I’LL BE THERE. A LOT OF CON VER SATING
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. >>> BJ’S SUPPORTS UNIQUELY
DETROIT AND OUR CONNECTION TO
THE CITY.
THE CITY. >> Jason: THE MUSIC KEEPS US
CONNECTED.
CONNECTED. AND THIS WEEK, YOU HAVE A CHANCE
TO HEAR FROM TWO LOCAL LEGENDS
AND HEAR THEM WHO WILL SHARE
THEIR STORY OF PLAYING MUSIC IN
THE CITY.
THE CITY. >> Tati: PHOTOJOURNALIST ALEX
ATWELL INTRODUCES US TO ONE OF
THOSE MEN YOU MAY NOT KNOW BY
NAME BUT YOU’VE DEFINITELY HEARD
HIM PLAY.
HIM PLAY. ♪
♪ >> MUSIC IS IN OUR DNA IN
DETROIT.
DETROIT. I’M DENNIS COFFEY, AND I’M A
BORN-AND-BRED DETROITER.
BORN-AND-BRED DETROITER. BEEN PLAYING GUITAR AROUND THESE
PARTS FOR MANY YEARS.
I’VE ALWAYS BEEN OBSESSED WITH
THE INSTRUMENT.
THE INSTRUMENT. IT’S WHERE IT’S AT.
♪
♪ I’M A MOTOWN FUNK BROTHER.
I BROUGHT THE WAH WAH PEDAL TO
MOTOWN.
MOTOWN. AND I’M MOVING IT UP AND DOWN
AND IT MAKES THE GUITAR SOUND
LIKE A WAH-WAH SOUND.
♪
♪ WE’RE RUNNING DOWN THE
ARRANGEMENT AND I HAD THIS WAH
HIGH -- WAH-WAH PEDAL, AND NEXT
THING YOU KNOW, I WAS RECORDING
WITH THE TEMPTATIONS AND I WAS A
FUNK BROTHER.
FUNK BROTHER. THIS WAS "CLOUD 9."
♪
♪ THERE WAS USUALLY A WHOLE RHYTHM
SECTION, ABOUT 11 OF US IN THE
STUDIO.
STUDIO. WE WOULD GO IN ABOUT 10:00 OR
11:00 IN THE MORNING DOWN IN
HITSVILLE, 5 DAYS A WEEK AND WE
WOULD SIT DOWN IN FRONT OF AN
ARRANGEMENT, GIVE IT A FEEL,
SUPE IT UP, ADD SOME HOT LICKS
AND MAKE IT A HIT.
WE DID ONE SONG AN HOUR, SO WE
DID THREE SONGS, TOOK A BREAK.
CAME BACK AND DID THREE MORE
SONGS.
SONGS. SO WE WERE DOING SIX SONGS A DAY
FIVE DAYS A WEEK.
AND HERE’S A RIFT I DID FOR THE
TEMPTATIONS ON JUST MY
IMAGINATION.
IMAGINATION. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ >> WHAT WE DID IS WE HAD A LOT
OF FUN.
OF FUN. YOU HEAR A LOT ABOUT TEAM WORK
WITH THE FUNK BROTHERS, IT WAS
TEAM WORK.
TEAM WORK. WE DID THAT TO MAKE THE RECORDS.
YOU KNOW, IT’S REALLY GRATIFYING
BECAUSE WE WERE VERY SERIOUS
ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING.
YOU HAD TO BE ON TOP OF YOUR
GAME IN MOTOWN.
YOU HAD TO BE FOCUSED AND HAVE A
GOOD TIME.
GOOD TIME. THE RECORDS I FELT AT THE TIME
WERE CLASSIC RECORDS.
I REMEMBER ONE TIME FOR A WHOLE
YEAR, I WAS ON THREE SONGS ON
BILLBOARD ON THE TOP 10.
IT WAS AMAZING!
THE WHOLE TOWN ALWAYS HAD THAT
VIBE.
VIBE. ♪
♪ THE HIGHLIGHT WAS THE MOTOWN
FUNK BROTHERS.
FUNK BROTHERS. WE HAD THAT DETROIT VIBE, TRA
INDUSTRIAL FUNK VIBE THAT IS IN
THE DNA OF THE CITY.
♪
♪ >> Jason: YOU CAN HEAR HIM ALONG
WITH MELVIN DAVIS AT THE MUSIC
IN THE ARCHIVES EVENT THIS
THURSDAY AT THE REUTHER LIBRARY
IN DETROIT, PUT TOGETHER BY THE
DETROIT SOUND CONSERVANCY AND
THE CELEBRATION OF DETROIT MUSIC
HISTORY.
HISTORY. >> Tati: SOUNDS AMAZING!
IF YOU WANT A NEW SOUND SYSTEM
TO LISTEN TO, BJ’S WHOLESALE HAS
IT AND MUCH, MUCH MORE.
BE A MEMBER NOW.
AND ANOTHER STORE WILL BE
OPENING IN CHESTERFIELD, AS
WELL.
WELL. AND YOU’LL GET A $35 GIFT CARD,
IF YOU SIGN UP FOR BJ’S
MEMBERSHIP NOW THROUGH THE END
OF THE MONTH.
FOR THE LOCATION NEAREST YOU,
VISIT THEIR WEBSITE,