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Motown
Parent company	Universal Music Group
Founded	1959
Founder	Berry Gordy
Distributor(s)	The Island Def Jam Music Group (In the US) Mercury Records (Outside the US)
Genre	Various
Country of origin	United States
Location	New York City (historically Detroit, Los Angeles)
Official Website	Official website

Motown is a record company originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit. Now headquartered in New York City, Motown is a subsidiary of The Island Def Jam Music Group, itself a subsidiary of the French-owned Vivendi subsidiary, Universal Music Group. Motown Records was also the name of Gordy's second record label; the first, Tamla Records, began on January 12, 1959. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music, by achieving a crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its soul-based subsidiaries were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as The Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence.

Motown has owned or distributed releases from more than 45 subsidiaries in varying genres, although it is most famous for its releases in the music genres of rhythm and blues, soul and pop. Gordy relocated Motown Records to Los Angeles in 1972 and there it remained an independent company until June 28, 1988, when Gordy sold the company to MCA and Boston Ventures (which took over full ownership of Motown in 1991), then to PolyGram in 1994, before being sold again to MCA Records' successor Universal Music Group, when it acquired The PolyGram Group. As of summer of 2011, Motown has been reactivated under The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music Group.^[1][2][3][4]

History[link]

Berry Gordy got his start as a songwriter for local Detroit acts such as Jackie Wilson and The Matadors. Wilson's single "Lonely Teardrops", written by Gordy, became a huge success; however, Gordy did not feel he made as much money as he deserved from this and other singles he wrote for Wilson. He realized that the more lucrative end of the business was in producing records and owning the publishing.

The Hitsville U.S.A. Motown building at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit served as Motown's headquarters from 1959 until 1968, and became the Motown Historical Museum in 1985.^[5]

In 1959, Billy Davis and Berry Gordy's sisters Gwen and Anna started Anna Records. Davis and Gwen Gordy wanted Berry to be the company president, but Berry wanted to strike out on his own. On January 12, 1959, he started Tamla Records, with an $800 loan from his family and from royalties earned writing for Jackie Wilson. Gordy originally wanted to name the label "Tammy" Records, after the popular song by Debbie Reynolds from the 1957 film Tammy and the Bachelor also starring Reynolds. When he found the name was already in use, he decided on Tamla instead. Tamla's first release, in the Detroit area, was Marv Johnson's "Come to Me" in 1959 (released nationally on United Artists). Its first hit was Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" (1959), which made it to #2 on the Billboard R&B charts.

Gordy's first signed act was The Matadors, who changed their name to The Miracles when Gordy signed them. (They were not the Matadors who recorded for Sue.) Their first release, "Got a Job," was an answer record to the Silhouettes' "Get a Job." The Miracles' first, minor hit was their fourth single, 1959's "Bad Girl," released in Detroit as the debut record on the Motown imprint, and nationally on the Chess label. (Most early Motown singles were released through other labels, such as End, Fury, Gone and Chess.) Miracles lead singer William "Smokey" Robinson became the vice president of the company (and later named his daughter "Tamla" and his son "Berry" out of gratitude to Gordy and the label). Many of Gordy's family members, including his father Berry, Sr., brothers Robert and George, and sister Esther, were eventually given key roles in the company. By the middle of the decade, Gwen and Anna Gordy had joined the label in administrative positions as well.

West Grand Boulevard[link]

Also in 1959, Gordy purchased the property that would become Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. studio. The photography studio located in the back of the property was modified into a small recording studio and the Gordys moved into the second floor living quarters. Within seven years, Motown would occupy seven additional neighboring houses:

• Hitsville U.S.A. 1959 – (lower) administrative office, tape library, control room, Studio A. (upper) Gordy living quarter (1959–1962), artists and repertoire (1962–1972)
• Jobete Publishing Office 1961 – sales, billing, collections, shipping, & public relations
• Berry Gordy Jr. Enterprise 1962 – offices for Berry Gordy Jr. & Esther Gordy Edwards
• Finance Department 1965 – royalty & pay roll
• Artist Personal Development 1966 – Harvey Fuqua (head of artist development and producer of stage performances), Maxine Powell (grooming, poise, and social graces), Maurice King (vocal coach, musical director and arranger), Cholly Atkins (house choreography), and rehearsal studios
• Two Homes for Administrative Offices 1966 – sales & marketing, traveling & traffic, and mixing & mastering.
• ITMI Office (International Talent Management Inc.) 1966 – management

Motown hired over 450 employees and grossed income of $20 million by the end of 1966.

Detroit: 1959–1972[link]

Gordy founded a second label, Motown Records, in September 1959. Early Tamla/Motown artists included Mable John, Eddie Holland and Mary Wells. "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. On April 14, 1960, Motown and Tamla Records merged into a new company called Motown Record Corporation. A year later, The Marvelettes scored Tamla's first US #1 pop hit, "Please Mr. Postman". By the mid-1960s, the label, with the help of songwriters and producers such as Robinson, A&R chief William "Mickey" Stevenson, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Norman Whitfield, was a major force in the music industry.

