Music/Society Modern Wrld (W3)

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The Sound of Integration: Motown, Fordism, and Forgotten Heroes

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----- Meeting Notes (10/1/14 17:48) -----

Carleton; minstrelsy...

----- Meeting Notes (2/16/15 17:51) -----

exams posted; meet if needed. mention cbs tribute to songs in key of life tonight!!!

Why does Detroit Matter to Motown Records?

  • Was Motown political? If so, how so?

  • What Detroit social, cultural, political, economic, religious, and musical elements led to the development of Motown Records and the Motown sound?

  • What did Motown’s success mean to the African American community, and to the nation?

  • What was Motown’s relationship to the Civil Rights Movement? How did it encourage racial integration?

Booker T. Washington

Who was Booker T. Washington, and what was his relationship to Motown?

Founder: National Negro Business League & Tuskegee Institute

Advocated for Black capitalism could lead to political and social empowerment

Inspired Berry Gordy Sr. ->

“Booker T Washington Grocery Store” founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy, Sr. in 1920

Motown Musical Influences

Golden age, 1950s, billy mitchell; milt; jones bros. flanagan; barry harris. Donald byrd; kenny burell; pepper adams; yusef’

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Formative Years

  • Berry Gordy, Jr. - b. 1929 Detroit; successful entrepreneurial family; boxer; 3-D Record Mart; worked in factories, and for family; “always wrote songs”
  • At Flame Show Bar (Detroit), met Al Greene, who introduced him to Jackie Wilson (bottom pic; singer)
  • 1957 – wrote “ Reet Petite ” for Jackie Wilson
  • 1958 – wrote “ Lonely Teardrops ” , “ To Be Loved, ” Wilson

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First major black owned label;

Foundations

  • 1957 – Meets William Robinson,

part of the Matadors; songbook, school notebook

  • Changed name to Miracles
  • “Got a Job” 1957; Gordy produced; answer to Silhouettes “ Get a Job ”
  • Gordy meets Raymona Mayberry Liles; Rayber Music Writing Co.
  • 1958 Marv Johnson’s “Come to Me”; help from $800 loan fro Gordy family co-op; released on Tamla label
  • 1959 - Motown founded in Detroit; Hitsville, W. Grand Blvd.
  • “Money (That’s What I Want)” Barrett Strong (#2 chart)
  • Significance of label founding? Significance of song theme?
  • Money – reference to Black capitalism (Booker T. Washington)

Early Success

  • William “Smokey” Robinson and the Miracles - “Bad Girl” sept. 1959
  • 1960, “ Shop Around ” co-written by Gordy and Robinson, #2 on pop chart

  • 1961, “ Please Mr. Postman ” Marvelettes, Motown’s first #1 hit

  • 1962, Motown Revue, (Chitlin Circuit)
  • 1963, “Heat Wave,” Martha and the Vandellas;

  • Overall, Motown NOT overtly political (at this time)

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MLK on Motown, 1963

  • March, Dedication of New Bethel Church, Rev. C.L. Franklin (Aretha’s father)
  • May “Fingertips, Part 2”
  • June, Detroit March & MLK speech
  • July, Wonder @ Graystone

  • August, release of MLK, “I Have a Dream” Speech, and collection of his speeches in Great March to Freedom; Gordy, and active supporter of civil rights movement
  • How was Motown accomplishing MLK, Malcolm X, and others’ objectives?
  • Motown’s first explicit political statement

The Image Machine

  • Fordism - assembly line process,

specialized tasks, standardization, mass production

  • Gordy witnessed this process first hand, worked at Lincoln-Mercury from 1955-57
  • Hired a team of workers to fulfill various roles, i.e. work different parts of the line
  • Maxine Powell - “polished” artists’ attitudes,

posture, style, grace, manner, character

  • Cholly Atkins - choreographer
  • Maurice King - musical director, stage presence

What is Fordism and how did Motown exemplify it?

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The Sound Machine

  • The Funk Brothers -

underrated in-house rhythm section, produced standardized sound

  • Quality control, weekly meetings w/Gordy
  • Writers/composers - Robinson, Brian & Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier; standard formula for hit songs
  • “ Where Did Our Love Go ” – Diana Ross and the Supremes 1964
  • Other hits, “Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Back in My Arms Again,” “You Can’t Hurry Love”
  • Influenced by previous girl groups, (Ronettes, etc.); Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound”

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Forgotten Heroes

The Funk Brothers - house band for Motown

Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)

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The Integration of Early Motown

How did Motown exemplify racial integration, in terms of sound, and other practices?

