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89-516: Florence Glenda Chapman ( née Ballard ; June 30, 1943 – February 22, 1976) was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown vocal female group the Supremes . She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number-one hits. After being removed from the Supremes in 1967, Ballard tried an unsuccessful solo career with ABC Records before she was dropped from the label at

178-493: A "generally happy if somewhat mischievous and sassy teenager." Wilson believes that the incident heavily contributed to the self-destructive aspects of Ballard's adult personality, like cynicism, pessimism, and fear and distrust of others, but the rape was never mentioned again. Later in 1960, the Primettes signed a contract with Lu Pine Records, issuing two songs that failed to perform well. During that year, they kept pursuing

267-593: A Motown Records chauffeur, in 1967; they married in a private celebration in Hawaii on February 29, 1968, and had three daughters: twins Michelle Denise and Nichole Rene (b. 1968) and Lisa Sabrina (b. 1972). Ballard reportedly had several domestic disputes with her husband and filed for divorce in 1973, but they reconciled in late 1975, prior to her death. Besides her three daughters, Ballard's family included her cousin, rhythm and blues singer and songwriter Hank Ballard , and his grandnephew, NFL player Christian Ballard ; she

356-438: A Motown contract and agreed to do anything that was required, including adding handclaps and vocal backgrounds. By the end of the year, Berry Gordy agreed to have the group record songs in the studio. In early 1961, Gordy agreed to sign them on the condition they change their name. Janie Bradford approached Ballard with a list of names to choose from before Ballard chose "Supremes". The other members were displeased when they heard

445-628: A North American distribution deal with the label in 1983) and Boston Ventures in June 1988 for $ 61 million. In 1989, Gordy sold the Motown Productions TV/film operations to Motown executive Suzanne de Passe , who renamed the company de Passe Entertainment and continues to run it as of 2018 . Gordy continued to retain the Jobete music publishing catalog, selling it separately to EMI Music Publishing in parts between 1997 and 2004. It

534-567: A certain level financially." By the 1970s, the Motown "hit factory" had become a target of a backlash from some fans of rock music. Record producer Pete Waterman recalls of this period: "I was a DJ for years and I worked for Motown – the press at the time, papers like NME , used to call it Toytown. When I DJ'd on the Poly circuit, the students wanted me to play Spooky Tooth and Velvet Underground . Things don't change. Nowadays, of course, Motown

623-524: A cover of Sam Cooke 's " (Ain't That) Good News ". During live shows, Ballard often performed the Barbra Streisand standard, " People ". According to Mary Wilson, Ballard's vocals were so loud she was made to stand 17 feet away from her microphone during recording sessions. Marvin Gaye , for whom Ballard sang backing vocals on occasion, described her as "a hell of a singer, probably the strongest of

712-559: A daughter that died in infancy. Jesse, an amateur musician, helped inspire Florence's interest in singing; he taught songs to her, accompanying her on guitar. Financial difficulties forced the Ballard family to move to different Detroit neighborhoods; by the time Florence turned 15 they had settled at Detroit's Brewster-Douglass housing projects , and the next year Jesse Lambert Ballard died of cancer. Named "Blondie" and "Flo" by family and friends, Ballard attended Northeastern High School and

801-533: A gross income of $ 20 million by the end of 1966. Early Tamla/Motown artists included Mable John , Eddie Holland and Mary Wells . " Shop Around ", the Miracles' first number 1 R&B hit, peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. It was Tamla's first million-selling record. On April 14, 1960, Motown and Tamla Records merged into a new company called Motown Record Corporation. A year later,

890-555: A key role in the early days of Motown, leading the company's first session group, The Rayber Voices, and overseeing Jobete. The studio that Gordy purchased in 1959 would become Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. studio. The photography studio located in the back of the property was modified into a small recording studio, and the Gordys moved into the second-floor living quarters. Within seven years, Motown would occupy seven additional neighboring houses: Motown had hired over 450 employees and had

979-872: A later Friday morning meeting, as producer Norman Whitfield did with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and the Temptations' " Ain't Too Proud to Beg ". Many of Motown's best-known songs, including all the early hits for the Supremes , were written by the songwriting trio of Holland–Dozier–Holland ( Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland ). Other important Motown producers and songwriters included Norman Whitfield , William "Mickey" Stevenson , Smokey Robinson , Barrett Strong , Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson , Frank Wilson , Pamela Sawyer & Gloria Jones , James Dean & William Weatherspoon , Johnny Bristol , Harvey Fuqua , Gil Askey , Stevie Wonder , and Gordy himself. The style created by

