Motown Pop and Southern Soul Pt. 1

MUS 1240Fall 2014

The state of African-American music in the early 1960s

• Many black artists in the 1950s had trouble getting mainstream success during the first wave of Rock and Roll due to white cover versions.

• British Invasion groups took much of their early inspiration from black artists.

• By 1965, the landscape is much brighter for black artists trying to have mainstream success. 1965-1970 is much better.

• Music from regional centers such as Motown, Memphis, Atlanta, and Muscle Shoals (Alabama) becomes quite relevant and popular among the teenage demographic.

• A new question of race emerges during this time; can one form of music be “blacker” than another?– Motown vs. Southern Soul

• Crossover becomes so commonplace that Billboard stops tracking R&B charts between Dec. 1963 - Jan. 1965.

Motown Records

• Detroit• Motor-town• Founded by Berry

Gordy, Jr. (b. 1929)– Expert songwriter and

producer who created blues- and gospel-based pop music designed to appeal to the widest possible listening public.

Barry Gordy (b. 1929)

• Former professional boxer; worked several jobs including record store owner, construction worker, and Ford assembly line tech.

• Begins writing songs for Detroit singer Jackie Wilson including “Lonely Teardrops” (US #7, 1958) and “That’s Why (I Love you So)”.

• Forms Motown Records in 1959; first hit was Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” (#2 R&B) (Beatles also recorded this)

• Became the first African-American owned and controlled indie record company to rise to “major label” status– Gordy started the company in a converted house on West Grand

Blvd. A sign hung over the doorway read “HITSVILLE, U.S.A.”

Motown cont.

• In early years, Gordy would often model his songs on existing popular music such as Brill Building, girl-group type pop, or groups such as the Isley Brothers.– “Please Mr. Postman” – similar to Brill Build.– “Do You Love Me” – similar to Isley Bros.

• Gordy decided from the beginning that he would adopt Chuck Berry’s philosophy of making his music acceptable to white audiences as well as black ones, in order to prevent cover versions.– By accommodating white sensibilities, he was asserting his position

within the middle class, something his generation was extremely proud of and unashamed of. It wasn’t “selling out” to him, just a shrewd business strategy.

Gordy’s Image for Motown

• Influence of Brill Building practices, Philles Records, as well as the auto industry.

• Soul music based on the doo-wop vocal group tradition, combined with gospel and R&B

• Slick, cosmopolitan sound—“appealing to the ear”

Songwriting Teams• In-house songwriting and production teams for a sense of consistency• In early years (60-64) most of the writing was done by Gordy, William

“Mickey” Stevenson, and William “Smokey” Robinson– The Miracles were the most successful Motown group of this period, led by

Robinson.• Between 64-67, the most successful team was known as H-D-H,

(Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland)– They wrote many hits for the Supremes, the Four Tops, Martha and the

Vandelles, etc.– They leave Motown over royalty dispute in 1967

• Late 60s were dominated by Norman Whitfield (wrote for Temptations), Valerie Ashford/Nick Simpson (wrote for Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell), and Frank Wilson (wrote for Four Tops)

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles

• Motown’s “soul supergroup”

• 26 Top 40 hits• “Shop Around” – (US #2, 1960)

• “Tears of a Clown• “I Second that Emotion”

Quality Control• The studio was open and busy 24/7, very much like an auto

assembly line.• The house band, called the Funk Brothers, was used to back up

and inspire the vocalists– Most came from Detroit’s jazz scene, and were very adept at

constructing parts from very little or no direction.– Earl Van Dyke (piano), Benny Benjamin (drums), James Jamerson (Bass),

were the core of the Funk Bros. group.– 2003 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown

• Carefully constructed musical arrangements overseen by Gordy– Weekly “Quality Control” meetings gave the final approval to Motown

songs• Story of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”

The “Motown Image”

• Grace and Elegance was expected from all Motown artists on and off stage:– Choreographed dances by a Broadway choreographer– Strict dress code and conduct code on and off stage– To prepare their artists to socialize and be in the public

eye, Gordy hires a woman who ran a finishing school to work with Motown’s artists. Gordy’s goal was to book his talent in the finest clubs in America, such as the Copacabana in NYC or many of the clubs in Las Vegas.• She was preparing them to socialize at “the White House and

Buckingham Palace”.

The Supremes

• Premier act of Motown• Glamorous image• 12 #1 hits• “Baby Love”• “Stop in the Name of

Love”• “You Can’t Hurry Love”

The Supremes

• Phil Spector and Brill Building traditions• Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson• Did not have much success at first, until the

right formula was found (Ross as lead singer)• String of #1 hits– “Baby Love” (1964)– “Come See About Me” (1964)– “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965)– “Back in My Arms Again” (1965)

Listening – “Baby Love”

• Simple Verse form – 7 verses of 12 measures each• Beat unmistakable due to the stomping sounds• One verse uses saxophones on the melody, just to

shake things up; otherwise the accompaniment doesn’t change much.

