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.