Today in Music (1959): Motown founded

January 12, 1959 Motown founded

In 1957, Berry Gordy, Jr. wrote the hit “Reet Petite” for Jackie Wilson. He went on to write others, such as “Lonely Teardrops,” but aspired for more. With an $800 loan from his family, he founded Tamla Records on January 12, 1959. He added the Motown label later that year. He purchased property on Grand Boulevard, converting a photography studio into a recording studio and setting up administrative offices in other buildings. DH His first successful signing was The Matadors, who were rechristened as The Miracles. Gordy co-wrote Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want),” the company’s first big hit in 1960. The Miracles’ “Shop Around,” also released that year, became the company’s first million seller. Over the next decade, the company produced more than 100 top-ten hits from artists including the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Martha & the Vandellas, the Marvelettes, the Supremes, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder. Gordy applied an assembly line approach to crafting the artists and their hits. Artists were trained in choreography and how to present themselves. OMC Songwriting was often handled by famous teams such as Holland-Dozier-Holland and the Funk Brothers served as studio musicians. The company owed much of its success to the ability to create music that crossed over to become popular with white audiences as well as black audiences. In 1972, the company moved its headquarters to Los Angeles. In 1988, Gordy sold his stake in Motown to MCA for $61 million. The original Motown location in Detroit – known as Hitsville U.S.A. – is now a museum where people can see the original recording studio. DH Resources: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” for more important dates in music history Dave’s Music Database: “Music Makers’ Birthdays” Dave’s Music Database: “Motown: Top 100 Songs” DH Detroit Historical Society “Motown Records” OMC Oprah’s Master Class (6/16/2013). “Motown: How It All Began” Related Links: First posted 1/6/2024.

The movie 8 Mile opened.

November 8, 2002: 8 Mile opened.

Directing: Curtis Hanson Writing: Scott Silver Starring: Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer This 2002 dramatic feature film starred Eminem in his film debut portraying white rapper Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith Jr. in his efforts to launch a hip-hop career. Movie critic Roger Ebert said “this movie stands aside from routine debut films by pop stars” WK and reflected on the somewhat autobiographical story of Eminem’s real life that it is “a faithful reflection of his myth.” WK Critic Peter Travers said, it “is a real movie, not a fast-buck package to exploit the fan base.” WK The movie title comes from a Detroit Highway called 8 Mile Road which separates the largely white suburban communities from the predominantly black urban core of the city. Rotten Tomatoes describes the road “as the city limit, a border, a boundary. It is also a psychological dividing line that separates Jimmy…from where and who he wants to be.” RT Jimmy is a blue-collar worker at a car factory who lives in a trailer park near 8 Mile Road with his alcoholic mother. At the encouragement of his best friend, Future (Phifer), he competes in a freestyle rap battle, defeating members of the Free World crew, a rival rap gang. The movie made $51 million in its opening weekend, going on to make $242 million worldwide across its run. The soundtrack (featuring five songs from Eminem) went four times platinum, fueled by the huge success of the song “Lose Yourself,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks. It won an Oscar for Best Original Song as well as a Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media. MTV crowned it the Best Video from a Film. For more important days in music history, check out the Dave’s Music Database history page. Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” DMDB encyclopedia entry for Eminem RT Rotten Tomatoes WK Wikipedia First posted 11/5/2023.

The White Stripes “Hotel Yorba” charted

Hotel Yorba The White Stripes

Writer(s): Jack White (see lyrics here) Released: November 10, 2001 First Charted: November 1, 2001 Peak: 26 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 7.0 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Jack Gillis, a singer/songwriter and musician, and drummer Meg White married in 1996. He changed his last name to White and they formed the White Stripes a year later. The Detroit-based, garage-rock duo released a couple of singles and then a self-titled debut in 1999. That album and its 2000 follow-up, De Stilj, failed to make a dent on the U.S. charts, although both would eventually reach 300,000 in sales. The two divorced in 2000, but kept the group together. A year later, their third album, White Blood Cells, proved to be their breakthrough. The album would sell more than a million copies in the U.S. and reach #61. In the UK, it got to #55 and sold more than 300,000 copies. It was the second single, “Fell in Love with a Girl,” which introduced the band to American audiences. However, in the UK, it was the first single, “Hotel Yorba,” which proved to be the band’s opening salvo. The song was written about an actual hotel built in 1926 in Detroit. WK It was located in a run-down section in the southwestern part of the city at 4020 Lafayette Boulevard near a bus station. SF As a child, Jack heard rumors – which proved to be false – that the Beatles had stayed at the hotel. WK Jack White first performed the song, which was inspired by Woody Guthrie, with hs band Two Star Tabernacle in 1998. SF Jack said Woody “wanted his songs to make people happy and make them feel good about themselves…I think ‘Hotel Yorba’ is definitely in that category.” SF The White Stripes recorded the song at the hotel in room 206 and later wanted to film the video – their first – at the hotel. According to Jack, they tried filming inside the hotel without permission, which got him banned for life. SF They ended up shooting much of the video outside the hotel. Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/26/2022.