From 1961 to 1971, Motown had 110 top 10 hits. Top artists on the Motown label during that period included Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Four Tops, and The Jackson 5, while Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and The Miracles released hits on the Tamla label. The company operated several labels in addition to the Tamla and Motown imprints. A third label, which Gordy named after himself (though it was originally called "Miracle") featured The Temptations, The Contours, and Martha and the Vandellas. A fourth, V.I.P., released recordings by The Velvelettes, The Spinners, The Originals, and Chris Clark. A fifth label, Soul, featured Jr. Walker & the All Stars, Jimmy Ruffin, Shorty Long, and Gladys Knight & the Pips (who had found success before joining Motown, as 'The Pips' on Vee-Jay). Many more Motown-owned labels released recordings in other genres, including Workshop Jazz (jazz), Mel-o-dy (country, although it was originally an R&B label), and Rare Earth (rock). Under the slogan "The Sound of Young America", Motown's acts were enjoying widespread popularity among black and white audiences alike.

Smokey Robinson said of Motown's cultural impact:

Into the '60s, I was still not of a frame of mind that we were not only making music, we were making history. But I did recognize the impact because acts were going all over the world at that time. I recognized the bridges that we crossed, the racial problems and the barriers that we broke down with music. I recognized that because I lived it. I would come to the South in the early days of Motown and the audiences would be segregated. Then they started to get the Motown music and we would go back and the audiences were integrated and the kids were dancing together and holding hands.^[6]

Berry Gordy House, known as Motown Mansion in Detroit's Boston-Edison Historic District.^[7]

In 1967 Berry Gordy purchased what is now known as Motown Mansion in Detroit's Boston-Edison Historic District as his home, leaving his previous home to sister Anna and then husband Marvin Gaye (where photos for the cover of his album What's Going On were taken).^[7] In 1968, Gordy purchased the Donovan building on the corner of Woodward Avenue and Interstate 75, and moved Motown's Detroit offices there (the Donovan building was demolished in January 2006 to provide parking spaces for Super Bowl XL). In the same year Gordy purchased Golden World Records, and its recording studio became "Studio B" to Hitsville's "Studio A".

In Britain, Motown's records were released on various labels: at first London (only the Miracles' "Shop Around"/"Who's Lovin' You" and "Ain't It Baby"), then Fontana ("Please Mr. Postman" by the Marvelettes was one of four), Oriole American ("Fingertips" by Little Stevie Wonder was one of many), EMI's Stateside ("Where Did Our Love Go" by the Supremes and "My Guy" by Mary Wells were Motown's first British top-20 hits), and finally EMI's Tamla-Motown ("Stop! In The Name of Love" by The Supremes was the first Tamla-Motown label release in March 1965).

Los Angeles: 1972–1998[link]

After the songwriting trio Holland–Dozier–Holland left the label in 1967 over royalty payment disputes, Norman Whitfield became the company's top producer, turning out hits for The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Gladys Knight & the Pips. In the meantime, Berry Gordy established Motown Productions, a television subsidiary which produced TV specials for the Motown artists, including TCB with Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations, Diana! with Diana Ross, and Goin' Back to Indiana with The Jackson 5. The company loosened its production rules, allowing some of its longtime artists the chances to write and produce more of their own material. This resulted in the recordings of successful and critically acclaimed albums such as Marvin Gaye's What's Going On (1971) and Let's Get it On (1973), and Stevie Wonder's Music of My Mind (1972), Talking Book (1972), and Innervisions (1973).

Motown had established branch offices in both New York City and Los Angeles during the mid-1960s, and by 1969 had begun gradually moving more of its operations to Los Angeles. The company moved all of its operations to Los Angeles in June 1972, with a number of artists, among them Martha Reeves, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Motown's Funk Brothers studio band, either staying behind in Detroit or leaving the company for other reasons. The main objective of Motown's relocation was to branch out into the motion picture industry, and Motown Productions got its start in film by turning out two hit vehicles for Diana Ross: the Billie Holiday biographical film Lady Sings the Blues (1972), and Mahogany (1975). Other Motown films would include Thank God It's Friday (1978), The Wiz (1978) and The Last Dragon (1985). Ewart Abner, who had been associated with Motown since the 1960s, became its president in 1973.

Despite losing Holland–Dozier–Holland, Norman Whitfield, and a number of its other hitmakers by 1975, Motown still had a number of successful artists during the 1970s and 1980s, including Lionel Richie and the Commodores, Rick James, Teena Marie, the Dazz Band and DeBarge. By the mid-1980s, Motown was losing money, and Berry Gordy sold his ownership in Motown to MCA Records and Boston Ventures in June 1988 for $61 million. In 1989, Gordy sold the Motown Productions TV/film operations to Motown executive Suzanne de Passe, who renamed the company de Passe Entertainment and runs it to this day.

