Jack Ashford

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Jack Ashford (born 1934, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States), known to his friends as Jashford, is an African-American musician, widely known as the percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing the tambourine on hundreds of Motown recordings. His definitive performance is on "War" by Edwin Starr; other notable songs Ashford played tambourine on include "Nowhere to Run" by Martha & the Vandellas, "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, and "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston. He also played vibes, shakers, and the marimba on the label's recordings, such as The Miracles' "Ooh Baby Baby". The early 1980s saw production work from Ashford but it proved to be the end of his career in music.

Jack Ashford was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame as a member of the Funk Brothers in 2010.^[1]

Session work

• The Mighty Clouds of Joy - Kickin' - ABC Records, 1975 - (percussion)^[2]
• The Mightly Clouds of Joy - Live and Direct - ABC Records, 1977 - (hotel sheet, percussion)^[3]

References

• Ashford, Jack (2003). Motown: The View From The Bottom. Bank House Books. ISBN 1-904408-03-6

External links

• Standing in the Shadows of Motown at the Internet Movie Database
• Bankhousebooks.com