Berry Gordy, Jr., who began his career as a songwriter for local Detroit musicians, founded the Motown Record Corporation in Detroit in 1960.

Success came quickly for the new record label. Its first hit single was Barrett Strong's 'Money (That's What I Want)' in 1959. Its first number one R&B hit and first million-dollar selling record was The Miracles' 'Shop Around' in 1960. From 1961-1971, Motown Records had 100 Top 10 hits from such artists as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, and the Jackson 5.

The company also operated several other record labels including Gordy, which featured such acts as the Temptations, the Contours, and Martha & the Vandellas; V.I.P, which released music by the Velvelettes and the Spinners; Soul, which released recordings by Jr. Walker & the All Stars, Jimmy Ruffin, and Gladys Knight & the Pips; Workshop Jazz, which released Jazz music, Mel-o-dy [country music] and Rare Earth [rock recordings].

The distinctive 'Motown Sound' made the music appealing to both black and white audiences. It featured a unique combination of tambourines to accent the back beat, prominent and melodic electric bass lines, distinctive chord structures, and a gospel call-and-response singing style. The addition of orchestral string sections, bluesy horns, and carefully arranged background vocals completed the Motown recipe.

Mr. Gordy surrounded himself with some of the best songwriters and producers in the business music at the time, including the songwriting trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland, Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Frank Wilson.

Adding to Motown's worldwide appeal was the Gordy practice of using a group of select studio musicians, collectively known as the 'Funk Brothers', who recorded the instrumental tracks for the songs. Included in this ensemble were keyboard players Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, and Joe Hunter; guitarists Joe Messina, Robert White, and Eddie Willis; percussionists Eddie (Bongo) Brown and Jack Ashford; drummers Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, and Richard (Pistol) Allen; and bassists James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt. Much of the Motown Sound was made using over-dubbing instrumentation, and two drummers to go along with three or four guitar lines.

Mr. Gordy was also a master marketer who hired trainers to ensure that his acts were well-groomed, well-dressed, and their appearances were expertly choreographed, on the basis that Motown artists were ambassadors for other African-American artists who sought broad market appeal, and he thought they should act accordingly.

By 1969, Motown began its gradual move from Detroit to Los Angeles in order to branch out into the television and motion picture industries. Thus, Mr. Gordy formed Motown Productions which provided some very memorable TV specials including TCB with Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations, Diana! [featuring Diana Ross] as well as Goin' Back to Indiana with the Jackson 5. Additionally, after losing the songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, the company loosened its productions rules to allow some of its longtime acts the opportunity to write and produce their own material. In addition to establishing branch offices in New York City and Los Angeles, Motown also produced several hit films, including 'Lady Sings The Blues' and 'Mahogany', both starring Diana Ross. Other Motown films included 'Thank God It's Friday' in 1978, 'The Wiz' in 1978, and Berry Gordy's 'The Last Dragon' in 1985.

Motown continued with its successful musical acts in the late 1970s and into the 1980s with such artists as Lionel Richie, The Commodores, Rick James and DeBarge. Despite this success, by the mid-1980s Motown was losing money, so Mr. Gordy sold his ownership rights in Motown Records to Music Corporation of America (MCA) and Boston Ventures in June 1988. In 1989, he sold the Motown Productions operations to Motown executive Suzanne de Passe, who renamed the company de Passe Entertainment. During the 1990s, despite major recording stars such as Boys II Men, the company remained in a state of turmoil. Numerous executives were appointed by MCA, and it was plagued by legal issues. However, by 1999 Motown was again a driving force in the music industry with such acts as 702, Brian McKnight, and Erykah Badu. Motown's [which has merged with Universal Records to become Universal Motown Records Group] current roster includes many R&B super stars such as India Arie, Mya, Kem, Yummy Bingham, Badu, pop superstar Lindsay Lohan and reggae stars Damien and Stephen Marley.