Dennis Coffey
Listen to Dennis Coffey on It's Your Thang
They're called "Motown's Greatest Hits," but it's just as accurate to call them "Dennis Coffey's Greatest Hits." The Detroit native played guitar on virtually every Motown session during that label's golden age from the late sixties through the seventies. This versatile musician has made his mark as a composer, guitarist, filmscorer, producer, and hitmaker. His last CD, "Under the Moonlight,"was number four in the country on the New Adult Contemporary Chart in Radio and Records in 1990 and sold 50,000 copies.
Long before the days of digital recording and complex samplers, Dennis was teaching himself guitar, progressing so quickly that he landed his first recording session as the age of 15. While majoring in music at Wayne State University, Dennis's budding reputation reached the ears of Motown executives and a long and fruitful association began. To date, Dennis has played on over 100 gold and platinum selling records including "Cloud Nine" by the Temptations, "Band of Gold" by Freda Payne, and other hits by Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, and Ringo Starr to name a few.
His career also encompasses eleven solo albums and CD's, a movie score (for Black Belt Jones from Warner Bothers), production credits on the Gallery and C.J. & Company, and songwriting credits on over 150 songs. He has two international top ten hits himself with Scorpio and Taurus and has two gold singles and one gold album. Dennis has won numerous awards from Billboard Magazine and BMI. He has also written a book that reached number four in London entitled, Guitars, Bars and Motown Superstars. It was also released in the USA and Canada by The University of Michigan Press. Dennis is in the documentary, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", the PBS Special, Rhythm, Love, and Soul, and recently appeared in the TV Special, From the Heart - The Four Tops 50th Anniversary Show. He is currently appearing regularly with his quartet at the world renowned Detroit jazz club, Baker's Keyboard Lounge.
Visit his website.
They're called "Motown's Greatest Hits," but it's just as accurate to call them "Dennis Coffey's Greatest Hits." The Detroit native played guitar on virtually every Motown session during that label's golden age from the late sixties through the seventies. This versatile musician has made his mark as a composer, guitarist, filmscorer, producer, and hitmaker. His last CD, "Under the Moonlight,"was number four in the country on the New Adult Contemporary Chart in Radio and Records in 1990 and sold 50,000 copies.
Long before the days of digital recording and complex samplers, Dennis was teaching himself guitar, progressing so quickly that he landed his first recording session as the age of 15. While majoring in music at Wayne State University, Dennis's budding reputation reached the ears of Motown executives and a long and fruitful association began. To date, Dennis has played on over 100 gold and platinum selling records including "Cloud Nine" by the Temptations, "Band of Gold" by Freda Payne, and other hits by Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, and Ringo Starr to name a few.
His career also encompasses eleven solo albums and CD's, a movie score (for Black Belt Jones from Warner Bothers), production credits on the Gallery and C.J. & Company, and songwriting credits on over 150 songs. He has two international top ten hits himself with Scorpio and Taurus and has two gold singles and one gold album. Dennis has won numerous awards from Billboard Magazine and BMI. He has also written a book that reached number four in London entitled, Guitars, Bars and Motown Superstars. It was also released in the USA and Canada by The University of Michigan Press. Dennis is in the documentary, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", the PBS Special, Rhythm, Love, and Soul, and recently appeared in the TV Special, From the Heart - The Four Tops 50th Anniversary Show. He is currently appearing regularly with his quartet at the world renowned Detroit jazz club, Baker's Keyboard Lounge.
Visit his website.