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I wish I could claim the credit for this wonderful
contribution sadly I can't. The article stems from a discussion I had with Frank
Murphy over the internet about Motown. Frank had read my article The Motown Contribution and felt the urge to
give me the fruits of his own research. I thought it was so good that I asked his
permission to reproduce it on my site so that others might also share the benefit of his
wisdom. Read and enjoy.
This is a response to your article on Motown in which you argued amongst
other things that Motown was a pop rather than a soul label, that from
the beginning it sought a white market, it wasn’t controversial and
smoothed out its artists. Unfortunately I agree with most of your
contentins but where would the fun be in that. I hope you like it
Frank Murphy
“How did Motown woo the Blue eyed markets?”
Motown started in 1959 at a time when the first wave of Rock’n’roll was
dying out. Raw sounds were not charting nationally and on the R&B front
as the race charts were now known there was a doo-wop revival. One
singer who had started out with an up-tempo sound when he sang with The
Dominos was Jackie Wilson. He could still rock out as Reet Petite shows.
Berry Gordy Motown’s founder first found real success writing for Jackie
although his songs were not in the Rock’n’roll style. He wanted Jackie
to sound like the successful pop outfit The Platters.
Berry’s own tastes lay in Jazz. Detroit was a popular tour stop for
bebop artists and there was a thriving club scene. Berry in 1954 set up
the 3D record store. “ I always figured I was ultra hip as a kid, you
know let’s listen to some jazz. I didn’t know what R&B was until I
started in the record shop.” He obviously found out too late as the
shop went under in 1955.
Gordy took the charts seriously and studied what was successful. George
Goldner of End records picked up his early songs and they fitted in with
what was then called the Bird groups (Penguins, Crows). Now we would
describe them as doo woppish with a clean sound. He took on Marv Johnson
and sold his productions to United Artists. Marv although based in R&B
had pop hits. He even charted in the UK with “You’ve got What it Takes”.
Dissatisfied with his royalties Berry pursued the idea of his own record
label. His first release on HOB by Herman Griffin was described at the
time as a “pretty funky record”. It was not a hit. Gordy noted that the
big thing in R&B, which also hit the pop charts, was a vocal group with
strings. The Drifters “There goes My baby” was described as “a piece of
shit” by Atlantic honcho and R&B fan Jerry Wexler. Ahmet Ertegun who
recognised a hit in the Leiber and Stoller production overruled him. The
other big hit with violins was “Since I don’t have you” by the
Skyliners. Gordy added strings to a track by the Satintones and both
Cameo and Chess considered it for release. The Chicago label won it. It
was not a big hit.
Gordy’s first hit was “Money” by Barrett Strong with no strings in
hearing range only a big old fashioned Rock’n’roll, Rhythm and Blues,
call it what you like piano. It was a pop hit selling to white fans who
like ourselves in the sixties and seventies recognised an earthy, oldie,
rocking and stomping track. Gordy followed it up with some more R&B hits
such as Mary Wells and her blues shouter written by her for Jackie
Wilson “Bye Bye baby”.
Berry is still pursued that group sound and when he added strings to the
Miracles’ “Way over There” he sold 60 000 over several urban areas but
not enough nationally for a Pop hit. Later Gordy recalled the first
version of “Shop Around” and persuaded The Miracles to re record it by
speeding it up with louder Saxes and a more pronounced guitar. Now I
don’t know whether this made it more R&B or more pop but the second
version hit #1 R&B and #2 on the Billboard chart.
Mable John worked for Berry’s mother and then Berry himself in the late
fifties. In an interview, which appeared in “Women in Motown”, she
described Berry’s search for success. Berry took her to see Dakota
Staton, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington and broke down how they
moved on stage, highlighted their dress sense and their presentation.
This is how seriously he took his work. She also accompanied him to
meetings of the R&B radio disc jockeys. At that time and well into the
sixties there were very few Black stations. There was however a number
of Black jocks on pop stations that then had some say in what was
played. The DJ that Mable recalls is John R who operated out of Texas
and as John Richbourg is recalled with admiration by Artistes, record
companies and fans as a white man who played black music. Regardless of
their colour these Jocks were on pop stations with a mixed race
audience. Berry took their opinions seriously. They contributed to the
success of his first Pop #1 (and #1 R&B) “Please Mr. Postman” by The
Marvelettes. Is this a pop or an R&B record?
