Few guitarists have bridged as many eras, genres, and generations as Dennis Coffey.
A cornerstone of Detroit’s rich musical history, Coffey’s fingerprints are all over the evolution of funk, soul, disco, and Hip-Hop — from his early days as a session player in Motown’s legendary Funk Brothers collective, where he featured on tracks by The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Four Tops, and Marvin Gaye to name a few… to his later work as a solo artist, composer, and producer.
His sharp, psychedelic guitar tones and rhythmic precision helped define the sound of the 1970s. and few people know of his uncredited work with George Clinton..
Coffey’s production legacy is as deep as his playing. He co-produced Rodriguez’s cult classic Cold Fact, the album that would later gain worldwide acclaim following the rediscovery of Sixto Rodriguez’s music in the Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man. His keen ear for soulful grooves and cinematic atmosphere also shaped the original motion picture soundtrack for Black Belt Jones in 1974, where he composed and performed alongside Luchi De Jesus. The film’s explosive main theme became a Hip-Hop staple decades later, for the breaks that were sampled on LL Cool J's “Jingling Baby” and the Jedi Knights “Catch the Break.”
In the disco and dance sphere, Coffey teamed up with longtime collaborator Mike Theodore to produce Devil’s Gun in 1977 by C.J. & Co., an album that lit up dance floors worldwide. The title track 'Devil's Gun' — being the first record ever played at the inaugural Studio 54 opening night by DJ Richie Kaczor — lived on through the 1990s, when sampled for Redman and Missy Elliott.
As a solo artist, Coffey showcased his guitar wizardry and studio innovation on albums like A Sweet Taste of Sin, recorded with The Dennis Coffey Band. The record’s lush funk instrumentals caught the attention of Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, who sampled its grooves in his own productions.
Other key artists that have sampled Dennis Coffey include: Mark Ronson, Nas, Eric B. & Rakim, Ultramagnetic MC’s, Soul II Soul, DJ Shadow, De La Soul and Redman
But perhaps no single track defines Coffey’s influence quite like “Scorpio”, recorded with Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band for the 1971 album Evolution. The song’s razor-sharp funk break and cosmic rhythm section have made it one of the most sampled tracks in history — its DNA woven into classic cuts by Young MC on “Bust a Move”, The Fugees on “The Score”, Public Enemy on “Night of the Living Baseheads”, Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth on “Keep It Flowing”, House of Pain on “All My Love”, RUN-DMC on “Word is Born”, and Freak Power (Norman Cook) on “Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out.” to name a few…
From Motown to modern Hip-Hop, Dennis Coffey’s work is a through-line connecting generations of groovers. His sound — raw, rhythmic, and unmistakably Detroit — remains as vital today as when he first plugged in his wah wah pedal half a century ago.
On November 11th 2025 Dennis Coffey celebrates his 85th birthday and continues to stay active and relevant within the music scene: In September 2024 A remastered version of his 1975 funk album Finger Lickin’ Good was reissued via Westbound Records and Org Music with the new title Finger Pickin’ Good and featured the bonus track ‘What It Is It Ain't’.
We pay our respects to a music legend 'Dennis Coffey'