Uriel Jones, Motown Drummer, Dies

Uriel Jones, a Motown drummer made famous laying down the beats for such artists as the Temptations and Marvin Gaye, died following a heart attack on Tuesday. Jones was 74 years old.

Uriel Jones: 1934 – 2009

Uriel Jones suffered the heart attack in February, Reuters reports, and had been looking like he might recover. This week, however, he relapsed and then passed away at a hospital in Michigan.

Jones played in a Motown session band called the Funk Brothers. In addition to recording songs such as the Temptations’ “Cloud Nine,” Jones also played on tracks by The Miracles and Jimmy Ruffin. Perhaps most famously, he recorded the drums on Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Only four out of the 13 musicians who made up the Funk Brothers are still alive.

Funeral services for Uriel Jones are now being planned.

Uriel Jones Video

You can watch video of Uriel Jones playing with the Funk Brothers in this video hosted on YouTube.