In 1959, Berry Gordy gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on hits such as, "My Girl," "Bernadette," "I Was Made to Love Her," and every other hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number one hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined--which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves "The Funk Brothers". Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record, and three decades since they last jammed together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story. The Funk Brothers' story is told through archival footage and still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, twenty Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics. The Funk Brothers are also shown backing up such music stars as Chaka Kahn, Ben Harper, Bootsy Collins, Montel Jordan, Meshell Ndegeocello, Joan Osborne, and Gerald Levert.

Director:
Paul Justman	Director
Cast:
Jack Ashford (Black Jack)	as Himself (The Funk Brothers)
Bob Babbitt	as Himself (The Funk Brothers)
Johnny Griffith	as Himself (The Funk Brothers)
Joe Hunter	as Himself (The Funk Brothers)
Uriel Jones	as Himself (The Funk Brothers)
Joe Messina	as Himself (The Funk Brothers)
Eddie Willis (Chank)	as Himself (The Funk Brothers)
Joan Osborne	as Herself
Gerald Levert	as Himself
Me'Shell Ndegeocello	as Herself
Bootsy Collins	as Himself
Ben Harper	as Himself
Chaka Khan	as Herself
Montell Jordan	as Himself
Tom Scott	as Himself
Andre Braugher	as Narrator
Alex Alexander	as Young Marvin Gaye
Donald Becks Jr.	as Young Uriel Jones
Gary Bosek	as Young Bob Babbitt
Michael Ellison	as Young Benny Benjamin; Interviewer Voice
Otis Lockhart	as Young Robert White
Brian Marable	as Young James Jamerson
Antonie Mckay	as Young Jack Ashford
Mark Mutafian	as Young Jack Brokensha
Antonio Ramirez	as Young Eddie Willis
Kevin Smith	as Young Joe Hunter
Lynch Travis	as Young Earl Can Dyke
Tom Ventimiglio	as Young Joe Messina
Joe Wheeler	as Young Richard "Pistol" Allan
Paul Burt	as Funeral Director
Lamont Witcher	as Executive
Aubree Gaston	as Older Country Girl
Deseray Teague	as Younger Country Girl
Tyler Blakely	as Country Boy With Fishing Pole
William Stockdale	as James Jamerson As Child
James Herron	as Eddie Willis As Child
Patti Willis	as Bootsy Dancer
Rashid Mausi	as Interviewer
Leo Brown	as Interview Subject
Katie Chonacas	as Interview Subject
Teedra Cryer	as Interview Subject
Peter Dale	as Interview Subject
Maciek Dolata	as Interview Subject
Andrea Horvath	as Interview Subject
Pili Jamal	as Interview Subject
Laytonya Jordan	as Interview Subject
Benjamin Keysaer	as Interview Subject
Kelly Mccormick	as Interview Subject
Jennifer Meier	as Interview Subject
Kathryn Roy	as Interview Subject
Pradeep Suri	as Interview Subject
Ezar Thomas	as Interview Subject
Earl Wenk	as Interview Subject
Uriel Jones	as Performer
Richard Allen (Pistol)	as Performer
Bob Babbitt	as Performer
Eddie Willis (Chank)	as Performer
Joe Messina	as Performer
Allan Slutsky (Dr. Licks)	as Performer
Jack Ashford (Black Jack)	as Performer
Treaty Womack	as Performer
Joe Hunter	as Performer
Johnny Griffith	as Performer
Rudy Robinson	as Performer
Marcus Belgrave	as Performer
Maurice Davis	as Performer
Kasuku Mafia	as Performer
Ernie Rogers	as Performer
Tom Scott	as Performer
Edward Gooch	as Performer
Ron Kischuk	as Performer
Virginia Cunningham	as Performer
Joe Buono	as Performer
Tom Everett Scott	as Performer
Dayna Hartwick	as Performer
Igor Szwec	as Performer
Florence Rosenweig	as Performer
Larry Abramovitz	as Performer
Luigi Mazzocchi	as Performer
Madeline Cabano	as Performer
Orest Artymiw	as Performer
Davis Barnett	as Performer
David Giles	as Performer
Anthony Pirollo	as Performer
Richard Hotchkiss	as Performer
Angela Falco	as Performer
Dee Pappas	as Performer
Ted Greenberg	as Performer
Craig Weiland	as Performer
Phil Chen	as Performer
Seth Justman	as Performer
Sandy Passman	as Performer
