He later turned to film music and his final Motown work was the score for the film Hell Up In Harlem (1973).
Starr's next record, the derivative Stop The War Now, was a minor hit, as was the uncontroversial Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On. He was next assigned by Gordy to work with songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield, creator of numerous hits for Motown vocal group the Temptations. Almost immediately Starr recorded what many aficionados regard as his best record, Twenty-Five Miles. In 1968, Ric-Tic and its recording artists were purchased for $1million by Motown's Gordy, partly to stop the moonlighting. One ingredient of Starr's hits was the accompaniment provided by moonlighting musicians from the rival Tamla Motown. In another song from this period, Soul Master, he claimed that "I'm the guy they named soul after." It was an r 'n'b chart top 10 hit, as was his next record comprising two more Starr compositions Stop Her On Sight (SOS) and Headline News. His skill as a lyricist with an ear for topical metaphor was evident on Agent Double-O- Soul, a rousing dance song that cashed in on the 1960s vogue for spy movies. Hatcher, now renamed Edwin Starr at the suggestion of Doggett's manager Don Briggs, made his solo recording debut in 1965 for Detroit record company Ric-Tic.
He joined the group led by organist Bill Doggett, later singing with the Holidays. By the time he was discharged, he had decided to make music his career. But after graduation he was called up for military service and was posted to Europe, where he sang in clubs when off-duty. In 1957, came his first group, the Future Tones, which recorded a single. Starr was born Charles Edwin Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee, and attended college in Cleveland, Ohio. And, 16 years later, Bruce Springsteen had a hit with a new version. The record was nominated for a Grammy as best r 'n' b performance. Soon afterwards, it reached the top 10 in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. The song became a number one hit in 1970. “There was nobody better on stage, and he was the nicest man you could ever wish to meet.His almost hoarse vocal tone and energetic, emphatic performance caught the public mood. Suzi Quatro, a ‘70s rock star who had known Starr since she was a teenager in Detroit, praised him Wednesday. In 1995, he was featured on a Walt Disney children’s workout album “Mousercise.” He participated in an award-winning British Broadcasting Corp. Starr moved to England in the 1980s and spent much of his time touring Europe on the oldies circuit. He left Motown in 1975, recording for small labels in Britain and the United States, and found success in disco with the hits “Contact” and “H.A.P.P.Y. Starr began working on film soundtracks, recording the music for “Hell Up in Harlem” in 1973. It just happened to coincide with the war in Vietnam.”
“It was about the neighborhood wars and the racial wars that were going on inside America at the time. “The song was never about the Vietnam War,” he told the weekly British newspaper the Voice in 2001. Over the years, however, Starr said the real meaning of the song had been lost. The song was later covered by Bruce Springsteen. The recording earned Starr a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. “War” entered Billboard’s Hot 100 on July 11, 1970, at No. According to the “Billboard Book of Number One Hits” by Fred Bronson, the song received huge support from college students around the country, encouraging its release as a single.Īccording to Bronson, Whitfield asked Starr if he wanted to record the song, and Starr said yes.
Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, the song first appeared on an album by the Temptations. 1 hit in 1970 during a time of unrest in America over the Vietnam War. His early hits included “Agent Double-O Soul” and “Stop Her on Sight (S.O.S).”īut Starr’s biggest success came with “War,” a No. After his discharge, he toured for two years with the Bill Doggett Combo before being offered a solo deal in 1965.
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