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Motown: The Sound of Integration
MUSH 261
Chpt. 6
Motor City
• Motown Detroit, Michigan “Motor City”• Ford Assembly Line Brings African
American workers to Detroit for work opportunities
• desegregation • African Americans brought with them their
music – Dixieland– Jazz
Game Changers: Events
• Civil Rights Movement
• Brown vs. Board of Education 1954: Topeka, Kansas
• “Separate but equal is inherently unequal.”
Game Changers: The People
• Rosa Parks 1955-1956: Montgomery, Alabama Refused to give up her bus seat to a white man and was arrested. Led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott
• Martin Luther King Jr. 1963: “I Have A Dream” speech More public awareness of the Civil Rights Movement
The Beginning: Berry Gordy
Born 1929 in Detroit, Michigan
Dropped out of high school to become a boxer
Drafted by the Army for the Korean War
Returned home in 1953 & opened a jazz record store
Worked on an assembly line writing songs as he worked
Berry Gordy Cont.
Submitted songs to magazines, singers, contests
Co-wrote “Reet Petite” which was recorded by Jackie Wilson in 1957
Began producing and recording his own artists:
the Five Starsthe Miracles (with Smokey Robinson)
1959- Establishes Tamla Records which became Motown Records
Tamla/Motown
Motown Records
• Played a huge role in Racial Integration of Popular Music
• First record label to be owned by an African American
• First to feature mostly African American artists who gained crossover success
The Motown Sound
• A style of soul music• stemmed from sacred Gospel music• Use of tambourine along with drums• Prominent/melodic bass line played by
electric bass• Call and Response singing style originating
from Gospel music • Orchestration with strings and horns
Motown Records
The Marvelettes
• The Marvelettes Began in 1961 as quintet called Casinyets (“Can’t Sing Yet”)
• Lankaster, Michigan• Came in fourth place in a school variety show
and were then allowed to audition for Motown Records.
• They were offered a deal right away. • Berry Gordy renamed them the Marvelettes.• “Please Mr. Postman” became a #1 Billboard hit
14 weeks after its release.
Sister Act Motown Medley
The Temptations
• “My Girl”- First hit in 1964 • Signed to the Motown label for over 40 years• Sold over 22 million albums by 1982 • Always feature 5 African American
vocalist/dancers • Recognizable for their choreography and stage
suits• Said to be as influential to soul as the Beatles
were to rock.
The Temptations
The Classic Five
• The "Classic Five" lineup of the Temptations, circa 1965. – Melvin Franklin– Eddie Kendricks– Otis Williams– Paul Williams– David Ruffin.
The Temptations
Motown Music Groups
• Marvin Gaye
• Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
• Stevie Wonder
• The Jackson 5
• The Supremes – “Dreamgirls” movie based on the story of the
Supremes!
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Stevie Wonder
The Jackson 5
The Supremes
Marvin Gaye
Motown
