What was Motown?

Get ready to dance to the coolest sound in history! Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com with your hosts Mira and Finn! Have you ever wondered what building cars on an assembly line has to do with making hit music? In 1959, a young songwriter from Detroit named Berry Gordy borrowed 800 dollars from his family to start a brand-new record label in a tiny house he called "Hitsville USA." And boy, did it make hits! Berry used the idea of a car assembly line to build music superstars. He hired a secret-weapon band called the Funk Brothers and even set up a school to teach singers exactly how to walk, talk, and perform on stage! Within a few short years, Motown was launching the biggest stars the world had ever seen, like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and a family of five brothers called the Jackson 5, led by a tiny boy with a giant voice named Michael Jackson! Motown became the true sound of young America and the very first Black-owned music empire during the civil rights movement. Put on your dancing shoes and let's discover the magic of Motown!