In 1957, Gordy met Smokey Robinson, who at the time was a local seventeen-year-old singer fronting a vocal harmony group called the Matadors. Motown building, at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Motown's headquarters from 1959 to 1968, which became the Motown Historical Museum in 1985 Between 19, Gordy wrote or produced over a hundred sides for various artists, with his siblings Anna, Gwen and Robert, and other collaborators in varying combinations. During the next eighteen months, Gordy helped to write six more Wilson A-sides, including " Lonely Teardrops", a peak-popular hit of 1958. " Reet Petite" was their first major hit which appeared in November 1957. Gordy soon became part of a group of songwriters-with his sister Gwen Gordy and Billy Davis-who wrote songs for Wilson. He frequented Detroit's downtown nightclubs, and in the Flame Show Bar he met bar manager Al Green (not the famed singer), who owned a music publishing company called Pearl Music and represented Detroit-based musician Jackie Wilson. (The Gordys were an entrepreneurial family.) Although the shop did not last very long, Gordy's interest in the music business did not fade. History Beginnings of Motown īerry Gordy's interest in the record business began when he opened a record store called the 3D Record Mart, a shop where he hoped to "educate customers about the beauty of jazz", in Detroit, Michigan. Īs of 2023, the label has many acts signed such as City Girls, Diddy, Migos, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Smino, Vince Staples, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and several other artists in the hip-hop/R&B genre. On November 29, 2022, Ethiopia Habtemariam announced that she would be stepping down as Chairwoman/CEO of Motown. In 2021, Motown separated from the Capitol Music Group to become a standalone label once again. In 2018, Motown was inducted into Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in a ceremony held at the Charles H. In 2014, however, UMG announced the dissolution of Island Def Jam, and Motown relocated back to Los Angeles to operate under the Capitol Music Group, now operating out of the Capitol Tower. From 2011 to 2014, it was a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music. Motown spent much of the 2000s headquartered in New York City as a part of the UMG subsidiaries Universal Motown and Universal Motown Republic Group. PolyGram purchased the label from MCA in 1993, followed by MCA successor Universal Music Group, which acquired PolyGram in 1999. It was an independent company until MCA Records bought it in 1988. Motown expanded into film and television production. During the 1960s, Motown achieved 79 records in the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100 between 19.įollowing the events of the Detroit Riots of 1967, and the loss of key songwriting/production team Holland–Dozier–Holland that year over pay disputes, Gordy moved Motown to Los Angeles, California. Motown was the most successful soul music label, with a net worth of $61 million. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including Tamla Motown, the brand used outside the US) were the most of the Motown sound, a style of soul music with a mainstream pop appeal.
Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American-owned label that achieved crossover success. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group.
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