#Detroit lions lem barney pro

As I approached the area I quickly realized I was in more an industrial & commercial area then retail. I put the location into google maps off I went. I was in desperate need because of a upcoming event to make purchase I could get same day while searching for the item I quickly realized there wasn't just limited availability of the item but very limited locations in Metro Detroit i could purchase the item. You’ll probably never listen to it the same way again. Here’s the original version of “What’s Going On?”, a classic song that features not one, but two Detroit Lions. That’s a fascinating tale that Tinsley relates in a fine article on another website. Later that year, “What’s Going On?” was nominated for a Grammy Award.įarr and Barney later turned the tables on Gaye and coaxed him into trying out for the Lions. The iconic song debuted to the Top 100 and quickly soared to #2 on the U.S. Barry Gordy an Motown Records felt it was too controversial and not “hit material.” Gaye had 100,000 copies made and sent to radio stations and record stores across the country. Ironically, considering the trio of Detroit stars on the record, Gaye was forced to issue it on a private label. Farr and Barney were in the studio less than a day working on their parts. The background vocals are Farr and Barney with Gaye on a second track backing his own lead vocals.

#Detroit lions lem barney pro

Two of those voices belong to future Pro Football Hall of Famer Barney and Farr. The record starts with good-natured conversation, the voices of 3-4 young men seemingly at a house party. “He says, ‘Lem, you take this part,’ ‘Mel, you take this part,’ ” Barney told Tinsley. “I’ll do it if you sing with me,” Gaye reportedly told the two football stars. But when some of Gaye’s friends, including Farr and Barney, heard the song, they urged the Detroit singer to record it.

Motown Records didn’t record political music, and their artists were encouraged to play it safe with their material. A few years later, when Detroit songwriter Al Cleveland approached Gaye with a song he’d written about the epidemic of police killings of blacks in America, Gaye was reluctant at first. The friendship born that day laid the foundation for music history. “Marvin was a big sports fan,” Barney said years later. The Lions’ Pro Bowl defensive back didn’t know Marvin Gaye, but the singer knew him. According to Justin Tinsley of The Undefeated, Barney found Gaye’s house and knocked on the door. How did Mel Farr and Lem Barney end up as backup singers for Gaye, one of Motown’s biggest stars? One of them knocked on his door.Īfter a round of morning golf, teammates Barney happened to be in Gaye’s neighborhood in suburban Detroit one afternoon during the summer of 1968. Yes, that’s right, two active members of Detroit’s NFL team appeared on Marvin Gaye’s hit single “What’s Going On?” released in January 1971. Countless millions have enjoyed this famous ballad that shed light on police brutality and racism in America. Two members of the Detroit Lions sang background vocals on the song that sold more than two million copies. Metro Times ranked it as the best “Detroit song” ever. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.Rolling Stone magazine rated it the fourth greatest song of all-time. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.