Motown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Motown |
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| Parent company | Universal Music Group (UMG) |
| Founded | January 12, 1959 |
| Founder | Berry Gordy |
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| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Motown is a famous American record label that is part of the Universal Music Group. It was started by Berry Gordy Jr. on January 12, 1959, first as Tamla Records. A year later, on April 14, 1960, it was officially named Motown Record Corporation. The name "Motown" is a mix of the words motor and town, which was a nickname for Detroit, the city where the label began.
Motown was very important in bringing people of different races together through popular music. It was owned by an African American and became incredibly successful with both black and white audiences. In the 1960s, Motown created a special style of soul music with a catchy pop sound. This style became known as the "Motown Sound."
The label was so successful that between 1960 and 1969, it had 79 songs in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After facing challenges in Detroit, Gordy moved Motown to Los Angeles in the 1970s. There, the company also started making movies and TV shows.
Over the years, Motown was sold to different companies. In 1988, it was bought by MCA Records, and later it became part of the Universal Music Group. Today, Motown is based in Los Angeles and is home to popular artists like Lil Baby, Migos, and Lil Yachty. In 2018, Motown was honored by being added to the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.
Contents
History of Motown
How It All Began
Berry Gordy's love for music started when he opened a record store in Detroit. The store didn't last long, but Gordy's passion for music did. He started writing songs for a popular singer named Jackie Wilson. One of his first big hits was the song "Reet Petite" in 1957.
In 1957, Gordy met a talented young singer named Smokey Robinson. Gordy recorded Robinson's group, the Miracles, and their song "Got a Job" was released. To get his own music out there, Gordy needed money. He borrowed $800 from his family's savings to start his own record label, which he called Tamla Records.
One of the first big hits on Gordy's own label was "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong. Gordy realized it was better to have his own studio instead of paying to use others. In 1959, he bought a photography studio on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit. He turned it into a recording studio and office space. This building would become the legendary "Hitsville U.S.A."
In April 1960, Gordy officially created Motown Records. Smokey Robinson became the vice president of the new company. Many of Gordy's family members also took on important roles to help run the label.
The Detroit Years: 1959–1972
Early Motown artists included Mable John, Eddie Holland, and Mary Wells. The label's first huge success was "Shop Around" by the Miracles in 1960, which sold over a million copies. A year later, the Marvelettes had the first number-one hit for the company with "Please Mr. Postman".
From 1961 to 1971, Motown had 110 top 10 hits. The label became a "hit factory" thanks to amazing artists and talented songwriters.
- Famous Motown Artists: The Supremes (featuring Diana Ross), the Four Tops, the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and the Temptations.
- Different Labels: To get more songs on the radio, Gordy created other labels like Gordy, Soul, and V.I.P. This way, radio DJs wouldn't be playing too many songs from just one label.
Motown's slogan was "The Sound of Young America." Its music was loved by both black and white audiences, which helped break down racial barriers. Smokey Robinson said that when they first toured the southern U.S., audiences were separated by race. But after Motown's music became popular, he saw kids of all races dancing together.
In 1968, Gordy bought a larger building in Detroit for Motown's offices. He also bought another recording studio to keep up with all the music being made. In the United Kingdom, Motown's music was so popular that a special label called Tamla Motown was created just for British fans.
Moving to Los Angeles: 1972–1998
In 1967, the famous songwriting team Holland–Dozier–Holland left Motown. After this, producer Norman Whitfield became very important, creating hits for The Temptations and Marvin Gaye. Berry Gordy also started Motown Productions to make TV specials and movies.
This new freedom allowed artists like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to create some of their most famous albums, including Gaye's What's Going On and Wonder's Innervisions.
In 1972, Motown moved its main operations to Los Angeles to be closer to the movie industry. The company produced successful films like Lady Sings the Blues starring Diana Ross. However, some felt that leaving Detroit changed the label's unique sound.
Even with the changes, Motown continued to have hits in the 1970s and 1980s with artists like Lionel Richie and the Commodores, Rick James, and Teena Marie. But by the late 1980s, the company was losing money. In 1988, Berry Gordy sold Motown Records for $61 million.
Throughout the 1990s, Motown had success with artists like Boyz II Men and Johnny Gill. The company changed ownership again when it was purchased by PolyGram in 1994.
Universal Motown and Relaunch
In 1998, Motown was absorbed into the Universal Music Group. The label continued to sign new stars like Erykah Badu and Brian McKnight. For a while, from 2005 to 2011, the label was known as Universal Motown.
In 2011, the company returned to its original Motown name. It moved back to Los Angeles in 2014 to operate under the Capitol Music Group. Today, Motown continues to be a major force in music, especially in the genres of hip hop and R&B.
The Famous Motown Sound
Motown created a unique type of soul music that was designed to be popular with everyone. This "Motown Sound" had several key ingredients:
- A strong beat, often emphasized with a tambourine.
- Catchy electric bass guitar lines that you could hum along to.
- A "call-and-response" singing style, similar to what you might hear in gospel music.
- The use of horns and string instruments to create a full, rich sound.
Producers at Motown believed in the "KISS principle," which means "Keep It Simple, Stupid." They wanted songs to be easy to listen to and remember.
The production process at Motown was like a factory. The Hitsville studio was open 22 hours a day. Artists would record many songs and then go on tour. Every Friday, Berry Gordy held meetings to decide which songs were good enough to be released. He would only approve songs that he thought could become top-five hits.
The Funk Brothers
A big reason for Motown's special sound was a group of studio musicians known as The Funk Brothers. This talented group played the instrumental tracks for most of Motown's biggest hits. They were so good that they played on more number-one records than The Beatles, Elvis, and The Rolling Stones combined.
The Funk Brothers included amazing musicians on keyboards, guitars, drums, and bass. Bassist James Jamerson was famous for creating unforgettable basslines using just one finger. The use of multiple drummers and guitarists on a single track also helped create the full and powerful Motown sound.
Developing Future Stars
Berry Gordy knew that talent wasn't enough. He created an "artist development" department to teach Motown artists how to be true professionals. They were taught how to dress, walk, talk, and perform on stage.
This training gave Motown artists a polished and elegant style. Since many of the young performers came from poor backgrounds, this department was very important. It helped them become ambassadors for all African-American artists.
Young artists also toured together in the "Motortown Revue". These tours gave them a chance to practice their skills and learn from more experienced performers.
Motown's Record Labels
To avoid having one label dominate the radio, Berry Gordy created several subsidiary (or smaller) labels under the Motown company. The main ones were:
- Tamla Records: This was the very first label, started in 1959. It was home to stars like Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder.
- Motown Records: Started in 1960, this became the main label. It featured artists like The Supremes, The Jackson 5, and The Four Tops.
- Gordy Records: This label, started in 1962, was named after Berry Gordy himself. It was home to The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, and Edwin Starr.
Even though the music was released on different labels, it was all created by the same talented team of writers, producers, and musicians. That's why all of these records are considered part of the "Motown" family.
See also
In Spanish: Motown para niños