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1068-518: A new play about Ballard by Vincent Victoria entitled Dreamgirl Deferred premiered in Houston on the anniversary of her death. In the 2013 Motown: The Musical Broadway stage play that launched on April 14, Ballard was portrayed by Sydney Morton . As a member of The Supremes, Ballard was named as one of eight recipients to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in 2023. Ballard began dating Thomas Chapman,

1157-451: A nickname for Detroit , where the label was originally headquartered. Motown played a vital role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American -owned label that achieved crossover success with white audiences. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including Tamla-Motown , the brand used outside the US) were the most prominent exponents of what became known as

1246-477: A peak-popular hit of 1958. Between 1957 and 1958, Gordy wrote or produced over a hundred sides for various artists, with his siblings Anna, Gwen and Robert, and other collaborators in varying combinations. In 1957, Gordy met Smokey Robinson , a local seventeen-year-old singer fronting a vocal harmony group called the Matadors. Gordy was interested in the doo-wop style that Robinson sang. In 1958, Gordy recorded

1335-512: A photography studio at 2648 West Grand Boulevard and converted the main floor into a recording studio and office space. Now, rather than shopping his songs to other artists or leasing his recordings to outside companies, Gordy began using the Tamla and Motown imprints to release songs that he wrote and produced. He incorporated Motown Records in April 1960. Smokey Robinson became the vice president of

1424-544: A producer for Erykah Badu, became the head of the label, and oversaw successful recordings from Badu, McKnight, Michael McDonald , and new Motown artist India.Arie . Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, and the Temptations had remained with the label since its early days, although all except Wonder recorded for other labels for several years. Ross left Motown for RCA Records from 1981 to 1988, but returned in 1989 and stayed until 2002, while Robinson left Motown in 1991 (although he did return to release one more album for

1513-532: A second label in 1960. The two labels featured the same writers, producers and artists. Many more subsidiary labels were established later under the umbrella of the Motown parent company, including Gordy Records, Soul Records and VIP Records; in reality the Motown Record Corporation controlled all of these labels. Most of the distinctions between Motown labels were largely arbitrary, with the same writers, producers and musicians working on all

1602-610: A settlement from her former attorney's insurance company. The money helped her buy a house on Shaftsbury Avenue. Inspired by the financial success, Ballard decided to return to singing and reconciled with her husband. Ballard's first concert performance in more than five years took place at the Henry and Edsel Ford Auditorium in Detroit on June 25, 1975. Ballard performed as part of the Joan Little Defense League and

1691-558: A similar arrangement, most significantly with United Artists . In 1958, Gordy wrote and produced " Come to Me " for Marv Johnson . Seeing that the song had great crossover potential, Gordy leased it to United Artists for national distribution but also released it locally on his own startup imprint. Needing $ 800 to cover his end of the deal, Gordy asked his family to borrow money from a cooperative family savings account. After some debate, his family agreed, and in January 1959 "Come to Me"

1780-462: A sock hop at Detroit's Graystone Ballroom (she had arrived with her brother, but they lost track of each other). The rape occurred in an empty parking lot off Woodward Avenue . Ballard reacted by secluding herself in her house and refusing to come outside, which worried her groupmates. Weeks later, Ballard told Wilson and Ross what had happened, and they were sympathetic. Both Wilson and Jesse Green, an early boyfriend of Florence's, had described her as

1869-584: A subsidiary of Capitol Records . In late 2018, Motown began celebrating its 60th anniversary by reissuing numerous albums from their catalog. Motown UK launched in September 2020 under Universal UK's EMI Records (formerly Virgin EMI Records ) division. Motown Records joined Interscope Capitol Labels Group in 2024. Motown specialized in a type of soul music it referred to with the trademark "The Motown sound". Crafted with an ear towards pop appeal,

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1958-415: Is "dedicated to the memory of Florence Ballard". In his short story " You Know They Got a Hell of a Band ", Stephen King , through the late disc jockey Alan Freed , includes Ballard as one of the deceased artists who performs in a town called "Rock and Roll Heaven". Dreamgirls , a 1981 Broadway musical, chronicles a fictional group called "The Dreams", and a number of plot components parallel events in

2047-479: Is chronicled in the 2002 documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown , which publicised the fact that these musicians "played on more number-one records than The Beatles, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys combined". Ashford later played on Raphael Saadiq 's 2008 album The Way I See It , whose recording and production were modelled after the Motown sound. Much of the Motown sound came from

2136-416: Is currently owned by Sony Music Publishing (Sony/ATV until 2021) through the acquisition of EMI Music Publishing in 2012 (as a leader of the consortium and eventually assigned full ownership in 2018). During the 1990s, Motown was home to successful recording artists such as Boyz II Men and Johnny Gill , although the company itself remained in a state of turmoil. MCA appointed a series of executives to run

2225-551: Is hip." Despite losing Holland–Dozier–Holland, Norman Whitfield, and some of its other hitmakers by 1975, Motown still had a number of successful artists during the 1970s and 1980s, including Lionel Richie and the Commodores , Rick James , Teena Marie , the Dazz Band , Jose Feliciano and DeBarge . By the mid-1980s, Motown had started losing money, and Berry Gordy sold his ownership in Motown to MCA Records (which began

2314-597: Is the executive director of the Janie Bradford HAL Scholarship Fund and producer of the Heroes And Legends a.k.a. HAL Awards , an annual event that raises funds for performing arts scholarships while paying tribute to entertainment legends, including many of Motown's biggest stars. She has also established Twinn Records with songwriter and singer Marilyn McLeod . This biographical article related to R&B/Soul music

2403-588: The Dreamgirls film. In her Golden Globe acceptance speech, Hudson dedicated her win to Florence Ballard. The music video for the Diana Ross song " Missing You " pays tribute to Marvin Gaye , Ballard, and Paul Williams , all former Motown artists who had died. In 1988, Ballard was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes alongside Diana Ross and Mary Wilson . In February 2020,

2492-595: The Motown sound , a style of soul music with a mainstream pop -influenced sound and appeal. Motown was the most successful soul music label, with a net worth of $ 61 million. Between 1960 and 1969, Motown had 79 songs reach the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100 . Following the events of the Detroit Riots of 1967 , and the loss of key songwriting/production team Holland–Dozier–Holland that year over royalty disputes, Gordy moved Motown to Los Angeles, California and it expanded into film and television production. It

2581-562: The hip hop and R&B genres. Berry Gordy 's interest in the record business began when he opened a record store called the 3D Record Mart, a shop where he hoped to "educate customers about the beauty of jazz", in Detroit , Michigan . Although the shop did not last very long, Gordy's interest in the music business did not fade. He frequented Detroit's downtown nightclubs, and in the Flame Show Bar he met bar manager Al Green (not

2670-466: The soul singer of the same name ), who owned a music publishing company called Pearl Music and represented Detroit-based musician Jackie Wilson . Gordy soon became part of a group of songwriters—with his sister Gwen Gordy and Billy Davis —who wrote songs for Wilson. In November 1957, " Reet Petite " was released and became their first major hit. During the next eighteen months, Gordy helped to write six more Wilson A-sides, including " Lonely Teardrops ",

2759-424: The " KISS principle " (keep it simple, stupid). The Motown production process has been described as factory-like. The Hitsville studios remained open and active 22 hours a day, and artists would often go on tour for weeks, come back to Detroit to record as many songs as possible, and then promptly go on tour again. Berry Gordy held quality control meetings every Friday morning, and used veto power to ensure that only

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2848-418: The 1960s, became its president in 1973. John McClain, an A&M Records executive, opined that Motown leaving its birth city marked a decline in the label's quality. "Something happened when [Motown] left Detroit and came to [Los Angeles]," he said. "They quit being innovators and started following trends. Before, Berry had a much more hands-on approach. And maybe you lose some of your desire after you get to

2937-496: The Marvelettes scored Tamla's first US number-one hit, " Please Mr. Postman ". By the mid-1960s, the company, with the help of songwriters and producers such as Robinson, A&R chief William "Mickey" Stevenson , Brian Holland , Lamont Dozier , and Norman Whitfield , had become a major force in the music industry. From 1961 to 1971, Motown had 110 top 10 hits. Top artists on the Motown label during that period included

3026-606: The Marvelettes was one of four) and then Oriole American (" Fingertips " by Little Stevie Wonder was one of many). In 1963, Motown signed with EMI's Stateside label (" Where Did Our Love Go " by the Supremes and " My Guy " by Mary Wells were Motown's first British top-20 hits). Eventually, EMI created the Tamla Motown label (" Stop! In the Name of Love " by the Supremes was the first Tamla Motown release in March 1965). After

3115-732: The Motown musicians was a major influence on several non-Motown artists of the mid-1960s, such as Dusty Springfield and the Foundations . In the United Kingdom, the Motown sound became the basis of the northern soul movement. Smokey Robinson said the Motown sound had little to do with Detroit: People would listen to it, and they'd say, 'Aha, they use more bass. Or they use more drums.' Bullshit. When we were first successful with it, people were coming from Germany, France, Italy, Mobile, Alabama. From New York, Chicago, California. From everywhere . Just to record in Detroit. They figured it

3204-617: The Motown sound typically featured tambourines to accent the back beat , prominent and often melodic electric bass guitar lines, distinctive melodic and chord structures, and a call-and-response singing style that originated in gospel music . In 1971, Jon Landau wrote in Rolling Stone that the sound consisted of songs with simple structures but sophisticated melodies, along with a four-beat drum pattern, regular use of horns and strings, and "a trebly style of mixing that relied heavily on electronic limiting and equalizing (boosting

3293-703: The Sickest Kids , The Veer Union and Four Year Strong . Motown celebrated its 50th anniversary on January 12, 2009, and celebrated it in Detroit on November 20, 2009, in a black-tie Gala titled "Live It Again!" The event was hosted by Sinbad and included Stevie Wonder , Smokey Robinson , the Temptations , Aretha Franklin and Kid Rock . In mid-2011, Universal Motown reverted to the Motown brand after having been separated from Universal Motown Republic Group, hired Ethiopia Habtemariam as its Senior Vice President, and operated under The Island Def Jam Music Group . Artists from Universal Motown were transferred to

3382-662: The Supremes (initially including Diana Ross ), the Four Tops , and the Jackson 5 , while Stevie Wonder , Marvin Gaye , the Marvelettes , and the Miracles had hits on the Tamla label. The company operated several labels in addition to the Tamla and Motown imprints. A third label, which Gordy named after himself (though it was originally called "Miracle") featured the Temptations , the Contours , Edwin Starr , and Martha and

3471-610: The Supremes and the Temptations, Diana! with Diana Ross, and Goin' Back to Indiana with the Jackson 5 . The company loosened its production rules, allowing some of its longtime artists the opportunity to write and produce more of their own material. This resulted in the recordings of successful and critically acclaimed albums such as Marvin Gaye 's What's Going On (1971) and Let's Get it On (1973), and Stevie Wonder 's Music of My Mind (1972), Talking Book (1972), and Innervisions (1973). Motown had established branch offices in both New York City and Los Angeles during

3560-453: The Supremes' career. The central character of Effie White, like Florence Ballard, is criticized for being overweight, and is fired from the group. The film version of Dreamgirls released in 2006 features more overt references to Ballard's life and the Supremes' story, including gowns and album covers that are direct copies of Supremes originals. Jennifer Hudson won a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie White in

3649-565: The Supremes. It had been decided as early as May that Birdsong would replace Ballard once Birdsong's contract with the Bluebelles was bought out. In August 1967, the Detroit Free Press reported that Ballard had taken a temporary leave of absence from the group due to "exhaustion". Ballard married her boyfriend, Thomas Chapman, on February 29, 1968. A week earlier, on February 22, Ballard and Motown negotiated for her release from

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3738-944: The Vandellas . A fourth, V.I.P. , released recordings by the Velvelettes , the Spinners , the Monitors , and Chris Clark . 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 ). Many more Motown-owned labels released recordings in other genres, including Workshop Jazz (jazz) Earl Washington Reflections and Earl Washington's All Stars, Mel-o-dy (country, although it

3827-646: The age of 32. Ballard is buried in Detroit Memorial Park Cemetery in Warren, Michigan . On June 30, 2021, a headstone was placed at Florence Ballard's gravesite in honor of her birthday. Although she had a basic gravestone from the time of her burial, it was not until this date that a proper memorial headstone was dedicated to her legacy. Florence Ballard's story has been referenced in a number of works by other artists. The 1980 song " Romeo's Tune ", from Steve Forbert 's album Jackrabbit Slim

3916-424: The attorney who had helped to settle Ballard's departure from Motown. Following news that Baun was facing multiple embezzlement charges, Ballard fired him. She continued to perform as a solo artist. In January 1969, Ballard performed at one of newly elected President Richard Nixon 's inaugural balls. Ballard was dropped by ABC in 1970. In July 1971, Ballard sued Motown for additional royalty payments she believed she

4005-418: The company (and later named his daughter "Tamla" and his son "Berry"). Several of Gordy's family members , including his father Berry Sr., brothers Robert and George, and sister Esther, were given key roles in the company. By the middle of the decade, Gwen and Anna Gordy had joined the label in administrative positions as well. Gordy's partner at the time (and wife from 1960 to 1964), Raynoma Liles , also played

4094-412: The company, beginning with Berry Gordy's immediate successor, Jheryl Busby . Busby quarreled with MCA, alleging that the company did not give Motown's product adequate attention or promotion. In 1991, Motown sued MCA to have its distribution deal with the company terminated, and began releasing its product through PolyGram . PolyGram purchased Motown from Boston Ventures three years later. In 1994, Busby

4183-878: The dissolution of Island Def Jam, and Motown relocated back to Los Angeles to operate under the Capitol Music Group , now operating out of the Capitol Tower . In 2018, Motown was inducted into Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in a ceremony held at the Charles H. Wright Museum . In 2021, Motown separated from the Capitol Music Group to become a standalone label once again. On November 29, 2022, Ethiopia Habtemariam announced that she would be stepping down as chairwoman/CEO of Motown. As of 2023, acts signed to Motown include City Girls , Diddy , Migos , Lil Baby , Lil Yachty , Smino , Vince Staples , YoungBoy Never Broke Again , and several other artists in

4272-548: The early spring of 1962 while the Marvelettes were on tour, Ballard briefly replaced its group member Wanda Young while she was on maternity leave. Before the release of their 1962 debut album, Meet the Supremes , Barbara Martin , who had replaced Betty McGlown a year before they signed to Motown, left the group and it became a trio. After the hit success of 1963's "When the Love Light Starts Shining Through His Eyes", Diana Ross became

4361-490: The end of the decade. Ballard struggled with alcoholism, depression, and poverty for three years. She was making an attempt at a musical comeback when she died of a heart attack in February 1976 at the age of 32. Ballard's death was considered by one critic as "one of rock 's greatest tragedies". Ballard was posthumously inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes in 1988. Florence Glenda Ballard

4450-563: The group from what she thought was a temporary leave of absence. In June, Gordy changed the group's name to " Diana Ross and The Supremes ", which was how they were billed on the marquee of Las Vegas ' Flamingo Hotel . On July 1, the day after her 24th birthday, Ballard showed up inebriated during the group's third performance at the Flamingo and her stomach bulged under her suit. Angered, Gordy ordered her to return to Detroit, and Birdsong officially replaced her, abruptly ending her tenure with

4539-500: The group's lead singer. In the spring of 1964, the group released " Where Did Our Love Go ", which became their first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, paving the way for ten number-one hits recorded by Ross, Ballard and Wilson between 1964 and 1967. After many rehearsals with Cholly Atkins and Maurice King, the Supremes' live shows improved dramatically. Ballard sang lead on several songs on Supremes's albums, including

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4628-523: The group's song "Got a Job" (an answer song to " Get a Job " by the Silhouettes ), and released it as a single by leasing the record to a larger company outside Detroit called End Records , based in New York. The practice was common at the time for a small-time producer. "Got a Job" was the first single by Robinson's group, now called the Miracles . Gordy recorded a number of other records by forging

4717-400: The high range frequencies) to give the overall product a distinctive sound, particularly effective for broadcast over AM radio". Pop production techniques such as the use of orchestral string sections, charted horn sections, and carefully arranged background vocals were also used. Complex arrangements and elaborate, melismatic vocal riffs were avoided. Motown producers believed steadfastly in

4806-541: The iconic duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Her cover was eventually included in " The Supreme Florence Ballard Album ", which was released after her passing on April 2, 2001. The original " Walk on By ", made famous by Warwick and also written by Bacharach and David, debuted as a single in April 1964. After an album for the label was shelved, her settlement money was depleted from the Chapmans' management agency, Talent Management, Inc. The agency had been led by Leonard Baun,

4895-461: 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. I would come to the South in the early days of Motown and the audiences would be segregated. Then they started to get the Motown music and we would go back and the audiences were integrated and

4984-553: The kids were dancing together and holding hands. 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 his sister Anna and her then-husband Marvin Gaye (where photos for the cover of his album What's Going On were taken). In 1968, Gordy purchased the Donovan building on the corner of Woodward Avenue and Interstate 75 , and moved Motown's Detroit offices there (the Donovan building

5073-623: The label in 1999). The Temptations left for Atlantic Records in 1977, but returned in 1980 and eventually left again in 2004. Wonder finally left the label in 2020. In 2005, Massenburg was replaced by Sylvia Rhone , former CEO of Elektra Records . Motown was merged with Universal Records to create the Universal Motown Records and placed under the newly created umbrella division of Universal Motown Republic Group . Notable artists on Universal Motown included Drake Bell , Ryan Leslie , Melanie Fiona , Kelly Rowland , Forever

5162-543: The label's demands and her own depression, Ballard turned to alcohol for comfort, leading to arguments with Ross and Wilson. Ballard's alcoholism led to her missing performances and recording sessions. Gordy sometimes replaced Ballard on stage with the Andantes ' Marlene Barrow. In April 1967, Cindy Birdsong , member of Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles , became a stand-in for Ballard. A month later, Ballard returned to

5251-450: The label. Her attorney in the matter received a one-time payment of $ 139,804.94 in royalties and earnings from Motown. As part of the settlement, Ballard was advised not to promote herself by using her former membership in the Supremes. In March 1968, Ballard signed with ABC Records and released two unsuccessful singles. In 1968, Florence Ballard put her unique spin on the hit "Walk on By", originally sung by Dionne Warwick and crafted by

5340-576: The less-than-dignified image commonly held of black musicians by white Americans in that era. Given that many of the talented young artists had been raised in housing projects and lacked the necessary social and dress experience, this Motown department was not only necessary, it created an elegant style of presentation long associated with the label. The artist development department specialized primarily in working with younger, less-experienced acts; experienced performers such as Jr. Walker and Marvin Gaye were exempt from artist-development classes. Many of

5429-662: The major subsidiaries, and artists were often shuffled between labels for internal marketing reasons. All of these records are usually considered to be "Motown" records, regardless of whether they actually appeared on the Motown Records label itself. Janie Bradford Other hits by Bradford include " Too Busy Thinking About My Baby " by Marvin Gaye (although originally by The Temptations ), and also recorded by Phil Collins , "Contract On Love" by Little Stevie Wonder and " Your Old Standby " for Mary Wells . She worked at Motown for more than 25 years. Currently, Bradford

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5518-498: The mid-1960s, and by 1969 had begun gradually moving more of its operations to Los Angeles. The company moved all of its operations to Los Angeles in June 1972, with a number of artists, among them Martha Reeves , the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and many of the Funk Brothers studio band, either staying behind in Detroit or leaving the company for other reasons. By re-locating, Motown aimed chiefly to branch out into

5607-535: 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 Scott Joplin (1977), Thank God It's Friday (1978), The Wiz (1978) and The Last Dragon (1985). Ewart Abner , who had been associated with Motown since

5696-551: The new name. Diana Ross worried they would be mistaken for a male vocal group, but Gordy agreed to sign them under that name on January 15, 1961. The group struggled in their early years with the label, releasing eight singles that failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100 , giving them the nickname "no-hit Supremes". One track, "Buttered Popcorn", led by Ballard, was a regional hit in the Midwest, but still failed to chart. In

5785-533: The newly revitalized Motown label. On January 25, 2012, it was announced that Ne-Yo would join the Motown label both as an artist as well as the new Senior Vice President of A&R. On April 1, 2014, it was announced that Island Def Jam would no longer be running following the resignation of CEO Barry Weiss. A press release sent out by Universal Music Group announced that the label would now be reorganizing Def Jam Recordings, Island Records and Motown Records all as separate entities. Motown would then begin serving as

5874-476: The original lineup and Jenkins named them "The Primettes". The group performed at talent showcases and at school parties before auditioning for Motown Records in 1960. Berry Gordy , head of Motown, advised the group to graduate from high school before auditioning again. Ballard eventually dropped out of high school though her groupmates graduated. In 1960, Ballard was allegedly raped at knifepoint by local high-school basketball player Reggie Harding after leaving

5963-491: The publishing firm Jobete in June 1959 (incorporated in Michigan). He applied for copyrights on more than seventy songs before the end of 1959, including material used for the Miracles and Frances Burnett records, which were leased to Chess and Coral Records . The Michigan Chronicle of Detroit called Gordy an "independent producer of records", as his contributions to the city were beginning to attract notice. By that time, he

6052-811: The songwriting process 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. Among the studio musicians responsible for the "Motown sound" were keyboardists Earl Van Dyke , Johnny Griffith , and Joe Hunter ; guitarists Ray Monette , Joe Messina , Robert White , and Eddie Willis ; percussionists Eddie "Bongo" Brown and Jack Ashford ; drummers Benny Benjamin , Uriel Jones , and Richard "Pistol" Allen ; and bassists James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt . The band's career and work

6141-423: The songwriting trio Holland–Dozier–Holland left the label in 1967 over royalty-payment disputes, Norman Whitfield became the company's top producer, turning out hits for the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Rare Earth. In the meantime Berry Gordy established Motown Productions, a television subsidiary which produced TV specials for the Motown artists, including TCB , with Diana Ross &

6230-432: The three girls." Overall, Ballard contributed vocals to ten number-one pop hits and 16 top forty hit singles between 1963 and 1967. Ballard expressed dissatisfaction with the group's direction throughout its successful times. She would also claim that their schedule had forced the group members to drift apart. Ballard blamed Motown Records for destroying the group dynamic by making Diana Ross the star. Struggling to cope with

6319-528: The use of overdubbed and duplicated instrumentation. Motown songs regularly featured two drummers instead of one (either overdubbed or in unison), as well as three or four guitar lines. Bassist James Jamerson often played his instrument with only the index finger of his right hand, and created many of the basslines apparent on Motown songs such as " Up the Ladder to the Roof " by the Supremes. Artist development

6408-541: The very best material and performances would be released. The test was that every new release needed to fit into a sequence of the top five selling pop singles of the week. Several tracks that later became critical and commercial favorites were initially rejected by Gordy, the two most notable being the Marvin Gaye songs " I Heard It Through the Grapevine " and " What's Going On ". In several cases, producers would rework tracks in hopes of eventually getting them approved at

6497-445: The young artists participated in an annual package tour called the " Motortown Revue ", which was popular, first, on the " Chitlin' Circuit ", and, later, around the world. The tours gave the younger artists a chance to hone their performance and social skills and learn from the more experienced artists. In order to avoid accusations of payola should DJs play too many records from the original Tamla label, Gordy formed Motown Records as

6586-577: Was Barrett Strong's " Money (That's What I Want) ", written by Gordy and a secretary named Janie Bradford , and produced by Gordy. Many of the songs distributed locally by Anna and Tamla Records were nationally distributed by Chess Records (sometimes with Anna and Tamla imprints). Gordy's relationship with Chess fostered closer dealings with Harvey Fuqua , nephew of Charlie Fuqua of the Ink Spots . Harvey Fuqua later married Gwen Gordy in 1961. Gordy looked toward creative self-sufficiency and established

6675-425: Was a major part of Motown's operations instituted by Berry Gordy. The acts on the Motown label were fastidiously groomed, dressed and choreographed for live performances. Motown artists were advised that their breakthrough into the white popular music market made them ambassadors for other African-American artists seeking broad market acceptance, and that they should think, act, walk and talk like royalty, so as to alter

6764-496: Was acquired by Seagram , and Motown was absorbed into the Universal Music Group . Seagram had purchased Motown's former parent MCA in 1995, and Motown was in effect reunited with many of its MCA corporate siblings (Seagram had hoped to build a media empire around Universal, and started by purchasing PolyGram). Universal briefly considered shuttering the label, but instead decided to restructure it. Kedar Massenburg ,

6853-402: Was also an aunt of the Detroit electronic musician Omar-S . Notes Bibliography Further reading Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group . Founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town , has become

6942-599: Was an independent company until MCA Records bought it in 1988. PolyGram purchased the label from MCA in 1993, followed by MCA successor Universal Music Group, which acquired PolyGram in 1999. Motown spent much of the 2000s headquartered in New York City as a part of the UMG subsidiaries Universal Motown and Universal Motown Republic Group . From 2011 to 2014, it was a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music. In 2014, however, UMG announced

7031-511: Was backed by female rock group the Deadly Nightshade . Afterwards, she began receiving interview requests; Jet magazine was one of the first to report on Ballard and her recovery. On February 21, 1976, Ballard entered Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital, complaining of numbness in her extremities . She died at 10:05 ET the next morning from cardiac arrest caused by a coronary thrombosis (a blood clot in one of her coronary arteries), at

7120-465: Was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 30, 1943 to Lurlee ( née Wilson) and Jesse Ballard, as the eighth of thirteen children or ninth of fifteen children. Her siblings were Bertie, Cornell, Jesse, Jr., Gilbert, Geraldine, Barbara, Maxine, Billy, Calvin, Pat, Linda, and Roy. Her mother was a resident of Rosetta, Mississippi . Her father was born Jesse Lambert in Bessemer, Alabama ; after his grandmother

7209-723: Was coached vocally by Abraham Silver. Ballard met future singing partner Mary Wilson during a middle-school talent show and they became friends while attending Northeastern High. From an early age, Ballard aspired to be a singer and agreed to audition for a spot in the sister group and local Detroit attraction, the Primes, who were managed by Milton Jenkins. After being accepted, Ballard recruited Mary Wilson to join Jenkins' group. Paul Williams of The Primes (who would later evolve into The Temptations ), in turn, enlisted another neighbor, Diana Ross , then going by "Diane". Betty McGlown completed

7298-420: Was demolished in January 2006 to provide parking spaces for Super Bowl XL ). In the same year, Gordy purchased Golden World Records , and its recording studio became "Studio B" to Hitsville's "Studio A". In the United Kingdom, Motown's records were released on various labels: at first London (only the Miracles' "Shop Around"/" Who's Lovin' You " and "Ain't It Baby"), then Fontana ("Please Mr. Postman" by

7387-855: Was due to receive but she was defeated in court by Motown. Shortly afterwards, Ballard and her husband separated following domestic disputes , and Ballard's home was foreclosed . Facing poverty and depression, Ballard became an alcoholic and shunned the spotlight. In 1972, she moved into her sister Maxine's house. In 1974, Mary Wilson invited Ballard to join the Supremes (with current line up of Cindy Birdsong and Scherrie Payne ) onstage at Magic Mountain . Though Ballard played tambourine, she did not sing and told Wilson she had no ambition to sing any more. Later that year Ballard's plight began to appear in newspapers as word of her welfare application leaked out. Around that time, Ballard entered Henry Ford Hospital for rehab treatment. Following six weeks of treatment, Ballard slowly recovered. In early 1975, Ballard received

7476-482: Was in the air, that if they came to Detroit and recorded on the freeway, they'd get the Motown sound. Listen, the Motown sound to me is not an audible sound. It's spiritual, and it comes from the people that make it happen. What other people didn't realize is that we just had one studio there, but we recorded in Chicago , Nashville , New York, L.A.—almost every big city. And we still got the sound. In addition to

7565-472: Was originally an R&B label), and Rare Earth , whose acts, including the eponymous band , explored blues-oriented and progressive rock styles. Under the slogan "The Sound of Young America", Motown's acts were enjoying widespread popularity among black and white audiences alike. Smokey Robinson said of Motown's cultural impact: Into the 1960s, I was still not of a frame of mind that we were not only making music, we were making history. But I did recognize

7654-515: Was released regionally on Gordy's new Tamla label. Gordy originally wanted to name the label Tammy Records, after the hit song popularized by Debbie Reynolds from the 1957 film Tammy and the Bachelor , in which Reynolds also starred. When he found the name was already in use, Berry decided on Tamla instead. In April 1959, Gordy and his sister Gwen founded Anna Records which released about two dozen singles between 1959 and 1960. The most popular

7743-459: Was replaced by Andre Harrell , the entrepreneur behind Uptown Records . Harrell served as Motown's CEO for just under two years, leaving the company after receiving bad publicity for being inefficient. Danny Goldberg, who ran PolyGram's Mercury Records group, assumed control of Motown, and George Jackson served as president. By 1998, Motown had added stars such as 702 , Brian McKnight , and Erykah Badu to its roster. In December 1998, PolyGram

7832-550: Was shot and killed, he was adopted by the Ballard family. Jesse Ballard left his adoptive parents at 13 and soon engaged in an affair with Florence's mother Lurlee, who was only 14, in Rosetta. The Ballards moved to Detroit in 1929 as part of the Great Migration . Jesse worked at General Motors . Her brother, Roy was killed by a drunk driver at the age of three, her mother gave birth to twins that died at five months old and

7921-476: Was the president of Jobete, Tamla, and the music writing company Rayber. Gordy worked in various Detroit-based studios during this period to produce recordings and demos, but most prominently with United Sound Systems which was considered the best studio in town. However, producing at United Sound Systems was financially taxing and not appropriate for every job, so Gordy decided it would be more cost effective to maintain his own facility. In mid-1959, he purchased

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