Evan Solot	as Performer
Ron Kerber	as Performer
Michael Pedicin	as Performer
Bill Zaccagni	as Performer
Harvey Price	as Performer
Ron Jennings	as Performer
Steve Beskrone	as Performer
Joe Nero	as Performer
Carl Mottola	as Performer
Carla Benson	as Background Vocalist
Keith Benson	as Background Vocalist
Johnny Ingram	as Background Vocalist
Misty Love	as Background Vocalist
Cherokee Pree	as Background Vocalist
Delbert Nelson	as Background Vocalist
Dawn Blandford	as Additional Background Vocalist
Kizzy Jester	as Additional Background Vocalist
The Idmr Detroit Choir (The Idmr Detroit Choir)	as Additional Background Vocalist
Cinematography:
Douglas Milsome	Cinematographer
Lon Stratton	Cinematographer
Bryan Greenberg	Camera Operator
Bob Sackter	Video Colorist
Writer:
Walter Dallas	Narration Written By
Ntozake Shange	Narration Written By
Allan Slutsky (Dr. Licks)	Source Material (Inspired By The Novel: "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown")
Annie Ahearn	Script Supervisor
Barb Lehto	Script Supervisor
Producer:
Allan Slutsky (Dr. Licks)	Producer
Sandy Passman	Producer
Paul Justman	Producer
Paul Elliot	Executive Producer
David Scott	Executive Producer
Keith Benson	Associate Producer
Richard Adler	Associate Producer
Janice Ginsberg	Associate Producer
Michael Q Martin	Associate Producer
Mary Petryshyn	Co-Producer
Jonathan Dana	Consulting Producer
Editing:
Anne B Erikson	Editor
Ted Greenberg	Pro Tools Editing
Keri Winthers	On-Line Editing (Point 360)
Scott Brewster	Dialogue Editor
Sean Wiedeman	Dialogue Editor
Music:
Evan Solot	Underscore Composer
Mick Rossi	Underscore Composer
Allan Slutsky (Dr. Licks)	Underscore Composer
Allan Slutsky (Dr. Licks)	Music Supervisor
Steve Jordan	Music Supervisor ("Cool Jerk"); Music Supervisor ("Do You Love Me")
Brian Holland	Song ("Reach Out I'Ll Be There"); Song ((Love Is Like A) Heat Wave); Song ("You Keep Me Hangin' On"); Song ("Bernadette"); Song ("I Can'T Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)"); Song ("Where Did Our Love Go"); Song ("Baby Love"); Song ("How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"); Song ("You Can'T Hurry Love"); Song ("Nowhere To Run")
Lamont Dozier	Song ("Reach Out I'Ll Be There"); Song ((Love Is Like A) Heat Wave); Song ("You Keep Me Hangin' On"); Song ("Bernadette"); Song ("I Can'T Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)"); Song ("Where Did Our Love Go"); Song ("Baby Love"); Song ("How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"); Song ("You Can'T Hurry Love"); Song ("Nowhere To Run")
Edward Holland	Song
William Robinson Jr.	Song ("You'Ve Really Got A Hold On Me"); Song ("Shop Around"); Song ("I'Ll Be Doggone"); Song ("The Way You Do The Things You Do"); Song ("Don'T Mess With Bill"); Song ("Ooo Baby, Baby"); Song ("My Girl"); Song ("Since I Lost My Baby")
Berry Gordy	Song ("Do You Love Me"); Song ("Shop Around")
Autry DeWalt	Song ("Shotgun")
Gerald Levert	Song ("Shotgun")
Norman Whitfield	Song ("Ain'T Too Proud To Beg"); Song ("I Heard It Through The Grapevine"); Song ("Cloud Nine"); Song ("Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)"); Song ("Ball Of Confusion (That'S What The World Is Today)"); Song ("Pride And Joy")
Barrett Strong	Song ("I Heard It Through The Grapevine"); Song ("Cloud Nine"); Song ("Ball Of Confusion (That'S What The World Is Today)")
James Dean	Song ("What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted")
Paul Riser	Song ("What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted")
William Weatherspoon	Song ("What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted")
Valerie Simpson	Song ("Ain'T No Mountain High Enough")
Nickolas Ashford	Song ("Ain'T No Mountain High Enough")
Donald Storball	Song ("Cool Jerk")
Renaldo Benson	Song ("What'S Going On")
Alfred Cleveland	Song ("What'S Going On")
Marvin Gaye	Song ("What'S Going On"); Song ("Pride And Joy"); Song ("Stubborn Kind Of Fellow")
