Motown Turns 50, Proud of Its Musical and Social Legacy
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TAIPEI TIMES MONDAY, JANUARY 1 2 , 2 0 0 9 PAGE 1 3 Motown turns 50, proud of its The Contours perform at the Memories of Motown show musical and social legacy in Berlin last week. PHOTO: EPA As the soul empire reaches the half-century mark, founder Berry Gordy looks back at the record label that put Detroit on the musical map and its role in breaking down racial barriers in America BY Susan WHITALL NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, DETROIT ifty years ago, Detroit was sharply “The Chairman,” as Gordy is affectionately divided by race. Newspapers still ran known by his artists, will be in Washington F ads for “colored” apartments and next week for US president-elect Barack Detroit police cars weren’t integrated until Obama’s inauguration — with bells on. late December of 1959. It wasn’t until 1961 It was Motown Records that released that a progressive new mayor, Jerry Cavanagh, Martin Luther King’s key Civil Rights speeches promised to fight segregation in Detroit’s on records. It was Motown groups like the neighborhoods and public institutions. Miracles, Martha and the Vandellas and Against this unforgiving backdrop, the the Temptations who insisted that the rope prospects of one young black man, Berry dividing their Southern audiences into black Gordy Jr, were less than stellar. Gordy had and white be taken down. Thanks in part to Motown given up boxing (too violent), quit his Ford And it was Motown that provided a founder �������������Berry Gordy’s factory job (too boring) and failed as a record Motown founder Berry Gordy poses outside Hitsville USA, romantic soundtrack and black musical idols promotional acumen, The store owner. He sold songs to singer Jackie the original headquarters of his company in Detroit, in this for white teenagers around the world, many Jackson Five’s appeal tran- Wilson, but didn’t make any money at it. At 1960s publicity photo. PHOTO: REUTERS of whom went on to vote for a black president scended race. PHOTO: REUTERS the age of 31, the divorced father of three was in 2008. broke and out of a job. They still do; the Motown Historical Jerry Herron, dean of the honors college at Still, on Jan. 12, 1959, the Gordy family Museum is one of the region’s most-visited Detroit’s Wayne State University, sees a direct loaned Berry Jr US$800 from the family fund tourist destinations, with visitors coming from link between what Gordy did in launching so that he could start a record company. as far away as the South Pacific. Motown and Obama being elected president. Fifteen years later, Motown Records had Such an institution was built not only by “It’s like Martin Luther King standing on the become the largest African-American-owned Motown’s stars, but by many people behind steps of the Lincoln Memorial, saying, ‘I am business in the US, turned Detroit into a the scenes. One of Gordy’s goals for Motown claiming this space, I can be here, too.’” music mecca and made stars of Detroit-born 50 is to point out the hard work of the Herron grew up in segregated Abilene, talent like Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson. unsung heroes, the secretaries, accountants Texas, in the 1960s, and his “Rosebud” Today, Gordy and Universal Motown Records and others. memory from his youth is directly linked to will launch the 50th anniversary of the iconic “I had a philosophy and a work ethic that Detroit and Motown. Detroit label, which includes an event today at I had gotten from my father and my family,” “In 1966, at the high school dance, my the Motown Historical Museum featuring Duke Gordy said. “But people like the Noveck girlfriend cooed into my ear as we were Fakir of the Four Tops, city and state dignitaries brothers were also so important in my life.” dancing, ‘Baby love, my baby love …’ Something and others. Today will also be declared Harold and Sidney Noveck were Motown’s fundamental happened, if two white kids at an “Motown Day” by city and state officials. tax attorney and CPA, respectively. “I want all-white dance in Abilene are dancing to Berry Gordy sold Motown in 1988 for US$61 them to be remembered,” Gordy said. “They Gordy’s music out of Detroit. It wasn’t just my million, but the energetic 79-year-old is still made me put money aside. Everybody was experience too, it was all the kids I knew. Gordy Detroit-born Motown star busy promoting and defending the company buying great cars, and I said, ‘When can I buy moved a kind of music around the world that Diana Ross first signed with he founded. He’s about to get busier. Along a nice car?’ The Novecks said, ‘When you can we had not heard.” the label as a member of The with launching Motown 50, he’s overseeing pay cash for it.’” Supremes. PHOTO: REUTERS a Broadway musical based on his life and a Other people in the background, without multi-part documentary film on what he did whom there wouldn’t be a Motown, were MUSICAL LEGACY “and how I did it” at Motown, using extensive his very supportive four sisters, Gordy said. footage filmed during Motown’s heyday. He’s “They would tell people, ‘My brother’s a Gordy believes that “there could never be also emerging from retirement to manage a boxer, you have to see him.’ Then when I another Motown.” new singer, “one of the greatest I’ve ever met,” was a songwriter, they said, ‘My brother’s a “To have another Motown you’d need whom he isn’t ready to reveal just yet. songwriter, you have to hear his stuff.’” another perfect storm,” he said. “You don’t Gordy exudes the same confidence he did have the 1960s, the Civil Rights movement, when building his music empire. Woodstock, a lot of things. It was a creative “I never had any big setbacks to knock my FIGHTER FOR CIVIL RIGHTS period in our history, that’s why there will be ego down, because I was confident almost other companies, other things, but another to the point of being cocky,” Gordy said, Gordy also praises the courage of his artists Motown? How are you going to duplicate speaking by phone from his Los Angeles office. who traveled by bus through the American a Marvin Gaye, a Levi Stubbs, a Smokey “People would say, ‘What makes you so sure?’ South with the Motortown Revue in the Robinson, a Gladys Knight and the Pips, a I’d say, ‘I don’t think it, I know it.’” middle of the volatile Civil Rights era. “They Rick James?” Back in 1959, Gordy was blissfully unaware were shot at; they were the unsung heroes,” There may not be another Motown, but of how difficult a task was before him, Gordy said. “All I’m doing now is what Berry Gordy isn’t done yet. launching a record company in a city still I’ve done for the past 50 years, protect the “One thing that shocks me a bit, is when I recovering from the 1958 recession. legacy because people were trying to rewrite come to the Motown museum and see, ‘This is “I didn’t know enough about economics Motown history.” where Berry Gordy lived,’ and stuff like that. I to know,” Gordy said. “I was involved in my Those “people” include the producers of want to say, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not me. I’m Singer Marvin Gaye signed stuff, and I took very little interest in anything Dreamgirls, the 2006 film that fictionalized still a kid!’ Because I’m still feeling really great, with the Tamla subsidiary other than my creative activities and the Motown’s early days. the life I live, with the inspirations I have, the of Motown Records in 1960. artists I worked with. I know the times were “The truth can only win if you can afford to Broadway show, a new artist I’m handling …” PHOTO: REUTERS what they were, but I guess in those days I fight for it and are willing to fight for it, and I The music he’s already produced isn’t a was more concerned about the whole social was,” Gordy said. Gordy demanded — and got museum piece either. situation and the racial tensions. Now I’m a — an apology from Dreamgirls’ producers, “It really is a rich record of what it felt like lot more aware of economics and how the who took out an ad that ran in the movie at that moment when things were beginning to whole thing works.” trades. What irritated him the most about the change in the ’60s,” said Wayne State’s Herron. Motown launched immortal artists like movie was the thuggish record company boss “It’s a part of ‘I have a dream,’ the marches, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie played by Jamie Foxx. the boycotts. It’s an anthem about us rising to Wonder, but it was also a symbol of black “It’s like, a black guy — a kid — in Detroit the highest levels. Motown music has so much achievement and a big part of Detroit’s could not start a Motown unless he was a exuberance, people feel it in their bodies, they international image. Mafia person,” Gordy said, indignant. “It’s need to move around. I play Motown for my “People identify Motown with the city of like, a black man could not lead this country classes sometimes, and these kids in their Detroit, and the city of Detroit with Motown,” because he wasn’t smart enough, but … now teens don’t have any geezer memories of it.