Between 1962 and 1966, Robinson would also be one of the in-demand songwriters and producers for Motown, penning several hit singles such as " The One Who Really Loves You ", " You Beat Me to the Punch " and " My Guy " for Mary Wells, " The Way You Do The Things You Do ", " My Girl ", " Since I Lost My Baby " and " Get Ready " for The Temptations, " When I'm Gone " and " Operator " for Brenda Holloway, " Don't Mess With Bill ", " The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game " and " My Baby Must Be a Magician " for The Marvelettes and " I'll Be Doggone " and " Ain't That Peculiar " for Marvin Gaye.

The act enlisted former Motown producers Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson for their first two LPs -- About Love ( 1980 ) and Touch ( 1981 ).

Other important Motown producers and songwriters included Norman Whitfield, William " Mickey " Stevenson, Smokey Robinson, Barrett Strong, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Frank Wilson, Pamela Sawyer & Gloria Jones, James Dean & William Weatherspoon, Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, Stevie Wonder and Gordy himself.

In addition to the songwriting prowess of the writers and producers, one of the major factors in the widespread appeal of Motown's music was Gordy's practice of using a highly select and tight-knit group of studio musicians, collectively known as " The Funk Brothers ", to record the instrumental or " band " tracks of a majority of Motown recordings.

** Allan Slutsky, Harry Weinger ( producers ), Ted Greenberg ( producer & engineer / mixer ), Kooster McAllister ( engineer / mixer ) & The Funk Brothers for Standing in the Shadows of Motown performed by The Funk Brothers & various artists

And like such producers as Brian Wilson, George Martin, and Phil Spector, it wasn't uncommon for Motown composers or the Funk Brothers musicians to seek unique instrument combinations for certain lines ; doubling piano, bass, and vibraphone ( such as on some of the Four Tops's hits ) was practically a Motown trademark, too.

Nevertheless, Motown producers such as Norman Whitfield, Frank Wilson, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson steadfastly continued to record in Detroit.

During their tenure at Motown from 1962 to 1967, Dozier and Brian Holland were the composers and producers for each song, and Eddie Holland wrote the lyrics and arranged the vocals.

In mid-1965, Wanda Rogers began to play a more affected role as lead vocalist as Motown producers felt Rogers ' voice was more suitable than Horton's.

Hot Wax Records was a Detroit, Michigan-based record label, created by producers / songwriters Holland – Dozier – Holland ( Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland ) in 1968 when they left Motown.

Until 1967, Holland, Dozier, and Holland were the top composers and producers for Motown, establishing acts like the Supremes and Four Tops with many major hits in the mid-1960s.

The Corporation was a collection of songwriters and record producers assembled in 1969 by Motown label head Berry Gordy to create hit records for the label's new act, The Jackson 5.

The original version of " Everlasting Love " was recorded in Nashville by Robert Knight, whose producers Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden aimed to record him in a Motown style with especial reference to the Four Tops and the Temptations.

Several Motown record producers, including Berry Gordy, refused to work on any recording sessions unless Benjamin was the drummer and James Jamerson was the bassist.

Motown founder Berry Gordy based much of the Jackson 5's sound on Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers ' recordings, and the Teenagers are believed to be the original model for many of the other Motown groups he cultivated.

In 1971, Ballard unsuccessfully sued Motown for additional royalty payments she believed were due.

It was titled Flowers because they believed that the songs, wildly different in style including Motown and gospel influences, resembled a varied bouquet of flowers.

Many Motown fans believed the company's heart and soul were lost following the move and that its golden age of creativity ended after its 13 years in Detroit.

Motown actually came up with the name Rockwell and the young Gordy agreed to the change because he believed he " rocked well.

Motown offered James a contract for what they believed was the girl group he wanted to produce and, not wanting to lose the deal, James lied and told Motown that the Mary Jane Girls were a group and not JoJo's solo project.

Written by Pamela Sawyer and Marilyn McLeod as a disco number, the Motown staff believed that it would be perfect for Ross to record.

The strong reaction to the live version of " Distant Lover ", an album track from Let's Get It On, prompted Motown to remix the song and release it as a single in 1974 to keep up the demand for Marvin product.

A pending lawsuit would keep Wells away from the studio for several months, as she and Gordy went back and forth over the contract details, Wells fighting to gain larger royalties from earnings she had made during her tenure with Motown.

He had used this comparison before: the line " just like Pagliacci did / I'll try to keep my sadness hid " appears in the song " My Smile Is Just A Frown ( Turned Upside Down )", which he wrote in 1964 for Motown artist Carolyn Crawford.

