Henry Cosby Biography

Henry Cosby was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1928. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he played alongside jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley in the military band. Upon his return to Detroit, he joined pianist Joe Hunter’s jazz band. He played tenor saxophone in jazz clubs, as well as on records for different labels around the city.

When Berry Gordy launched Motown Records in 1959 he recruited the Joe Hunter Band with Cosby, Benny Benjamin, James Jamerson, Larry Veeder, and Mike Terry, forming the basis of the ever-growing group of studio musicians contracted to the company. These studio musicians became known as the Funk Brothers, and as a member of their early line-up Cosby performed on hundreds of Motown recordings in the 1960s, including Martha Reeves & the Vandellas US#2 hit “Dancing in the Street” (1964). As was Motown’s policy at the time, none of the studio musicians were credited by name. Cosby also played on John Lee Hooker’s 1962 single “Boom Boom”, on Vee-Jay Records.

In addition to his saxophone playing, Cosby showed Gordy his talents as an arranger, producer, and songwriter, and became a key collaborator with the young Stevie Wonder.

Through the 1960s Cosby worked with many Motown artists, including production work for The Supremes, The Temptations, Jr. Walker, Edwin Starr, Brenda Holloway, and others. He is best known for co-writing and/or producing many of Stevie Wonder’s early hits. These include Wonder’s first major hits “Fingertips”, “My Cherie Amour”, “I Was Made to Love Her”, “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” and “For Once in My Life”.

Cosby was in rare company as one of only a small number of music professionals to contribute both as a writer and producer on three Billboard Hot 100 number #1 hits for three separate artists or groups; “Fingertips Part 2”, Stevie Wonder (1963), “Love Child”, Diana Ross and The Supremes (1968), “Tears of a Clown”, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles (1970).

Notably, Fingertips Part 2 was the first live recording to ever reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and it was also the first recording to sit at #1 on both Billboard’s R& B Chart and Hot 100 Chart simultaneously.

After releasing in August of 1968, Love Child sold 500,000 within it’s first two weeks and would sell more than 2 million copies by the end of the year.

After leaving Motown when the company moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, Cosby worked in A&R for CBS Records. Cosby also for a time worked as producer with Fantasy Records, including production work for Rance Allen, a gospel-influenced artist from Detroit. His later productions include albums for Martha Reeves, and Blood, Sweat and Tears. In 1977, with lyrical contributions from his youngest son William, Cosby wrote and produced the song “Be My Fortune Teller” by 94 East, one of the first recordings by Prince, and Colonel Abrams.