Motown played an important role in the racial integration of music as it was the first record company to be owned by an african-american and consisted mainly of african-american artists who achieved crossover success in the 1960’s. “Into the '60s, I was still not of a frame of mind that we were not only making music, we were making history. But I did recognize the impact because acts were going all over the world at that time. I recognized the bridges that we crossed, the racial problems and the barriers that we broke down with music. I recognized that because I lived it.
The Golden Age of the Motown Sound By Vivian M. Baulch / The Detroit News March 1, 2000 That man, of course, was Berry Gordy Jr. Smokey Robinson saw something in Gordy, too, and urged him to start his own recording company. In 1959, Gordy borrowed $800 from his family and "Motown" was born. "It is probably true to say that Motown was as much Robinson's company as it was Gordy's, although Gordy was unquestionably the head of the company," author Sharon Davis wrote in her book, 'Motown, the History.' By 1972 Berry Gordy was the richest black man in America with an annual income in excess of $10 million. Berry Gordy Jr.: The genius behind Motown.
Kayleigh Vestal Backing It Up Standing in the Shadows of Motown is a documentary on the Funk Brothers and their influence on the Motown sound, being the backbone behind many of the genre’s greatest musicians such as Stevie Wonder and the Supremes. I personally found the film to be very enjoyable, and the history of the band was fascinating to watch, seeing their connections to these famous players and how their music coincides with the evolving trends of the decades. The show begins with a slow, funky bassline that walks along as the narrator introduces the Funk Brothers by way of floating text. In Detroit, Michigan, 1959, a new record company called Motown records gathered the best blues and jazz musicians the city had to offer. This band would go by the name the Funk Brothers.
These were the building blocks in the development of jazz, gospel and blues, which continued to evolve into to Rock ‘n Roll, R&B, Hip Hop and Rap; all quintessentially American forms of music. African Americans have greatly influenced other aspects of the entertainment industry as well including some of the most acclaimed comedians, actors and artists. Some important milestones include the success of early television shows, like “Sanford and Son” and “The Jefferson’s” which first aired in 1975 and ran for 10 years becoming one of television’s longest running and most watch shows. In 1976 Alex Haley receives a Pulitzer Prize for his novel “Roots”. In 1979 “Rapper’s
The name “Negro Wall Street,” also known as “Black Wall Street,” was coined during the early 1900’s and was given to Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Due to segregation, blacks were only allowed to shop, spend, and live in a 35 square block area called the Greenwood district. Tulsa, Oklahoma began as an outpost of the Creek Indians. This area grew rapidly into home for several prominent black businessmen with the sudden oil discovery. Greenwood housed a variety of thriving businesses that were very successful up until the Tulsa Race Riot.
1)“As the fifties progressed and retailers began selling more and more records, so the tastes of the young. In 1955 British listeners bought just over 4 million 45-rpm singles in a year; by 1960, they were buying 52 million; 1963,61 million.”-(music), white heat Dominic sandbrook 2)“Motown soul music reinforced civil rights unrest and the fight for equality, Artist often participated in demonstrations or protests. For example the song ‘street fighting man’ was apparently inspired by protests in England that rolling stones singer mick Jagger had participated in”-(music), www.ehow.co.uk 3)“I outgrew my parents’ image of me as the nice daughter, the educated well mannered girl, who someday would make some nice man a wife. I started to get scruffier, baggy jeans, and lose sloppy t-shirts with no bra underneath.”-(fashion), the fifties and the sixties the best of times Alison Presley 4)“In the past year hundreds of boutiques had opened all over Britain. Lots of them in London... they are vulgar, brash, loud (literally- they find sales increase in direct ratio to the volume of the record player) and great fun”-(fashion), white heat 5)“It was in 1954 that dancehall managers, café proprietors, publicans and cinema managers began banning teddy boys because of fears of gang violence and rowdy conduct.”-(teddy boys), young offenders Pamela horn 6)“they threw deckchairs around, broke them up to make bonfires, shouted obscenities at each other and at passers by, jostled holidaymakers and terrified elderly residents”-(mods and rockers), www.bbcnews.co.uk 7)“Illicit drug use climbed steadily from less than 5 percent in the 1960s, to around 10 percent (5-15 percent) in the 1970s to 15-20 percent in the 1980s, thus approximately doubling each decade”-(drugs), decline but no fall new millennium trends on young peoples use of illegal and illicit drugs ion Britain Judith Aldridge
In 1968, Paul McCartney was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement to write and record “Blackbird”, a song that would very quickly become an iconic anthem of the Civil Rights movement to Beatles’ fans everywhere. In the years before Blackbird was recorded, Congress passed The Voting Rights Act of 1965, President Johnson issued Executive Order 11246, taking the first affirmative action towards insuring the futures of prospective minority employees in all aspects of hiring and employment, and President Johnson also signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of houses. All of these events, as well as many more phenomena, led up to McCartney creation of “Blackbird”. In his lyrics, he urges the black people in the states to take their latest victories in the battle against racism and segregation and to learn to succeed in that world. “Take these broken wings and learn to fly… Take these sunken eyes and learn to see”, he wrote.
History Practice Controlled Assessment: ‘To what extent has the contribution of Martin Luther King to the advancement of black Americans between 1954 and 1968 been exaggerated?’ On 6th December 1865, the 13th amendment to the American Constitution was passes, leading to the abolition of slavery. However whilst slavery was abolished, the black people of America still faced harsh racism and had very little rights. During the period of 1954-1968, many people were campaigning for an advancement of black Americans. These people wanted equal civil rights for blacks as white Americans had. One such person was Martin Luther King.
One of the songs the pair created for the album was ‘Lets Get It On’. Townsend recruited arranger Rene Hall, who he had previously worked with and the pair selected some of L.A’s finest jazz and RnB players for ‘Lets Get It On’. Gaye, who had been struggling for a while on where to take his music, was in need of new ideas and a fresh sound. This is reflected by most of the players who had contributed to the previous success of Motown in Detroit, known as the ‘Funk Brothers’ not being selected for the song. The only member of the ‘Funk Brothers’ that remained was guitarist Melvin “Wah Wah” Ragin.
But bassist James Jamerson, along with drummer Benny Benjamin, pianist Earl Van Dyke, guitarist Richard White and percussionist Jack Ashford, and several other studio musicians who were recruited from the elite players of Detroit's jazz scene by Motown’s Founder, Barry Gordy Jr., laid the foundation of the Motown sound. The Funk Brothers, as they became to be known, jammed in a studio they nicknamed the “Snake Pit” that was in the cellar of Motown's headquarters. And it was there that they would arrange and perform virtually every instrumental track of virtually every classic Motown record known. But it was James Jamerson's exceptionally dulcet bass lines that made those records great. From "My Girl" by the Miracles, "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the