Post by edafan on Mar 25, 2005 16:03:06 GMT -5
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Dennis Coffey
March 25, 2005
THE LOWDOWN: He played on dozens of Motown hits from 1968 until 1972. He appeared in the acclaimed 2002 documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" and performs in the soon-to-be-released Four Tops 50th anniversary concert DVD, taped last summer at the Detroit Opera House. Detroit-born guitarist and Funk Brother Dennis Coffey was an in-house ax man at Hitsville USA and a longtime studio musician and producer for celebs like Barbra Streisand and Ringo Starr. He has performed live throughout his career, but Coffey concerts in recent years have been rare treats. In 2004, he published an entertaining memoir, "Guitars, Bars, and Motown Superstars" (University of Michigan Press, $22.95), supporting it with enthusiastically received book signings. And last fall, Coffey began a series of gigs at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit. He's having a blast.
The lineup: Currently, it's a musical mystery date. Coffey leaves the booking of his backup band (bass, keyboard, drums) to Baker's co-owner John Colbert. As a result, there's no rehearsal; Coffey doesn't meet the players until the night of. Not a problem, though. "John's created a pool of excellent Detroit musicians for me. They contribute. I contribute. We take solos and take songs in different directions. We surprise ourselves," Coffey says. Back in the day, it was Coffey's best buddy, bassist James Jamerson, who got him work in Studio A, along with the other Funks. "We played together every day for about four years. Making records with these guys was the most fun I ever had and maybe my greatest accomplishment," he says.
The sound: Funky and jazzy. The Baker's set list includes "Killer Joe," "Green Dolphin Street," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Comin' Home Baby" and other jazz standards. Of course, you'll hear Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" and Coffey's own gold record tune from 1971, "Scorpio."
On record: Aside from his Motown work and the dozens of other titles he's worked on, Coffey has recorded a string of albums of his own. He has a new CD, "Flight of the Phoenix," in the can, waiting for a distribution deal.
Little-known fact: After many years as a full-time musician and producer in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York, Coffey came back to town (he's a longtime Farmington Hills resident) in the mid-1980s. He finished raising a family, worked on a GM assembly line, got two degrees from Wayne State University and developed a second successful career as a consultant in the field of lean manufacturing. (He helps big companies make their processes as efficient as possible.)
Where to see him: 9:30 p.m. today and April 9, Baker's Keyboard Lounge, 20510 Livernois Ave., Detroit. 313-345-6300 or www.bakerskeyboardlounge.com.
By Kim Silarski, Free Press special writer
March 25, 2005
THE LOWDOWN: He played on dozens of Motown hits from 1968 until 1972. He appeared in the acclaimed 2002 documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" and performs in the soon-to-be-released Four Tops 50th anniversary concert DVD, taped last summer at the Detroit Opera House. Detroit-born guitarist and Funk Brother Dennis Coffey was an in-house ax man at Hitsville USA and a longtime studio musician and producer for celebs like Barbra Streisand and Ringo Starr. He has performed live throughout his career, but Coffey concerts in recent years have been rare treats. In 2004, he published an entertaining memoir, "Guitars, Bars, and Motown Superstars" (University of Michigan Press, $22.95), supporting it with enthusiastically received book signings. And last fall, Coffey began a series of gigs at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit. He's having a blast.
The lineup: Currently, it's a musical mystery date. Coffey leaves the booking of his backup band (bass, keyboard, drums) to Baker's co-owner John Colbert. As a result, there's no rehearsal; Coffey doesn't meet the players until the night of. Not a problem, though. "John's created a pool of excellent Detroit musicians for me. They contribute. I contribute. We take solos and take songs in different directions. We surprise ourselves," Coffey says. Back in the day, it was Coffey's best buddy, bassist James Jamerson, who got him work in Studio A, along with the other Funks. "We played together every day for about four years. Making records with these guys was the most fun I ever had and maybe my greatest accomplishment," he says.
The sound: Funky and jazzy. The Baker's set list includes "Killer Joe," "Green Dolphin Street," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Comin' Home Baby" and other jazz standards. Of course, you'll hear Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" and Coffey's own gold record tune from 1971, "Scorpio."
On record: Aside from his Motown work and the dozens of other titles he's worked on, Coffey has recorded a string of albums of his own. He has a new CD, "Flight of the Phoenix," in the can, waiting for a distribution deal.
Little-known fact: After many years as a full-time musician and producer in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York, Coffey came back to town (he's a longtime Farmington Hills resident) in the mid-1980s. He finished raising a family, worked on a GM assembly line, got two degrees from Wayne State University and developed a second successful career as a consultant in the field of lean manufacturing. (He helps big companies make their processes as efficient as possible.)
Where to see him: 9:30 p.m. today and April 9, Baker's Keyboard Lounge, 20510 Livernois Ave., Detroit. 313-345-6300 or www.bakerskeyboardlounge.com.
By Kim Silarski, Free Press special writer
