Motown, or the Motown sound, is a style of

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

musicHughes, Zondra "Are Whites Stealing Rhythm & Blues?" ''Ebony Magazine'', Vol. 55, Johnson Publishing Company, p. 72, ISSN 0012-9011. named after the record company

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

in Detroit, where teams of songwriters and musicians produced material for

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

s, and solo singers during the 1960s and early 1970s. The music of Motown helped a small record company become the largest black American-owned enterprise in the country and a national music industry competitor in the United States.

Overview

The sound, a sophisticated strain of R&B and pop, is known for its polished songwriting with "candid" vocal delivery. Musicians involved in the production of a Motown track constituted a mix of eclectic musical backgrounds, such as jazzPosner, Gerald (2002). ''Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power'', Random House, p. 37, . and rhythm and blues.Bjorn L, Gallert J (2001). ''Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit 1920-60'', University of Michigan Press, p. 199, . It had a crossoverConnell J, Gibson C (2003). ''Sound Tracks: Popular Music, Identity and Place'', Routledge, . appeal and it was called "clean R&B that sounded as white as it did black." Productions featured a strong rhythm, layered instrumental sound, and memorable hooks,Campbell, Michael (2005). ''Popular music in America: the beat goes on''. Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. . utilizing large bands, strings, brass, and organs. Motown producers adhered to the "

KISS principle KISS, an acronym for "Keep it simple, stupid!", is a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960. First seen partly in American English by at least 1938, the KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather tha ...

" (keep it simple, stupid). Principal architects of the style were the songwriting trio

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. During ...

and record producer

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...

. Their series of hits produced for solo singers as well as groups dominated the American and British charts in the late 1960s and exerted an influence on music in the United Kingdom.Newton, Tony (2011). ''Gold Thunder: A Legendary Adventures of a Motown Bassman'', Quantum Media Publishing, p. 120. Some of the components of the music, such as the "gospel break" and four-on-the-top beat (inverted), survived in

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

later in the 1970s. Smokey Robinson describes the style in the following way:

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

who is often credited with shaping the sound of Motown is also called "Prince of Motown".

Notes and references

American styles of music Music of Detroit 1960s in American music {{Music-genre-stub