what was the motown era

What year did the Motown era start?

Then the slogan came true. Founded on Jan. 12, 1959, Motown quickly became another Detroit factory; where the Big Three produced automobiles, Motown assembled the soul and pop classics that changed America. There's no hyperbole in that statement.

When did Motown start?

The Motown Record Corporation, or Motown (also called Hitsville recording company), was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr., in Detroit, Michigan, in January 1959. The record company became one of the most successful black-owned businesses and one of the most influential independent record companies in American history.

Who was first Motown group?

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Where did Motown come from?

The track comes from the upcoming 2-CD set ‘The Motown Anthology,’ to be released on March 4. The track comes from the upcoming 2-CD set ‘The Motown Anthology,’ to be released on March 4.

What was Motown known for?

In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including Tamla Motown, the brand used outside the US) were the most of the Motown sound, a style of soul music with a mainstream pop appeal. Motown was the most successful soul music label, with a net worth of $61 million.

What was Motown music style?

What Is Motown? Motown music is a pop music style associated with Motown Records. In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr founded Motown, originally named Tamla Records. The record label helped define the sound of soul music and popularized the genre in the 1960s.

What is Motown and what effect did it have on music?

Motown: A Game-Changer For Black Americans Fifty years ago, when black musicians had a difficult time breaking into a music business that was divided by race, Motown changed everything. Catchy dance tunes blending R&B, gospel, swing and pop from Berry Gordy's Detroit-based record company caught on nationwide.

What was unique about Motown music?

The Motown Sound owes some of its uniqueness to the reverb effect created by pumping tracks through the label's Echo Chamber, in the days before computers and synthesizers. True to his commitment to quality, Berry Gordy, Jr. would not slap a Motown label on every song his producers offered.

What is an essential element of a Motown song?

Contrary to popular opinion, the Motown sound had a grittier side, one brought out simply by accenting the horn and rhythm sections. The bass guitar may have been the most basic element of the Motown sound, even burbling under a song as sweetly strung and sung as this one.

Is Motown folk or popular music?

The Motown sound was a combination of soul and popular music. Gordy signed a number of amazing artists, among them Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, the Supremes, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

Why is Motown important to black history?

and was the first record label owned by an African American. Primarily featuring African American artists, Motown Records achieved crossover success with a sound that bridged genres and a popularity that reached across racial lines during a time when much of the country was still segregated.

How did Motown affect society?

Motown had a massive influence in the music industry in being that is was a successful black owned record label during the height of racial inequality. Music from Motown broke down racial barriers in the black & white communities in America and throughout the world igniting cultural change in the music industry.

How did Motown impact the civil rights movement?

It was wildly popular. Though the songs were not overtly political, Motown's popularity contributed to the Civil Rights Movement by achieving crossover success. Thanks to its popularity, African-American songs and faces entered the homes of every American in the country, regardless of race.

Why is Motown so significant?

Motown was also powerfully significant as a black-owned corporation employing multi-racial staff within its label teams; in an era when America was undeniably divided and the mainstream was an exclusionary zone (in 1967, the Detroit riots also erupted in response to police raids in black neighbourhoods), Hitsville ...

What best describes the Motown sound?

A strong, steady four-beat drum tempo. Frequent use of strings and horns. Pop vocal stylings embellished with gospel-influenced chorals. Complex chord changes and sophisticated melodies.

What is the Motown name?

Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music as an African ...

When did Motown become independent?

Motown expanded into film and television production. It was an independent company until MCA Records bought it in 1988. PolyGram purchased the label from MCA in 1993, followed by MCA successor Universal Music Group, which acquired PolyGram in 1999.

How many top 10 hits did Motown have?

From 1961 to 1971, Motown had 110 top 10 hits. Top artists on the Motown label during that period included the Supremes (initially including Diana Ross ), the Four Tops, and the Jackson 5, while Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Marvelettes, and the Miracles had hits on the Tamla label.

How many records did Motown have in the 1960s?

During the 1960s, Motown achieved 79 records in the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100 between 1960 and 1969. Following the events of the Detroit Riots of 1967, and the loss of key songwriting/production team Holland–Dozier–Holland that year over pay disputes, Gordy moved Motown to Los Angeles, California.

What labels did Motown release?

In the United Kingdom, Motown's records were released on various labels: at first London (only the Miracles' "Shop Around"/" Who's Lovin' You " and "Ain't It Baby"), then Fontana ("Please Mr. Postman" by the Marvelettes was one of four) and then Oriole American (" Fingertips " by Little Stevie Wonder was one of many).

