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Motown
MOTOWNThe Motown SoundBlack rhythm and blues provided the foundation for rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, and, as racial attitudes relaxed, black performers such as Chuck Berry, the Coasters, and Chubby Checker attracted large audiences. However, it was not until the 1960s that black performers in general received unrestricted radio play. The music that came from the Motor City of Detroit, Michigan, in the 1960s, was the Motown Sound. Early SuccessIn creating Tamla Motown in 1959, Berry Gordy, Jr., established the first major label owned and operated by blacks. The music he produced had its roots in gospel, jazz, and rhythm and blues, but the Mo-town Sound, with its rock 'n' roll beat backed by orchestral accompaniment, was definitely commercial pop music—and in terms of commercial and popular success, it took off in the early 1960s. This success was due in part to the songwriting efforts of Lamont Dozier and brothers Eddie and Brian Holland, who created such hits as "Please Mr. Postman" by the Marvelettes and "Baby Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Where Did Our Love Go?," and "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes. Another important songwriter for Motown was Smokey Robinson, who wrote "My Guy" (performed by Mary Wells) and "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (performed by The Temptations), as well as "The Tracks of My Tears" which he performed with the Miracles. Popular PerformersMotown also could attribute its success to the talented performers it recorded, many of whom were discoveries of the company. In addition to the performers already named, Motown featured the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Martha and the Vandellas, and Little Stevie Wonder, a blind child prodigy reminiscent of Ray Charles. In 1969 Gordy discovered more child wonders in the Jackson Five, featuring the eleven-year-old Michael Jackson. Most of all, however, Motown prospered because the Motown Sound was a welcome addition to popular music during the 1960s. Motown at Its HeightIn 1971 Gordy moved operations to Los Angeles, and Motown became a less distinctive form of popular music. However, during the 1960s it produced several excellent songs and singers, often introducing them to white audiences, and exerted an influence on what has since become known as soul music. Sources:David Morse, Motown and the Arrival of Black Music (London: Studio Vista, 1971); Don Waller, The Motown Story (New York: Scribners, 1985). |
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"Motown." American Decades. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Motown." American Decades. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3468302173.html "Motown." American Decades. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3468302173.html |
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Motown
Mo·town / ˈmōˌtoun/ • n. 1. (also trademark Tamla Motown) music released on or reminiscent of the U.S. record label Tamla Motown. The first black-owned record company in the U.S., Tamla Motown was founded in Detroit in 1959 by Berry Gordy, and was important in popularizing soul music, producing artists such as the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye. 2. informal name for Detroit. |
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"Motown." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Motown." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-motown.html "Motown." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-motown.html |
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Motown
Motown Highly successful record company, whose artists made a major contribution to popular music of the 1960s. Founded in Detroit (‘Motor town’), Michigan, USA, in 1959 by Berry Gordy Jr, the company's original roster included Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Smokey Robinson. Berry sold Motown to the MCA company in 1988.
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"Motown." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Motown." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Motown.html "Motown." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Motown.html |
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Motown
Motown music released on or reminiscent of the US record label Tamla Motown, the first black-owned record company in the US, founded in Detroit in 1959 (the name comes from a shortening of Motor Town). Tamla Motown was important in popularizing soul music.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Motown." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Motown." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Motown.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Motown." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Motown.html |
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Motown
Motown •brown, Browne, clown, crown, down, downtown, drown, frown, gown, low-down, noun, renown, run-down, town, upside-down, uptown
•crackdown • clampdown • Ashdown
•markdown • letdown • meltdown
•breakdown, shakedown, takedown
•kick-down • thistledown • sit-down
•climbdown • countdown
•Southdown
•godown, hoedown, showdown, slowdown
•put-down • touchdown • tumbledown
•comedown
•rundown, sundown
•shutdown • eiderdown • nightgown
•pronoun • Jamestown • Freetown
•midtown • Bridgetown • Kingstown
•shanty town • Georgetown • Motown
•hometown • toytown • Newtown
•Charlottetown • Chinatown
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"Motown." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Motown." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Motown.html "Motown." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Motown.html |
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