Motown of course, stands for more than just historic music. The label and it’s remarkable legacy is a reflection is the hard work of dedicated individuals overcoming incredible obstacles to achieve a great success. Because Detroit, has long been known as the “Motor City”, Gordy in tribute what he felt like was down-home quality of the warm, soulful people he grew up around, used town in place of city. Which gave him the contraction “Motown” and the perfect name for his company and new label “Motown”. A man of vision, drive, talent, and determination, Berry Gordy was also a producer, Innovative entrepreneur, and teacher. The great success of Motown records contributes all the embodies and all the talent he brought out in others. Under his leadership and through determination and support of the family Motown and artist, Gordy forged new grounds
Motown broke down racial prejudice by becoming the most successful independent record company in history and the most successful African-American owned business in America. In 1968, the company has 5 records out of the top 10 on Billboard’s hot 100 chart. In the late 80s and 90s all of Motown’s major artist were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. Upon his own induction in 1988, Motown’s founder was given the follow tribute: “ Gordy endeavored to reach across the racial divide with music that could touch all people, regardless of the color of their skin. Under this tutelage, Motown became a model of black capitalism, pride and self expression and a repository for some of the greatest talent ever assembled at one company...Motown’s stable of singers, songwriters, and musicians took the concept of simple, catchy pop songs to a intensity...After Motown, black popular music would never again be dismissed as a minority taste...Aesthetically no less than commercially, Motown’s achievements will likely remain unrivaled and
...influenced by many genres of music and wanted to cultivate a sound that was their own and like nothing else out there. Artist flocked to them to receive something that was completely different and to bring out put out the best recordings that were possible. The studio was influenced an array of artists who possessed individuality, a sound that differentiated them from other artists, and a will to try to experiment. The studio created a sound like no other studio and much different from the prominent studios from the north, west, and south. It was a studio that will leave a legacy of risk takers, who had a desire to produce a sound that would stand the test of time and influence many generations to come. Their production style mixed genres and may music boundary less. It influenced the sound of today’s music to not be boxed in or classified as just one type of genre.
This paper will be an updated version of my last paper which talked about a portion of Barry Gordy's background, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Four Tops, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Temptations and their start at Motown. How Motown was the first American music label owned by an African-American, the first music label to successfully market black artists to white mainstream audiences. How Motown was responsible for discovering, mentoring, and perfecting a lot of American popular music's most influential and successful artists and the best albums and artists and what new artists have entered Motown.
There is without a doubt that the 1950s saw the rise of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, known as Chuck Berry. His musical take on rhythm and blues was a large influence on many successful artists that rose the following decade, but most notably The Rolling Stones. This paper examines the earlier musical career of Chuck Berry and how The Rolling Stones modeled themselves upon him and then expanded themselves further.
Motown is the sound that changed America. No other record company in history had more than 180 number 1 hit songs worldwide and counting. Motown just recently celebrated their 50th anniversary of the company’s founding. Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Jackson 5, and many much brought together racially divided country and segregated society around the world. In this essay I first will tell you more information about Motown and where it got its name from, I then will tell you about Marvin Gaye and his history dealings with Motown, next I will talk about Stevie Wonder and explain his life and how he became a part of Motown, and lastly I will talk about Jackson 5 and talk about how they became a group and their dealings with Motown.
In the 1930s many black musicians where coming out of the south. One especially who would soon top the charts and hit fame and fortune starting in his young years, Ray Charles. After conquering poverty, blindness and many other things, success was possible. In his young age he had a few losses in his family and near after came down with a disease which was causing him to go blind. He later came over the blindness and was able to learn and compose music with the help of his skills in mathematics. After enduring a harsh childhood and blindness, Ray Charles was able to over come his handicap and follow his dream in music.
