Dennis Coffey
Another unsung hero though he's starting to get a bit more recognition...and royalties.

MARTIN BANDYKE, FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER
A seriously gifted guitarist with an instantly recognizable style, Funk Brother Dennis Coffey will receive major kudos Friday night at the 20th annual Detroit Music Awards. Best-known for the psychedelic riffs he brought to late-Detroit-era Motown hits for artists like the Supremes and Temptations, Coffey will receive a Distinguished Achievement award at the event, which takes place at the Fillmore Detroit. Other distinguished honorees are radio station WRIF-FM (101.1), rappers Insane Clown Posse and polka-parodists the Polish Muslims.

Coffey's signature use of distortion, echo and wah-wah effects is memorably heard on Motown hits like "Ball of Confusion" and "Cloud Nine," and his incendiary 1971 instrumental "Scorpio" was also a best-seller. The DMA recognition represents some particularly sweet timing for Coffey, who is releasing a new, self-titled album on April 26 that features guest vocalists Mayer Hawthorne, the Dirtbombs' Mick Collins and others.

(Hawthorne is also expected to join Coffey and his band on stage at the Fillmore on Friday.)

Coffey talked to the Free Press about his recent burst of activity, the new album, some Motown memories and more:
...