Music - Blending gospel, doo-wop, jazz, pop and orchestral musical sensibilities (wall of sound)

Funk Bros. were mix of Af-Am and White (although mostly AF-Am)

Image, finishing school look with AF-Am aesthetics of dance, style, coolness, etc.

Business practices, Fordism, adopted from White entrepreneur,

Sound and Image was widely appealing, as such became one of the most successful Af-Am owned and operated businesses of its time

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----- Meeting Notes (2/15/15 12:58) -----

Motown was also often criticized for catering to white audiences, not being black enough, selling out, uncle tom...

Other Products of the Motown Machine

  • The Temptations - little success until went thru the motown machine; after, projected a cool polished, slick, clean-cut, smooth, sophisticated image w/ choreography, stylish clothes, etc.
  • Hits, “The Way You Do the Thing You Do” 1st hit (#11, 1964), “ My Girl ” “1965 (written by Robinson) #1 hit; “Get Ready,” Robinson
  • The Four Tops - “Baby I Need Your Loving,” (#11), “ Reach Out I ’ ll Be There ” (#1), “Same Old Song,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love”
  • Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, “Ooo Baby Baby,” “Tracks of My Tears,” (1965) “I Second that Emotion,” (1967)

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Change has Come? 1964

  • 1964 “ Dancing in the Street ” ,
  • Martha and the Vandellas; Mary Wells, girl craze, “Bye, Bye Baby,” after few minor hits, 1964 “My Guy” signature tune
  • Civil Rights Act - outlawed discrimination

and segregation in public places, and federal programs; created an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Community Relations Service

  • 24th Amendment, Outlawed poll tax
  • 1965, Voting Rights Act, banned unfair literacy tests; LA Watts riots; song above a call to action?
  • Great Society - LBJ, set of domestic social programs; goals - fight poverty and racial injustice; est. Job corps., VISTA, Head Start, Upward Bound, Medicare, Medicade, Food Stamp Act, Housing Act…

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Volunteers in service to America;

Historical Factors Leading to the 1967 Rebellion (and change in Motown sound)

Racial Segregation

1940 - 90%

white population

Red Lining – housing discrimination

Discrimination is mortgage lending

(98% of FHA loans from 1930-1960s

went to white families!); video 2

Housing Covenants – racist language in

leases that prohibited Blacks from

buying homes in certain areas

White flight – white people move to

suburbs for employment, security;

education, etc. (see graph below)

began in 1940s after WWII

Recommended book about race and housing discrimination – The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein

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Detroit
Racial Division

The impact of decades of racist policy & attitudes can be seen today;

the city is predominantly Black while the suburbs are mostly white

Motown responds to Crisis

  • 1967 Detroit Rebellion – July, uprising, (not spontaneous)
  • Result of decades of racist oppression in housing (redlining), healthcare, policing, education, employment, finance (FHA loans, GI Bill), white flight (to suburbs), de-industrialization (loss of manufacturing jobs, change to service industries), etc.

  • After 1967 Motown becomes more overtly political
  • “The Happening” Supremes (released March 1967; by May #1)
  • Supremes spokespersons for United Foundations Torch Drive, raise money for social causes, health care…
  • Acquired new meaning, significance, after 1967 riots in July
  • “Detroit is Happening”; “I Care about Detroit” Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, 1968; supported social campaign, jobs program

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The Motown Message

  • Late 1960s, Motown songs become more overtly political, addressing social and political realities

  • “Love Child” Supremes, child out of wedlock

  • Down to Earth, Stevie Wonder, note background of cover (right)

  • “War,” Edwin Starr (response to Vietnam)

Later Motown Artists & Politics

(Vietnam war); “Inner City Blues” (1971)

  • Stevie Wonder, “ Living for the City ” (1973)

  • 1972 Berry Gordy decides to move Motown to L.A. to focus on movie production; The Wiz, Lady Sings the Blues (Billie Holiday), Mahogany, The Last Dragon