Earl T Van Dyke	Song ("The Flick")
Robert White	Song ("The Flick")
James Jamerson	Song ("The Flick")
Marvin Tarplin	Song ("I'Ll Be Doggone")
Warren Moore	Song ("I'Ll Be Doggone"); Song ("Ooo Baby, Baby"); Song ("Since I Lost My Baby")
Robert Rogers	Song ("The Way You Do The Things You Do")
Ronald White	Song ("My Girl")
Hank Ballard	Song ("Give It Up")
William Stevenson	Song ("Pride And Joy"); Song ("Stubborn Kind Of Fellow"); Song ("Dancing In The Streets")
George Gordy	Song ("Stubborn Kind Of Fellow")
Dennis Coffey	Song ("Scorpio")
Ivy Joe Hunter	Song ("Dancing In The Streets")
Gerald Levert	Song Performer ("Reach Out I'Ll Be There")
The Funk Brothers	Song Performer ("Reach Out I'Ll Be There"); Song Performer ((Love Is Like A) Heat Wave); Song Performer ("You'Ve Really Got A Hold On Me"); Song Performer ("Do You Love Me"); Song Performer ("Shotgun"); Song Performer ("Ain'T Too Proud To Beg"); Song Performer ("I Heard It Through The Grapevine"); Song Performer ("What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted"); Song Performer ("Cloud Nine"); Song Performer ("Ain'T No Mountain High Enough"); Song Performer ("Cool Jerk"); Song Performer ("What'S Going On"); Song Performer ("The Flick")
Joan Osborne	Song Performer ((Love Is Like A) Heat Wave); Song Performer ("What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted")
Me'Shell Ndegeocello	Song Performer
Bootsy Collins	Song Performer ("Do You Love Me"); Song Performer ("Cool Jerk")
Ben Harper	Song Performer ("Ain'T Too Proud To Beg"); Song Performer ("I Heard It Through The Grapevine")
Montell Jordan	Song Performer ("Ain'T No Mountain High Enough")
Chaka Khan	Song Performer ("Ain'T No Mountain High Enough"); Song Performer ("What'S Going On")
The Supremes	Song Performer ("You Keep Me Hangin' On"); Song Performer ("Where Did Our Love Go"); Song Performer ("Baby Love"); Song Performer ("You Can'T Hurry Love")
The Four Tops	Song Performer ("Bernadette"); Song Performer ("I Can'T Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)")
The Miracles	Song Performer ("Shop Around"); Song Performer ("Ooo Baby, Baby")
Marvin Gaye	Song Performer ("I'Ll Be Doggone"); Song Performer ("Pride And Joy"); Song Performer ("Stubborn Kind Of Fellow"); Song Performer ("Dancing In The Streets"); Song Performer ("What'S Going On")
The Temptations	Song Performer ("Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)"); Song Performer ("The Way You Do The Things You Do"); Song Performer ("My Girl"); Song Performer ("Ball Of Confusion (That'S What The World Is Today)"); Song Performer ("Since I Lost My Baby")
The Marvelettes	Song Performer ("Don'T Mess With Bill")
Jr Walker & The All Stars (Jr Walker & The All Stars)	Song Performer ("How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)")
Martha and the Vandellas	Song Performer ("Nowhere To Run"); Song Performer ("Dancing In The Streets")
Hank Ballard	Song Performer ("Give It Up")
Dennis Coffey	Song Performer ("Scorpio")
The Detroit Guitar Band (The Detroit Guitar Band)	Song Performer ("Scorpio")
Pino Palladino	Opening Bass Solo
Allan Slutsky (Dr. Licks)	Post Music Producer; Soundtrack Producer
Ted Greenberg	Post Music Producer; Soudtrack Producer
Allan Slutsky (Dr. Licks)	Music Arranger
Tom Scott	Horn Arranger ("You'Ve Really Got A Hold On Me")
Seth Justman	Arrangement - Breakdown Section ("What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted")
Michael Tarsia	Strings Recorder (Sigma Sound)
Ted Greenberg	Underscore Recorder (Big Zone)
Chris Zurzolo	Underscore Recording (Big Zone)
Tom Pellerito	Guitar Technician
Phil Chen	Bass Technician
Ted Greenberg	Drum Technician
Title Design:
Jennifer Worrell	Title Coordinator
Cameron Cox	Title Coordinator
Assistant Direction:
Tony Adler	First Assistant Director
Art Director:
Amy Carroll	Art Director
Visual Effects:
Julie Fischer	Digital Coordinator
