The Early Days of Motown in the 1960 Music Scene

Gordy then hired choreographer Cholly Atkins. Atkins was a well-known dancer in the 1930s and '40s, having performed at The Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom. His job was to teach the groups and singers to not only dance, but to move gracefully.

Maurice King was the executive musical director. He had been a show arranger for years at Detroit's Flame Show Bar (where a couple of Gordy's sisters worked!), and had also worked with Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington, among others. His job was teaching the performers about stage patter, performing, of course, and refining their stage acts and presence. Gordy now had a top-notch training team in place.

He also wanted a paternal, production-line approach to making records that was modeled on Henry Ford's method of producing cars,(Later, there were critics who complained that many Motown hits tended to sound the same, or were rearrangements of a previous hit.) and a family atomsphere at the company, but this was an INTENSE one. There was a stardardized songwriting dept., quality control (which was known to be brutal), and selective promotion. There was even a company pep song and picnics!

Meanwhile, William "Smokey "Robinson, the Miracles' lead singer and Gordy's close friend, convinced him that he should do his own record distribution. So he did. In late 1960-early 1961, "Shop Around", which Gordy co-wrote AND distributed, became a monster smash and established Motown as an up-and-coming INDEPENDENT company.

Even if he hadn't become the head of Motown, it was a given that Berry Gordy would have been a success in another venture. He and the rest of his siblings had a very strong work ethic instilled in them from their parents, particularly their father, Berry Gordy, Sr. And Gordy, Jr. carried this work ethic with him to Motown.

He then sought out local talent. And what a find! In 1959, a teenage Mary Wells, who had written a song for Jackie Wilson, approached him one day and sang the potential Wilson number to Gordy. (Wells was unable to write music.) Gordy was captivated and signed her immediately. "Bye Bye Baby" became a Top 10 R + B hit in 1960 and, no. 45, pop. While "BBB" was hitting the charts, Gordy had a plan: he had a contest among his writers and producers to create a

Go To Page: 1 2 3 4 5

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic