TCET


MouseMaster

Canadian Corner

Grammar Central

Crazy English

Terrible Teacher

Flashed ESL

American Stories



Instructions: After you finish reading the story, press to run a self-marked test of this exercise.




Motown was dubbed "the music of young America" and it took the United States by storm in the 1960s. As well as dominating the music industry, Motown also did something else. It was responsible for the national acceptance of black music and for the well-deserved recognition of the singers and musicians behind it. Derived from the words "Motor" and "Town," Motown came to mean a certain kind of music and a certain kind of performance style.

The music is usually very rhythmic, with a pronounced bass, and often a tambourine can be heard somewhere in the song. At other times an orchestra is used. The lyrics, whether they are funny, somber or sincere, are easy for listeners to relate to.

Motown came into the spotlight through the strength of its star performers. Sensations such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and the Four Tops were at the top of the Motown roster, each making their unique style of music. All these people were made famous by Motown Records and by the man who made the music and the company possible.

Berry Gordy Junior, founder and director of Motown, was born on November 28, 1929, in Detroit. His early adulthood led him to many lifestyle changes. He was a professional boxer, he was drafted into the army, he worked in family businesses, and for two years he owned a jazz record shop. In 1959, Berry Gordy established his own record label, and opened his Motown business in a frame house on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit. The company was named Hitsville USA.

Songs with that distinctive soul sound, often combining gospel or folk music with catchy lyrics, were produced and co-written by Berry Gordy. Soon his work paid off and his songs began to make it onto the music charts. More artists went to Motown in hopes of producing the nation's next big hit.

Artists were attracted to Berry Gordyıs label because of his success; musical acts hoped Gordy could make one of their songs the next number one hit record. They knew Berry Gordy could give his clients a sound, an act and a style that audiences could not resist. It is well-known that the company told its talent exactly how to act and dress. Berry Gordy provided artists with an image.

Within the next three years, Motown became an even more successful record company as the hits piled up and the company's annual income greatly increased. By 1966, three out of four Motown releases were chart-topping hit singles. The company was so successful that they opened Tamla-Motown Records in London, England in 1965.

The 1970s brought a series of changes. For Motown Records, that meant a move across the country from Detroit to Los Angeles. With the new decade came new music and new stars. Unfortunately, most of Motown's big stars left the label and the new talent seemed to lack the "certain something" that Motown was famous for. The hits were not coming nearly as fast, nor as plentifully, as they once did.

In 1988, Berry Gordy sold Motown Records to MCA Records. The magic, the music and the man will never be forgotten. Berry Gordy and Motown: two forces bringing people together through music.


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