Popular Music

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Popular Music

• Motown Records
• The Motown Sound

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History of Motown

• Motown is a nickname for Detroit, Michigan.
• Detroit is the nations capital for auto
  manufacturing.
  
• Motown Records (originally named Tamla Records)
  is one of the most successful and influential
  music recording empires in the world.
  
• It was at one time the largest business in the
  United States owned by an African American.

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Hitsville, USA

• In the Late 50s Berry Gordy Jr., the founder of
  Motown, borrowed 800 from his family and rented
  a house in Detroit.
  
• This house eventually became known as Hitsville,
  USA
  
• In 1988 Gordy sold Motown to MCA records for 61
  Million

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Berry Gordy Jr.

• Berry Gordy Jr. was originally an autoworker for
  Ford Motors
  
• Ford Motors is known for revolutionizing the
  Assembly Line
  
• Gordy used this assembly line model to craft
  his popular music empire

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Developing the Motown Assembly Line

• Motown was known for working with many singers,
  yet retaining the same band of musicians.
  
• Motown also worked with a small team of in house
  songwriters
  
• Collectively known as "The Funk Brothers", these
  musicians would record the instrumental or "band"
  tracks of the Motown songs.
  

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Developing the Motown Assembly Line

• The Motown Sound was typified by a number of
  characteristics
  
• the use of tambourines to accent the back beat
• Melodic electric bass guitar lines
• Simple meldodies
• A call and response singing style that originated
  in gospel music.

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Developing the Motown Assembly Line

• In addition, pop production techniques such as
  the use of orchestral string sections
  
• Horns
• Carefully arranged background vocals
• Complex arrangements were avoided
• Motown producers believed steadfastly in the
  "KISS principle" ("keep it simple, stupid")

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The Hit Formula

• From 1961 to 1971, Motown had 110 Top Ten hits,
  and artists such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye,
  Diana Ross The Supremes, The Four Tops, and The
  Jackson 5, were all signed to Motown labels.
• 75 of the singles released on Motown Records
  became hits.
  
• Motown was instrumental in changing the sound of
  American culture in the 1960s
  
• Motown also influenced fashion style, language,
  even politics