I have read some messages on one of the Motown Yahoo groups saying The Funks are playing a gig in Manchester in January, is this correct?, if it is do you have a list of the other gigs you will be playing in the UK, as I have seen no other reference to you guys comming here.
THAT IS NOT THE FUNK BROTHERS. IT'S JACK ASHFORD ILLEGALLY USING THE NAME "FUNK BROTHERS". THE NAME BELONGS TO OUR GROUP WHICH FEATURES BOB BABBITT,URIEL JONES, AND EDDIE WILLIS.
UNFORTUNATELY.THERE'S NOT MUCH WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. OUR AGENCY IS IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING TOGETHER A EUROPEAN TOUR FOR NEXT YEAR FOR THE REAL GROUP.
AS YOU KNOW,THESE FAKE GROUPS POP UP ALL THE TIME.IT'S A SHAME BECAUSE IT'S A RIP-OFF OF THE PEOPLE THAT PAY GOOD MONEY TO GO SEE THEM.
Its the old "Drifters" thing. I'd love to know how many versions of that band are doing the rounds.
Jack Ashford was a Motown session man though wasn't he? I'm more familiar with Nick Ashford who wrote a lot of Motown songs with Valerie(?) Simpson in the 70s. I presume Jack and Nick are related?
There's only one Funk Brothers though as far as I'm concerned, so its great to hear from Ray that they intend to tour the UK next year! Boy would it be nice to meet some other UK Rare Earth fans there!
JACK PLAYED TAMBOURINE AND VIBES AT MOTOWN. HE WAS IN THE MOVIE "STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN". HE PRODUCED THE FIRST RECORD THAT I WROTE AND SANG ON WITH MIKE CAMPBELL. IT WAS PART OF WHAT NORTHERN SOULERS KNOW AS THE "PIED PIPER PRODUCTIONS".WE WERE CALLED "MIKE AND RAY". (NOW THAT'S ORIGINAL).
HE'S NOT RELATED TO NICK ASHFORD.
HE LEFT THE FUNK BROTHERS TO GO OUT ON HIS OWN.
BUT....HE'S GOT NO RIGHT TO USE THE NAME,MUCH LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO RARE EARTH WHEN PETER LEFT.
To my knowledge none of the 2 so called Funk Brothers are the real deal. The original band has just exactly what to do with whats on offer now from both camps?
There is a message on the Motown Yahoo group responding to your post here.I am certain you would like to read it and answer it.
QUOTE = "Oh no not more internal squabbling. I notice Jack Ashford is leading this tour, surely he is ‘The Original Funk Brother’
I am in process of getting tickets for this gig but will probably hang fire until further details of line up are announced.
We have recently had The American Four Tops appearing in my area which have no connection at all with the original 4 Tops.
This situation is annoying for us fans. I just hope some agreement will be reached or we will be having line ups like ‘Jack Ashford’s Funk Brothers’ and ‘The Original Funk Brothers’. I notice on The Rare Earth Site this Uk tour is quoted as a Fake Group. Seems a little dangerous to me to make that quote. I would like to know what constitutes a ‘Funk Brother’ as I’m sure a lot of Motown session men could apply for membership of this elite club."
FIRST OF ALL,THE ONLY "FAKE" THING ABOUT JACK'S GROUP(PROBABLY A BAD CHOICE OF WORDS) IS THAT HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE USING "THE FUNK BROTHERS" NAME.AS YOU MAY KNOW,THERE ARE MANY FUNK BROTHERS.JAMES JAMERSON,EARL VANDYKE,EDDIE BONGO BROWN,JOHNNY GRIFFITH,BENNY BENJAMIN,PISTOL ALLEN,URIEL JONES,EDDIE WILLIS,BOB BABBITT, ROBERT WHITE,JOE HUNTER,JOE MESSINA,AND JACK ASHFORD.THERE WERE OTHERS THAT PLAYED AT MOTOWN IN THE EARLY DAYS ALSO.