Andrew Midgley	Optical Producer
Brian Fortenberry	Optical Producer
Make-Up:
Carol Branston	Key Makeup
Carol Branston	Key Hair
Costume-Wardrobe:
Scarlett Jade	Costume Supervisor
Bernadine Vida	Costumer
Production Designer:
Rolfe Bergsman	Production Designer
Sound:
Jamie Scarpuzza	Location Audio
Clive Taylor	Supervising Sound Editor
Darren Barnett	Supervising Sound Editor
Larry Goodwin	Supervising Sound Editor
Gene Leone	Narration Recording
Wally Hayman	Narration Recording
Peggy Mcaffee	Sound Effects Editor
C Reed Hart	Sound Effects Editor
Eric C Williams	Sound Effects Editor
Clive Palladino	Music Rerecording Mixer
Ted Greenberg	Music Rerecording Mixer
Jerry Jordan	Film Rerecording Mixer
Clive Taylor	Film Rerecording Mixer
Doug Madick	Foley Artist
Casting:
Ted Greenberg	Casting
Christine Claussen	Casting
Julie Smith	Casting
Catherine M Thomas	Extras Casting
Production Companies:
Rimshot	Production Company
Artisan Entertainment	Domestic Theatrical Distributor
Lightning Entertainment	Foreign Distribution Rights
Jules On The Go	Catering
Wolfe Travel	Travel Services
Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services	Various
	Negative Cutting
Power Post Audio	Post Sound Service
Sigma Sound Studios	Strings Recording Facility
La Digital Post	Post-Production Services
Affiliated Models & Talent	Casting
	On-Line Editing
Title House, Inc.	Titles, Optical & Digital Effects
Film Finances, Inc.	Completion Guarantor
Bean Counters Bookkeeping	Post-Production Accountant
Axium International	Payroll
Wallabee Media	Narration Recording
Fotokem Film & Video	Dailies Telecine
	Oxberry Photography
Matt'S Catering	Catering
Big Zone Recording	Underscore Recording Facility
Film Production - Main:
Mary Petryshyn	Line Producer
Joe Likins	Production Supervisor
Marty Shea	Production Coordinator
Alexia Sims	Production Coordinator
Larry Zabel	Production Coordinator
Marlus C Harding	Production Accountant
John Demonaco	Boom Operator
William Strachan	Dolly Grip
Timothy O'Dea	Dolly Grip
Darry Dusbiber	Gaffer
Mark Strachan	Key Grip
Chuck Martin	Oxberry Photography
Film Production - Lighting/Electrical:
Dennis Rottell	Best Boy Electric
Post Production:
Ginny Turner	Post-Production (La Digital Post)
Michael Q Martin	Post-Production Supervisor
Dale Gill	Post-Production Coordinator
Perry Young	Dailies Telecine (Fotokem)
Jim Williams	Color Timer
Joy Rencher	Negative Cutting (Jr Post)
Leonore Crystal	Post-Production Accountant
Location Manager:
Catherine M Thomas	Location Manager
Misc. Crew:
Dawn Zoltek	Assistant (To Mr. Slutsky)
Catherine Quinn	Assistant (To Mr. Passman)
Titania Martinez	Assistant (To Mr. Justman)
Paul Riser	String & Horn Arranging Consultant
Ritchie Rome	String & Horn Arranging Consultant
Chris Zurzolo	Pro Tools Consultant
Harry Weinger	Motown Historical Consultant
Dave Marsh	Detroit Historical Consultant
Walter Dallas	Narration Consultant
Joseph Valente	Narration Consultant
Andy Potvin	Dolby Consultant
Bruce V Grakal	Legal Services
Thomas R Greenberg	Legal Services
Michael S. Sherman	Legal Services
Sandy Passman	Legal Services
Title House, Inc.	Other
	Other
La Digital Post	Other
	Other
Fotokem Film & Video	Other
Film Finances, Inc.	Other
Axium International	Other
Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services	Other
	Other
Keith Benson	Various
Craig Weiland	Various

Winner of the 2002 award for Best Documentary from the National Society of Film Critics.

Expanded Release in United States November 29, 2002

Limited Release in United States November 15, 2002

Released in United States Fall November 15, 2002

Shown at Toronto International Film Festival September 5-14, 2002.

Shown at Tribeca Film Festival, May 8-12, 2002.

Fotokem color

Dolby DTS

rtg MPAA PG: language and thematic elements.

Limited Release in United States November 15, 2002

Released in United States Fall November 15, 2002

Expanded Release in United States November 29, 2002