More Motown!

Last weekend I took a trip to Hitsville USA, also known as the Motown Music Museum, in Detroit. Easily recognizable by its bright white and blue color scheme, the house, that once belonged to Berry Gordy and housed the famous Studio A, sits on Grand Boulevard just as it did 50 years ago.
Inside the museum it is clear that this was, and definitely still is, a house. It’s cramped and crowded as the 11 a.m. tour group waited for our guide, but when she arrived she immediately got everyone arranged comfortably – it was clear that she had done this hundreds of times.
The tour guide was the best part of my visit to the museum. Her passion and knowledge for Motown was clear as she easily gave us general information and shared stories about the singers and the house like she was there herself. Every once in a while she would start singing a Motown classic, her braided hair swaying back and forth as she moved. I was impressed with the natural ease and confidence in which she performed. At one point, she had the entire tour group join her. Tourists, both young and old, who had come from as far away as England or as close as Dearborn, began to clap and sing with her to hits like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “I heard it through the Grapevine.” Group singing, especially in public with a bunch of strangers, is definitely not my thing. But when everyone started to sing along and clap together, I couldn’t help but join. The moment, a bunch of strangers singing together in the house that made icons like Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, was a true reflection of the influence of Motown music.
The tour guide described what the atmosphere was like when Motown began to spread across the country. “People were singing in the streets. They were really singing in the streets!” she said. I can picture everyone sitting on their porches, singing along to whatever hit was playing on the radio. She described the process of making the music as well. Berry believed that creativity had no hours, so artists were able to walk into the house whenever inspiration struck. As we stood inside of Studio A, our tour guide described the musical history that had occurred there. Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and so many others had recorded there, and the entire studio was preserved exactly how it was 50 years ago. As she described the recording process, it was clear that it was a very authentic experience. Today, many artists will record their voice while listening to the prerecorded drums, guitar, and other instruments. But in Studio A, the band would play right alongside the singer as they recorded.
I wish that I could have been around to experience the excitement and passion of Motown music. My visit to the Motown museum made me want to sing in the streets with my neighbors and friends or listen to a song and visualize the recording room full of music. The movement of Motown was critical to modern music, and the Motown Museum is a great place to learn more and get inspired by Motown.