Motown

Back to Motown Chamber Music Project Peter Rudnick Honey Jamison 202668282 Introduction; One particular form and perhaps one of the most popular forms of music that has risen in the present era is Motown. Motown music first began in the 1960s by a young man in Detroit. He made it possible for the African- American singers, composers and performers to be empowered in a society that considered them as second class citizens, by using one of the most powerful means of communication that humankind ever assembled- music.  I will be tracing the history of the Motown music empire and how it developed. I shall also be looking at the traditions of Motown together with its composers, arrangers and performers, looking at their compositions and songs taking into account the unique instrumentations used within the music. I will discuss Motown's divisions, subsidiary and independent labels. This paper will look at the immense impact of Motown on people and society as a whole. Essentially I will look at the role Motown music played in the Politics, culture, history, and society of America. Motown: A definition The Cambridge dictionary states “Motown is a form popular music that is almost the same with rhythm and blues”. in addition it is also an American record company that started in Detroit by and for African-American people. Motown comes from a mix of “motor” and “town” and also a nickname of Detroit.  The beginnings;   According to Bill Dahl, the music empire Motown began in the 1960's, when a young man named Berry Gordy dreamt of a successful independent record company. From this dream sprang one of the most influential soul music record companies that had emerged in the last 50 years (“Berry Gordy” n.p.). On December 14, 1959 Motown music was formed (Fontenot, n.p.).  Gordy with just $800 began his music dynasty with a chance meeting with Jackie Wilson in a bar, at the time Jackie was an up and coming singer with songs such as “Reet Petite. In January of 1959, Gordy had assembled an army of talent and created the Tamla label derived from the Debbie Reynolds song “Tammy”. it was responsible for producing hits like “You Got What It Takes” by Marvs Johnson and “Money” (That's What I Want) by Barret Strong, in the same year that Marv Johnson's “Come to Me” was released under Tamla 101. In February 1960, the first Motown record was produced and released onto the market, “My Beloved” by The Satin Tones, it was an instant hit. (Fontenot, n.p.) From early on it was becoming clear Motown would develop into a successful musical empire. Smokey Robinson (one of Gordy's first artists) was deemed responsible for urging Gordy to create the Motown label as a counterpart to the Tamla label. Gordy saw that he could actually expand his business and hired mostly all African- American singers. In following years more Motown artist gained attention and popular interest, such as Martha Reed and the Vandellas who gained enormous interest with their debut pop soul song ‘Come and Get These Memories’(Fontenot, n.p.). Diana Ross and the Supremes hit the charts with their song ‘Where did our love go’ in 1964 (Diana Ross & The Supremes, n.p.). In 1967, Gordy was forced to move from Detroit to Los Angeles because of the racial riots that had been happening in the area. In 1972 the Motown label followed. 1988 saw Gordy sell the label to MCA while it was still enjoying success from old and new acts. Until now the entire Motown music team was under Universal Music Group and the copyrights under EMI (Fontenot, n.p.) It has now been 50 years since Motown established itself in the music industry. EMI celebrated this with the release of ‘Motown 50’, a collection of hits from some of the greatest Motown artists ever. Popular music traditions that played a roll in Motown;     There was not one solitary influence that made Motown Music, but rather a collection of ideas, hopes and dreams which allowed it to flourish and grow. It was one of a kind, assembling only African-American performers into a single record label and showing their unique and original talents, set against the prejudices of the times. Lars Bjorn and Jim Gallert writes, “There was music in Detroit before Motown in the 1960's.” In fact, it was the jazz music that made the largest contributions in the Motown music. It can also be noted that it was actually the African Americans that made it possible for the development of the jazz as a musical genre. Mark C. Peyko writes in his article Motown Turns 50, “The Motown Sound was difficult to distil since it was essentially a hybrid. It wasn’t one sound but rather a synthesis of gospel, soul, rock and roll, pop, jazz, African rhythms, pre-rock standards, plus occasional dashes of show-business schmaltz. The musical influences were far-reaching and sometimes obscure”. Subsidiary Labels/ major divisions of Motown; Motown is divided into several subsidiary labels that together make up the music dynasty. Tamla Records was established in 1959 and was the primary company for mainstream R&B/soul music. Motown Records was established in 1960 and still remains as the major labels distributor for R&B, soul and hip hop.  The most notable artists include Diana Ross, The Jackson 5 and Boys II Men among others. In 1961 Berry Gordy established “Gordy records” which was originally known as Miracle Records. Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Temptations, and DeBarge were the key artists of Gordy Records. Independent Labels Distributed by Motown; In 2005 Motown merged with Universal Records and Universal Motown was born. There are many independent labels distributed by Motown, among these are Chisa Records (a label owned by Hugh Masekala), Ecology Records ( owned by Sammy Davis, Jr.), CTI Records (A jazz label owned and managed by Creed Taylor), Gull Records (Still in operation and distributed by Motown) and Biv 10 Records (Founded by Bell Biv Devoe and Michael Bivins, which produces hip hop and r&b songs and dances). The Motown Sound, Songwriters and Composers. A panel discussion was organized by the American Society of Music arrangers & Composers, entitled, “The Sound of Motown, from Detroit to Los Angeles” on the 14 of November in Hollywood. The panel invited notable songwriters and composers such as Sylvester Rivers, Don Peake, David Blumberg, and Marvin Augustus. Moderated by keyboard player, composer, and producer Clarence McDonald, the reason the luncheon was arranged was because “the Motown sound has had a dramatic impact on American popular music and it is fascinating to hear the stories of the individual musicians who were an integral part of that famed organization”. (Pool, n.p) The songwriters and composers mentioned above were very much apart of and crucial in creating and developing the motown sound. Sylvester Rivers (Composer, arranger and pianist) worked and played with Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie, while he also played hits like Freda Payne's “Bring the Boys Home;” and Honey Cone’s, “Want Ads”. Guitarist and arranger Don Peake played many of the motown west coast sessions and recorded with the likes of The Commodores and The Jackson 5. David Blumberg who started his career working with Mickey Steven and Clarence Paul as well as Venture Records worked with the Jackson 5 and did arrangements for “Zippity-doo-dah”. He also went on to have two hits with motown. “Which Way Is Up'”, “Outrageous Fortune,” and “Lady Sings the Blues,” were all orchestrated and arranged by the brilliant mind of Marvin Augustus. He was very talented and in demand by many motown artists, working with singers such as Lionel Richie, Anita Baker and The Dobbie Brothers. Clarence McDonald the keyboard player who moderated the panel was lucky and privileged to work with all the motown artists from the likes of Diana Ross and Patti LaBelle to Bill Withers. “Also instrumental to the sound was the work of Motown's in-house band, The Funk Brothers, who performed the instrumentation on nearly every motown hit from 1959 to 1971”( Gerri Hirshey's "Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music.1994) Members of the band include keyboard players Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, and Joe Hunter,percussionists Eddie "Bongo" Brown and Jack Ashford, guitarists Joe Messina, Robert White, and Eddie Willis,bassists James Jamerson, Etan Nechin and Bob Babbitt,drummers Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, and Richard "Pistol" Allen. There are a number of distinctive characteristics that make up the motown sound such as a "call and response" singing style originating in gospel music, the use of tambourines which aided the drums, a bass instrumentation, (an example of which can be heard on the song “You can’t hurry love” by The Supremes, (bassist James Jamerson plays a unique bassline) and finally a distinctive melodic chord structure. “Complex arrangements and elaborate, melismatic vocal riffs were avoided. Motown producers believed steadfastly in the "KISS principle" (keep it simple, stupid)” (www.wikidpedia.com/motownrecords) African- Americans thought that the whites would attempt to reproduce their music and so “They made innovations in their music or put certain types of signatures in the work that technically could not be copied.” (Early as qtd. in Sanford, n.p.) Many pioneering techniques were developed within motown making it unique, such as using two drummers instead of one on songs, either overdubbed or playing in unison as well as three or four guitar lines. “It was also one of the first styles of pop music of that era wherein girl groups-including The Supremes, The Marvelettes were showcased as an act, as opposed to individual female artists”(Gerri Hirshey's "Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music.1994) Smokey Robinson said the Motown sound had little to do with Detroit; “People would listen to it, and they'd say, 'Aha, they use more bass. Or they use more drums.' no way. When we were first successful with it, people were coming from Germany, France, Italy, Mobile, Alabama, from New York, Chicago, California from everywhere. Just to record in Detroit. They figured it was in the air, that if they came to Detroit and recorded on the freeway, they'd get the Motown sound. Listen, the Motown sound to me is not an audible sound. It's spiritual and it comes from the people that make it happen. What other people didn't realize is that we just had one studio there, but we recorded in Chicago, Nashville, New York, L.A, almost every big city and we still got the sound.” The Motown sound went on to have a deeply inspiring effect on many other singers and composer’s of the 1960’s, one of whom was English singer Dusty Springfield. Instruments used in Motown music; Motown music encompasses a variety of genres which include, soul, rnb, pop, hip hop, pop and rock, the instrumentation utilized is diverse, including such as the saxophone, piano, drums, guitar