A
fter nearly 60 years of
deliveringclassichits,the
stars of Motown came
togethertocelebrate.“In
li fe,great relationships
bringhappiness,andhap-
pinessis thegreatestthingintheworld,”
BerryGordyJr.,whofoundedMotown,told
Closerataneventpromotingthenewdocu-
mentaryHitsville:TheMakingof Motown.
“It’sabouttherelationshipbetweenSmokey
Robinsonandme.”
In1958,Berryproducedthefirstsong
SmokeyeverrecordedwiththeMiracles,
“Gota Job.”Thesingledidwell,butSmokey
feltthathisgroupwasshortchangedon
theirroyaltiesandsuggestedthatBerry
starthisownrecordlabel. “Shortly after
that,hestartedMotown,” recalls Smokey.
“Andtherestis history.”
Motownpushedboundariesandhelpedra-
ciallyintegratepopularmusicinthe1960s.
Alongthewayit madestarsof theSupremes,
StevieWonder,MarvinGaye,theJackson 5
and more.“Thiswasa beautiful,lovingcom-
panythatemergedwhentheworldreally
neededit,”saysGabeTurner,adirectorof
Hitsville, whichwillpremiereonShowtime
onAug.24.“It’sabouta coregroupof people
takingon theworldtogether.”
MaryWilson,anoriginalmemberof the
Supremes,recallshowtheartistsfeltlike
family.“WeusedtohaveChristmasparties
atMotownbeforewe all becamefamous.”she
tellsCloser. “We usedto all singtogether.”
Todaytherestill“ain’tnomountainhigh
enough”forMotown.“It’sbeen 60 yearsand
we’re still here,” Smokey says. “Kids that
haven’t even been born yet are going to know
about it.” — Reporting by Lindsay Hoffman
Memories
HELPED BUILD MUSIC’S MOST INFLUENTIAL LABEL
Motown
Smokey Robinson
and Berry Gordy
at the Aug. 8
Hitsville premiere
in LA (inset). The
documentary
sheds light on the
making of classic
Motown acts like
Smokey Robinson
and the Miracles
(top left) and
Diana Ross and
the Supremes.
LOOK BACK
60 th
ANNIVERSARY
24 September 2, 2019 CLOSER
