We know what "rock and roll" is. But what is "Motown" soul? Some of us in-the-know realize that Motown is short for Motor Town, which was Detroit's nickname back in its auto-production heyday. It is also widely recognized as the name of the history-making independent record label formed in Detroit by Berry Gordy. He assembled a cadre of talented individuals and musicians and created a "sound" that became known as the Motown Sound. The sound was high on percussion (especially the tambourine), hand claps and a fast, shuffling drum beat. Lyrics were upbeat for the most part and it was dance-inducing, mass-appeal music. Among the artists were the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and the Four Tops. Songs from these artists and others, especially during the 1963-1968 era, had many of the same musicians on them, therefore creating the similar sound on those recordings.

Motown's dominance during the 1960s can lead one to believe that any song made by an R&B artist during that era might be Motown Soul. The term really refers to artists and songs recorded in the Motown studios. There was also "Memphis" soul from artists like Booker T. & The M.G.'s and Sam & Dave. There were other popular non-Motown soul artists like Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin (ironically raised in Detroit) and Otis Redding who were very popular in the 60s and dominated the music charts.

A "payola" scandal (label representatives offering money under-the-table to DJs to get records played) plagued the radio and recording industry in the early 60s. The illegal practice claimed the careers of many radio DJs and record producers. Berry Gordy was scandal-free on that front. However, he used extraordinary caution to avoid even the appearance of payola. He had different record label names and logos for his Motown artists. There came a new requirement for radio stations to list the names of the labels alongside the artist and title of the songs on their "Top 40" music surveys. These surveys were used as music guides for the record-buying public and as popularity and sales-measurement tools by industry professionals. If any one label was dominant on the charts, it had the appearance---but did not necessarily mean---that payola was involved. Gordy cleverly placed his artists on different subsidiary label imprints. He put Stevie Wonder, the Miracles and the Marvelettes, among others, on the Tamla label (a yellow record). He placed Gladys Knight & the Pips and Jr. Walker & The All-Stars on the Soul label (purple & white), the Tempations on the Gordy imprint (purple with yellow lettering) and the Supremes, Four Tops and many others under the Motown logo (blue label with the map showing Detroit). If the Temptations, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight & the Pips dominated the Top 5 they would all show under a different label name.

Rare Earth was a rock group that emerged in 1970 covering a lot of earlier Motown classics like Get Ready and (I Know) I'm Losing You. The group gave the songs a real rock edge and breathed new life into them. They also created gems of their own like I Just Want To Celebrate. They were the only group to have a Motown subsidiary label named after them with Rare Earth record label.

Some artists who were originally on Motown had some hits on other labels after they left. Gladys Knight and the Pips had their biggest post-Motown hit with Midnight Train To Georgia on the Buddah label in 1973. The Four Tops ranked high with Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got) on ABC Records, also in 1973. Marvin Gaye had a Grammy-winner on Columbia Records with Sexual Healing in 1982. The Isley Brothers recording of the original This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) in 1966 (redone by Rod Stewart with Ronald Isley as This Old Heart Of Mine in 1990) was on the Tamla imprint. However, a bigger hit of theirs titled It's Your Thing was on the T-Neck label in 1969, the year after they left Motown. The Spinners hit it big on Motown label imprint V.I.P. with the Stevie Wonder penned and produced It's A Shame in 1970. But their bigger hits were on Atlantic Records and included I'll Be Around and Could It Be I'm Falling In Love in 1972 and 1973, respectively. Of course, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 (as The Jacksons) had monster post-Motown hits on Epic Records (a CBS record-label subsidiary).

Some artists came along after Motown departed Detroit for Los Angeles in 1972, which left many of the Detroit musicians behind. As a result, there was a different, more lavishly-produced sound that occurred, which was common in most soul recordings of the mid-to-late 70s and early 80s. The Commodores were a self-contained group which came to Motown in 1972 (originally under Motown's MoWest imprint). The Dazz Band hit it big with Let It Whip in 1982 and Lionel Richie's biggest hits were under Motown's main imprint as well in the 1980s. DeBarge, Teena Marie and Rick James were some of the later artists to come along and score big on Motown labels. Diana Ross, still with Motown in 1980, got hold of a different but very recognizable sound when she teamed with the members of Atlantic Records act Chic (Le Freak, Good Times) and had their backing for her Diana album on Motown, which contained the hits Upside Down and I'm Coming Out.

NON-MOTOWN SOUL IS COOL, TOO!

When you hear Lou Rawls, Sly & The Family Stone, George Benson, Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown, Barry White, Three Degrees, O'Jays, Natalie Cole, Sister Sledge, Emotions, Kool & The Gang, Al Green, War, Bill Withers, Fontella Bass (Rescue Me) and Carl Carlton (Everlasting Love) on Oldies 93.3---that ain't Motown soul---but it's still some mighty darn good soul!

Note: See more Motown and music trivia information in the article TMI About Some of Your Favorite Songs On Oldies 933.