and cymbals. In the article A-Z of Motown Records, “The Motown Sound is characterized by a piston-like 4/4 drum beat, often alongside tambourine, together with melodic bass lines, funky guitars, big brass lines and catchy vocal hooks”. The xylophone is another instrument that is commonly used in the music of motown; it was used in numerous songs such as The Four Tops “It's The Same Old Song” (interestingly this song ranked 5th in the US & 10th in the UK).The song starts with a driving riff played on bass guitar and xylophone. Composed by Brian Holland, Brother Edward and Lamont Dozier, the song completely reverses the chords of “I Can't Help Myself” (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) which was the group's previous record hit. (A-Z of Motown Records). Carol Coleman-Cunningham was another instrumentalist within motown, playing the harp. “She aided in the embellishment of the hit song I hear a Symphony, by The Temptations” (Peyko, n.p). After listening to a variety of Motown songs, I found there were a number of Characteristics consistent throughout, a medium tempo between 100-120 beats per minute, a strong backbeat, light time keeping which is usually percussion, moderate syncopation, melodic saturation, a bass line in free rhythm and a dense multi-layered, heterogeneous texture. The melody contains shorter instrumental riffs and we hear harmonies from the bass up. I, IV and V are the three basic chords and the rhythm section contains three types of instruments; Bass instrument (stand-up or electric bass) Chord instrument (guitar or piano) Percussion instrument (drum kit, tambourine, etc) A recurrent feature in Motown recordings is ‘call and response’ which is a sequence of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first. Context and significance of Motown music; Motown music undeniably erased the prejudice and stereotypical notions that members of the African America race did not have any original identity within the music scene. In an interview in Reuters, Smokey Robinson said that Motown aided in the removal of the barriers in the music industry but most specifically in the society that they moved in. "Years later ... everybody was in the same area, partying and sharing, it was a great accomplishment musically and socially."(Collet- White, n.p.) Motown played a crucial part in the meaning of racial context. “But perhaps most important was the significance of Motown in a racial context.” (Ruggieri n.p.) Being the first record label that was duly owned by an African- American team, who primarily showcased the talents and skills of the undermined African- American artists. At that time the music market was dominated by Ricky Nelson and the king of rock 'n roll Elvis Presley. It was clear that they proved their worth in the U.S music industry by “crossing soul-based music onto pop charts” (Ruggieri n.p.) Motown played a vital role in American society as a whole. Motown music “was born in the middle of an unfavourable socio-political setting for the black communities.”(Pomoni n.p.) America in the 60’s had substantial amounts and widespread forms of discrimination. John F. Kennedy had just been elected, the U.S had just entered the war against Vietnam, yet Motown succeeded in eradicating the prejudices that the whites had for the blacks. Motown managed to conquer the white market just after it was launched, interestingly they were able to reach the white market in times of “cataclysmic social and racial mayhem” (Pomoni n.p.) “The elements and more importantly the artists of Motown devised a way in which they could destroy the racial prejudice that appeared in the streets of urban America: By performing to the delight of the white audiences thus slowly but surely slashing or chipping away the racist behaviours towards them” (Nantais, n.p.) Another immense significance Motown made was to the civil rights movement. In the article ‘Motown's Role in Helping Integrate American Life’, Christina Pomoni said that, “Berry Gordy Jr, Motown's founder, apparently did what many people of his time thought could never be done: by bringing black music into millions of white households, he helped black artists, musicians, composers and songwriters to gain acceptance and he opened the doors for the black culture to be widely integrated into white society”. The Impact on 20th Century Popular Culture and the effect on people; Evidently the establishment of the Motown music dynasty had a huge impact on the 20th century popular culture. It crossed boundaries of popular American culture and bridged the gap between the races. “The Motown label crafted a uniform house sound so instantly identifiable that "Motown" unequivocally became a style unto itself” (“Motown”, n.p.) Indeed Motown had made the music industry particularly different because for the first time the members of the African- American community had proved their worth in the music scene. As Dr. Burton W. Folsom writes, What an achievement! Gordy had white teens all over America humming the catchy tunes of the Four Tops and the Temptations. After that, he promoted a flurry of black stars including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder. Gordy wanted their music and that of other Motown singers to reach the larger white audience in America that the sign on his headquarters read, "Hitsville, U. S. A." (1998). Folsom added that, Motown music was not absorbed into the lives of the American people by the means of force