Post by kaya on Jan 13, 2009 2:18:12 GMT -5
Motown turns 50
Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and more discuss Berry Gordy’s legacy
12 January 2009 - Today marks the 50th anniversary of influential record label Motown Records.
Songwriter and entrepreneur, Berry Gordy, founded the label which was initially called Tamla Records back in Detroit in 1959.
Originally a car upholstery trimmer it inspired him to create a hit factory based on the principles he learned on the Lincoln-Mercury assembly line.
With 200 Number One hit songs across the world, Motown produced the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and The Supremes; helping catapult artists such as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and Michael Jackson into the limelight.
The label originated in Gordy's cellar, with a small loan, and went on to play a significant role in developing black musical talent at a time of racial segregation.
Gordy’s vision
One of the acts that helped establish the distinctive Motown sound was the Four Tops.
The group formed in 1954 and the last surviving member of the original line-up, Duke Fakir, told the BBC what Berry Gordy envisioned for his artists.
"Thanks to Berry Gordy’s ingenuity we have not only been good in the business but we were also trained and prepared for the future."
Martha Reeves
“Berry wanted to be sure that everybody dressed well, had artist development,” Fakir explained. “He wanted to be sure that everybody could talk well because he was building stars and changing the face of the black entertainer.”
Motown’s nurture
One of the label's most successful acts was the Jackson 5, who had four consecutive No. 1's, after initially proving themselves to Berry Gordy at an audition.
Marlon Jackson said Motown was much more than a label: “They would take their artists and you would become family and then they’d put a team around you and work with you, from how to do interviews, how to handle yourself in public, your music, from A-Z.”
Uniting people
Berry Gordy once said that Motown's mission statement was centred on, “unity, about people getting together,” and the Motown legend Smokey Robinson remembered how it helped to racially integrate people.
He recalled playing to segregated crowds: “Many times the stage would be in the centre and white people would be on one side and black people would be on the other side.
“That’s how it was. I feel like we bridged that gap because a year or so later we’d be going down the same places and the kids were not only in the same area but they were dancing together, partying and sharing.”
Coming up
As for 2009 celebrations there will be a huge show, Once In a Lifetime - Motown Legends Live, at venues including Wembley Arena from 25 June.
It's set to feature legendary artists like Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Mary Wilson Of The Supremes, The Miracles, The Commodores and Jr Walker All Stars.
Motown records is now a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, called Universal Motown Record Group and although Berry Gordy no longer runs the label, Martha Reeves told us that working with the founder of the Motown label is something she will never forget: “Berry was a great task master, a perfectionist, a hands-on producer and he was also a great manager.
“For the first three years of our careers, he would come to our shows and hired people to work with us. Thanks to Berry Gordy’s ingenuity we have not only been good in the business but we were also trained and prepared for the future.”
In recent years, the label has looked after artists including Erykah Badu, India Arie, reggae artists Damian and Stephen Marley and the rapper Q-Tip.
There are rumoured to be 5,000 unreleased songs from Motown's Golden Era.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and more discuss Berry Gordy’s legacy
12 January 2009 - Today marks the 50th anniversary of influential record label Motown Records.
Songwriter and entrepreneur, Berry Gordy, founded the label which was initially called Tamla Records back in Detroit in 1959.
Originally a car upholstery trimmer it inspired him to create a hit factory based on the principles he learned on the Lincoln-Mercury assembly line.
With 200 Number One hit songs across the world, Motown produced the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and The Supremes; helping catapult artists such as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and Michael Jackson into the limelight.
The label originated in Gordy's cellar, with a small loan, and went on to play a significant role in developing black musical talent at a time of racial segregation.
Gordy’s vision
One of the acts that helped establish the distinctive Motown sound was the Four Tops.
The group formed in 1954 and the last surviving member of the original line-up, Duke Fakir, told the BBC what Berry Gordy envisioned for his artists.
"Thanks to Berry Gordy’s ingenuity we have not only been good in the business but we were also trained and prepared for the future."
Martha Reeves
“Berry wanted to be sure that everybody dressed well, had artist development,” Fakir explained. “He wanted to be sure that everybody could talk well because he was building stars and changing the face of the black entertainer.”
Motown’s nurture
One of the label's most successful acts was the Jackson 5, who had four consecutive No. 1's, after initially proving themselves to Berry Gordy at an audition.
Marlon Jackson said Motown was much more than a label: “They would take their artists and you would become family and then they’d put a team around you and work with you, from how to do interviews, how to handle yourself in public, your music, from A-Z.”
Uniting people
Berry Gordy once said that Motown's mission statement was centred on, “unity, about people getting together,” and the Motown legend Smokey Robinson remembered how it helped to racially integrate people.
He recalled playing to segregated crowds: “Many times the stage would be in the centre and white people would be on one side and black people would be on the other side.
“That’s how it was. I feel like we bridged that gap because a year or so later we’d be going down the same places and the kids were not only in the same area but they were dancing together, partying and sharing.”
Coming up
As for 2009 celebrations there will be a huge show, Once In a Lifetime - Motown Legends Live, at venues including Wembley Arena from 25 June.
It's set to feature legendary artists like Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Mary Wilson Of The Supremes, The Miracles, The Commodores and Jr Walker All Stars.
Motown records is now a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, called Universal Motown Record Group and although Berry Gordy no longer runs the label, Martha Reeves told us that working with the founder of the Motown label is something she will never forget: “Berry was a great task master, a perfectionist, a hands-on producer and he was also a great manager.
“For the first three years of our careers, he would come to our shows and hired people to work with us. Thanks to Berry Gordy’s ingenuity we have not only been good in the business but we were also trained and prepared for the future.”
In recent years, the label has looked after artists including Erykah Badu, India Arie, reggae artists Damian and Stephen Marley and the rapper Q-Tip.
There are rumoured to be 5,000 unreleased songs from Motown's Golden Era.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk