March 25, 1983: Motown tapes an all-star concert at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California in order to celebrate the label's anniversary. Performers include Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Commodores, Martha Reeves, and Jr. Walker. Also appearing, in what would be his last TV performance, is Marvin Gaye. A very brief Supremes reunion (and an altercation between Diana & Mary which never made the airing) and a Jackson 5 performance top off the night, but when the show is broadcast on May 16, 1983, it is Michael Jackson's solo performance of his new single "Billie Jean" -- complete with moonwalk -- that would steal the show, kicking off the Thriller juggernaut and turning Michael from a superstar to a megastar overnight…

 A 1983 television special to commemorate Motown's twenty-fifth year of existence, even though Motown was founded in January 1959, meaning that a twenty-fifth anniversary special should have aired in 1984, not 1983…

OK, guess it was the anniversary of Berry Gordy's vision of what would become "Hitsville U.S.A."

Regardless, a LOT of great music was aired that night and you can check it all out here…

Smokey Robinson opened the show and introduced Richard Prior

the host

Richard then introduced Smokey and The Miracles segment which included an old clip of the original group doing “Shop Around,” which segued into the group doing it live, then doing abbreviated  versions of “You Really Got a Hold on Me, Tears of a Clown and Going to a Go-Go” as a medley…

Bobby White was absent due to family matters

Dick Clark gave a pretty good “history lesson” on Motown’s impact on American music…

Stevie Wonder’s segment opens with that great old clip of the 13 year old Stevie doing “Fingertips”

In his live part of the program he’s accompanied by his band and his girl group Wonderlove sang several of his greatest hits, including "I Wish", "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", "My Cherie Amour", "Sir Duke" and others…

—Stevie also sincerely and emotionally  gives thanks to Motown and the fans for making it possible for him to make it…

All that, and more, is included in

Motown 25:

Yesterday, Today, Forever (part 1)

—Check it out!

And, this is only Part 1 of a six part series: Coming up later is Part 2 of the show with excerpts from the early songwriters, a bit about all that awesome choreography, a segment with Marvin Gaye and a whole lotta MOTOWN MUSIC…

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JANUARY 3,1959: The BeginningS of Motown and HITSVILLE USA

January 3, 1959: Berry Gordy moves all of Motown's operations into a two-story house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, which he christens "Hitsville"

"Hitsville U.S.A." is the nickname given to Motown's first headquarters. A former photographers' studio located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan

The property was purchased by Motown founder Berry Gordy in 1959 and converted into the record label's administrative building and the photography studio located in the back of the property was modified into a small recording studio, which was open 22 hours a day (closing from 8 to 10 AM for maintenance). 

The Gordys moved into the second floor living quarters and Motown had opened up shop as Tamla Records! 

"Shop Around", The Miracles' first #1 R&B hit, peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960.

It was Tamla's first million-selling record. "

 By the mid-1960s, the label,

with the help of songwriters and producers such as Smokey Robinson

A&R chief William "Mickey" Stevenson

Who, incidentally was a writer/producer, as well as “The A&R Man” at Motown. He co-wrote “Dancing in the Streets” and then made it a hit for Martha Reeves and the Vandellas…

Brian & Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier,

and Norman Whitfield,

Norman Whitfield and Barret Strong

was a major force in the music industry

By the end of 1966, Motown would occupy seven additional neighboring houses, Motown had hired over 450 employees and grossed an income of $20 million and the Gordys had moved out of the second floor living quarters:

Berry Gordy's "Motown Mansion"

NORMAN WHITFIELD: MOTOWN'S PSYCHEDELIC SOUL MAN IN THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK AND ROLL

 Norman Whitfield, a native of Harlem, New York, spent much of his teen years in local pool halls. In his late teens, he and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan.

Norman, Barrett and Smokey

When Norman was just 19 years old, he began frequenting Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. offices, Barry Gordy  recognized Whitfield's persistence and hired him. Norman’s  first Motown gig was in the quality control department  which determined which songs would or would not be released. Whitfield eventually joined Motown's in-house songwriting staff.

After co-writing the Marvin Gaye hit "Pride & Joy", The Marvelettes’  "Too Many Fish inthe Sea" and The Velvelettes’  "Needle in a Haystack",  his big break came when he took over Smokey Robinson's role as the main producer for The Temptations in 1966, after his "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" performed better than Robinson's "Get Ready" on the pop charts...

In 1968, Whitfield moved The Temptations into a harder, darker sound that featured a blend of psychedelic rock and funk, moving away from love songs to the social issues of the time, such as war, poverty and politics.

First came "Cloud Nine" in late 1968, which earned Motown its first Grammy award (for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group). A second Best R&B Group Performance Grammy for Whitfield and the Temptations ; then, in 1973,  came  "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone". That single's instrumental B-side earned Whitfield a Grammy with arranger Paul Riser for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, and Whitfield and Barrett Strong shared the songwriters' award for Best R&B Song...

The psychedelic soul records Whitfield produced for The Temptations and other artists such as Edwin Starr and The Undisputed Truth experimented with and updated the Motown sound for the late-1960s.

Even so, The Temptations hated how Whitfield put more emphasis on instrumentation instead of their vocals and the Whitfield/Temptations relationship became strained and less workable.

So, In 1973, Whitfield left Motown to form his own label, Whitfield Records, and he took Motown’s  The Undisputed Truth along with him.

 

He also signed Rose Royce (Edwin Starr’s backing band from Motown), and Junior Walker to the Whitfield Label. Whitfield had a smash hit in 1976 with Rose Royce's "Car Wash", issued on MCA Records . Car Wash served as the theme song to the 1976 motion picture of the same name. The Car Wash soundtrack won Whitfield a 1977 Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album.

In the early 1980s, Whitfield again began working as a producer for The Temptations' 1983 hit single "Sail Away.”

Norman Whitfield was busted for income tax evasion on $2 million in 1995 ~ 1999 royalties, for which he paid $25,000 in fines and did a six month house arrest sentence.

Norman Jesse Whitfield passed away on September 16, 2008 at the age of 65, most likely due to complications associated with diabetes.  R.I.P. Norman Whitfield!!!