Buzzin Pop Music

The Life and Times Of The Motown Stars

The Life and Times Of The Motown Stars
by Alex MacKenzie – a book review

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Motown Records and here is a comprehensive and compelling guide tracing the history and the people connected with the groundbreaking record label.

With nearly 200 number 1 songs worldwide, Motown’s hits continue to appear globally in commercials, TV shows and movies, and remain an influence on today’s soul, pop and R&B music and artists.

Motown boasts songs that eclipse generations. Baby Love, My Girl, ABC, The Tracks of My Tears, You Are The Sunshine of My Life and What’s Going On to name a few.

The Life And Times Of The Motown Stars is an interesting, well researched, insightful look into the world of the Motown greats; from Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and The Supremes to Smokey Robinson, The Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder – discover what life was really like for these musical legends.

This book not only charts careers of the artists and their subsequent life and whereabouts after leaving Motown; but also chronicles the historic dates and timeline of Motown’s tremendous rise to music immortality, with a precise, but brief look at history in the making.

Motown was originally incorporated on 12th January 1959 in Detroit by Berry Gordy and became the most successful independent record label of all time.  It was also the biggest grossing black-owned business in the United States. Both these statements bring extra value to the compelling story of Motown Records.

There have been record labels throughout history that have left a mark on a particular type of music but none has had a genre named after it like Motown. There may well be a ‘Motown Sound’ but that’s not to say all the releases and artists had the same sound. In the 1960’s there was the polished sounding soul of The Temptations, the more gritty and emotional songs of The Four Tops, the overtly pop songs of The Supremes and the gospel-like sound of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas.  While in the 1970’s Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye released two of the all-time classic albums in Innvervisions and What’s Going On as Motown moved with the times.

Chapters include the history of Motown, a A-Z list of artists and others connected with Motown, plus an interesting chapter highlighting the different label designs over the past 50 years.

This great reference book is a must read for all Motown fans and younger music fans who want to know more about the roots of today’s soul and R&B pop music.

The Life and Times Of The Motown Stars by Alex MacKenzie RRP £17.99