Fifty fabulous years of Motown

Motown Records, one of the most iconic sounds of the 20th century, was founded in Detroit in 1959 by Berry Gordy. From humble beginnings in a modest house on Detroit's near west side, the careers of such superstars as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, Four Tops and Temptations were launched.

In this section, The Detroit News celebrates the Motown Sound and its effect on the city, the civil rights movement and several generations of fans.

Video

Tales from the artists

Detroit News music writer Susan Whitall catches up with some of Motown's top artists, musicians and producers.

Velvelettes, one of Motown's first female groups
Legendary Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey
Motown producer Clay McMurray
Cornelius Grant, Temptations road show manager and guitarist
Motown drummer Uriel Jones
Motown arranger Paul Riser
Pat Cosby, wife of songwriter/producer Henry "Hank" Crosby

Vintage Motown

Watch YouTube clips of performances back in the day. Warning: Videos frequently are removed from YouTube; try a search if the video doesn't load.

ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing! ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing! ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing! ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing! ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing! ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing! ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing! ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing! ERROR: Object template NewsItem is missing!