8/7/2023 0 Comments Detroit lions lem barneyThe background vocals are Farr and Barney with Gaye on a second track backing his own lead vocals. 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. All rights reserved.Rolling Stone magazine rated it the fourth greatest song of all-time. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information / Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. ^ Back to Top ^ © 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. It also alleges that the medical center violated the Family and Medical Leave Act by dismissing Barney shortly after his surgery. The lawsuit is seeking $290,000 in damages. "I need to keep working, but they seemed to think I should retire and they forced me out." "Suing DMC was a last resort," Barney said in a statement released by his attorney. At the time, his pay had been cut from $80,000 per year to $30,000, and he was reduced to handing out parking passes to patients' families, the lawsuit alleges. He was fired in February, just weeks after returning to work after back surgery, following two demotions. The 67-year-old also said he ran afoul of a supervisor by signing too many autographs for fans.ĭetroit Medical Center officials declined comment.īarney began working as the medical center's director of physician relations and replacement in 2006. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĭETROIT - Former Detroit Lions great and Hall of Famer Lem Barney filed a discrimination lawsuit Friday against a Detroit health system, alleging he was fired because of his age.īarney, a defensive back with the Lions in the 1960s and '70s, alleges that his supervisor at Detroit Medical Center once asked him, "Why don't you just retire already?" after noting he was in his 60s and made a lot of money playing professional football.
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