Papa Was a Rolling Stone (Emphasis-on-Was Edition)

Motown super-producer and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" coauthor Norman Whitfield has been sentenced to house arrest following a conviction for failing to file a tax return.

I always like to think that anyone who fails to file a tax return–even when done out of sheer laziness–is secretly a tax rebel. Like the people Reason's Brian Doherty wrote about not too long ago here.

"Papa" is surely one of the great AM hits–a stunning blend of music and socially conscious (or perhaps more accurately, sociologically conscious) lyrics that climbed the charts despite its maxi-length. Words here.

Whitfield is a true giant as a songwriter (among his other signature tunes are "I Heard Through the Grapevine" and "War") and producer. Bio here.