The Birthplace of Motown
by Cherie Yurco
An unassuming house on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, was the birthplace of the Motown sound. The former resident of the home, Berry Gordy, Jr., borrowed $800 from the Gordy family savings club to start Motown Record Corporation in 1959 and called his home/headquarters Hitsville USA. Eventually, Gordy took over eight houses on the street, before moving to a downtown Detroit high-rise in 1969 and later to Los Angeles.
From 1961 to 1971, Motown had 110 top hits, with big names like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Four Tops, and The Jackson Five, signed to the label. And by the mid-'70s, Motown was the largest independent record company in the world.
Today, Gordy's former home is the Motown Museum, which chronicles Motown's history for visitors from around the globe. They take a step back in time as they walk through the fully restored living quarters and stand in the original recording studio, Studio A, where Motown greats like Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and the Jackson Five once stood to record their early hits.
"Motown was truly a phenomenon," says museum founder Esther Gordy Edwards, Berry Gordy's sister and former Motown executive vice president. "At one time, Motown Record Corporation had 450 employees, average age 23. There were more women vice presidents at Motown than any other company. We operated what later became the largest independent RPM record manufacturing business out of eight neighborhood houses on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan. All that time, we knew we were making music but we had no idea we were making history."
The museum's mission is to preserve the legacy of Motown Record Corporation and to educate and motivate people, especially youth, through exhibits and programs that promote the values of vision, creativity, and entrepreneurship. To that end, it holds a fascinating collection of historical photographs, artwork, music, costumes, and other memorabilia from the Motown era to give visitors a thorough overview of key events in the development of the business and the cultural force that is Motown.
Motown Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and during the months of July and August the museum is also open on Mondays. Guided tours are given throughout the day at regular intervals. General admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and children aged 12 and under.
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