Barrett Strong – born Barrett Strong Jr. on February 5, 1941, in West Point,
Mississippi – was a soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and musician best known for
his 1959 hit single “Money (That’s What I Want)” – the first hit for Berry
Gordy’s Tamla Records and Anna Records – and for co-writing hits such as “Papa
Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Born the son of a
pastor in Mississippi, his family relocated to Detroit, Michigan when he was
four and he began playing piano. While attending Hutchins Middle School, he sang
with fellow classmates Aretha Frankli...