This guy was pretty good, too:
Jack Ashford - Upon hearing the early Motown records that invaded England in the '60s, EMI Records' president Sir Joseph Blackwood remarked they would never make it because the tambourine was mixed too hot.. But Sir Berry Gordy of Motown Records knew something that Sir Joseph didn't: Jack Ashford was not just any old tambourine player - he was a tambourine virtuoso. Just talk to any percussionist about "the cat that played tambourine at Motown" and watch them become enraptured.
But his first love was vibes, and his playing caught the eye of Marvin Gaye when he saw Jack playing with an organ trio in Boston. Coming to Motown at Marvin's request in 1963, Jack went on to become their most prolific percussionist, playing more than a dozen traditional percussion instrument as well as a few "off the beaten track" instruments like knee slaps, foot stomps, and his own invention, the "hotel sheet." A particular favorite of Marvin Gaye and Norman Whitfield, Jack's imaginative and colorful percussion grooves were one of the principal reasons why these two great artists always seemed to be breaking new ground with every recording they produced.
Born: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1934
Nicknames: None
Musical Influences: Milt Jackson, Lionel Hampton
Instruments Played: : Deagan model 510 and Deagan Imperial Nocturne vibes, marimbas, tambourine, wood block, foot stomps, hand claps, maracas, cabassa, bells, chimes, bell tree, hotel sheet, triangle, finger cymbals, kazoo
Greatest Performances: "What's Going On," "Ooh Baby Baby," "Where Did Our Love Go"