I was at a trivia night at a bar and they asked "What Motown artist . . . " and I put my answer down. It seems the answer was "James Brown", and I told the MC, "Hmm . . . I thought of him, but he's Southern and . . " and he interrupted me and said, "Motown is a record label." Well, duh! But Motown was known for having singers and groups with the same backing band, as well as a number of exceptional cases (Stevie Wonder) and some "progressive" groups on their Rare Earth subsidiary.
I tried looking in Wikipedia about his labels and there was no Motown, but I thought I'd ask someone for a second opinion.
Honestly, I almost feel that the people thinking up this question think any Black soul singer was on Motown - how dumb!
Anonymous2008-07-02T08:52:42Z
Favorite Answer
James Brown and Motown
Berry Gordy, who was the owner of Motown, wanted James Brown to join his label. James was playing for a smaller label and could have gotten more exposure and probably made more money by signing with Motown. But he refused because, as he said, Gordy’s “…acts were a little too soft for me: too much pop, not enough soul. I was way too raw for the kind of polished music they were willing to do. For instance, they had their choreography, which was great, but it was too rehearsed, down to the last toe-step. Mine was different, spontaneous, and no two nights the same. Mine didn’t come from a rehearsal hall—it came from my heart and soul, and there was no way I was ever going to change that, for Motown or anywhere else.” Another thing that did not sit well with James was that Gordy took the bass out of all of his singles. “…To me, the bass was like the heartbeat, the essence of the rhythm, the place where the flow of any song comes from… I could never be part of what they were in to. Under Mr. Gordy’s strict, hands on direction, the Motown show and catalogue were shaped around pop, and their acts were made like minstrels. They were like the caviar of Black music, while I, on the other hand, was strictly soul food.”
So in summary, James Brown was never in Motown. You were right!
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RE: James Brown question - was he ever on Motown? I was at a trivia night at a bar and they asked "What Motown artist . . . " and I put my answer down. It seems the answer was "James Brown", and I told the MC, "Hmm . . . I thought of him, but he's Southern and . . " and he interrupted me and said, "Motown is...