It was 50 years ago today that Berry Gordy put the wheels of a global music industry phenomenon into motion. Gordy started Motown, originally named Tamla Records, from a studio in his cellar with an $800 loan.

Motown got its name from a Detroit automobile assembly line, likening his promotion of black artists to transforming plain metal frames into gleaming motorcars.

Historically the movement is important in itself as having broken down racial barriers – ushering the sounds of The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, and so many more into the homes of middle-America and urban areas alike.

DROP A COMMENT BELOW