Which record company used the "Funk Brothers" to make scores of hit songs, but never allowed the "Funk Brothers" to record on its record label?

The "Funk Brothers" were a group of Detroit-based recording session musicians who performed the support music functions for most of the Motown company recording artists from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. The "Funk Brothers" played on Motown hits such as "My Girl", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Baby Love", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours", "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", "The Tears of a Clown", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", and "Heat Wave".

It has been said by noted musicians, industry experts, and critics that The "Funk Brothers" played on more number-one hits than the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys combined. The "Funk Brothers" are considered one of the most successful groups in music history. Their efforts to provide instrumental studio backing to well known artists made these artists very successful.

Concerning the name of the group, the "Funk Brothers" was a name that was originally applied loosely as a tongue-in-cheek designation. In fact, musicians now recall that the name wasn't truly used until Benny Benjamin referred to his fellow musicians as the "Funk Brothers" when he departed a studio recording session in the 1960s.