• The Stomping had been heard in a previous hit “Where Did Our Love Go?”; HDH were trying to repeat a winning formula.

Listening: “You Can’t Hurry Love”

• Composed by Holland-Dozier-Holland; produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier

• Performed by the Supremes (Number One, 1966) • Cleverly written, innovatively structured Motown

pop song• The formal structure of the song reflects the

meaning. “You Can’t Hurry Love” is about the importance of waiting.

The Temptations

• Known for choreography and harmony

• “Just My Imagination”• “My Girl”• “Ain’t Too Proud to

Beg”

Temptations• Formed in 1961 when a few members of a group called the

Distants merged with two members of a group called the Primes.• First hit on the pop charts came in 1964 - “The Way You Do The

Things You Do” – Produced by Smokey Robinson

• Followed by “My Girl” and “Get Ready” in 1965. “My Girl” was a big success (US #1 hit), but Gordy took Robinson off the project when “Get Ready” did not perform to the same level. Norman Whitfield became the new producer.

• He takes the group to a more hard-edged sound reminiscent of James Brown, with songs such as “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” (1966)

Listening: “My Girl”• Composed and produced by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White• Performed by the Temptations (Number One, 1965)• Moderate-tempo love ballad• Layering of sounds gives the song a feeling of steadily increasing passion

and intensity:– Repeated solo bass part establishes beat– Lead guitar enters with a memorable melodic figure– Drums and lead voice enter, followed by subtle background vocals– Brass enter at the first chorus – Orchestral strings are added to the accompaniment

• The second verse brings new brass fanfares in response to the lead vocalist’s calls.

• There is an instrumental interlude dominated by strings before the third verse.

• A dramatic upward key change takes place right before the concluding verse and chorus.

The Four Tops

• Vocal Quartet• Big hits:– “Ain’t No Woman” – “I Can’t Help Myself”– “Reach Out I’ll Be There”

• In many ways were the male counterpart to the Supremes

The Four Tops

• Were a bit older than many Motown groups, more experienced

• When paired with HDH, had a string of hits– “Baby I Need Your Loving” (1964)– “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” (1965)– “It’s the Same Old Song” (1965)– “Reach Out I’ll Be There” (1966)

• Blend of R&B with Classical Music very reminiscent of the Supremes

Marvin Gaye

• “Prince of Motown” • Recorded– “How Sweet it Is”– “I Heard it Through the

Grapevine”

• Moved to more political topics; social change

• Tragic death

Marvin Gaye

• Originally wanted to be a crooner like Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole…found Motown to be a more suitable place for his voice.

• First hit was in 1962 with “Stubborn Kind of Fellow”, had 16 more Top 40 singles in the 1960s.

• Worked with most of the songwriters of Motown• “How Sweet it Is to Be Loved By You” – 1965 (HDH), “Ain’t

That Peculiar” -1965 (Robinson)• Duets with Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real

Thing” (1968)• “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” (1968)

Stevie Wonder

• Signed with Motown at 11 as “Little Stevie Wonder”

• Motown’s longest running artist

• Highly sampled by other artists

• Plays multiple instruments on his albums

Stevie Wonder

• “Fingertips pt. 2” (1963) was his first No. 1 hit, recorded on the spot at a live concert when SW went on an extended harmonica improvisation…

• A few years went by without much from SW…his voice was changing and Motown wasn’t sure in what direction to take him.

• 1966 – “Uptight Everything’s Alright” (US #3)• 1968 – “For Once in My Life” (US #2)• 1969 – “My Cherie Amour” (US #4)• 1970 – “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” (US #3)

– This particular song helps transition Motown out of the 1960s into the 70s.

Motown vs. the Critics

• Motown often was criticized by critics from the rock press as well as the black community for assimilating too much into white culture, hiring too many white executives, etc.

• However, when you look at the chart history, even taking the pop charts out of the picture, Motown was one of the most successful R&B labels of the 1960s. Black listeners did not ignore Motown at all, and bought millions of their records.

• Other labels coming out of the South, especially Memphis, were seen as the counter-example to Motown’s refined, cosmopolitan style.

Motown

• During Motown’s heyday in the mid-1960s, Gordy’s music empire included eight record labels, a management service, and a publishing company.

• From 1964 to 1967, Motown had fourteen Number One pop singles, twenty Number One R&B singles, forty-six additional Top 15 pop singles, and seventy-five additional Top 15 R&B singles. In 1966, seventy-five percent of Motown's releases made the charts.