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Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, [2] [3] and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. [4] Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.
- January 12, 1959; 64 years ago
- Universal Music Group
- "Stop! In the Name Of Love," The Supremes. There's probably no better example of the classic Supremes song than this monster hit, which took the girl-group genre and brought it out of the realm of bubblegum.
- "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," The Four Tops. The Motown sound most folks think of when you say the name, a straight four-on-the-floor backed by piano, call-and-response vocals, and elaborate production.
- "The Tears of a Clown," Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. A great example of the way Motown worked horns into their mix, emphatic and rhythmic and propulsive.
- "I Was Made to Love Her," Stevie Wonder. Motown, like the blues, could somehow get either joy or heartbreak out of its sound without changing anything but the lyrics.
- Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “Shop Around” (1960) If you want to hear how Berry Gordy fine-tuned Detroit R&B for wider (and whiter) pop appeal without watering it down, compare the two versions the Miracles recorded of this 1960 Smokey Robinson classic.
- Martha and the Vandellas, “Jimmy Mack” (1966) Few hits in the Motown canon have as many backstories and multiple meanings as the Vandellas’ last Top 10 hit.
- Dennis Edwards feat. Siedah Garrett, “Don’t Look Any Further” (1984) Here lies yet another of the earth-shaking rhythm sections in Motown’s massive discography: an unchanging snare drum cruelly punching holes in a four-part bass riff stuffed with chubby notes.
- The Velvelettes, “He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin'” (1964) Formed at Western Michigan University, the Velvelettes never found the success of the Marvelettes, Vandellas, or Supremes (their one attempt at an album was never finished), but they had two wonderful singles in 1964: “Needle in a Haystack” and the lyrically sharp, musically sophisticated “He Was Really Saying Something.”
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Mark Edward Nero. Updated on 03/02/19. For many music fans, the Motown Sound is the defining sound of the 1960s pop, R&B, and soul music. The distinctive musical style—all tambourines, driving bass lines, and gospel-influenced vocal harmonies—became synonymous with the Detroit studio where the songs were recorded and the stars who sang them.
May 13, 1971. Motown boss Berry Gordy in his office, circa 1970. RB/Redferns/Getty Images. A s surely as Atlantic was the greatest independent record company of the Fifties, Motown was the ...
Aug 16, 2012 · A guide to the music of Motown. By. Keith Phipps. and Noel Murray. Published August 16, 2012. Comments ( 496) Motown 101. In January of 1959, Detroit songwriter Berry Gordy founded Tamla Records ...
Motown. The Motown label crafted a uniform house sound so instantly identifiable that "Motown" unequivocally became a style unto itself. During the '60s, Berry Gordy, Jr.'s Detroit label became the biggest independent in the music industry, thanks to its smooth, sophisticated blend of R&B and memorable pop melodies.