He then followed it up with three releases on Miracle described as
“white bread pop gross outs” in contemporary reviews. One of them was
“Greetings Uncle Sam” by the all white Valadiers. The same song was a
hit due to a different historical context in 1966 when The Monitors
issued it. In the early days of Motown would it be fair to conclude that
Motown was targeting young people regardless of race? His successes hit
first in the R&B market; not all of them crossed over but a significant
number did. In 1962 he had eleven top ten R&B hits (four #1’s), which
also hit the Pop top ten.
What were Motown’s rivals doing then? Vee Jay was the largest and most
successful Black owned record label. Unlike Motown they still had Blues
artistes on their roster. Not denim clad, no straw and they toured
without acoustic guitars and washboards. They were sharp suited, urban
singers swinging electric guitars. Their records would be played in the
UK and worshipped by bands such as The Animals, the Stones and collected
by mods. They were Jimmy Reed and John Lee Hooker and they played blues
for dancing. Their Detroit fans left their cotton overalls in the wash
after a week on the Ford assembly line and donned shirts with Mr. P
collars, slim Jim ties and mohair suits just like their UK counterparts.
They dressed up to party. The other side of Vee Jay’s roster were the
boy bands of their day. They had hits (R&B and Pop) with the Eldorados,
The Spaniels and of course the Dells. They used the Anita Kerr singers
and Jay and the Jamies an Italian group as backing singers on a lot of
records. To sweeten the sound? Were they wooing the Blue eyed market?
Well they did sign The Four Seasons and The Beatles and put Jerry Butler
on the easy listening chart with Moon River, so what do you think?
Another rival was Atlantic owned by white people who made huge sales to
black people. It was the company that was known for the least bad
attitude to its artistes. Atlantic was successful in the R&B fields,
pop, blues and jazz with groups such as the Clovers, Drifters and
Coasters. They had success with white acts too although they did set up
a pop label ATCO who hit with Bobby Darin and they were beaten out of
signing Elvis by RCA. Atlantic is always identified with soul music Ray
Charles invented it whilst he was signed to them. Unlike Vee Jay,
Atlantic survived the sixties by signing up a lot more UK acts and
American rock groups. Could one also conclude they went after the Blue
eyed market?
So how come Vee Jay went under and Motown survived? I don’t know. Most
black owned companies went under or sold out to the majors. Most indie
companies have gone under or sold out to the majors some take longer
than others. Berry eventually sold Motown to Universal in the eighties.
Vee Jay’s particular problem was that they were a big company run like a
small label. They ended up being sued by The Four Seasons and Capitol
Records amidst moving to California. However it should be noted that
Stewart Abner of Vee jay became President of Motown and when he retired
was replaced by another Vee Jay alumni Jay Lasker.
Gordy recognised talent on the business side as well as the artistic.
Was he a staunch integrationist because he employed white people or did
he have to employ them on the sales and radio promotion sides? Barney
Ales headed sales and when it suited him Berry would let people presume
it was Barney’s company. Al Abrams handled publicity and Phil Jones
worked with radio promotions. Gordy knew them from the industry. They
became part of the Motown family usually at the head of the table. A
family who put the Miracles on the cover of their first album but
declined to do so in the case of Mary Wells and the Marvelettes. Was
that because Motown wanted Southern record stores to stock them? Then
again just check early album covers and which company did put black
artistes on their sleeves?
