Richard Pistol Allen was the king of the shuffle styled drum beat at Motown records in the early 60s second only to Motown drummer extraordinare Benny Papa Zita Benjamin When Benjamin wasnt available to play Allen was called in to replace him Allen played drums on major Motown hits such as The Supremess Baby Love The Four Topss I Cant Help Myself Jr Walkers How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You and Martha the Vandellas Love Is Like a Heat Wave Allen still loved to play the Detroit local music scene and even after his stint with Motown he continued to be seen from time to time playing in Detroit nightclubs throughout the city until his illness Allen is also an intricate part of the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown The Story of the Funk Brothers 2002 which depicts the life as a Motown musician in the 60s reflecting the ups and downs of being a faceless figure of the Motown sound Died June 30 2002 in Royal Oak Michigan USA cancer IMDb Mini Biography By Van Whistler
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