"Motown Music - The Sound that Changed America - Motown Museum Home of Hitsville U.S.A.." Motown
Motown helped with the Civil Rights movement by showing that when it comes to music there is no color barriers. It did not matter what color you were as long
The birth of Motown music came to be in a small recording studio aptly named Hitsville, U.S.A. Barry Gordy, who came from a large middle class family had borrowed money in order. The main stage of Motown music came from a small house that had been remodeled into a recording studio, the name of the company was Hitsville, U.S.A. Mr. Gordy had gathered the best jazz and blues players in and Motown was born through his genius. This small but dynamic record company has produced and help make many stars that we all know today such as Diana Ross and the Supreme, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and more recently the Jackson 5, Boyz II Men , and Queen Latifah. It is very surprising that both the genre of Motown and Hitsville remind unharmed by racism for the most since Detroit has been historically known for severe racism and segregation. Hitsville U.S.A. was one of the first African American owned record companies, this was just one step in popularizing and taking a step for African’s Americans many talents to become well known and chart topping.
Berry Gordy's "Motown" had the largest impact on music on behalf of its direction and redefinition. Berry Gordy's "Motown" impact music through cutting across divisions of race, region, and class. According to Schloss, Joseph G. et al., "unlike the music of earlier black-owned record companies, Motown's music was not directed primarily at black audiences." Gordy is characterized
The most important thing that music and art effected was the population of Detroit. The music of Motown and the art changed the culture of Detroit. As the population grew so did its diversity. Detroit’s music and art scene brought in many different ethnicity adding to its great culture. As these ethnicity began to flow into Detriot their heritage began to be present in Detroit. The different ethnicity could be seen in the food, the buildings, entertainment, and language, make Detroit a melting pot of
Before the war started, a wealthy white man by the name of John Hammond worked to integrate black and white music.1 Since his childhood, he enjoyed the music of numerous black artists, and he wanted to share his love with the rest of America. He used much of his inherited fortune to make this possible. He went against the general opinion of society and his parents, who despised black people. Hammond refused to ignore black artists’ musical abilities because of their color, “I did not revolt against the system, I simply refused to be a part of it.”2 He used his money to organize the most eclectic group of musicians ever assembled, for an integrated audience of his time. Hammond’s efforts made an indelible impact on the music industry. The musicians Hammond introduced in...
Even when one becomes an artist in the industry, there are many troubles that go along with the tag of being a recording artist in the urban division. One example is seen in the article, “The Business of Rap: Between the Street and the Executive Suite” by Keith Negus, where columnist, J.R. Reynolds, mentions the closing of the urban division at Capitol Records in 1996, calling it “the systematic extermination of black music at Capitol Records”, saying that it did not make any sense because the genre was doing well in the market (528). The black music division is often subject to this kind of cutting compared to others. Negus also states that “despite the influence of rap and hip hop on the aesthetics of music, video, television, film, sport, fashion, dancing and advertising, the potential of this broader cultural formation to make a contribution to music industry business practices is not encouraged” (534). The sad fact of the matter is that this is true. It is almost like the larger companies take from the smaller urban divisions in order to make themselves look better without giving credit where it is due and in turn, because those companies are not seen to be doing well in the market, they are dropped from the label. Ted Swedenburg explains this in the article “Homies in The ‘Hood: Rap’s Commodification of Insubordination”, when he states that “while the major academic rock critics usually acknowledge black musicians’ essential contributions to pop and occasionally write sympathetic a...
Berry Gordy played a significant role in the 1960’s African American shift into the American Music Industry through the establishment of the highly recognised company and genre “Motown”. As the Founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy introduced to the American Music Industry some of the biggest artists of all time take the stage and within a decade created the “Black Pop” genre, which was listened to and purchased from a segregated audience. The business changed the way record labels would polish, nurture and distribute their artist, having an impact on the number of jobs that were introduced into the Music Industry, dealing and consulting with marketing, artist development, choreography, stylists and costume designers. With Berry Gordy’s all
The development of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the late 1940s and early 1950s by young African Americans coincided with a sensitive time in America. Civil rights movements were under way around the country as African Americans struggles to gain equal treatment and the same access to resources as their white neighbors. As courts began to vote in favor of integration, tensions between whites and blacks escalated. As the catchy rhythm of Rock ‘n’ Roll began to cross racial boundaries many whites began to feel threatened by the music, claiming its role in promoting integration. This became especially problematic as their youth became especially drawn to ...
He had exposure to several different genres growing up in his St. Louis, MO hometown. He heard country from the whites, rhythm & blues (R&B) from mostly blacks, even Latin music. His family environment set him up well for future success while growing up in a middle class home in the middle of the Great Depression of the 1930s. His parents sun...