Why did Motown records get played on white radio stations? On the
technical side Motown bought one of the first 8 track recorders whilst
most indie labels were still using two tracks. They went into stereo
early. Just listen to a Motown stereo album of the early sixties and
compare it to Beatles album of the same vintage. Stereophonically Motown
is superior. Berry like Phil Spector understood radio dynamics in
particular how to record with a car speaker in mind. Compression was
synonymous with early Motown, just listen to early Motown singles and
hear how loud they sound and what is prominent in the mix. In 1963 they
developed their own disc cutting to listen to the record rather than a
tape and to master their own discs. It is said that Motown only released
about 10% of their recordings. I doubt that but it is an indication of
the quality control system, which involved produces, sales staff and a
buyers’ focus group. By Berry Gordy’s own calculations when a Motown
record sold a million an estimated 70% were bought by whites.
Berry would follow up successful records by cloning them. A typical
industry practice but Motown were extremely good at it. What are the
differences between “Heat wave”, “Quicksand” and “ Live
Wire” all hits
for Martha and the Vandellas? As Holland Dozier Holland wrote and the
Four Tops sang, “It’s the Same Old song” or was that “I can’t
help
myself”? Between 1960 and 1970 Motown in the US had 174 top ten R&B and
94 top ten Pop hits.
Some of those hits caused controversy. Stevie wonder recorded and had
hits with Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” although he would wait until
he seventies before releasing his own political commentaries. Motown
released Martin Luther King’s “I had a dream” speech in 1963 before the
Civil rights Bill. But what political songs were being issued on the pop
side of black music. No top ten artist released one. Their songs may be
given a political meaning after release like Aretha’s version of
“Respect” or Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancing in the Street”.
It
wasn’t until James Brown cut “ Say it loud I’m Black and I’m
proud” that
political lyric became overt. I don’t think he targeted that on his
white middle class student fan base.
Early R&B records were known for their earthiness and could still make
the charts. Records such as “Sixty Minute man”, “One night with You”
and
“Annie had a baby” were big hits with young people regardless
of
race. Elvis bowdlerised one and Buddy Holly another. But that directness
seemed to have disappeared by the sixties and sex turned into making
love with the physicality removed. Motown and other labels perhaps were
scared of airplay bans so self-censorship always more efficient than an
external body patrolled the lyrics. Even in the late liberal sixties
“Love Child” by The Supremes raised some eyebrows. It was a hit and as
such clone by Motown in the shape of “Living in Shame”.
Another area of criticism for Motown was the padding out of their albums
with show tunes. Of course every label did it. Singles sold to
youngsters and albums to adults was the thinking. The norm was three
singles on the album, covers of other Motown hits, some other pop hits
and a couple of songs from the stage. In the fifties the biggest selling
albums were from musicals both film and stage successes. Some fans
thought Berry forced his artists to record show tunes. They were
surprised to hear the Four Tops in the eighties still include songs from
their sixties live set such as “Climb every mountain”.
So did Motown woo the Blue eyed audience? Yes but it also wooed a black
audience and a European and Japanese audience. Did it sweeten the music
for that audience or for the mostly white radio stations? When it suited
the song they used anything to make it a hit including strings, vibes
whatever. It still did not get them hits in the UK where BBC producers
thought their records too black for the ears of listeners to the Light
programme.
Were they a pop label or a soul label? I would say both and ask their
detractors to name a strictly soul label that was successful. Stax
lasted the longest using Black voices against a mostly white band with
songs written mostly by black writers. King records recorded country as
well as R&B and soul but their success was strictly limited to James
Brown.
Motown did not sanitise soul music. Motown released soul records
alongside pop records. They released soul songs that were successful in
the pop market. Is “Baby I need your loving” pop or soul? Is “Do You
Love Me” R&B or pop. Is “Papa was a Rolling Stone” pop or Funk? All pop
hits, they must have been bought in large numbers by whites. It is
estimated that 5283 imitation Motown records were issued in the sixties.
Was Motown preventing record companies from issuing real soul records
that would only be bought by blacks? Curiously the Motown imitators that
failed or had only minor success now have their records bid for thirty
years later by the white and Japanese descendants of sixties Motown fans
looking for something similar to Motown only rarer.
Frank Murphy
I consulted the following books
The Motown Book Don Waller
Where Did Our Love Go? Nelson George
Women in Motown Susan Whittal
The mistakes are mine.
Many thanks to Frank Murphy for this excellent contribution.
JP
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