Motown artists

A deep artist roster makes Motown Hitsville U.S.A. in substance as well as in name.

Now Motown’s artists. We focus on the peak years, 1964–66—alongside summer 1965, when the Beatles first triumph and American artists begin to answer. Recall the last chapter: folk rock, “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Dylan, and so on; plus early Motown success as first artists hit the charts. Beyond those already named: the Marvelettes with “Please Mr. Postman,” the Contours, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Smokey is not only Motown singer or producer—he is an artist in his own right. His group has a 1960 No. 1 R&B / No. 2 pop hit, “Shop Around.” After they first cut it, Berry Gordy takes the recording home—whether reel tape or an acetate (a temporary small disc you can cut and play until it wears out after a dozen plays; still a good way to check a take). That night he decides the groove is wrong. He calls every Miracle: we have to recut. Tomorrow? No—now. He hauls them out of bed. They reach the studio around midnight. The original studio pianist cannot be found, so the piano on the hit is Gordy himself. They fix the tempo; the new take becomes the smash. That is how focused Gordy is early on: if he decides a record goes out, he will call everyone at the last minute and remake the whole thing because he is unsure about the groove. Another early Miracles hit is 1962’s “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me”—No. 1 R&B, No. 8 pop. The Beatles cover it too; several early Beatles album covers come from Motown. Another early Motown star is Mary Wells in 1962—“The One Who Really Loves You” is a big hit; her best-known may be 1964’s “My Guy,” a pop No. 1. Other artists: start with those Holland–Dozier–Holland produce. HDH is one of the mid-1960s’ most successful writer–producer teams—worth naming alongside Dylan, the Byrds, Beatles, Stones, all huge around 1965–66. Artists who work with them: the Supremes. If you must pick one act for mid-1960s Motown, it is them. Some claim the Beatles’ arrival knocks girl-group music off the charts; that is not fully true. After the Beatles’ 1964 breakthrough, Phil Spector’s girl groups still score hits, and the hugely popular Supremes are a pure girl group. Success from 1964 runs into the late 1960s. Not New York studio girl groups, but Detroit—and they do well. The Beatles and the Invasion are a major turn, but they do not change everything. The Supremes matter. The familiar lineup is Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard. Early on they are the Primettes, because the Temptations are still the Primes—or a group that will become the Temptations is called the Primes. The Supremes are the female counterpart. They hang around the studio hoping for a record. Gordy tells them plainly: finish high school, then we talk records. They cut a few flat records; Motown calls them “the no-hit Supremes.” At some point Gordy makes Diana Ross lead. Technically her voice is not the strongest in the group; he hears potential and energy—sexual charge and the ability to communicate feeling. He puts her on every lead, pairs them with HDH; by the third try, summer 1964’s “Where Did Our Love Go” is a No. 1—same stretch as the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night and Beatlemania. Beatles and Supremes go head to head. Like Beatles and Stones, the Supremes take five straight No. 1s, including 1964’s “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” and 1965’s “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “Back in My Arms Again.” The run lasts into the late 1960s. In the 1970s, after Motown moves to L.A. and into film, Diana Ross also builds a solo career. Another HDH act: the Four Tops. HDH’s girl group is the Supremes; the male counterpart is the Four Tops. Formed 1954, once on Chess in Chicago; 1964 they come to Motown with Levi Stubbs on lead. Under HDH their records often carry interesting orchestral touches—more orchestra than Supremes, Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas. Key tracks: 1964’s “Baby I Need Your Loving” (No. 11); a personal favorite, “I Can’t Help Myself” (“Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch”), No. 1 pop and R&B in 1965; “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” No. 1 on both charts in 1966. Mid-1960s HDH–Four Tops material. HDH also work Martha and the Vandellas. Lead Martha Reeves starts as a professional singer and keeps that identity, but she joins Motown as a secretary—typing, phones—while chasing a recording deal and singing clubs at night. She gets a background shot on Marvin Gaye’s 1962 “Stubborn Kind of Fellow.” The group’s hit “Heat Wave,” also HDH, is No. 4 pop / No. 1 R&B in 1963. Before the Beatles enter the country, “Mickey” Stevenson takes the group and writes “Dancing in the Street”—ironically their best-known song, only No. 2 in 1964. HDH return for 1965’s “Nowhere to Run” and 1967’s “Jimmy Mack,” among other hits. Other artists work with multiple producers. Gordy’s method is to pair artist and producer until the hits stop, then try another writer or producer for luck. The Temptations are a famous case. As noted with the Supremes, they begin as the Primes—actually a merger of the Primes and the Distants. They are famous for choreography; all five dance brilliantly—which creates friction with Cholly Atkins, who thinks he owns Motown choreography while the Temptations want their own style. Their moves are more athletic and flashy than other Motown acts—that is their reputation. Link their dancing to James Brown—we will cover him—similar mobility; by the 1970s–80s he also becomes a model for the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson. Strong songs plus strong show and dance make them influential. In the mid-1960s golden stretch David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks share leads; Kendricks’s high falsetto stands out. Last chapter’s high-voice markers: west-coast Brian Wilson, east-coast Frankie Valli; Motown has Kendricks as a third. Smokey’s 1964 “The Way You Do the Things You Do” (No. 11) shows it. Smokey keeps scoring with them, including 1965’s “My Girl,” No. 1 pop and R&B. Then he slips; Gordy hands the Temptations to Norman Whitfield. Late 1960s into the 1970s they move under Whitfield. “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” is No. 1 R&B / No. 13 pop in 1966; same year “I Know I’m Losing You” is No. 1 R&B / No. 8 pop. Another mid-1960s Motown success story. Marvin Gaye works with several Motown producers and scores hits: Mickey Stevenson’s 1963 “Pride and Joy”; HDH’s 1965 “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You”; Smokey’s 1965 “Ain’t That Peculiar.” In Part Two on 1970s Black pop we will say more—What’s Going On is a landmark and Motown’s first concept album. We will also cover Stevie Wonder and other artists who take part in production. That is still rare at Motown then; normally producer, artist, and studio band keep separate lanes. Finally a brief word on Stevie Wonder. He arrives as a child star—singing and harmonica. At first no one sees him as writer or producer—odd to us now, when he is the all-around genius—but then he is simply an artist who sings and plays harp. First hit: “Fingertips, Pt. 2,” No. 1 pop and R&B in 1963. It is recorded almost by accident—a live take that works so well it becomes a release. Very casual: the bassist leaves the stage to prep for the next Motown act (Mary Wells, perhaps—Motown packages share bills). You hear him run back, grab the bass, ask “What key?” and jump in. Anyway it is a Stevie smash, full of energy, and his first TV/radio breakthrough. Gordy is among the credited producers, but as I said it is never a studio cut. In 1966 Mickey Stevenson produces “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” another hit, No. 1 R&B and pop. I have said Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye belong mainly to Part Two. For 1970s Black pop they matter even more than in the 1960s. That is roughly our Motown discussion. Next we turn to Memphis—the southern-soul center rivaling Motown: Stax, or in their own words, Soulsville, U.S.A.