From Motown To Hitzville!

Back in the early days of Berry Gordy, “Hitzville” had been the nickname given to the city of Detroit by Gordy himself before he had even produced a hit. An ex-boxer and factory worker, Gordy was known for being a little more than confident. Said to constantly boast his knack for finding talent, few could have imagined he would end up creating an entirely new musical scene to which some of the most beloved artists and tracks would be pushed out, forever cementing the idea of Motown in the entertainment industry.

But what Hitzville had is what America wanted, becoming a thriving cultural center for all people, it quickly became the hub of African American entertainment and business throughout the country. Founded at the top of the civil rights movement, Hitzville was both a result and an attempt to further the image of the black community in 1950-60’s America. Producing some of the most passionate and intimate artists in the industry, as well as helping to support the newly forming R&B craze that swept the country like fire.

By 1959 Motown was the Auto-manufacturing capital of the U.S. and also the main hub of all Soul music. Hits and artists were being born and churned out like automobiles in Hitzville, such names as The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, The Four Tops, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Every single one of those names have become legendary in the music industry, and all thanks to the famous Motown Records started by Berry Gordy himself. Creating a sound that became a genre in itself, Berry helped to spread a unique element of African American culture across the country in a time at which Black artists were treated much differently than their white counterparts.

Many of the stars that made it big in Motown synonymously made it huge in the town of Las Vegas. Still adhering to the rest of the countries racially segregated way of doing things, Vegas in the early 60’s was slowly opening up quicker than any other town in the U.S.. With such stars as Sammy Davis Jr., Gladys Knight, and The Temptations just to name a few were often seen performing in Vegas regardless of the unequal treatment, but if they had not been so brave it’s hard to say where we would be today as a society. So today, The old Motown mostly dwells in sweet memories of those who grew up at the time when Berry Gordy was propping up the foundation to what is one of the biggest music genres today!