Biography
Cornelius Grant spent nearly two decades as the Temptations’ musical director, accompanying the premier male vocal ensemble on international tours. Born on April 27, 1943, he mastered the guitar at nine after ordering an instrument from a Sears & Roebuck catalog. Life in the small, arid town of Fairfield, Texas, eighty miles south of Dallas, offered little stimulation, yet daily practice on the instrument relieved the monotony. Unable to afford a piano, he accepted his grandmother’s financial constraints and kept the guitar; she covered its cost through house cleaning, ironing, ragweed removal, and manure spreading. Without instructors nearby, Grant developed his technique entirely on his own. Three years afterward the family relocated to Detroit’s west side, where the twelve-year-old instantly embraced the city’s vibrant atmosphere. By fifteen he matched the city’s finest guitarists while still enrolled at Mumford High School, performing regularly in clubs, bars, talent contests, and assorted events. Nine years of such experience had honed his abilities by the time he completed his studies at Mumford. He subsequently backed Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye before joining the Temptations full time. Grant employed a Gibson Birdland and a Fender Telecaster, switching between fingerstyle and plectrum according to the required tone. The memorable introductory riff of “I Know I’m Losing You” originated on a Goya acoustic. He co-authored that hit with Eddie Holland and Norman Whitfield, and he also collaborated with the late Roger Penzabene and Whitfield on “You’re My Everything.” Penzabene, a close associate, penned “I Wish It Would Rain” and “I Could Never Love Another.” Before any royalty payments arrived, Penzabene died by suicide; the Temptations’ recording of “I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)” encapsulates that story. Additional compositions include “Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me” and “Ain’t No Sun (Since You Been Gone)” for Gladys Knight & the Pips; “You Got to Earn It” and “I Got to Find a Way to Win You Back” for the Temptations; and “My Weakness Is You” and “I Want My Baby Back” for Edwin Starr. Lula included “Take Me in Your Arms” on her To Sir with Love album. Grant further co-wrote “I’m More Than Happy (I’m Satisfied)” for Stevie Wonder and “Love and Affection” for Marvin Gaye.
He joined Melvin Franklin, also known as David English, and Otis Williams as a partner in D.O.C. Productions, the acronym representing their first names. The firm developed Swiss Movement and Quiet Elegance. Grant’s songwriting often centered on striking guitar figures; Norman Whitfield overheard him playing fifths that supplied the introduction to “I Know I’m Losing You,” after which Whitfield fashioned the chord progression and Eddie Holland supplied the lyrics. Between 1964 and 1970 Grant participated in numerous Motown sessions, among them Gladys Knight & the Pips’ chart-topping “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” He performed on recordings of his own co-compositions except for “You Got to Earn It,” which Smokey Robinson produced while Grant toured with the Temptations. Studio solitude held little appeal compared with the direct response of live audiences. Performances carried him across the Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa before enthusiastic crowds. The group visited the White House as guests of Tricia Nixon Eisenhower. Grant encountered Rev. Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, Elton John, and the Beatles, and he appeared on numerous television programs. He serves as chief executive of Siege, an entertainment company that manages and nurtures emerging talent. He is preparing a candid memoir of his years with the Temptations and participates in forums with fellow Motown alumni addressing the practicalities of the music industry. At a local college he instructs guitar and has authored Cornelius Grant’s Guitar for Beginners, a volume containing exercises designed to replicate the Motown Sound. He established W.A.R.M., the World Academy of Recording Musicians, to secure greater acknowledgment for studio and touring players.
He joined Melvin Franklin, also known as David English, and Otis Williams as a partner in D.O.C. Productions, the acronym representing their first names. The firm developed Swiss Movement and Quiet Elegance. Grant’s songwriting often centered on striking guitar figures; Norman Whitfield overheard him playing fifths that supplied the introduction to “I Know I’m Losing You,” after which Whitfield fashioned the chord progression and Eddie Holland supplied the lyrics. Between 1964 and 1970 Grant participated in numerous Motown sessions, among them Gladys Knight & the Pips’ chart-topping “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” He performed on recordings of his own co-compositions except for “You Got to Earn It,” which Smokey Robinson produced while Grant toured with the Temptations. Studio solitude held little appeal compared with the direct response of live audiences. Performances carried him across the Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa before enthusiastic crowds. The group visited the White House as guests of Tricia Nixon Eisenhower. Grant encountered Rev. Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, Elton John, and the Beatles, and he appeared on numerous television programs. He serves as chief executive of Siege, an entertainment company that manages and nurtures emerging talent. He is preparing a candid memoir of his years with the Temptations and participates in forums with fellow Motown alumni addressing the practicalities of the music industry. At a local college he instructs guitar and has authored Cornelius Grant’s Guitar for Beginners, a volume containing exercises designed to replicate the Motown Sound. He established W.A.R.M., the World Academy of Recording Musicians, to secure greater acknowledgment for studio and touring players.