For the songwriter Claude "Bennie" Benjamin, see Bennie Benjamin.
Benny Benjamin
Backgroundnon_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth nameWilliam Benjamin Jr.
AliasPapa Zita
Birth dateJuly 25, 1925
Birth placeBirmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Death dateApril 20, 1969 (aged 43)
Death placeDetroit, Michigan, U.S.
InstrumentDrums
GenreR&B · jazz
OccupationMusician
Years active1940s–1969
LabelMotown
Past member ofThe Funk Brothers

William "Benny" Benjamin (July 25, 1925 – April 20, 1969),[1][a] nicknamed Papa Zita,[2] was an American musician, most notable as the primary drummer for the Motown Records studio band The Funk Brothers.[3] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and was named the eleventh best drummer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2016.[4][5]

Life and career

Benjamin was a native of Birmingham, Alabama.[6] He originally learned to play drums in the style of the big band jazz groups in the 1940s.[3][6]

In 1958, he was Motown's first studio drummer, where he was noted for his dynamic style. Several Motown record producers, including Berry Gordy, refused to work on any recording sessions unless Benjamin was the drummer[2] and James Jamerson, the bassist. The Beatles singled out Benjamin's drumming style upon meeting Gordy in the UK.[3][5]

Among the Motown songs he performed on include early hits such as "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong, "Shop Around" by The Miracles and "Do You Love Me" by The Contours; as well as later hits such as "Get Ready" and "My Girl" by The Temptations, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by the Four Tops, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" by Stevie Wonder, "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & the Pips, and "Going to a Go-Go" by the Miracles.[7][2][8][9][b]

Benjamin was influenced by the work of drummers Buddy Rich and Tito Puente. He recorded with a studio set composed of Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers, and Gretsch components, and likely Zildjian cymbals.[6]

By the late 1960s, Benjamin struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and the fellow Funk Brothers Uriel Jones and Richard "Pistol" Allen increasingly recorded more of the drum tracks for the studio's releases.[3][6] Benjamin died on April 20, 1969, of a stroke at age 43.[10]

Notes

  1. ^ Some sources list his date of birth as July 15, 1925.[11][12]
  2. ^ Some sources attribute "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" to drummer Richard "Pistol" Allen.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ Betts, Graham (2014). Motown Encyclopedia. AC Publishing. pp. 45–46. ISBN 9781311441546. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Abbo, Andrea (June 19, 2020). "Benny Benjamin, an outstanding drummer". Zero to Drum. Archived August 30, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "Benny Benjamin – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame biography (2019)". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 2003. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  4. ^ "Benny Benjamin". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Archived December 6, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Weingarten, Christopher; Dolan, Jon; Diehl, Matt; Micallef, Ken; Ma, David; Smith, Gareth; Wang, Oliver; Heller, Jason; Runtagh, Jordan (March 31, 2016). "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived July 29, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Funk Brothers". Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Archived April 4, 2003 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Slutsky, Allan (2003). "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Eighteenth Annual Induction booklet". rockhall.com. Archived January 6, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  8. ^ "AllMusic: Benny Benjamin – credits". AllMusic. Archived November 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  9. ^ McCollum, Brian (June 5, 2016). "Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs". Detroit Free Press. Archived March 24, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Sisario, Ben (March 25, 2009). "Uriel Jones, a Motown Drummer, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Archived March 22, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  11. ^ U.S. Social Security Death Index, 377-20-0866
  12. ^ William Benjamin Jr., Applications for Headstones, 1/1/1925 - 6/30/1970; NAID: NAID 596118; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General
  13. ^ Schlueter, Brad (May 13, 2026). "10 Old School Funk Grooves Every Drummer Should Know". Reverb.com. Archived August 4, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  14. ^ Smith, Troy L. (January 17, 2019). "50 Greatest Drummers in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". Cleveland.com. Archived January 24, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 5, 2026.