Motown's 50th Anniversary

[KarenZ]

Folks,

Before there was Ellis Paul, there was Barry Manilow. BUT.....before there was Barry Manilow, there was MOTOWN! My teen years were spent listening to the hundreds of #1 songs (202 to be exact) released on Motown and/or Motown-related 45 RPMs (which I still have!) No Dylan for me. It was impossible to grow-up in Pennsylvania without watching to Dick Clark's American Bandstand, which originated in Philadelphia, and not be immersed in these songs.

Anyway, there's been lots in the news the last couple days about Motown's 50th anniversary since yesterday (Jan 12) was 50 years since Berry Gordy founded Motown with an $800 loan from his family. I was watching BBC America last night and even the Brits had a news segment about it!

Here's some links highlighting some of the celebratory events:

Motown 50 Official Site

Borders Book Store Celebrates Motown

Detroit Free Press: Motown 50th anniversary activities

The greatest hits of Holland-Dozier-Holland

KarenZ

[paddyinthepub]

In my teens I worked at a restaurant where one of my bosses, a black man, loved the motown sound. In short order we all couldn't help but love that music, too. I got a motown greatest hits collection just before a roadtrip to New Orleans and drove my family nutz with all that Motown. Afterall, it took some half a dozen 8 tracks to hold all those hits!!!

[KarenZ]

8 tracks! Paddy, what a blast from the past! Thank goodness they were short-lived since lugging them around was a pain and the tapes were continually breaking!

KarenZ

[paddyinthepub]

"Lawrence Davis " was the definiton of dripping cool. I'd never met anyone quite like him, before or since. In my early teens I joined the crew of one of Houston's fast food institutions, circa 1974 and as luck, or fate, would have it our location was teeming with hippies (all music people) and characters left and right. Lawrence was maybe the lone black employee but make no mistake he ran the show. A strappingly good looking man in his mid 30's maybe who taught us all a thing or two about work ethic. I'd never seen anyone work harder. Thing about it is he made hard work look easy in a whistle while you work way. Taught us about good food, song, attytude. He was a huge fan of the old Motown stuff and played it loud after the crowds had left and the cleanup had commenced. But that wasn't all. He gave us all an appreciation for art, too. From Lenny Bruce to Richard Pryor, from Dolemite to Bruce Lee. Ahh, those were the days. We'd watch him and another manager, both black belts in karate, spar after hours. Intense!

Come to think of it.....it was Lawrence's Motown Greatest Hits Collection (on 8track) that was on loan to me. He learned I was going on family vacation to New Orleans...........and even spent hours on end hoooking up the family car with the 8 track player and speakers.....those were the days!!! The 8 tracks were known for breaking in the player.....but these lasted there and back. Even if the car didn't. If memory serves, we broke down a few highway exits from home around 1030 at night. Yeah, those were the days......alright!!!