When I was in Junior High School and then Senior High School a lot of the popular music that appealed to me came out of Detroit. The people who made it were part of Motown Record Corporation, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Motown was founded in 1960, the pop-music brainchild of Berry Gordy, a talented and visionary music producer.
I really liked the idea that Motown, now headquartered in New York City, came from Detroit where most of our automobiles were made back then and not from some distant world like Los Angeles. In my opinion, Motown is as much an American musical treasure as Jazz, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Blues, Country & Western, Folk, Rockabilly and Rock and Roll.
Motown music was a celebration of life and a pleasant, uplifting diversion from the roller coaster ride of being young. In addition to that, Motown fed the romantic spirit of people of all ages. I loved the "big", exciting sound of Motown's brand of Rhythm & Blues and Soul. Listening to Motown was an unfailingly upbeat and positive experience. I'm not a music expert and I'll never claim to be one. I'm a music lover and there's hardly any type of music that I don't like something from.
With Motown, I liked almost all of it. Whenever I felt bad, turning on my transistor AM radio at night and catching some Motown tunes always made me feel better. My favorite radio stations back then were WABC New York, WBZ Boston, WLS Chicago and CKLW Windsor, Ontario. Even though Motown produced records beyond the 1960s, my favorite Motown sound came from the Sixties Decade. These 25 songs are my tribute to the music and the magic of Motown Records and its many talented artists. Thanks, YouTube posters, for keeping this music alive.
1. Money — Barrett Strong (actually released in 1959)
2. Shop Around — The Miracles (1960)
3. Wonderful World — Sam Cooke (1960)
4. Mama Said — The Shirelles (1961)
5. Please Mr. Postman — The Marvelettes (1961)
6. Beechwood4-5789 — The Marvelettes (1962)
7. Do You Love Me — The Contours (1962)
8. The One Who Really Loves you — Mary Wells (1962)
9. Be My Baby — The Ronettes (1963)
10. Heat Wave — Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (1963)
11. Baby I Need Your Loving — The Four Tops (1964)
12. Come See About Me — The Supremes (1964)
13. Dancing in the Street — Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (1964)
14. My Girl — The Temptations (1964)
15. My Guy — Mary Wells (1964)
16. Needle In A Haystack — The Velvelettes (1964)
17. Where Did Our Love Go — The Supremes (1964)
18. I Can't Help Myself — The Four Tops (1965)
19. Nowhere to Run — Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (1965)
20. Shotgun — Jr. Walker And the All Stars (1965)
21. Heaven Must Have Sent You — The Elgins (1966)
22. This Old Heart Of Mine — Isley Brothers (1966)
23. You Can't Hurry Love — The Supremes (1966)
24. Jimmy Mack — Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (1967)
25. I Heard It Through The Grapevine — Gladys Knight & The Pips (1968) — 1967 is the date it was recorded
