the musicians on many of the motown hit records

Motown’s first signing was Smokey Robinson, who led the Miracles. 58. MY GUY. “I’ll Be There” by The Jackson 5 sold 4.2 million copies in the United States, and 6.1 million copies worldwide. Toné! As a session musician he played on 30 Billboard number 1 hits. * email. Johnson was discovered by Berry Gordy while Johnson performed at a carnival. Berry Gordy, Founder, Motown Records. “You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me,” “Heat Wave,” “Dancing in the Street,” “Tracks of My Tears,” “Where Did Our Love Go,” “My Guy,” “My Girl,” “Baby Love,” “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” “I Can’t Help Myself,” “I Want You Back”, “Get Ready,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” “Stop! Bullock later produced the Younghearts' two LPs on 20th Century Records, and he also did work for the Dells, Little Richard, Johnny Taylor, Booker T. & the MG's and many others. The shop closed two years later after going bust. Which phrase best describes the role of the Motown studio musicians? The Four Tops performing on the TV show "Hullabaloo" in 1965. In fact, they were the first band to deliver the label its first Grammy, thanks to their hit "Cloud Nine" in 1969. In fact, the vocals on many of his biggest hits are first takes. Motown: A Game-Changer For Black Americans Fifty years ago, when black musicians had a difficult time breaking into a music business that was divided by race, Motown … With just a few glides backward, Jackson made dance history when he introduced the moonwalk in 1983. The Temptations were the first Motown act to earn a Grammy Award, for “Cloud Nine” in 1969. Before signing with Motown The Jackson 5 first signed with Steeltown Records in 1967 and released two singles, “Big Boy” and “We Don’t Have to Be Over 21 (To Fall in Love)”. There was also Harvey Fuqua, Bill “Mickey” Stevenson, an ambitious kid called Norman Whitfield, Frank Wilson, Sylvia Moy, Janie Bradford, Clarence Paul, … singers that weren't signed at first because they were too young . SMOKEY ROBINSON. Launched in 1959 under the name Tamla Records in Detroit, Michigan, the burgeoning label officially changed its name to Motown Records and produced some of the greatest soul music artists for the next three decades. 30. 35. Despite the operatic coda, Wells gets the credit for selling this breathtaking number of a woman slowly going mad over a man she loves and hates at the same time. Join now. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Songwriter Eddie Holland was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles. CROSSOVER MUSIC. He has written or co-written 80 hits in the UK and 143 in the US charts. 19. This unsung group of musicians arranged and played on more No. The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Between 1961 and 1971, Motown produced 110 US top 10 hits. 14. Many of the biggest acts to become associated with the Motown record label came from humble beginnings. songwriting teams behind innumerable Motown Records hits; consisted of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, who were three of the most prolific writers of the Motown era and were some of the greatest and most talented songwriters of all time Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder Levi Stubbs from the Four Tops was also a voice artist in film and animated television series, most famously having provided the voice of ‘Audrey II’, the alien plant in the 1986 musical horror comedy film Little Shop of Horrors. The Temptations were originally called The Elgins. Together, they wrote some of the most successful and critically acclaimed soul songs ever to be released by Motown, including “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by both Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pips; “War” by Edwin Starr; “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)” by Paul Young; “Smiling Faces Sometimes” by the Undisputed Truth; and the long line of ‘psychedelic soul’ records by the Temptations, including “Cloud Nine”, “I Can’t Get Next to You”, “Psychedelic Shack”, “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)”, and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”. 45. A year later, she was Motown's first female artist to hit the Top 40 and, after scoring three consecutive hits with songs written and produced by Smokey Robinson, its first solo star. In the early 70s The Jackson Five became Motown’s main marketing focus and the label capitalized on the group’s youth appeal, licensing dozens of products, including the Jackson Five heart logo on Johnny Jackson’s drum set, stickers, posters, and colouring books, as well as a board game and a Saturday morning cartoon. The argument started after his parents squabbled over misplaced business documents, Gaye attempted to intervene, and was killed by his father using a gun he had given him four months before. 12. In 1966, Berry Gordy refused to sign The Jackson 5 because he didn’t want to work with any more children. The guitarist woke up one morning to find the famous riff from "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on his cassette recorder and no memory of writing the song. Tammi Terrell scored seven Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I Need to Get By”. 49. 19. In honor of Black History Month we wanted to celebrate the most successful black owned business of all time, Motown Records! Motown celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2019, having been launched as Tamla Records by Berry Gordy back in 1959. Queen Latifah (Motown Records) R. Lionel Richie (Motown Records) Rockwell (Motown Records) S. Phyllis St. James (Motown Records) Shanice (Motown Records) Sparkle; Stone City Band (Gordy Records) T. Felicia Taylor (Motown Records) Today (Motown Records) Tony! Sixty years ago, Berry Gordy set up the hit factory of Motown. Motown Records produced many of the greatest musicians from the 1960s and 1970s. 40. Some of the lesser-known artists who recorded for Motown in the early 60s include: Singin’ Sammy Ward, Popcorn and the Mohawks, Paul Gayten, Nick & the Jaguars, The Twistin’ Kings, The Swinging Tigers and The Golden Harmoneers. 1 Billboard hit singles, including "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "You Can't Hurry Love," "You Keep Me Hangin' On," and "Stop! In the early 1960s he got a job at Hitsville USA (which later became Motown Records) playing with the resident band, then later as a supporting artist fo ... r several well-known Motown artists, such as The Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, Stevie Wonder and others. After an unprecedented string of number one hits, television and nightclub bookings, they opened doors for themselves, the other Motown acts, and many, many others. 52. They crowded together inside Studio A, the converted garage of a bungalow-style house that 32-year-old Motown founder Berry Gordy had bought, at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit. It was Gladys Knight who persuaded him to change his mind a year later. 41. Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in 1959 and introduced the world to legendary artists like Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. Piggybacking off of The Jackson 5's popularity, Motown released Michael Jackson's solo career in 1971 with the No. A 1985 duet cover by David Bowie and Mick Jagger charted at No. When Motown Records shut down its operations in Detroit at the end of June, 1972, it was a shock – or at least it seems so, in retrospect. Gordy considered Stevie Wonder a musical prodigy, signing the blind multi-instrumental singer, songwriter and producer at age 11. After leaving Motown, John spent several years as a Raelette, backing many Ray Charles hits. The Supremes were an American female singing group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. 26. His 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life, became certified diamond, and Wonder would end up becoming one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the biggest Grammy male solo artists, earning an impressive 25 statues in his storied career. In the Name of Love” and “You Can’t Hurry Love” (the Supremes), “Heat Wave” and “Jimmy Mack” (Martha and the Vandellas), “Reach Out I’ll Be There” and “Baby I Need Your Loving” (the Four Tops), and “Can I Get a Witness” and “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You” (Marvin Gaye). He notes that though the biggest Motown hits are widely known, many great records never saw the same level of success. 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