>> Tati: HE IS KNOWN FOR HOW HE PLAYED ON THE FIELD, BUT ALEX
ATWELL HAS MORE ON HOW THE
FOOTBALL PLAYER ENDED UP SINGING
BACKGROUND ON AN ICONIC GOLD
RECORD.
RECORD. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ >> I’M LEM BARNEY, FORMER
DETROIT LION NUMBER 20, FIRST 20
FROM THE B-CATEGORY.
BARNEY, BILLY, AND BARRY
SANDERS.
SANDERS. ♪
♪ YES, SANG BACKGROUND WITH MARVIN
GAYE.
GAYE. I LEFT TRAINING CAMP ONE DAY
DOING MY SECOND YEAR WITH THE
DETROIT LIONS AND WENT OUT
BECAUSE THEY TOLD ME HE WAS AT
PALMER PARK.
PALMER PARK. HE PLAYED A LOT OF GOLF AT
PALMER PARK.
PALMER PARK. ♪
♪ ♪[SINGING]♪
♪[SINGING]♪ >> SO I SAID, IT WILL BE A
CHANCE TO GO OUT AND MEET HIM.
AFTER MORNING PRACTICE OUT AT
CRANBROOK WHERE WE HAD OUR
PRACTICE DOING TRAINING CAMP, I
LEFT THERE AND CAME DOWN
WOODWARD AVENUE AND 7 MILE.
I WENT IN THERE, AND IS MARVIN
GAYE PLAYING TODAY?
NO BUT GO DOWN TO 7 MILE AND HIT
THE DOORBELL.
THE DOORBELL. AND I HIT THE CHIME, BLING.
AND I GOT READY TO HIT IT AGAIN
AND THE DOOR OPENED AND IT’S
MARVIN.
MARVIN. ♪
♪ AND HE SAID, YEAH, MAN, WHAT’S
HAPPENING MAN?
HAPPENING MAN? I SAID, MR. GAYE, MY NAME IS LEM
BARNEY AND I CAME BY TO TELL YOU
WHAT A GREAT MUSICIAN AND
ENTERTAINER YOU ARE.
HE SAID, WHO DO YOU SAY YOU ARE?
LEM BARNEY.
LEM BARNEY. NOT THE GUY WHO PLACE WITH THE
LIONS.
LIONS. YEAH.
YEAH. YOU’RE TOO SMALL.
I STOPPED BY AND I LOVE YOUR
MUSIC AND I THINK YOU’RE A
GREAT, GREAT, GREAT SINGER, MAN.
HE SAID, WELL, I LIKE THAT MAN.
AND I THINK YOU’RE A PRETTY GOOD
BALL PLAYER.
BALL PLAYER. I SAW SOME OF YOUR PRESEASON
GAMES.
GAMES. SO WE MUST HAVE TALKED ABOUT AN
HOUR AND A HALF AND ALL OF A
SUDDEN I LOOK AT MY WATCH AND
I’VE GOT 35 MINUTES BEFORE THE
SECOND PRACTICE WAS TO BE DONE
AND I GOTTA LEAVE AND GET OUT TO
CRANBROOK.
CRANBROOK. I MUST HAVE RAN EVERY RED LIGHT
ON WOODWARD AND WE EXCHANGED
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS. FROM THERE, WE MADE CONTACT FROM
TIME TO TIME.
HE STARTED GOING TO THE GAMES ON
SUNDAY.
SUNDAY. AND AFTERWARDS, WE WOULD GO TO
DIFFERENT RESTAURANTS FOR DINNER
AND THE WIVES AND THE TEAM AND
ALL.
ALL. AND MARVIN WOULD GO WITH US, AND
SOMETIMES HE WOULD ENTERTAIN.
♪
♪ ONE DAY WE WAS OVER AT MARVIN’S
AND HE WAS GETTING READY TO
RECORD.
RECORD. HE SAID COME AND GO WITH ME.
WE’RE GOING OVER TO RECORD THIS.
OKAY.
OKAY. WE’D BEEN OVER THERE BEFORE WITH
HIM, BUT THERE WASN’T NO "WE" IN
IT.
IT. YOU TAKE THIS PART AND LEM YOU
YOU TAKE THIS PART.
WOW!
WOW! YOU’RE RECORDING THIS?
YEAH, YOU’RE GONNA BE ON THE
RECORD.
RECORD. SAY, BROTHER, WHAT’S HAPPENING?
YEAH, BROTHER, SOLID, RIGHT ON.
# AND IT CAME OUT TO BE A SMASH.
I DIDN’T THINK NOTHING WOULD
COME OUT OF IT.
IT WAS A JOY FOR BOTH OF US AND
RECEIVED A GOLD RECORD.
HEY, LIKE SUPER BOWL.
[LAUGHTER]
[LAUGHTER] IT WAS A JOY FOR ME TO HAVE MET
MARVIN AND THE RELATIONSHIP WE
ESTABLISHED WAS LIKE A DREAM
COME TRUE.
COME TRUE. I THINK I GOTTA PUT THAT ON TOP
OF FOOTBALL BECAUSE BEST I DID
IN FOOTBALL WAS MADE 7 PRO
BOWLS.
BOWLS. ONE PLAYOFF IN MY 11-YEAR
CAREER.
CAREER. SINGING BACKGROUND AND I’VE GOT
A COLD RECORD.