During the 1990s, Motown was home to successful recording artists such as Boyz II Men and Johnny Gill, although the company itself remained in a state of turmoil. A revolving door of executives were appointed by MCA to run the company, beginning with Berry Gordy's immediate successor, Jheryl Busby. Busby quarreled with MCA, alleging that the company did not give Motown's product adequate attention or promotion. In 1991, Motown sued MCA to have its distribution deal with the company terminated, and began releasing its product through PolyGram. Polygram purchased Motown from Boston Ventures three years later. In 1994, Busby was replaced by Andre Harrell, the entrepreneur behind Uptown Records. Harrell served as Motown's CEO for just under two years, leaving the company after receiving bad publicity for being inefficient. Danny Goldberg, who ran PolyGram's Mercury Records group, assumed control of Motown, and George Jackson served as president.

Final years of the Motown label: 1999–2005[link]

By 1998, Motown had added stars such as 702, Brian McKnight, and Erykah Badu to its roster. In December 1998, PolyGram was acquired by Seagram, and Motown was absorbed into the Universal Music Group. Ironically, Seagram had purchased Motown’s former parent MCA in 1995, as such Motown was in effect reunited with many of its MCA corporate siblings (Seagram had, in fact, hoped to build a media empire around Universal, and started by purchasing PolyGram). Universal briefly considered shuttering the floundering label, but instead decided to restructure it. Kedar Massenburg, a producer for Erykah Badu, became the head of the label, and oversaw successful recordings from Badu, McKnight, Michael McDonald, and new Motown artist India.Arie.

Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and The Temptations had remained with the label since its early days, although all except Wonder recorded for other labels for several years. Ross left Motown for RCA from 1981 to 1988, but returned in 1989 and stayed until 2002. Robinson left the label in the early 1990s, and the Temptations left a second time in 2004. Wonder is, today, the only artist from Motown's early period still on the label.

Q-Tip was the final artist on the label, releasing The Renaissance.

Universal Motown: 2005-2011[link]

In 2005, Massenburg was replaced by Sylvia Rhone, former CEO of Elektra Records. Motown was merged with Universal Records to create the Universal Motown Records and placed under the newly created umbrella division of Universal Motown Republic Group. Motown began celebrating its fiftieth anniversary (January 12, 2009) in late 2008, including the release of a The Complete No. 1's box set containing Motown #1 hits from Billboard's pop, R&B, and disco charts, reissues of classic-era Motown albums on CD, and other planned events, which were released in collaboration with Universal Music Group's catalog division Universal Music Enterprises.

Relaunch under The Island Def Jam Music Group: 2011-present[link]

As of summer of 2011, Universal Motown has been separated from Universal Motown Republic Group, has reverted to the original Motown brand, has hired Ethiopia Habtemariam as its Senior Vice President, and is now operated under the The Island Def Jam Music Group. ^[1][4] Artists from Universal Motown have been transferred to the newly revitalized Motown label.^[2][3] On January 25, 2012, it was announced that Ne-Yo would join the Motown label both as an artist as well as the new Senior Vice President of A&R.^[8][9]

Motown Sound[link]

Motown specialized in a type of soul music it referred to with the trademark "The Motown Sound". Crafted with an ear towards pop appeal, the Motown Sound typically used tambourines to accent the back beat, prominent and often melodic electric bass-guitar lines, distinctive melodic and chord structures, and a call-and-response singing style that originated in gospel music. Pop production techniques such as the use of orchestral string sections, charted horn sections, and carefully arranged background vocals were also used. Complex arrangements and elaborate, melismatic vocal riffs were avoided.^[10] Motown producers believed steadfastly in the "KISS principle" (keep it simple, stupid). ^[11]

The Motown production process has been described as factory-like. The Hitsville studios remained open and active 22 hours a day, and artists would often go on tour for weeks, come back to Detroit to record as many songs as possible, and then promptly go on tour again. Berry Gordy held quality control meetings every Friday morning, and used veto power to ensure that only the very best material and performances would be released. The test was that every new release needed to fit into a sequence of the top five selling pop singles of the week. Several tracks which later became critical and commercial favorites were initially rejected by Gordy; the two most notable being the Marvin Gaye songs, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "What's Going On". In several cases, producers would re-work tracks in hopes of eventually getting them approved at a later Friday morning meeting, as producer Norman Whitfield did with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg".

Many of Motown's best-known songs, including all the early hits for The Supremes, were written by the songwriting trio of Holland–Dozier–Holland (Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland). Other important Motown producers and songwriters included Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Smokey Robinson, Barrett Strong, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Frank Wilson, Pamela Sawyer & Gloria Jones, James Dean & William Weatherspoon, Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, Stevie Wonder and Gordy himself.

