Free Republic

Full of artistry and soul, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ is a pinnacle of pop music that cannot be surpassed.It was one of the most glorious achievements in 60s music, rising from a delicate opening to a shattering climax. If the 60s gave us the love generation, here was an anthem full of love. If soul was about physical passion in a gospel context, this song is its apex. Full of artistry, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” is, fittingly, a pop pinnacle. Though its roots lie in gospel, the song...

As the Detroit Free Press reports, Williams shared stories from the group’s 61-year history. With the latter-day Temptations and Four Tops back in the city where both groups were born, for a double bill show at Detroit’s Fox Theatre tonight (6), the Tempts’ surviving co-founder Otis Williams paid a visit to the Motown Museum yesterday. Shop the best of the Temptations’ discography on vinyl and more. As the Detroit Free Press reports, Williams shared stories from the group’s 61-year history, imparting his wisdom to an audience including 13 aspiring artists from the museum’s Hitsville Next programs. The event was hosted...

The ideas that emerged when R&B’s heaviest heads let it all hang out make for a compelling chapter in the story of American music.By the time the psychedelic revolution dosed America’s collective consciousness in the late 60s, Motown Records had spent the decade’s first half at the front of just about every new move in R&B and soul. And the label wasn’t about to lag behind when it came to keeping pace with the wildly blooming counterculture. R&B artists were used to being a step ahead of rock ‘n’ roll, with the world’s most influential rockers scrambling to adopt the...

Full of artistry and soul, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ is a pinnacle of pop music that cannot be surpassed.It was one of the most glorious achievements in 60s music, rising from a delicate opening to a shattering climax. If the 60s gave us the love generation, here was an anthem full of love. If soul was about physical passion in a gospel context, this song is its apex. Full of artistry, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” is, fittingly, a pop pinnacle. Though its roots lie in gospel, the song...

The Spinners helped create the sound of an era with a parade of soul and pop hits beginning in 1973. Their music has lived on thanks to its sly sophistication, love-struck lyrics and timeless hooks. The lineup whittled down over the years to stalwart Henry Fambrough and a group of newer collaborators, but the songs – and memories of the camaraderie – remain: "The other guys are gone, but they're still with us any time we sing," Fambrough told Billboard. "This group's bigger than any one of us." After a slow start at Motown, the Spinners switched to Atlantic Records...

Because he was such an icon, he was able to have Black artists on TV when they were often not welcomed nor wanted elsewhere.I cannot recall when I first heard the name Ed Sullivan, but it certainly had to have been when I was a ghetto youth coming of age in the 1970s and 1980s. I initially connected his name with music superstars Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and their now legendary appearances on his variety show. I was intrigued by how he introduced musical guests, his mightily distinctive diction, his genuinely low-key demeanor. But I had no clue, truly,...

Strong -- who passed away Sunday, Jan. 29, at the age of 81 in Detroit -- co-wrote some of Motown's most enduring hits.More than 73 years ago, Barrett Strong, as a singer, declared “Money (That’s What I Want)” — for the first hit single from the Motown empire. What he actually wound up getting was musical immortality. As a songwriter. Strong — who passed away Sunday, Jan. 29, at the age of 81 in Detroit — co-wrote some of Motown’s most enduring hits, with a variety of collaborators but primarily the late Norman Whitfield. Those included “I Heard It Through...

Lamont Dozier, one-third of the legenday “Holland-Dozier-Holland” songwriting and production trio who wrote many of Motown Records’ biggest hits for the Supremes, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas and others, has died at the age of 81. The news was confirmed by his son Lamont Dozier Jr.; no cause of death has been announced. His family issued the following statement: “Lamont Dozier, devoted father and legendary songwriter, producer and recording artist, died peacefully in his home on Monday, August 8. He was preceded in death by his wife of 40 years, Barbara Ullman Dozier and is survived...

The Motown singer and prolific songwriter — who once fronted Smokey Robinson and the Miracles — is still going strong despite a recent bout with COVID-19 in 2020. “I was very sick — I was in the hospital for 11 days with it — but I came through,” Robinson said down the line from his L.A. home. The Detroit-born songwriter behind such classics as Shop Around — Motown’s first million-selling hit record — You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me, I Second That Emotion, The Tears of a Clown and The Tracks of My Tears, says the key to staying...

'Who You Gonna Call,' premiering on digital streaming platforms June 7, chronicles the life and career of the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter.Ray Parker Jr., the legendary R&B artist/musician, is the subject of a new documentary. The film, “Who You Gonna Call”, about the life and career of the man best known for his smash 1984 hit “Ghostbusters,” will hit digital streaming platforms on June 7 via Sony Pictures, Variety reports. While “Ghostbusters” was the pinnacle of Parker’s commercial success, he accomplished a great deal prior. Parker gave filmmaker Fran Strine full access to archives of his life, a life full of...

