Backing Up Rock ’n’ Roll

Session musicians and backup singers play an essential role

Photo by Getúlio Moraes on Unsplash

It’s an open secret in the music industry that session or studio musicians and backup singers can make all the difference in crafting a hit record. This was particularly true in the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies, when rock ’n’ roll stars were often backed by talented “invisible” performing artists.

In large part, these hidden heroes of rock ’n’ roll remained in the background for decades. Yet through such documentaries as Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002) and The Wrecking Crew! (2008, 2015), their identities were revealed to a wider audience. While many of them stayed behind the scenes, some emerged into the spotlight as popular artists in their own right.

Here are three of the best-known groups of session musicians and backup singers from the rock ’n’ roll era.

The Funk Brothers

Behind virtually every Motown hit made in Detroit from 1959 until 1972 was a group of session musicians informally known as “The Funk Brothers.” The name is attributed to drummer William “Benny” Benjamin, who upon leaving the recording studio one day after a session, turned to his fellow musicians and said, “You all are the Funk Brothers.” At least that’s what group member Joe Hunter recounted in the…