Norman Whitfield: 1940-2008

"I Heard It Through The Grapevine." "Aint Too Proud To Beg." "I Wish It Would Rain." "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep." "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)."

Those are just a handful of songs written by the great Norman Whitfield, who died today at the age of 68. Whitfield was a Motown songwriter, producer and arranger, and after Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1967, he became one of the first tier songwriters in the Motown stable. His greatest collaborations were with the Temptations, for whom he took over songwriting and production duties in 1966. And starting with the Tempts, "Cloud Nine," in 1968, Whitfield dragged Motown into the psychedelic era, paving the way for the later triumphs of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.

One of the greatest songwriters in any generation.