Where was Motown's headquarters?

The Hitsville U.S.A. Motown building, at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Motown's headquarters from 1959 to 1968, which became the Motown Historical Museum in 1985. In 1957, Gordy met Smokey Robinson, who at the time was a local seventeen-year-old singer fronting a vocal harmony group called the Matadors.

Where is Motown from?

Record label originally from Detroit , Michigan. For the musical style associated with the label, see Motown (music style). For other uses, see Motown (disambiguation). For the city nicknamed Motown, see Detroit. This article needs additional citations for verification.

Who set up the factory of Motown?

Motown: The music that changed America. Sixty years ago, Berry Gordy set up the hit factory of Motown. Arwa Haider looks at how an independent record label created one of the most influential sounds of the 20th Century. On 12 January 1959, the music sensation that changed America – and the world beyond it – was set in motion.

When did Motown release the Freedom Rally?

On the Gordy label, Motown released an album of Martin Luther King’s address to the Freedom Rally held in Detroit on 23 June 1963 (EMI Archive Trust and Universal Music Group) Motown would deliver more explicitly political anthems, too: notably Edwin Starr’s fiery 1970 classic War; its songwriters, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, ...

When did Gordy sell Motown?

Gordy sold his ownership in Motown in 1988, to major label MCA and an investment banking firm for $61million – noting that this was less than its full worth; indeed, five years later, Polygram would purchase Motown for $301million.

When did the Temptations perform My Girl?

The Temptations perform their signature hit My Girl in 1965 (Courtesy of EMI Archive Trust and Universal Music Group) Motown was always a serious business, fuelled by the sweetest sounds.

Who signed with Gordy before Motown?

Before Motown, Gordy had signed deals for two singles by rising R&B stars The Miracles, featuring a young Smokey Robinson – only to receive a royalty cheque for just $3.19. Robinson reportedly told Gordy: “You might as well start your own record label; I don’t think you could do any worse than this.”.

Is Motown still independent?

The ‘Motown Sound’ is unmistakeable for its glorious melodies and killer hooks; the Motown spirit – as embodied by the vivacious, tenacious Gordy himself (now 89) – is exceptional, even if the label is no longer independent (it’s currently part of Universal Records).

What was Motown's pride?

And all the while Motown was the pride of Detroit and the pride of black America (though Gordy tried, with his usual bluster, to make it the "Sound of Young America," a label he began to stamp on all of the company's vinyl). Around the time of the '67 Detroit riots, however, things changed, as they eventually had to.

What was Motown's role in the Civil Rights Movement?

Arriving at the height of the civil rights movement, Motown was a black-owned, black-centered business that gave white America something they just could not get enough of — joyous, sad, romantic, mad, groovin', movin' music. ( See an audio slideshow of five of Motown's best tunes .)

Where is the Motown sign?

Motown. Above the front windows of Motown Records' Detroit headquarters was a sign that read "Hitsville U.S.A." Placed there by Motown founder Berry Gordy soon after his company moved into the modest home at 2648 W. Grand Blvd, the sign demonstrated Gordy's blazing — and at the time, unearned — arrogance. Then the slogan came true.

Who were the artists that were in Motown?

Over the next decade, the sheer number of chart-topping artists, musicians, and groups produced by Motown defied comprehension: Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye.

What Is Motown Music?

In the music world, Motown can be identified both as a label and a music genre. It’s believed that no other record company in the music industry managed to get to the Motown Sound’s ranks.

The Full History of Motown Sound

Although Motown Sound didn’t produce major hits under its name until the ‘60s, it was set in motion a couple of years prior.

What About the Music Genre?

The Motown Music genre is an R&B style. It gained its name after the legendary Motown Sound label, and it helped the record company rise into being the largest Black American enterprise in the U.S.

What Are the Characteristics of the Motown Music Genre?

All music genres have some basic features, and Motown is no exception. Rap has rhythmic speech, and Jazz has swing and blue notes. Meanwhile, Motown is best known for layers of instrumental sounds, memorable hooks, and strong backbeats.

When was Motown founded?

Motown was founded in 1959 as Tamla Records, and it acquired the name Motown in April 1960 – the ideal time to launch a record company built on black music. In the early 60s, the music industry was rapidly expanding. African-American singers would soon reach a bigger audience than ever before.

