If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. Motown: The Sound of Young America by Adam White with Barney Ales is out now, published by Thames & Hudson It created a bond that echoed throughout the world.” The venues had a rope down the middle of the audience separating blacks from whites, but soon the rope was gone and black kids and white kids were dancing together to the same music. Gordy, recalling a tour of the American South, said that “despite the hostility and racism we faced, we knew we were bringing joy to people. There is something else that explains the enduring power of Motown.
At 60, the sound of young America retains its vitality – and its iridescent power.
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Motown celebrations have their place in every element of pop culture, whether it’s major museum exhibitions (London’s V&A hosted a celebration of The Supremes in 2008) or new-gen entertainment, such as the recent Netflix kids’ animated series Motown Magic. It was not that we marched or paraded we just promoted it through love.”
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“It was a beautiful feeling, when we were so full of hate and anger and everybody was so full of unrest, that we saw people actually join together, get out of their cars and dance to a song that meant we should rejoice… The Motown sound was a very big influence in the civil rights movement. The joyous immediacy of the songs also had a galvanising effect, as vocalist Martha Reeves recalls in Susan Whitall’s book, Women Of Motown: He set up the label’s base in a modest two-storey house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, also known as Hitsville USA.Įven the Motown production philosophy had a ring to it (“KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid”) in fact, every detail was fine-tuned, from the songwriting teams such as powerhouse trio Holland-Dozier-Holland (Heat Wave Where Did Our Love Go Stop! In The Name Of Love Baby Love) and the sublime partnership of Ashford and Simpson (Ain’t No Mountain High Enough You’re All I Need To Get By) to the moves (thanks to “finishing school” teacher Maxine Powell and choreographer Cholly Atkins) that gave its talented artists such distinctive poise. Prior to founding the label, Gordy had also worked on production lines at the Lincoln-Mercury car plant. Motown’s name was rooted in industry and community: a nod to the ‘Motor Town’ nickname of its native city.
The ‘Motown Sound’ is unmistakeable for its glorious melodies and killer hooks the Motown spirit – as embodied by the vivacious, tenacious Gordy himself (now 89) – is exceptional, even if the label is no longer independent (it’s currently part of Universal Records).
On its anniversary, the music is celebrated in the book Motown: The Sound of Young America by Adam White with Barney Ales (Thames & Hudson) – filled with rarely seen and previously unpublished photos. Sixty years on, Motown’s classic catalogue remains ubiquitous and influential: forming a blueprint for modern soul and pop successes, from girl groups to hit singer-songwriters sampled on countless hip hop and dance anthems and covered by acts of every genre.
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