Unit 5 -Soul/Motown

Berry Gordy (1929 - )

o Berry Gordy founded and presided over the musical empire known as Motown - Detroit

o He wanted to reach across the racial divide with music that could touch all people, regardless of

the color of their skin.

o Motown’s roots may have been in gospel and blues, but its image was one of upward mobility

and good, clean fun. At Gordy’s insistence, Motown’s men and women of soul attended in-

house finishing school, where they learned how to comport themselves onstage and in social

situations.

o Gordy touted Motown as “"the Sound of Young America."

o The list of artists who were discovered and thrived at Motown includes

o the Supremes,

o the Temptations,

o the Four Tops,

o Marvin Gaye

o Jackson 5

o In 1960, Gordy leased another hit single - “"Money,"” by Barrett Strong - to Anna Records

o launched his own company: Tammie Records, which was changed to Tamla and eventually

joined by the Gordy, Soul and Motown imprints

Ray Charles (1930 - 2004) - Soul

o Charles displayed his genius by combining elements of gospel and blues into a fervid, exuberant

style that would come to be known as soul music.

o While recording for Atlantic Records during the Fifties, the innovative singer, pianist and

bandleader broke down the barriers between sacred and secular music

o Sacred – music used for worship services

o Secular - music other than that used for worship services (popular music)

o At age six, he contracted glaucoma, which eventually left him blind.

o Charles studied composition and mastered a variety of instruments, piano and saxophone

principal among them,

o Songs

o “I Got a Woman,”

o “Hallelujah I Love Her So,”

o “Drown in My Own Tears”

o “What’d I Say.”

� Call-and-response – call usually sung by the soloist, the response by a larger

group (usually the same words)

o All were sung in Charles’ gruff, soulful voice and accompanied by the percussive punctuations of

his piano and a horn section.

James Brown (1933 – 2006) - Soul

o As a child, he picked cotton, danced for spare change

and shined shoes. At 16, he was caught and convicted of

stealing, and he landed in reform school for three years.

o Known as

o “Soul Brother Number One,”

o “the Godfather of Soul,”

o “the Hardest Working Man in Show Business,”

o “Mr. Dynamite”

o “The Original Disco Man.”

o This much is certain: what became known as soul music

in the Sixties, funk music in the Seventies and rap music

in the Eighties is directly attributable to James Brown.

o 114 total entries on Billboard’s R&B singles charts and 94 that made the Hot 100 singles chart.

o his first R&B hit "Please Please Please"

o “Say It Loud - I’m Black and I’m Proud” reverberated throughout the black community, within

which he was regarded as a leader and role model.

o role in The Blues Brothers film in 1980

o forefather of rap

o His records were more heavily sampled by rap and hip-hop acts than those of any other artist

o Was known to sweat off 7 pounds a night while performing his show.

Aretha Franklin (1942 - ) - Soul

o “Queen of Soul”

o First woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

o grew up in Detroit, where her father served as a pastor.

o single, “I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Loved You),”

o unleashed the full force of Franklin’s mezzo-soprano.

o Offering call-and-response background vocals

o Franklin’s greatest triumph - and an enduring milestone in popular music - was “Respect.”

o Other Songs

o “Dr. Feelgood” “

o “Chain of Fools,”

o “Think,”

o “Baby, I Love You,”

o In 1987 Franklin had the second Number One hit of her career - “I Knew You Were Waiting (for

Me),” a duet with George Michael

o She struck gold again in 1989 with “Through the Storm,” a duet with Elton John. Proving her

durability, Franklin scaled the charts in 1998 with “A Rose Is Still a Rose.”

Temptations - Motown

• Kendricks’ high tenor, Otis Williams’ middle tenor, Paul Williams’ baritone and Melvin Franklin’s

deep bass voice were the steady members of the group

• The Temptations delivered the intricate harmonies of and the polished choreography of a

Sixties soul revue.

• The Temptations had trouble establishing themselves in the beginning, and by the end of 1963

they had only a string of non-charting singles

• Then singer David Ruffin entered the picture. Replacing Elbridge Bryant, Ruffin brought a raspy,

gospel-style tenor , this was the Temptations’ classic lineup, lasting from 1964 to 1968.