Joe Messina, one of the original guitarists for Motown Records' in-house backing band the Funk Brothers, died on Monday at the age of 93. Born on Dec. 13, 1928, in Detroit, Messina began playing guitar as a child and dropped out of high school to pursue a career as a jazz musician. He gigged in local clubs and led a band, the Joe Messina Orchestra, before joining the house band for the daily children's television show The Soupy Sales Show, where he played alongside jazz legends such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. In 1959, Motown founder Berry...

Wanda Young, one of the original Marvelettes on Motown’s Tamla label in the 1960s and later the group’s lead singer, has died. She was 78 and passed on Dec. 15 in Garden City, Michigan from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to her daughter. Young joined the Marvelettes as they signed their first record deal with Motown. The group scored Motown’s first song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1961. The song also was No. 1 on the R&B chart. “Please Mr. Postman” became the Marvelettes signature, and has since been covered by...

Modesto, California – Police intervened as a group of Antifa dressed in black bloc got their asses beat by a group of conservatives. Antifa goons were taking quite a beating by conservatives when police swooped in broke up the fight. Conservatives held a “straight pride” event in Modesto on Saturday when Antifa and other left-wing protesters showed up to start trouble. Pro-family and pro-life protesters stood in front of Planned Parenthood holding anti-abortion signs. About an hour into the event, a brawl broke out between Antifa and conservatives. VIDEO (language warning):

Turning points in music history are almost always more complicated than they appear at first glance. That's exactly the case with the Temptations' "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 3, 1971. In a way, the history of the song goes back to 1969, when Motown producer Norman Whitfield and his frequent writing partner Barrett Strong penned it. At the time, though, it didn't fit with what the Temptations were doing; it was a ballad perfectly set up for a dreamy, romantic orchestration, and the group had moved away...

***** Tunes For Our Troops ~Canteen Music Dedication Presents~~ The Music of Motown ~ *****~ Support The Artists You Hear Throughout The Canteen ! ~ ***** Warning: Not all music may be appropriate for children! Please click with caution. Thank you! Tunes For The Troops This music is provided for the entertainment of our Troops, Veterans, Allies & their families! Enjoy the variety of musical selections that the Canteen DJs provide throughout the thread. Please ping any DJ with your requests for the Troops! All music is removed on Monday.Thanks to all the DJs for their time & effort...

The popular Motown group recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.The Motown legend's death takes place just days after the legendary girl group, of whom she was...Read More The music industry is mourning the death of Mary Wilson, a Motown legend and co-founder of The Supremes. She was 76. The legendary girl group, of which she was the longest-running member, recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. Wilson's longtime friend and publicist, Jay Schwartz, confirmed her death early Tuesday. Berry Gordy, founder of Motown, openly grieved the late legend in a public statement, writing, "I was always proud of Mary. She was quite...

The funk-driven LP was recorded in 1971Recorded during the summer of 1971, ‘Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals’ is the result of some downtime Gaye had after refusing to tour in support of his game-changing classic album, ‘What’s Going On’. Released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the title track from ‘What’s Going On’, the 14-track, funk-driven collection of instrumentals hears Gaye joined by the late Hamilton Bohannon on drums, Ray Parker Jr. (17-years-old at the time,) Wah Wah Watson, and Leroy Emmanuel on guitars, as well as a 20-year-old Michael Henderson on bass. While some of the tracks have been...

“It was the third of September / That day I’ll always remember,” begins “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” the classic song by the Temptations. Though it became one of their biggest hits, the group initially rejected the song - and that opening line proved problematic as well. “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” was penned by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, two of the most successful songwriters in Motown’s arsenal. Whitfield created the song’s haunting melody, while Strong handled the lyrics. “Norman said he wanted lyrics that were fun, not serious, so listeners would have a good time with it,” Strong...

Monday: day 23 of the shutdown for some of us. Most strikes don’t last this long.But let’s forget about pathogens, pandemics and politics for the day. I have something much better for you to focus on, music and movies. Or to be more precise, a movie about music – Hitsville: The Making of Motown is a nearly 2 hour documentary film that explores the founding of Motown in Detroit in 1958. We just watched it last night.Hitsville museum, a simple house in Detroit where the legendary Motown sound was createdIt’s not without its flaws but all you need to know...

Soul singer Gladys Knight, who will be singing the national anthem at this year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, seemed to criticize Colin Kaepernick in a statement published by Variety on Friday.