by Ricardy Herard
Want to know what I love about the Motor City? It’s not just the unique culture they’ve built up, but the history of that culture you can see nearly everywhere. I’m talking about good old Detroit. I was finally able to visit recently, and out of everything I saw there, one place stood out to me more than anything: the Motown Studios Museum, where I saw the home of various musical legends that hopped out of Detroit. If you’ve heard of big names like Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson and the original Jackson 5, then you should know that the seeds of their success were planted right in Motown. After getting a firsthand look at the place where a whole generation of music was made, it only felt right to tell you about the experience and maybe encourage you to see for yourself what makes Motown so special. So, you better listen up and listen well, because we’re rewinding this track all the way to the beginning.
If we want to talk about Motown, then we have to talk about none other than Berry Gordy. Being a hard worker and talented man himself, Gordy struck it big by incorporating Motown Records in 1960, paving the way for many in a time when African Americans were still heavily discriminated against despite their talents. In Gordy’s vision, any “kid could walk in one door, an unknown off the street, and come out the other a polished performer.” With all the success Motown saw in the 60s, I think it’s fair to say he succeeded at evening the playing field. After helping to create a fresh, new wave of talent and soulful music, Gordy sold the company in 1988 and went on to other ventures before retiring only a few years ago. Berry Gordy is still alive at the age of 95 and should be mentioned when talking about the history of Hitsville, USA.
While Gordy may have started it all, the stars of Motown were integral to making it synonymous with talent. Classic names and faces abounded as I went through those old studio floors. After stepping into the main lobby, the tour guide was eager to first show us a video about Motown’s history and its music. After the video, we entered a hall full of pictures, records, and whatever else may be important to the artists of the past which came from Motown. There was so much information to read, I could’ve spent all day learning about the studios if I wasn’t short on time. Also, there was one case within that hall that I absolutely must bring up. In 1988, Michael Jackson donated a large sum of money to the studios and even included his black fedora and shiny glove. The items were sealed in a glass case, but apparently, they’ve been stolen once before by a big fan of MJ. After hearing that story from the tour guide, we got to see what being in Motown was really like back then.
After leaving the hall, we walked by a wall of album covers that evolved with Motown, reflecting its image. They started by not showing any faces, hoping that a white audience would listen if they didn’t know the face of the singer and just their voice, but that didn’t last long as more albums came out. After all, stars are meant to be in the spotlight. Going down the stairs, we came across a faithful recreation of Berry Gordy’s old childhood home. The area was closed off, but we could see most of everything from where we were standing. Everything within was said to be the same that were actually in his home, from the couch on the side to the crib in the center. Going even further down, we finally got to the place where magic was made. The Motown Studios lobby was remade as faithfully as it could have been. The couches and chairs may not have been the same, but the old doors and phone lines were still there. Decades ago, people would walk into this room with high hopes of becoming the next big thing. At the far end of the room, there was even an old candy machine with quite an interesting story. A young man would always buy the same candy bar from the machine, so Gordy would always remember to keep the machine stocked just for him. It got to a point where people would start leaving dimes on top of the machine so that the young man could always get his candy bar. That young man was Stevie Wonder, and to this day there are still dimes on top of the machine.
The last place we stopped was Studio A. In this room, the stars of Motown would practice, playing on their instruments and singing tunes that would soon become some of America’s biggest hits. There was a point in time when the studio was called the Snake Pit since all the microphones hanging from the ceiling would resemble a coil of snakes. A lot of the instruments in the studio were the ones that have been there since the 60s, and even older. One piano we saw was even from the late 1800s. After seeing nearly everything, we ended the tour with the guide encouraging us to try performing a classic song and dance by one of their artists. I don’t exactly have much rhythm, but I had fun trying and just enjoyed the whole tour in general.
I spent a whole week in Detroit, exploring the city and taking my time to learn everything about it. If you also like learning the local history of places you visit, I would recommend seeing Motown if you’re ever in Detroit. Music of all kinds is a close love of mine, and I couldn’t have been happier to have a learning experience all about great music in the Motor City. If I’ve finally gotten you to come around, then cruise on down to Motown.
