Is Motown 60s or 70s?
Motown was founded in 1959 as Tamla Records, and it acquired the name Motown in April 1960 – the ideal time to launch a record company built on black music. In the early 60s, the music industry was rapidly expanding. African-American singers would soon reach a bigger audience than ever before.
What was Motown known for?
In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including Tamla Motown, the brand used outside the US) were the most of the Motown sound, a style of soul music with a mainstream pop appeal. Motown was the most successful soul music label, with a net worth of $61 million.
What style of music is Motown?
What Is Motown? Motown music is a pop music style associated with Motown Records. In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr founded Motown, originally named Tamla Records. The record label helped define the sound of soul music and popularized the genre in the 1960s.
Why is Motown important to black history?
and was the first record label owned by an African American. Primarily featuring African American artists, Motown Records achieved crossover success with a sound that bridged genres and a popularity that reached across racial lines during a time when much of the country was still segregated.
Why is Motown so significant?
Motown was also powerfully significant as a black-owned corporation employing multi-racial staff within its label teams; in an era when America was undeniably divided and the mainstream was an exclusionary zone (in 1967, the Detroit riots also erupted in response to police raids in black neighbourhoods), Hitsville ...
What best describes the Motown sound?
A strong, steady four-beat drum tempo. Frequent use of strings and horns. Pop vocal stylings embellished with gospel-influenced chorals. Complex chord changes and sophisticated melodies.
What are the characteristics of Motown music?
Motown tracks are considered a blend of eclectic genres, such as rhythm and blues and Jazz. It's almost a crossover of the two major genres, having been described as 'R&B music that sounds white. ' Most Motown songs feature a strong rhythm and some catchy hooks, and the music is usually played using string instruments.
Was Motown all black?
Motown, in full Motown Record Corporation, also called Hitsville, recording company founded by Berry Gordy, Jr., in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in January 1959 that became one of the most successful Black-owned businesses and one of the most influential independent record companies in American history.
Who was Motown's biggest star?
Michael Jackson Still, Motown was Jackson's launchpad to success and the label's biggest star.
How did Motown impact American culture?
Fifty years ago, when black musicians had a difficult time breaking into a music business that was divided by race, Motown changed everything. Catchy dance tunes blending R&B, gospel, swing and pop from Berry Gordy's Detroit-based record company caught on nationwide.
How did Motown break racial barriers?
Motown broke the colour barrier and found fans of every race and creed; but it was not just down to brilliant music. The company went out of its way to build an audience wider than any Black label had ever found, yet achieved this while retaining all its soulful qualities.
How did Motown affect the civil rights movement?
It was wildly popular. Though the songs were not overtly political, Motown's popularity contributed to the Civil Rights Movement by achieving crossover success. Thanks to its popularity, African-American songs and faces entered the homes of every American in the country, regardless of race.