...in the early 60's


Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit. Now headquartered in New York City, Motown is a subsidiary of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group, itself a subsidiary of the French-owned Vivendi subsidiary, Universal Music Group. Motown Records was also the name of Gordy's second record label; the first, Tamla Records, began on January 12, 1959. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music, by achieving a crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its soul-based subsidiaries were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as The Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence.
Motown has owned or distributed releases from more than 45 subsidiaries in varying genres, although it is most famous for its releases in the music genres of rhythm and blues, soul, hip hop, and pop. Gordy relocated Motown Records to Los Angeles in 1972 and there it remained an independent company until June 28, 1988, when Gordy sold the company to MCA and Boston Ventures (which took over full ownership of Motown in 1991), then to PolyGram in 1994, before being sold again to MCA Records' successor Universal Music Group, when it acquired The PolyGram Group. As of summer of 2011, Motown has been reactivated under the new The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group division of Universal Music Group.


Motown specialized in a type of soul music it referred to with the trademark "The Motown Sound". Crafted with an ear towards pop appeal, the Motown Sound typically used: tambourines to accent the back beat; prominent and often melodic electric bass-guitar lines; distinctive melodic and chord structures; and a call-and-response singing style that originated in gospel music. Pop production techniques such as the use of orchestral string sections, charted horn sections, and carefully arranged background vocals were also used. Complex arrangements and elaborate, melismatic vocal riffs were avoided.[12] Motown producers believed steadfastly in the "KISS principle" (keep it simple, stupid). [13]
The Motown production process has been described as factory-like. The Hitsville studios remained open and active 22 hours a day, and artists would often go on tour for weeks, come back to Detroit to record as many songs as possible, and then promptly go on tour again. Berry Gordy held quality control meetings every Friday morning, and used veto power to ensure that only the very best material and performances would be released. The test was that every new release needed to fit into a sequence of the top five selling pop singles of the week. Several tracks which later became critical and commercial favorites were initially rejected by Gordy; the two most notable being the Marvin Gaye songs, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "What's Going On". In several cases, producers would re-work tracks in hopes of eventually getting them approved at a later Friday morning meeting, as producer Norman Whitfield did with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg".
Many of Motown's best-known songs, including all the early hits for The Supremes, were written by the songwriting trio of Holland–Dozier–Holland (Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland). Other important Motown producers and songwriters included Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Smokey Robinson, Barrett Strong, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Frank Wilson, Pamela Sawyer & Gloria Jones, James Dean & William Weatherspoon, Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, Stevie Wonder and Gordy himself.
The style created by the Motown musicians was a major influence on several non-Motown artists of the mid-1960s, such as Dusty Springfield and The Foundations. In the United Kingdom, the Motown Sound became the basis of the northern soul movement


Artist development was a major part of Motown's operations. 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-dignified image commonly held by white Americans in that era of black musicians. Given that many of the talented young artists had been raised in housing projects and were short on social and dress skills, this Motown department was not only necessary, it created an elegant style of presentation long associated with the label. The artist development department specialized primarily in working with younger, less experienced acts; experienced performers such as Jr. Walker and Marvin Gaye were exempted from artist development classes.
Many of the young artists participated in an annual package tour called the "Motortown Revue", which was popular, first, on the "chitlin' circuit", and, later, around the world. The tours gave the younger artists a chance to hone their performance and social skills and learn from the more experienced artists.


Major successes of 60's



link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uqCocIh3_o
Barrett Strong -Money (that's what I want) - 1959




link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQGXa3FiXKM

The miracles -Shop around - 1961


link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dVt11UZ0uA

Mr postman - The marvelettes - 1961


link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EoI-6lQFIE

Do you love me - The Contours - 1962



link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O1iq3yEqXU

You beat me to the punch - Mary Wells - 1963




link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b5HXZRQFss
Dancing in the street - Martha & The Vandellas - 1964




link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twhMp9N7nak&feature=related

Mary Wells - My Guy - 1964


link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zWvui_JHmw&feature=related

The Temptations - My girl 1965



link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxk_fbI8k64&feature=related

Jimmy Ruffin - What Becomes of the Broken hearted (acapella version) - 1966 (recommended)



link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWvwP72FuVg

I heard it through the grapevine - Gladys Knight and the Pips - 1967


link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0HE7TC8y5g&feature=related

Reflections - Diana Ross and The Supremes - 1967


link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imsB543zqSM

Stevie Wonder - For once in my life - 1968


link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPnZZTVp_2A

I heard it through the grapevine - Marvin Gaye - 1969

The dossier of Motown artists in the 60 is the most famous and full of soul music and R & B. can boast the most contemporary music stars of his era and throughout history. But many others had not gone so famous, but today still keep the halo of legends of soul: Mable John Barrett Strong,The Miracles, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Edward Holland Jr., The Andantes, The Contours, Shorty Long, The Marvelettes, The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Ruffin, David Ruffin, Kim Weston, Martha & the Vandellas, The Four Tops, Carolyn Crawford, Brenda Holloway, The Velvelettes, Jr. Walker & the All Stars, Chris Clark,
The Monitors, The Spinners, The Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Jackson 5 and so many more.


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