Paul Williams, who developed many of The Temptations's dance steps, developed a routine for the live shows that had him following the song's advice to " keep on walkin '" and performing a strut across the stage, to the delight of the audience. As befitting an intended " A " side, Paul's Don't Look Back was conceived by Motown Records as a elaborate and dynamic closing number for the Temptations, something that wouldn't have been done for a song that was simply an obscure " B " side of their records.

simple: Motown

The explosive rise in popularity during the 1980s of rap music has led to a large number of radio stations specializing in rap / hip-hop and R & B music ( with the exception of classic R & B such as Motown, which is as often as not the province of Oldies stations ).

The album features eight original compositions ( seven by Lennon – McCartney and " Don't Bother Me ", George Harrison's first recorded solo composition and his first released on a Beatles album ) and six covers ( mostly of Motown and R & B hits ).

Reeves showed up at Motown on a wrong date ( Motown auditions were held at Thursdays, while Reeves showed up to Motown's Hitsville USA studios on a Tuesday ).

While at Motown in 1968, Gladys Knight was the first person to suggest that Berry Gordy sign an up-and-coming act from Gary, Indiana called The Jackson Five ( later known as The Jacksons ).

Gladys Knight & the Pips joined the Motown roster in 1966, and, although regarded as a second-string act, scored several hit singles, including " I Heard It Through the Grapevine ", ( recorded later by Marvin Gaye ), " Friendship Train " ( 1969 ), " If I Were Your Woman " ( 1970 ), " I Don't Want To Do Wrong " ( 1971 ), the Grammy Award winning " Neither One of Us ( Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye )" ( 1972 ), and " Daddy Could Swear ( I Declare )" ( 1973 ).

A fifth label, Soul, featured Jr. Walker & the All Stars, Jimmy Ruffin, Shorty Long, The Originals, and Gladys Knight & the Pips ( who had found success before joining Motown, as ' The Pips ' on Vee-Jay ).

In 1967 Berry Gordy purchased what is now known as Motown Mansion in Detroit's Boston-Edison Historic District as his home, leaving his previous home to sister Anna and then husband Marvin Gaye ( where photos for the cover of his album What's Going On were taken ).

The main objective of Motown's relocation was to branch out into the motion picture industry, and Motown Productions got its start in film by turning out two hit vehicles for Diana Ross: the Billie Holiday biographical film Lady Sings the Blues ( 1972 ), and Mahogany ( 1975 ).

Other Motown films would include Thank God It's Friday ( 1978 ), The Wiz ( 1978 ) and The Last Dragon ( 1985 ).

Ironically, Seagram had purchased Motown ’ s former parent MCA in 1995, as such Motown was in effect reunited with many of its MCA corporate siblings ( Seagram had, in fact, hoped to build a media empire around Universal, and started by purchasing PolyGram ).

* Motown Records: Established 1960, Motown was and remains the company's main label for mainstream R & B / soul music ( and, today, hip hop music as well ).

* Chisa Records: Motown released output for Chisa, a label owned by Hugh Masekela, from 1969 to 1972 ( prior to that, the label was distributed by Vault Records ).

It featured yet another hit single, Johnston's cover of the Holland-Dozier-Holland-written Motown hit " Take Me in Your Arms " ( originally sung by Kim Weston and also covered by the Isley Brothers and Blood Sweat and Tears ).

It featured a cover of the Motown classic " Little Darling ( I Need You )", " Echoes Of Love " ( written for, but not recorded by, Al Green by James Mitchell, then of the Memphis Horns, and Earl Randle, both of whom had worked with Green a good bit, to which Simmons added some music and lyrics co-writing the finished version with Mitchell and Randle ; the song was later covered by the Pointer Sisters and ex-New Seekers vocalist Lyn Paul ), and " You Belong To Me " ( co-written by McDonald and Carly Simon, who had a hit with her own version of the tune ).

The A-side of the 12 inch single of " Tainted Love " actually featured a two-song medley, with " Tainted Love " blending into the Motown classic " Where Did Our Love Go " ( originally recorded by The Supremes, also in 1964 ).

Motown Records was bought in 1988 ( and sold to PolyGram in 1993 ).

Motown Records was bought in 1988 ( and sold to PolyGram in 1993 ).

Romeo, MI native Kid Rock gained national prominence in 1999 with his album " Devil Without A Cause ," which melded his background as a rapper with other influences from Detroit-based musicians and genres ( e. g., Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, and Motown ).

Stax put out funky, distinctly Southern records by artists like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Wilson Pickett that stood in sharp contrast to the smoother, more pop records coming out of Detroit's Motown ( see Memphis soul ).

Mercury Nashville took over management of all of PolyGram's country back catalog from sister labels such as Polydor ( including releases once issued by MGM Records ), A & M, and the small country back catalog of Motown Records ( Motown released these albums under subsidiary labels ).