FEATURE:
The King of Motown
IN THIS PHOTO: Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. in 1964/PHOTO CREDIT: Tony Spina/Detroit Free Press
Berry Gordy Jr. at Ninety: The Essential Motown Playlist
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ON 12th January…
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
we celebrated sixty years of the Motown label. I cannot think of another sound as infectious as Motown! The Detroit-born sensation was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. and, as we know, it is more than simply the music. Motown helped bring black artists to the fore at a time of Civil Rights unrest in the U.S. The influence and reach of Motown cannot be understated and overlooked. All of us have some exposure to the Motown sound and cannot resist the infectiousness of the songs. Before moving on to a bit of news involving Berry Gordy Jr., here is some biography about the great man and Motown:
“Born in 1929 in Detroit, Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown Records in 1959. The 1960s and '70s saw popular artists who Gordy developed—including the Supremes, the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye—dominate the music scene. Changing tastes and a loss of focus led to Motown's decline, and Gordy sold the company in 1988. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that same year.
Gordy had gotten married in 1953; with a family to support, he took a job on a Lincoln-Mercury plant assembly line in 1955. The monotony of putting upholstery in cars all day had one benefit: He could compose songs in his head while working.
At the age of 27, Gordy decided to hand in his notice and dedicate himself to music once more. (His wife didn't approve and they ended up separating.) Through family connections, Gordy encountered singer Jackie Wilson's manager; he ended up co-writing the Wilson hit "Reet Petite," which came out in 1957. Gordy also wrote Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops” and "To Be Loved."
Using $800 his family had loaned him, Gordy formed Tamla Records on January 12, 1959. When Gordy set up shop in a house on Detroit's West Grand Boulevard, he chose the aspirational name Hitsville for his headquarters. One of Tamla's labels was called Motown, the name that came to embody the company; the Motown Record Corporation was incorporated in 1960”.
“The song "Money (That’s What I Want)"—performed and co-written by Barrett Strong—became a hit in 1960, with Gordy serving as co-writer as well. But after discovering that distributors took a large bite out of his income, Gordy, encouraged by his friend Smokey Robinson, decided to start handling his own national distribution.
In 1960, Robinson and his group, the Miracles, sold more than a million copies of "Shop Around," which climbed to No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 2 pop. The next year, the Marvelettes were the first Motown act to hit No. 1 on the pop charts with "Please Mr. Postman."
Gordy directed his artists to create what became known as the Motown sound, which featured repeating choruses and a mix of gospel, R&B and pop that combined to form memorable melodies. With regular quality control meetings, Gordy made sure that Motown's releases were ready to impress listeners. He also arranged for his performers to learn how to best present themselves both on and off the stage.
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s also affected Gordy's work. Not only did he release Martin Luther King Jr.'s Great March to Freedom and Great March to Washington speeches, Gordy believed that white audiences would now accept African-American stars. In the 1960s, the Supremes achieved the kind of crossover success Gordy had dreamed of. Their No. 1 pop hits included "Baby Love" (1964), "Stop! In the Name of Love" (1965) and "You Can’t Hurry Love" (1966)”.
I am going to end this feature by collecting together classic Motown cuts that show just how important the label/movement is. There is such richness and variety to be found; some of the finest music ever laid down. On Monday (25th November), Berry Gordy Jr. was honoured in a strange-yet-touching way:
“Local government officials, along with Motown icons, gathered for a special ceremony on Monday, 25 November to dedicate the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Argyle Avenue in Hollywood as Berry Gordy Square’, in honour of the entrepreneur, songwriter, producer and founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy Jr.
Led by Los Angeles City council member Mitch O’Farrell, members of the Motown family, and other special guests, the ceremony saw the reveal of the official city sign. The square is located near the former Motown Records’ West Coast office, after Berry Gordy left Detroit and picked up operations in Los Angeles to expand his vision into television and film.
“This official City of Los Angeles dedication is a fitting tribute to a man who made such lasting impressions on the music industry,” said council member O’Farrell. “Berry Gordy is a hit-making songwriter, record producer, and visionary whose legacy will be forever memorialized and remembered amongst the stars of Hollywood!”
Gordy danced his way up to the podium, singing ‘Baby Love’ and gave a speech that was both heartfelt and humble.
“What a wonderful day for me,” said Gordy. “There are so many people here that made a wonderful impression on my heart. I never imagined I would end up here and on this stage. By honouring me, you are also honouring the entire Motown family – those who make Motown what it is today.”
He also went on to say: “Thank your parents and grandparents,” referring to the original buyers who got the label on its way”.
Other special guests in attendance included Thelma Houston, Mickey Stevenson, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Debbie Allen, Janie Bradford and the man of the hour, Berry Gordy.
“We should have a square like this in every city in the world,” said Robinson. “Motown is a once in a lifetime musical event. “We had a music man at the helm teaching all of us to become music makers.”
Stevie Wonder also shared his remarks and talked about how Motown broke down racial barriers.
“It’s an army of love that we have,” said Wonder. “And we’re given instrument of song to do this. Music will bring us together. Hate can never tear us apart”.
Although Berry Gordy Jr. announced his retirement a couple of months ago, the fact that the Motown creator is still in the world and he can see his legacy in the world is amazing! As he celebrates his ninetieth birthday, I have collected together some of the very best Motown tracks that we can thank Berry Gordy Jr. for. He is, truly, one of the most important…
IN THIS PHOTO: Berry Gordy Jr. in the control room of Studio A at Hitsville/PHOTO CREDIT: EMI Archive Trust/Universal Music Group
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