A BP Tale: Spyder's Homeboy

The year was 1990.

I was on the set of my first film and it was a night where I just hung around on location. This singing cat Spyder Turner did a cameo in the film as a chauffeur and to this day I wasn't sure whether that limousine was his or his friend's. The scene was being set up and I was standing next to Spyder's friend.

Dude looked like a pimp and his fingers and neck were draped in ample ice and he had a look about him like he could be my uncle.


He also acknowledged relative recognition and sparked up some small talk and began by asking "So what are you doing here, brotha?" I told him I was the lead in the movie (more on that later) and I just wanted to kick back tonight and watch the filmmaking process. The man started to ask me if I heard of The Temptations. I thought that was a weird question because EVERYBODY "and they mama" knows who they are and that's when my 18 year old eyebrows raised in question.

"Of course" I said and I asked "Is that one of your favorite groups?" He said "For a time, that was my group".

At this point, I was ready to excuse myself and get back to watching the production and move away from the crazy people who say things like "Temptations used to be my group". I said "Your group? Were you their manager back in the day?" He said "No. You ever heard of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine? I wrote that."

Now out of all the ice-breakers one can use in an initial meeting with someone just "shootin' the gip", that would rank within the Top 3 of the worst lies ever!

Grapevine is possibly one of the greatest works of any art form and the guy standing next to me with all this jewelry, a tapered beard and hair past his shoulders is boldly saying he WROTE the shit?

Dude! He goes on to say he discovered and produced Rose Royce and did the soundtrack for Car Wash and Undisputed Truth was one of his other groups and I had just about had enough of hearing this hogwash.

Why would he be here? Other than being Spyder's homeboy, I couldn't wrap my mind around how could this be if he was lollygagging here telling me this unfathomable shit?

Fast forward 8 years later to an ABC TV special called Motown 40: The Music Is Forever. I was at a friend's house watching his videotape and up pops the dude I saw on the set telling me all the classics he was responsible for.

He says in the interview "Me and Smokey would come in to Berry's (Gordy) office and lay down hit after hit on him. Smoke would come in and bring "My Girl". I'd come in the next week "O.K. here's "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" He'd come with "Ain't that Peculiar" for Marvin, I'd come back a week later with "Pride & Joy".

I said "That's that dude! Norman Whitfield??!! That's him???"

There are prolific songwriters and producers that are wholly responsible for soundtracking generations for decades to no end. They can probably be counted on two hands who are legendary icons such as Burt Bacharach, Smokey Robinson, Carole Bayer Sager, Bob Dylan, T-Pain...... (just seeing if you were still reading haha) Norman Whitfield is in that number with certainty.

We hear Motown classics today reduced to commercial jingles that saturate the power of those songs but it also speaks for the universality and bordered bridges crossed by the international ears and feet who hold this Americana dear.

Those 10 minutes with Mr. Whitfield was to me worth the lifetime his imagination and creativity conceived for us in a quarter century to move by his movement....... timelessly.

My youngest son of 11 months takes his "nappy naps" on this video here which is one of Mr. Whitfield's finest works "Ball Of Confusion (That's The World Is Today)"

38 years ago this was recorded and if you tell me it's not applicable today, please send me your home address so I can personally smack you where you stand (just kidding).

Youtube user terris1958 uploaded this awesome video adaptation that's worth BP props.


You're on your own to discover and research his breadth of work beyond this but as of September 16, 2008 his body may have left us but his spirit within his heartful creations survive and we celebrate his eternal legacy here on Blaxploitation Pride.













Much love Mr. Whitfield,

Mr. Wone