What Is Motown Music?
Founded in 1960 by Berry Gordy Jr., Motown was a Detroit record label whose bands collectively defined modern soul music. The hit factory featured a primarily black roster that attained landmark crossover success with white audiences. The music it popularized is commonly known as the Motown Sound.
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Key Musicians
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Motown released chart-topping work from The Supremes, The Temptations, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight, The Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder. Gordy recruited professional jazz musicians to provide backup music.
Behind The Scenes
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Besides overseeing the business, Gordy played a major creative role as a songwriter, record producer and general manager of most of the acts released on his label. Smokey Robinson and Holland-Dozier-Holland also frequently contributed to writing and producing the music.
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Origins
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The Motown Sound generally is considered to be a synthesis of gospel and the emerging rock 'n' roll musicians of the time, such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Gordy strived to produce music that had universal appeal and broke down racial barriers.
Motown vs. Stax
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Motown's major competitor, Stax Records, generally championed less poppy, harder-edged soul music. Most of its acts had less crossover appeal, and the label had a mostly black fan base.
Today
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Motown still exercises a ubiquitous and profound influence on contemporary pop music, with strains of the Motown Sound present in everything from Amy Winehouse to Jay-Z. Motown just turned 50 years old.
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