• Their career upturn began with the Top Twenty success of “The Way You Do the Things You Do”

in early 1964

• The Temptations ruled the Top Forty at mid-decade (60s) with such milestones of Motown soul

as “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Beauty’s Only Skin Deep,” “(I Know) I’m Losing You,”

and “I Wish It Would Rain.”

• During the years 1968-72, the group turned out a dizzying array of timely, funky relevant hits,

including “Cloud Nine,” “Runaway Child, Running Wild,” “I Can’t Get Next to You,” “Psychedelic

Shack,” “Ball of Confusion”

• Over the years, the Temptations suffered a series of tragic losses: the suicide of Paul Williams in

1971; the death of David Ruffin, after years of substance abuse, in 1991; Eddie Kendricks’

succumbing to lung cancer in 1992; and the loss of Melvin Franklin from complications following

a brain seizure in 1995.

• The Temptations have proven durable despite the setbacks. With a lineup that includes

founding member Otis Williams, the group has remained active, perpetuating what they’ve long

referred to as “the tradition.”

Supremes - Motown

o The Supremes rose from the poverty of Detroit’s Brewster housing project to become Motown’s

most consistent hit-makers and the most popular female group of the Sixties.

o In June 1965, they set a record for the most consecutive Number One hits by an American group

when “Back in My Arms Again” rose to the top of the Billboard singles chart. The other hits in

that streak were “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me” and “Stop! In

the Name of Love.”

o The members of the Supremes - Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson

o After persistently showing up at Motown’s “Hitsville” headquarters after school, the Supremes

were signed to the label in January 1961.

o Well known songs

o “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes”

o “I Hear a Symphony”

o “You Can’t Hurry Love”

o “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”

o “Love Is Here and Now You’re gone”

o “The Happening”

o “Love Child”

o “Someday We’ll Be Together”

o By 1967, the group had officially amended its name to

Diana Ross and the Supremes, an acknowledgment of

lead singer Ross’s rising star.

o The Supremes gave their final performance at London’s

Drury Lane on June 12, 1977, at which point Wilson

disbanded the group and retired the name.

o In the early Eighties, the Supremes’ rags-to-riches life

story was turned into a successful Broadway musical, Dreamgirls.

Compare and Contrast Motown and Stax

The Four Tops – Motown Marvelettes – Motown Boyz to Men – Motown (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) (Please Mr. Postman) (The End of the Road) Sam and Dave – Stax Otis Redding – Stax Wilson Pickett – Stax Soul Man Sitting on the Dock of the Bay In the Midnight Hour Hold On I’m Coming

Unit 5A – Girl Bands

Phil Spector

o Phil Spector is among the greatest producers of rock and roll

o He was born Harvey Phillip Spector in the Bronx in 1940.

o He picked up guitar and piano in high school and began writing and recording original songs.

Along with 2 friends, he formed the Teddy Bears and had a Top Ten hit with “To Know Him Is to

Love Him.”

o In 1961, he co-founded the Philles label with partner Lester Sill, and was immediately successful

with “There’s No Other (Like My Baby),” by the Crystals.

o Wall of Sound - A thick layer of instrumentation (drums, guitar, bass, a horn section

o Spector exhibited a singular knack for matching talented singers with expert session musicians

and wonderful songs. “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “He’s a Rebel” and “Then He Kissed Me” (by the

Crystals); “Be My Baby,” “Baby, I Love You” and “Walking in the Rain” (by the Ronettes); “You’ve

Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Unchained Melody” and “Ebb Tide” (by the Righteous Brothers); and

“River Deep - Mountain High” (by Ike and Tina Turner).

o He went on to produce the Beatles (Let It Be), John Lennon (Plastic Ono Band) and George

Harrison (All Things Must Pass), plus acts ranging from Cher to the Ramones

Ronettes (1963-1966)

o Members consisted of Ronnie Spector (born Veronica Bennett), sister Estelle Bennett, and

cousin Nedra Talley

o For 16 golden months, from September 1963 through December 1964, the Ronettes placed five

singles in the Top 40.

o Songs

o “Be My Baby” (Number Two) 1963

o “Baby I Love You” (Number 24)

o “Walking in the Rain” (Number 23).

o Boys wanted to be with them, girls wanted to be like them

o They toured with the Rolling Stones and befriended the Beatles.

