Motown Music
by Jeff Bandow
Geography 308
MOTOWN
DETROIT YEARS
1959-1972
Motown Records was started by Berry Gordy in 1959. The label was initially funded by a loan of $800 from his family. It was the family aspect of Motown that helped to bind the company together. Many employees were members of the Gordy family, and those not directly related to the Gordy's were treated as family nonetheless. Otis Williams of the Temptations said that "joining MOTOWN was more like being adopted by a big loving family than being hired by a company." Some members in the Motown "family" were the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, and Stevie Wonder.
Motown can be traced to a specific geographic location: Detroit, Michigan. The music that can out of Detroit and Motown were as much a result of the sacred and the secular. While many of the singers previously sang in churches, most of the early singers were a product of the public school system that strongly emphasized music education. This is illustrated by the first three major groups of Motown (the Supremes, the Temptations, and the Miracles), who were formed at their local high schools. There was also strong pride associated with the success of Motown in Detroit, since it stood as a model for others (both black and white) who sought the "American Dream" of self-made accomplishment.
Before starting Motown, Berry Gordy had worked on a Ford automobile assembly line. Gordy applied the same concept of producing a consistent product to music making. Although Gordy himself was not a musician himself, he understood music as "a series of effects and gimmicks than can be manipulated by anyone with an ear and an imagination." This musical ear, and the use of song writers, such as the very successful Holland-Dozier-Holland team, helped to maintain a uniform sound that attracted an integrated audience .
Motown started at a time when the country as a whole was optimistic about the future. The election of JFK, and the growing popularity of MLK Jr. and his message, fostered a sense that blacks were soon to enter a world of equality through the front door. This feeling was particularly felt in Detroit, as Motown became successful within the countries black community, and crossed over into the white audiences as well. Motown eventually grew to stand as the most successful black-owned business in the country.
Further Readings:
Bianco, David, 1988. Heat Wave: The Motown Fact Book. Pierian Press, Ann Arbor.
Early, Gerald, 1995. One Nation Under a Groove: Motown and American Culture. The Ecco Press, New Jersey.
George, Nelson, 1895. Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound. St. Martin's Press, New York.
Internet Links:
http://www.sedgsoftware.com/marvin/