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Jan 9, 2019 · Sixty years on, Motown’s classic catalogue remains ubiquitous and influential: forming a blueprint for modern soul and pop successes, from girl groups to hit singer-songwriters; sampled on...
Apr 4, 2024 · 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 . Musicians composed their Motown songs with bright tunes and uptempo, and they mostly went for hard 4/4 beats or 2/4 shuffles.
Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, Michigan where the label was founded and originally headquartered. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music as a Black -owned label that achieved major crossover success.
- 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.
- 3 min
- David Browne,Mankaprr Conteh,Jon Dolan,Kory Grow,Keith Harris,Christian Hoard,Elias Leight,Angie Martoccio,Jason Newman,Rob Sheffield,Hank Shteamer,Brittany Spanos
- 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.”
Feb 23, 2011 · Motown: A Game-Changer For Black Americans. February 23, 20111:00 PM ET. Heard on Talk of the Nation. 34-Minute Listen. Playlist. Fifty years ago, when black musicians had a difficult...
Nov 21, 2023 · Lesson Summary. Frequently Asked Questions. Why is it called Motown? The record label was called Motown after the nickname given to the city of Detroit. Motown is the nickname for Motor Town....
