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I worked in the Ford factory before I came in the [record] business, and I saw how each person did a different thing...And I said, 'Why can't we do that with the creative process?'"
a Motown Sampler
Midnight Train to Georgia--Gladys Knight and the Pips
Tears of a Clown--Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Can't Hurry Love--The Supremes
Let's Get It On--Marvin Gaye
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Motown Music Machine
Berry Gordy founder of Motown Records started out as a songwriter/producer. In 1959 he borrowed $800 from his family and rented an eight room house on West Grand Boulevard to start Motown Records. Motown was the first African-American owned record company to consistently package and release quality music to black and white youths.
Motown's hit songs inluded "My Guy" by Mary Wells, "Please Mr. Postman" by the Marvelettes, "Baby Love" and others by the Supremes, "My Girl," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," and "Beauty is Only Skin Deep" by the Temptations.
Gordy's secret to Motown's success was his "Motown Music Machine," a process in which he groomed and cultivated groups for show business and mainstream America. Most of Motown's vocal groups were made up of kids off the streets of Detroit. According to Gordy, he had to teach them things like sitting up straight, speaking nicely, and just being polite. To help him with this he hired Maxine Powell who used to run a finishing and modeling school, choreographer Cholly Atkins for stage movments, and Maurice King to teach them about stage patter. The Motown acts went in as poor African-American youths off the streets of Detroit and came out as successful performers.
Gospel had a major influence in the Motown sound. Gordy created the Motown sound using a pounding rhythmn section with horns and tambourines. It also featured the call-and-response type of singing used in gospel songs.
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