William "Benny" Benjamin (July 25, 1925 – April 20, 1969),[1][a] nicknamed Papa Zita,[4] was an American musician, most notable as the primary drummer for the Motown Records studio band The Funk Brothers.[5] 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.[6][7]
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[4] and James Jamerson, the bassist. The Beatles singled out Benjamin's drumming style upon meeting Gordy in the UK.[5][7]
By the late 1960s, Benjamin struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and the fellow Funk BrothersUriel Jones and Richard "Pistol" Allen increasingly recorded more of the drum tracks for the studio's releases.[5][8] Benjamin died on April 20, 1969, of a stroke at age 43.[14]
Notes
↑Some sources list his date of birth as July 15, 1925.[2][3]
↑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
↑"Benny Benjamin". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
12Weingarten, 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 from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
1234"The Funk Brothers". Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Archived from the original on April 4, 2003. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
↑McCollum, Brian (June 5, 2016). "Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