WHEN "STANDING IN THE SHADOWS " WAS MADE,AN AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED BY THE PARTICIPATING FUNKS,THAT BASICALLY SAID THAT THE NAME WOULD ALWAYS BELONG TO THE MAJORITY. AS YOU MAY KNOW,JOHNNY GRIFFITH,AND PISTOL ALLEN PASSED AWAY. THAT LEFT JOE MESSINA,EDDIE WILLIS,JACK ASHFORD,BOB BABBITT,URIEL JONES,AND JOE HUNTER.
SHORTLY AFTER THEY FIRED ALLEN SLUTSKY,JACK DECIDED TO GO OUT ON HIS OWN.AT THAT TIME,JOE HUNTER WENT WITH HIM ALSO.SINCE THEN,JOE HAS WORKED WITH JACK AND WITH US ON THE "SOULFUL TALE" PROJECT.
WHEN JACK LEFT,A VOTE WAS TAKEN BY JOE MESSINA,BOB BABBITT,URIEL JONES,EDDIE WILLIS,JOHNNY GRIFFITH'S HEIRS,AND PISTOL ALLEN'S HEIRS. ALL VOTED THAT THE NAME WENT TO BABBITT,JONES,AND WILLIS.
OUR GROUP HAS THE GUITAR,BASS,AND DRUMS FROM THE FUNK BROTHERS.WE ALSO HAVE TWO MORE FROM THE STANDING IN THE SHADOWS DVD. TREATY WOMACK(CONGAS),AND DELBERT NELSON(VOCALS).SPIDER WEBB IS OUR SECOND DRUMMER.HE DID MANY SESSIONS AT MOTOWN WITH URIEL.AND.....LASTLY,THEY HAVE ME.I DID MANY SESSIONS AT MOTOWN,AND WITH ALL THE FUNKS AT THE OTHER DETROIT STUDIOS.
Hey guys....The tour that you have posted is the Jack Ashford/Joe Hunter version of the Funk Brothers.....Jack had been taking care of our business and had been negotiating for us with a new agency at the end of 2004 when he suddenly quit the Funk Brothers and then turned around and preceded to try to hire some of the side men who were playing with us that also had worked at Motown and other companies in Detroit. None of them went with Jack. At the same time he replaced Uriel Jones, Eddie Willis and myself and then he took the replacement group and played the shows that had been booked for the Funk Brothers by the new agency... Eddie, Uriel, and I along with the side men who stood by us were out of work for 4!/2 months..Since May of 2005 we have been performing live shows and the response has been fantastic..We will be in Europe soon..I will post on my site info when it happens....Bob
Thanks for putting everyone in the picture regarding the Funk's, it is much easier to understand the confusion when the truth is heard. I dont think too many artists would offer such an honest answer so it is more than appreciated.
I was in Manchester today and there is a half page feature in the Manchester Evening News on the forthcoming Funk Brothers gig on January 25th. This is the UK leg of their European tour.
To be fair, it does mention that the band only features Jack and Joe Hunter of the surviving Funk Brothers, although MEN have billed it as The Funk Brothers rather than "Jack Ashford's Funk Brothers."
Jack states "There are only five Funk Brothers left. But there's enough music around for everyone to make money.".
Referring to Standing in the Shadows of Motown, he adds "I saw the film as a catalyst for my career; a chance to restart it again. But when I heard about people putting together a band to go on the road, I saw a train wreck coming. There are so many different personalities and views, I thought to myself, well, since its a big world I'm going off on my own".
It seems like Mr Tambourine Man has got himself over to Europe ahead of the real Funk Brothers in order to steal their thunder. Personally I'd rather wait for Ray and Bob's version of the band.
IT WAS REALLY SAD TO SEE JOE LEAVE US. I MET JOE IN 1965 ALONG WITH JACK ASHFORD, WHEN WE DID ALL THE PIED PIPER PRODUCTIONS. JOE WAS ONE OF THE MOST POSITIVE GUYS I'VE EVER MET.