but because the American people chose it to be a part of their daily lives thereby making a huge effect on the 20th American pop culture. He also wrote that Gordy was a smart entrepreneur because he did not manipulate the minds of the whites to integrate the black music into their lives. He (Gordy) was able to make wonderful songs like ‘Dancing in the Street’ by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas. Motown was born at a time when the whites and the blacks rivalled one another politically and culturally. The civil rights movement was at its peak with social upheaval all over America, somehow Motown still managed to prove itself through all this. Gerald Early, Ph.d in his book Motown's impact on American culture wrote that the African- Americans consider Motown to be a tool or a medium to their artistic and financial freedom. Motown created many new ideas and notions within the African- American community and gave various meaning to a great number of individuals. Gordy is a remarkable man, he was able to make a new dynasty of music that altered the preconceived notions regarding the African- Americans. The African- American community was the first to benefit from Motown, new jobs and opportunities were generated within production and marketing. “Gordy was not just successful in making the business work, but he was also able to give hope, to unite and to shatter the prejudices in American society in the 1960's.” (Folsom, n.p.) The Role in the Motion Picture Industry; Another reason Motown moved from Detroit to Los Angeles was because it wanted to branch out into the motion picture scene. Motown started its career in the movie industry with two films for Diana Ross in 1972 (“Billie Holiday” and “Lady Sings Blue”). In 1975 it produced “Mahogany”. “Thank God it's Friday” and “The Wiz” in 1978 and “The Last Dragon” in 1985.Motown undeniably made its presence felt in the film industry.  Analysis of songs and performances;   In terms of the performances, Motown artists gave every facet consideration, constantly delivering polished performances, a Motown trademark, which their audiences grew to expect. The Temptations always performed in a lively and fun manner, The Supremes were manifestly stylish and well coiffured. Martha and the Vandells and the Jackson 5 were perfectionist, evident in their dance routines and the immaculate image they displayed. “Reeves said she still found herself relying on the lessons of Motown’s 'charm school' and called it 'her degree from college.” (Peyko, n.p.) Motown songs have many things in common they are soulful, exciting and original, usually kept under three minutes ensuring maximum airplay.  “The whole company relied on the simplicity of the formulas that they used. Most often than not, the lyrics were written in the present tense in order to attain an intensive emotional approach” (Peyko, n.p.)The entire performance including the dance routines became as important as the song itself. People would copy the routines and showcase the moves at dances and discos. People could also relate easily to the lyrics which increased the songs popularity. Such as the Supremes hit “Baby Love” which was ranked by the Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 500 greatest songs of all time. In 1969 a year after Jackson 5 auditioned for Motown, their song ‘I want you back’ became their fastest selling song (“A-Z of Motown Records”). The Jackson 5 became hugely successful due to their dance skills, TV and live show performances. Motown songs “clearly illustrate how the sounds of Detroit's streets could articulate the needs of African Americans.”(Smith as qtd. in Gerber).   Conclusion  Motown was not only a form of musical genre that communicated with various people all over the world, but it aided in the rectification of the views held about African-Americans and contributed in the shattering and later abolishment of the prejudices that were prevalent in the 1960's. Perhaps the most important thing that Motown did was to give an insight into the black community. “Motown created a form of black music that crossed virtually all racial and cultural barriers.”(Peyko, n.p). The songs and performances the artists executed were all strong manifestations of how Motown wanted to be known and recognized, not just as a talented music group, but more importantly as members of a community and society that they moved in and were proud of. It was a struggle to be recognized in society but with dedication and determination this was overcome. One important thing to be remembered is that music crosses all boundaries, regardless of race, creed or colour Motown is a prime example of this and has become a world wide phenomenon. Bibliography A-Z of Motown Records, www.news.bbc.co.uk, Retrieved 07 Nov. 2009, . Berry Gordy, 2009. Soul walking, Retrieved 10 Oct. 2009, . Bjorn, L., Gallert, 2001, Before Motown: A history of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-60, University of Michigan Press, 2001, 239 pages. Collet-White, M., 09 Jan 2009, Motown turns 50, proud of musical, social legacy, Reuters, www.reuters.com, Retrieved 06 Nov. 2009 . Dahl, B., Berry Gordy, Motown Historical Museum, Retrieved 10 Oct. 2009, . Diana Ross & The Supremes, Classic Motown 1958- 1988, Retrieved 17 Oct. 2009, . Early, G., 2004, One nation under groove: Motown's and American culture, University of Michigan Press, 2004, 244 pages. 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