Barrett Strong, original ‘Money’ singer and hall of fame Motown songwriter, dead at 81

Barrett Strong, whose influential “Money (That’s What I Want)” was the first hit song released by the Motown record label, has died, the Motown Museum announced.

A cause of death for Strong, who was 81, has not been released.

The Mississippi-born, Detroit-raised Strong achieved widespread fame as a teenager by singing and playing the piano on “Money,” an R&B anthem released in 1959. Berry Gordy founded the label that would become Motown a year earlier.

“Money” proved to be a lasting hit. It reached No. 23 on the Billboard singles chart and was covered by The Beatles in 1963 and the Rolling Stones in 1964.

The song became the center of a legal dispute after Strong, who argued he co-wrote “Money,” was removed from the writing credits. Lawyers for Gordy blamed Strong’s original credit on a clerical error. Gordy is credited as a co-writer with Janie Bradford.

Much of Strong’s success came as part of a songwriting duo with Norman Whitfield. Their songs include Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “War” made famous by Edwin Starr and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” made famous by The Temptations.

“Barrett was not only a great singer and piano player, but he, along with his writing partner Norman Whitfield, created an incredible body of work,” Gordy said in a statement.

Strong was part of the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2004 class. He released four albums during his career, most recently in 2008.

With News Wire Services