Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Berry Gordy started Tamla Records- later
known as the Motown Record Corporation-
with an $800 loan from
a family co-operative in january 1959.
Berry Gordy relied on joe Hunter
At the time of filming,
Joe was indeed still playing...
albeit in obscurity, in a Marriott
Hotel lobby in Troy, Michigan.
The music heard is The Funk Brothers'
stage theme song, "The Flick. "
They recorded several versions
in the fall of 1965.
The Hula Hoop was introduced
by Wham-O Manufacturing in 1958.
Rightfielder Al Kaline was the Detroit
Tigers premiere player in the '50s.
Singer Billie Holiday was known as "Lady
Day," a great favorite of Berry Gordy.
He would later produce a film on her
life starring Motown artist Diana Ross.
Before Motown, Berry Gordy was a
successful songwriter forjackie Wilson.
Gerald Levert performs
"Reach Out I'll Be There,"
originally a number one
hit for the Four Tops.
The Funk Brothers recorded the
original backing track on july 8, 1966.
An astounding track, "Reach Out"
illustrates james jamerson's...
fully developed 16th-note
syncopated bass style.
Jamerson took a standard, root-fifth,
cocktail approach to his bass part...
and ran it through
countless rhythmic variations.
Gerald Levert is the son of
Eddie Levert, lead singer of the O'jays.
He was born the year
"Reach Out" was a hit.
The song's percussion
hook was played by a Funk
Brother thumping the head of
a "bell-less" tambourine...
while its memorable
piccolo part is re-created
on stage by its
originator, Dayna Hartwick.
the University of Michigan
campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The people interviewed are
actual store customers, not actors.
Paul Riser was classically
trained. He is best known
as an arranger of hits like
"My Girl," among others.
Grammy winner Stevejordan
worked with Bootsy Collins in the film.
He got his break as the drummer
on Late Night with David Letterman.
Songwriter Edward Holland
began his career as
a singer, best known for
his 1962 hit, "jamie. "
Detroit native Don Was
covered the Temptations' "Papa
Was A Rollin' Stone" with
the group, Was (Not Was).
As a young musician, he gigged
with Funk Brother "Pistol" Allen.
discovered at the 20 Grand
nightclub by Motown's A&R
head, Mickey Stevenson.
She worked as his secretary
before signing as a singer.
Therefore, she was one of the few Motown
artists to interact with the musicians.
Photo:
Motown producer Hank Cosby,pretending to bejack Ashford...
(guitar) and james jamerson (bass).
Joan Osborne sings
"(Love Is Like A) Heatwave... "
originally a number four hit for Martha
& The Vandellas in the summer of 1963.
The Funk Brothers recorded its
original backing track with producers...
Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier
on june 20, 1963.
Joan Osborne released
How Sweet It Is, an
entire album of R&B classics, in 2002.
Tom Scott plays here; Mike Terry, who blew
many such classic sax breaks for Motown...
played on the original recording.
By '63, Motown's chief
technician Mike McLean
had installed a handmade,
three-track tape deck.
Now, lead vocals were
overdubbed, and the Funks would
record not knowing for whom
their tracks were intended.
For "Heatwave," the Vandellas
recorded vocals on the
same day as the Funks, but
at a session later in the day.
In 1955, Black Detroiters
had the highest per
Americans nationwide.
Yet at that time,
African Americans earned
about 33 cents to every
dollar earned by whites.
The Bel-Aire was
the most popular Chevy in the 1950s.
Joe Hunter worked a drill press
at Chevrolet outside Detroit...
after an Army stint with Earl Van
Dyke at the Lockburn base in Ohio.
Baker's, located at the intersection of
8 Mile Road and Livernois...
has been a Detroit jazz institution
for over 50 years.
Berry Gordy hung the sign
"Hitsville U.S.A." on his house...
at 2648 West Grand Boulevard
before Motown had any hits.
Motown used to store master tapes
in Smokey's basement...
to set up a tape library at Hitsville.
Jamerson was told to play the bass
because he had big hands.
Jamerson got his first
and only upright bass
for about $200 after
graduating from high school.
Jamerson switched to
electric Fender bass in 1961.
Jamerson jr. had a hit band
on his own, Chanson...
whose "Don't Hold Back"
was a Top 10 R&B smash in 1978.
Jamerson only changed his strings if
they broke. He used LaBella flat wounds-
a "dead" sound with a heavy bottom,
a challenge for Motown's engineers.
Jamerson's bass and all the
guitarists were plugged directly
into the mix board via the
gray box with meters on it.
It is located just to the lower left
Hitsville U.S.A. is now the
site of the Motown Historical
Museum, run by Ms. Esther
Edwards, Berry Gordy's sister.
Though thought of as a basement, Hitsville's
studio was actually a converted garage.
The actual underground basement
was home to the engineering staff.
The studio's nickname,
"Snakepit," derived from
the microphone cables
suspended from the ceiling.
The control room, seen
behind the glass, had
six monitors blasting
both day and night.
The cabinets were custom-built
by the Gordy family's construction crew.
Everyone pitched in at
Motown:
In the early days,Smokey Robinson was responsible
A key to the Motown Sound was nothing
ever moved, especially the drums.
The vibes arejack Ashford's original
Deegan Imperial Nocturne model.
The real piano, however,
is in Berry Gordy's house.
Meshell performs The Miracles'
"You've Really Got A Hold On Me. "
The original track was cut October 16,
1962, and hit the Top 10 a few months later.
None of the musicians used headphones
during their original sessions.
The guitarists crowded
around a monitor (seen behind
Eddie Willis) and were
responsible for their own volume.
Smokey wrote
"You Really Got A Hold On Me"...
a homage to Sam Cooke's
"Bring It On Home To Me. "
they're just off camera, in
Motown's original isolation booth.
Meshell was the first woman to be
honored as "Bassist of the Year," in 1994.
5", but he still gets
teased for having the
world's largest tambourine.
Marvin Gaye started singing with
The Rainbows in Washington D.C....
and Harvey Fuqua's Moonglows in the "50s.
He first worked at Motown as a drummer.
Joe had been retired for
30 years but was convinced,
for this film, to take
out his guitar again.
he was a terrific trombone player.
Quick look:
a rareshot of the Temptations'
trademark black glasses.
Benny Benjamin and joe
Hunter were in their
mid-thirties when they
started the Motown band.
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