Motown is an American record company. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including Tamla Motown, the brand used outside the US) were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. (More from Wikipedia)
Like The Archie Show before them, the band from Josie and the Pussycats released an album in December 1970; unlike the Archies though (who are shown only as cartoons), the actual performers are shown on the cover of the Josie and the Pussycats album, Josie and the Pussycats: Cathy Douglas, Patrice Holloway and Cherie Moor. Patrice Holloway had previously co-written a song called “You Made Me So Very Happy” with her sister Brenda Holloway along with Motown record producer Frank Wilson and their founder Berry Gordy. Brenda Holloway released this song on Tamla Records in 1967, and “You Made Me So Very Happy” became a major hit for Blood, Sweat and Tears in 1969.
(November 2013)
* * *
Motown Records was founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy, Jr. in 1959; the original record label was Tamla Records, though Motown Records was in evidence later in the year. The label name is a contraction of “Motor Town”, reflecting the city’s status as the home of America’s largest automakers, and Motown later became a nickname for Detroit as well. (Technically the main power source in a car is an “engine”, though in the early years, everyone called it a “motor”).
Surprisingly, the Tamla Records label was named after the Debbie Reynolds song “Tammy” that was a hit from the film Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) – needless to say, “Tammy” is not at all an R&B song – and Berry Gordy originally wanted to name the label “Tammy Records”. Outside the U.S., the label was named Tamla Motown Records.
(April 2015/1)
