Richard 'Pistol' Allen

Birth : 1932-08-12, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

History

Richard "Pistol" Allen was the king of the shuffle styled drum beat at Motown records in the early 60s, second only to Motown drummer extraordinare Benny 'Papa Zita' Benjamin. When Benjamin wasn't available to play, Allen was called in to replace him. Allen played drums on major Motown hits such as The Supremes's "Baby Love", The Four Tops's "I Can't Help Myself", 'Jr. Walker"s "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and 'Martha & the Vandellas" "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave". Allen still loved to play the Detroit local music scene, and even after his stint with Motown he continued to be seen from time to time playing in Detroit nightclubs throughout the city, until his illness. Allen is also an intricate part of the documentary _Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Story of the Funk Brothers (2002)_ , which depicts the life as a Motown musician in the 60s; reflecting the ups and downs of being a faceless figure of the Motown sound. Died: June 30, 2002 in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA (cancer) - IMDb Mini Biography By: Van Whistler

Movies

Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Himself
In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers.