MoTown 1960s-70s
The music created by Motown is treasured by the majority of the races in the United States. Motown popularized pop music produced by African Americans and pioneered innovative soundtracks that were listened across races. The label created a revolution in pop music sparked by social and cultural changes achieving crossover.
Berry Gordy started the corporation on January 12, 1959. Its achievement is attributed to significant players of the time, such as the songwriting team named Holland-Dozier-Holland (H-D-H), Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, Michael Jackson, the Temptations, the Jackson 5, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Marvelettes, Lionel Richie, and The Commodores, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Tean Marie (Nantais, 2012). The genre, to a great extent, utilized music techniques associated with contemporary materials, for instance, intermediality with an interconnection relationship between sound and the visual representation (Mehring & Redling, 2017).. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The music sought to unite a nation divided along racial lines reverting the doctrines of segregation and transcending racial boundaries. Motown music was listened to by persons regardless of race or age. The unique pop music addressed the social concerns of society and united people. Besides, the material addressed justice-related issues such as poverty, drug abuse, war, racism, and environmentalism. Culture played a profound role in creating a cross over Motown music by creating a favorable visual representation. The interplay between the African American cultures with the contemporary popular material of the time made Motown music danceable and entertaining, achieving crossover (Laurie, 2014).
The revolution caused by Motown music had a unifying influence. Berry Gordy’s company trespassed racial boundaries reaching both the African American and the white audiences, thus bridging the existing gap. The music through the meticulous artists highlighted the injustices that transcended the society of that day by propagating social messages.
References
Laurie, T. (2014). Crossover fatigue: The persistence of gender at Motown records. Feminist Media Studies, 14(1), 90-105.
Mehring, F., & Redling, E. (2017). Introduction. Sound and Vision: Intermediality and American Music. European Journal of American studies, 12(12-4).
Nantais, D. (2012, December 9). That Motown Sound: Berry Gordy, Jr. and the African-American experience. Retrieved February 18, 2020, from https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/686/article/motown-sound