Shirelles (1959 – 1968 popularity)

o Formed in 1957, when a fellow student heard the Pequellos (as they called themselves),

perform at a school talent show. She brought them to the attention of her mother, Florence

Greenberg, who owned a small label.

o Members:

o Shirley Alston Reeves

o Addie “Micki” Harris

o Doris Kenner Jackson

o With their innocent, unblemished vocal style, the Shirelles projected a “girl next door” image,

and their songs about young love and its travails appealed to youthful pop fans.

o Moreover, the Shirelles’ material and production was almost uniformly excellent, particularly

during the glory years of the early Sixties.

o charted a dozen Top Forty singles.

o Songs,

o “I Met Him on a Sunday,”

o Dedicated to the One I Love

o “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” - the first #1 single by a girl group

Shangri-Las (1964-1966 Popularity)

o Two sets of sisters:

o Mary Weiss (lead singer) (born 1948) and Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss (born 1946)

o identical twins Marguerite "Marge" (1947-1996) and Mary Ann Ganser (1947-1970)

o Tough girls' persona set them apart from other girl groups

o Surprised many because they were white

o Remain known for "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)".

o Singles included

o "Give Him a Great Big Kiss",

o "Out in the Streets", "

o "I Can Never Go Home Anymore"

The Crystals (1961 – 1964 Popularity)

o In 1961, Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Dolores "Dee Dee" Kenniebrew, Myrna Girard and

Patricia "Patsy" Wright formed The Crystals

o Their first hit was November 1961's "There's No Other (Like My Baby)". #20

o Songs

o "Uptown",

o "He's A Rebel",

o "Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)"

o "Then He Kissed Me

o Love and The Blossoms posed as the Crystals and recorded He’s A Rebel (only #1 hit). Rumor

has it that Phil Spector wanted to record this song in LA and the NY based Crystals couldn’t get

there fast enough. After a year or so the “real” Crystals returned

Soul/Motown

R O T C E P S D D S S F I S A S V S A G

N Y U X B M E I E T G I X E L D T N M R

K D H I H R A M A O J N O A A J C O O U

D Y C P C N E X Q Z N I T Y M A T I C F

V Q W A A R K N R Q Q S M Y L N G T U F

D V S R P R P A W T Y H Z L S X U A A V

N D O U U W G E Z R Y I A O H G P T L R

D S S V D Y W O C D T N C G A T G P G N

S R L B O D G E E T D G L Y N Z Q M A U

C Y E K S R H T L R F S Y N G G C E S W

F H D A P T R C E K O C O C R M F T E D

B D A Y M O J S P I T H L L I A G T C T

Q L Y R I G P Y S H T O C O L N T E U F

F W U T L O I L O S C O O U A E A K L B

Y K S E N E X R G O P L H G S R U C A R

J I C S S V S U L R O N E T T E S Q R X

H X E O N A R P O S O Z Z E M W B C E Y

S E L L E R I H S G O R D Y P L E I X P

K A U Q Z B N K G R L I T X B A G V E C

W V F O R E F A T H E R E P E N F Y W N

BLUES CALL AND RESPONSE* CHARLES

CHOREOGRAPHY* DETROIT DIANA ROSS

DREAMGIRLS* FINISHING SCHOOL* FOREFATHER*

GLAUCOMA GORDY GOSPEL

GRUFF MEZZO-SOPRANO* PEQUELLOS*

RONETTES SACRED* SECULAR*

SHANGRI-LAS SHIRELLES SPECTOR*

STAX* SUPREMES TEMPTATIONS

THE CRYSTALS

*on the back of the page write and define/describe the words which are starred to the best of your ability

Unit 5 Assignments

Compare and contrast Soul/Motown with bands from the British Invasion (music, stage

presence, backgrounds, audiences, etc)

Many of the girl bands attended finishing school. Why did they do this? What did they learn?

What kind of classes did they attend?

You are a choreographer for a group of your choice. Pick a song and write down possible

choreography that would have been used in the 1960s. Next, write down possible moves that

would go with the same song and group in the 2000s.