DETROIT
Soul music is simply gospel without God. So it's not surprising that all the great soul stars of 1960s began as gospel singers.Many would argue, with justification, that the greatest soul music came out of Memphis and Philadelphia, but there is no doubt that the most succeful version of the sound came from Detroit, home of Berry Gordy's Motown Records.
The Motown Machine
Motown is short for "Motor Town", a reference to Detroit as the home of the US car industry. Indeed, the assembly line production method was a central inspiration for Gordy's approach to recording. Initially, Motown singers were treated as elements in a Machine rather than artists. To make black soul music acceptable to withe audiences, the emotion(the sould in effect) was removed, replaced by a dance beat that was impossible not to like. Gordy, meanwile, was dictatorial with his singers, controling every aspect of their careers.
But wile the singers were modelled into stars, the group of musicians that played with them did not get the recognition for their work that they marited. If they had, they would have had more number one hits than the Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and the Beatles combined. Ultimatley, Gordy could not maintain his dictatorial control and the most talented artists, including Marvin Gaye and Michel Jackson, began the develop in their own styles.
Soul music is simply gospel without God. So it's not surprising that all the great soul stars of 1960s began as gospel singers.Many would argue, with justification, that the greatest soul music came out of Memphis and Philadelphia, but there is no doubt that the most succeful version of the sound came from Detroit, home of Berry Gordy's Motown Records.
The Motown Machine
Motown is short for "Motor Town", a reference to Detroit as the home of the US car industry. Indeed, the assembly line production method was a central inspiration for Gordy's approach to recording. Initially, Motown singers were treated as elements in a Machine rather than artists. To make black soul music acceptable to withe audiences, the emotion(the sould in effect) was removed, replaced by a dance beat that was impossible not to like. Gordy, meanwile, was dictatorial with his singers, controling every aspect of their careers.
But wile the singers were modelled into stars, the group of musicians that played with them did not get the recognition for their work that they marited. If they had, they would have had more number one hits than the Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and the Beatles combined. Ultimatley, Gordy could not maintain his dictatorial control and the most talented artists, including Marvin Gaye and Michel Jackson, began the develop in their own styles.
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