On January 12, 1959, Tamla Records was founded in Detroit, Michigan for $800.00 and change. An old photography studio was also purchased. The following year, Tamla was incorporated as Motown Records Corporation. The photography studio became a recording studio called Hitsville USA.
Motown Records had quite a run until its owner decided to move the company from Detroit to Los Angeles, which led to some of its musicians leaving, hometown loyalty being what it is. And while Motown still signed some major artists after the move, when you go from signing such amazing talents as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to settling for the likes of Rick James and Teena Marie, well, let's just say it was all downhill from there. Still, for those twelve years in Detroit Motown really was Hitsville USA. Even better, no record company did more to desegregate the airwaves in this country. That alone is reason to pay tribute to Motown Records.
No comments:
Post a Comment