![]() By the middle of the decade, Gwen and Anna Gordy had joined the label in administrative positions as well.Īlso in 1959, Gordy purchased the property that would become Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. Many of Gordy's family members, including his father Berry, Sr., brothers Robert and George, and sister Esther, were eventually given key roles in the company. (Most early Motown singles were released through other labels, such as End, Fury, Gone and Chess.) Miracles lead singer William "Smokey" Robinson became the vice president of the company (and later named his daughter "Tamla" and his son "Berry" out of gratitude to Gordy and the label). (They were not the Matadors who recorded for Sue.) Their first release, "Got a Job," was an answer record to the Silhouettes' "Get a Job." The Miracles' first, minor hit was their fourth single, 1959's "Bad Girl," released in Detroit as the debut record on the Motown imprint, and nationally on the Chess label. Gordy's first signed act was The Matadors, who changed their name to The Miracles when Gordy signed them. Its first hit was Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" (1959), which made it to #2 on the Billboard R&B charts. Tamla's first release, in the Detroit area, was Marv Johnson's "Come to Me" in 1959 (released nationally on United Artists). When he found the name was already in use, he decided on Tamla instead. Gordy originally wanted to name the label "Tammy" Records, after the popular song by Debbie Reynolds from the 1957 film Tammy and the Bachelor also starring Reynolds. On January 12, 1959, he started Tamla Records, with an $800 loan from his family and from royalties earned writing for Jackie Wilson. Davis and Gwen Gordy wanted Berry to be the company president, but Berry wanted to strike out on his own. In 1959, Billy Davis and Berry Gordy's sisters Gwen and Anna started Anna Records. He realized that the more lucrative end of the business was in producing records and owning the publishing. Wilson's single "Lonely Teardrops", written by Gordy, became a huge success however, Gordy did not feel he made as much money as he deserved from this and other singles he wrote for Wilson. Historyīerry Gordy got his start as a songwriter for local Detroit acts such as Jackie Wilson and The Matadors. As of summer of 2011, Motown has been reactivated under The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music Group. Gordy relocated Motown Records to Los Angeles in 1972 and there it remained an independent company until June 28, 1988, when Gordy sold the company to MCA and Boston Ventures (which took over full ownership of Motown in 1991), then to PolyGram in 1994, before being sold again to MCA Records' successor Universal Music Group, when it acquired The PolyGram Group. Motown has owned or distributed releases from more than 45 subsidiaries in varying genres, although it is most famous for its releases in the music genres of rhythm and blues, soul and pop. In the 1960s, Motown and its soul-based subsidiaries were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as The Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. ![]() Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music, by achieving a crossover success. Motown Records was also the name of Gordy's second record label the first, Tamla Records, began on January 12, 1959. Now headquartered in New York City, Motown is a subsidiary of The Island Def Jam Music Group, itself a subsidiary of the French-owned Vivendi subsidiary, Universal Music Group. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. Motown is a record company originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr.
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