Prize winner known for “Sweat” and “Ruined,” two gritty dramas that grapple with subjects such as war and rust belt privation, both of which seem pretty far removed from the life of the Gloved One. The score will draw on Jackson’s catalogue — a list of pop favorites that includes “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Beat It,” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” Tony Award winner and contemporary ballet superstar Christopher Wheeldon (“An American in Paris...