What was the Motown label?

Motown put talent at the top of its agenda, then set about directing it. The label quickly signed artists who would make a huge impact. Gordy had written hits for Jackie Wilson in the 50s and knew something about what made great records, so his A&R instincts were strong. Motown had an apparently endless supply of talent on its doorstep in Detroit, and, once established, artists beat a path to the company’s door, knowing they’d get a hearing.

How many No.1s did Motown have?

The label enjoyed 10 US No.1s between 1965-67, and this music was as much a part of the 60s landscape as any other: “Stop!

What is the sound of Motown?

Not only did Gordy attempt to emulate the production-line techniques of Detroit’s motor industry, there was a “Motown sound” that was relentless, rhythmic, sometimes almost mechanical. The crashing snare drum like a press stamping out steel for body parts.

What were the major soul music companies in the 60s?

Some sprouted from a single record store or nightclub. Others were well funded. Large companies focused on R&B and jazz – two of the foundation stones of soul music – already existed, such as Atlantic, Vee-Jay, and Chess, and were already established by the time Motown came along. By the end of the 60s, however, Vee-Jay was a distant memory, Atlantic was chiefly focused on hard rock and Chess had failed to turn its undeniably brilliant soul and blues artists into superstars. But Motown had become a major corporation, its success built on talent, drive, and internal competition.

Was Motown in good shape?

But as the 60s began to expire, Motown was in good shape.

Where did the kids from Motown come from?

And one further group signed to Motown at the end of the 60s: a group of kids from Gary, Indiana, a known entity in the music business who had yet to make an impact: Jackson 5.

56: Heatwave (Martha Reeves & The Vandellas)

If you’re looking for a perfect example of “The Motown Sound,” you’d be hard-pressed to find a better one than 1963’s “Heatwave.” With doo-wop vocals, a hefty backbeat, and plenty of horns, this is the classic sound of the label. – Sam Armstrong

55: Endless Love (Lionel Richie & Diana Ross)

One of the greatest duets ever, this Lionel Richie-penned tune topped the Billboard charts for nine weeks. It’s a perfect marriage of two distinct and talented voices. The movie for which it was written is largely forgotten today, but the song will be remembered forever. – Sam Armstrong

53: This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) (The Isley Brothers)

The Isley Brothers only recorded for Motown for a short time, but they might a mighty impact with this pleading Holland–Dozier–Holland gem. It would go on to be covered countless times in the following decades. – Sam Armstrong

52: Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) (Marvin Gaye)

Marvin Gaye’s poignant song about the environment only becomes more relevant as time goes on.

50: Get Ready (The Temptations)

An anthem from the first hitmaking phase of The Temptations ’ career, when their songs were laid on by Smokey Robinson – a sure sign of soul of the highest order. Assertive, powerful, and groovy, this 1966 smash is beautifully delivered by the great Eddie Kendricks.

49: Can I Get A Witness (Marvin Gaye)

The classic Motown sound was starting to fully flow by the end of 1963, when “Can I Get A Witness” was released. But you can still hear a strong current of R&B and an undertow of gospel in this thrilling floor-filler and all-time mod mover.

48: Needle In A Haystack (The Velvelettes)

An early marker of success for up and coming super-producer Norman Whitfield, this irresistible single was one of just two US Hot 100 entries for a girl group signed to a record company awash with them. Perhaps The Velvelettes needed more attention, or to shout louder – but they surely had talent to spare.

What is the significance of Motown's "Motown"?

The single addressed various different social issues, not just racial inequality. There were earlier Motown records that drew attention to the racial inequalities of America.

When did Tamla Motown start?

The label began in 1959 and a lone Berry Gordy armed only with ambition ...

What was the Great March to Freedom speech?

The Great March To Freedom’ includedKing’s infam ous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. To a cynic this venture could be seen as one the shrewdest business moves in twentieth-century history. However, Gordy used his self-named sub-label to release the politically charged speech, perhaps showing his commitment to the project.

Overview

Artist development

Artist development was a major part of Motown's operations instituted by Berry Gordy. The acts on the Motown label were fastidiously groomed, dressed and choreographed for live performances. Motown artists were advised that their breakthrough into the white popular music market made them ambassadors for other African-American artists seeking broad market acceptance, and that they should think, act, walk and talk like royalty, so as to alter the less-than …

History

Motown Sound

Motown subsidiary labels

British (pre-Tamla Motown) labels

See also

Further reading