Entering the 1960's, the term Rock and Roll was a common term applied to most popular music. Rock and Roll began to break off into countless new genres of music, each of which could have their own “history” class. This makes for some difficulty in defining the term Rock and Roll. One of the first major developments to come from the ground breaking work by the 1950s Rockabilly artists was the emergence of Motown and the “Motown Sound.” Motown Records was founded by Berry Gordy in 1959 and was the first record label to be operated by an African American. Motown is slang for “Motor City” and referred to the city of Detroit, the center of the automotive industry in the United States.
Berry Gordy was a young songwriter in in Detroit who, upon writing a hit song for a local artist, found that the real money was in publishing the music. He set out to start his own record label with some family members and one of the members of his first performing group, William “Smokey” Robinson. He purchased a house near Detroit that he turned into a recording studio, and was later known as “Hitsville U.S.A.” Berry Gordy set out to sign acts with a distinctive sound and actually trained his performers how to dance and perform on stage. Motown, in a sense, became a music factory for what became known as the “Motown Sound.” The characteristics of the Motown sound were based in Gospel Music and utilized the Call and Response form of music popular in early Rhythm and Blues recordings. Drums and a tambourine emphasizing the beat were also very popular in the Motown recordings. The “Motown Sound” included orchestral strings and written horn parts, creating a very sophisticated sound associated with it. In order to promote this sound, Berry Gordy created his own in-house band called the “Funk Brothers” who accompanied most of the artists when they were recording. Motown also popularized male and female performing groups as featured artists, as op posed to single performers. Groups like The Supremes and The Temptations became very popular throughout the 1960s and changed the sound of popular music during the decade.
The Supremes
Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard formed the first female singing group to achieve sustained success with a very diverse audience. The Supremes, to this day, are the most successful vocal group in the United States with twelve Number 1 hits throughout their career. The Supremes started as a group of high school girls who all lived in a housing project in Detroit. They were originally known as the Primettes and were formed to accompany a local all-male act known as the Primes. They eventually received an audition with Berry Gordy who told them they were too young and to return for an audition after they finished high school. The girls would not give up and continued to frequent Motown Records looking for work singing back-up to other artists. Eventually, they were given another auditions and signed to a contract. Berry Gordy wanted the Supremes to be appealing to white and black audiences. Additionally, he wanted to break the stereotype that black artists were unrefined and unsophisticated. Their performances did not contain any wild and crazy dance moves or screaming melodies as Gordy purposefully steered them towards refined and melodic performances with subtle dance moves. They wore elegant gowns and wigs and developed their own style by which they became famous. They became equally as successful in the United Kingdom as they were in the United States and paved the way for future African American and female performing acts to experience success in mainstream America. The frequency of their appearances on television shows contributed to their success as well. They became one of the first African American groups to perform regularly on popular shows like the “Ed Sullivan Show.” In 1967, the name of the group was changed to Diana Ross and the Supremes. The group experienced a time of great turmoil and ended with Diana Ross pursuing a solo career. The Supremes went through multiple line-up changes and continued performing, but they never gained the type of success they experienced in the 1960's.
Suggested Listening: Stop! In the Name of Love – The Supremes
The Supremes Mini Bio:
The leading Male vocal group to come out of Motown was The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations rise to stardom coincided with the Supremes in the 1960s and became the first Motown group to win a Grammy. David Ruffin, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Otis Williams, and Eddie Kendricks all came from previous performing groups to form the group we know today as the Temptations. They were promoted in the same manner that the Supremes were promoted in an effort to gain a wide ranging and diverse audience while breaking the stereotypical views that were common to African American performers. Dress in well-tailored suites, smooth melodies and harmonies, and subtle choreography the Temptations became one of the most successful groups in the 1960's and beyond. One of the elements of the group that set them apart from other vocal groups of the time was that they were all considered to be solo singers or lead singers within the group. Each member was given the opportunity to perform leads at various times although the success of some of their biggest hits would cause turmoil within the group. Throughout their history, various members of the group would leave and come back due to a multitude of reasons, from alcoholism to money issues but the Temptations would continue performing and changing their sound. While their music initially came from Gospel origins, it would take on a Psychedelic feel in the late 1960's and early 1970's followed by funk and disco inspired sounds in the late 1970's. While the Supremes struggled to find sustained success after the departure of Diana Ross, the Temptations continued to perform with different members all the way until 2015 with one of their original members, Otis Williams.
Suggested Listening:
Suggested Listening: Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)
During the 1960's and beyond, Berry Gordy experienced success with solo acts in addition to vocal groups. One of those successful solo acts was singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye.
Marvin Gaye
(1939 -1984)
Nicknamed the Prince of Soul Marvin Gaye became one of the most successful acts to come out of Motown in the 1960's. With his wide vocal range and distinctive raspy voice, Marvin Gaye burst onto the scene while performing with a vocal group called the Moonglows. Berry Gordy noticed and signed him and the lead singer to a contract in 1960. Initially, he spent time as a back-up musician for other Motown artists, playing the drums, piano, and singing. Gaye soon ventured out as a solo artist where he rose on the charts with several songs. He found success performing duets with several female vocalists, which led him to a successful collaboration with his long-time partner, Tammi Terrell. The two had numerous hits throughout the late 1960's, but their partnership ended when she died from a brain tumor in 1970. Her death sent Gaye back to a successful solo career throughout the rest of his life. While his song topics were usually romantic in nature, he also created music that spoke out against the social turmoil of the late 1960s and early 1970's. His song, “What’s Going On” was written in response to the Vietnam War and became an instant hit. Marvin Gaye’s life was cut tragically sort in 1984 when his father shot him during an argument at his father’s house.
Suggested Listening: I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Marvin Gaye
Suggested Listening: What’s Going On? – Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye Mini Bio:
Suggested Listening for Additional Motown Artists:
Tracks of My Tears – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Do you Love Me – The Contours
Bernadette-The Four Tops
Shout - The Isley Brothers
Below are additional educational resources and activities for this unit.
Unit 6 Cornell Notes Worksheet