May 27, 1964: It’s a Wednesday afternoon at Motown’s converted garage studio on 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit. Cutting tracks for the Temptations is producer Norman Whitfield – young, ambitious, confident – a protégé of company head Berry Gordy.

But Whitfield is nothing without a hit, and he badly needs one. Looking for an undeniable intro, he focuses his attention on the far corner of the room, where master drummer William “Benny” Benjamin is poised behind an acoustic baffle waiting for the count-off.