The style created by the Motown musicians was a major influence on several non-Motown artists of the mid-1960s, such as Dusty Springfield and The Foundations. In the United Kingdom, the Motown Sound became the basis of the northern soul movement. Smokey Robinson said the Motown Sound had little to do with Detroit:

"People would listen to it, and they'd say, 'Aha, they use more bass. Or they use more drums.' Bullshit. When we were first successful with it, people were coming from Germany, France, Italy, Mobile, Alabama. From New York, Chicago, California. From everywhere. Just to record in Detroit. They figured it was in the air, that if they came to Detroit and recorded on the freeway, they'd get the Motown sound. Listen, the Motown sound to me is not an audible sound. It's spiritual, and it comes from the people that make it happen. What other people didn't realize is that we just had one studio there, but we recorded in Chicago, Nashville, New York, L.A.—almost every big city. And we still got the sound."^[12]

The Funk Brothers[link]

In addition to the songwriting prowess of the writers and producers, one of the major factors in the widespread appeal of Motown's music was Gordy's practice of using a highly select and tight-knit group of studio musicians, collectively known as "The Funk Brothers", to record the instrumental or "band" tracks of a majority of Motown recordings. Among the studio musicians responsible for the "Motown Sound" were keyboardists Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, and Joe Hunter; guitarists Joe Messina, Robert White, and Eddie Willis; percussionists Eddie "Bongo" Brown and Jack Ashford; drummers Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, and Richard "Pistol" Allen; and bassists James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt. The band's career and work is chronicled in the 2002 documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown which publicised the fact that these musicians "played on more number-one records than The Beatles, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys combined."^[13]

Much of the Motown Sound came from the use of overdubbed and duplicated instrumentation. Motown songs regularly featured two drummers instead of one (either overdubbed or in unison), as well as three or four guitar lines.^[13] Bassist James Jamerson often played his instrument with only his index finger, and created many of the basslines apparent on Motown songs such as "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes.^[13]

Artist development[link]

Artist development was a major part of Motown's operations. The acts on the Motown label were fastidiously groomed, dressed and choreographed for live performances. Motown artists were advised that their breakthrough into the white popular music market made them ambassadors for other African American artists seeking broad market acceptance, and that they should think, act, walk and talk like royalty, so as to alter the less-than-dignified image commonly held by white Americans in that era of black musicians. Given that many of the talented young artists had been raised in housing projects and were short on social and dress skills, this Motown department was not only necessary, it created an elegant style of presentation long associated with the label. The artist development department specialized primarily in working with younger, less experienced acts; experienced performers such as Jr. Walker and Marvin Gaye were exempted from artist development classes.

Many of the young artists participated in an annual package tour called the "Motortown Revue", which was popular, first, on the "chitlin' circuit", and, later, around the world. The tours gave the younger artists a chance to hone their performance and social skills and learn from the more experienced artists.

Motown subsidiary labels[link]

Major divisions[link]

• Motown Records: Established 1960, Motown was and remains the company's main label for mainstream R&B/soul music (and, today, hip hop music as well). The label's numbering system was combined with those of Tamla and Gordy in 1982, and the label (and company) was purchased by MCA in 1988. Notable Motown artists have included Mary Wells, The Supremes, Four Tops, The Jackson 5, Boyz II Men, Commodores, Lionel Richie, Dazz Band, Brian McKnight, 98 Degrees, and Erykah Badu. Motown Records slogan: "The Sound of Young America."
• Tamla Records: Established 1959, Tamla was a primary subsidiary for mainstream R&B/soul music. Tamla is actually the company's original label: Gordy founded Tamla Records several months before establishing the Motown Record Corporation. The label's numbering system was combined with those of Motown and Gordy in 1982, and the label was merged with Motown in 1988. Notable Tamla artists included Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and The Marvelettes. Tamla was briefly re-activated in 1996 as a reggae label, but only released a 12" single by Cocoa Tea called "New Immigration Law". Tamla Records slogan: "The Sound that Makes the World Go 'Round."
• Gordy Records: Established 1962, Gordy was also a primary subsidiary for mainstream R&B/soul music. Originally known as Miracle Records (slogan: "If It's a Hit, It's a Miracle"), the name was changed in 1962 to avoid confusion with the Miracles singing group. The label's numbering system was combined with those of Motown and Tamla in 1982, and the label was merged with Motown in 1988. Notable Gordy artists included The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, The Contours, Edwin Starr, Rick James, The Mary Jane Girls, Teena Marie, and DeBarge. Gordy Records slogan: "It's What's in the Grooves that Counts"
• Tamla-Motown Records: Motown's United Kingdom label, established in March 1965. Distributed by EMI, Tamla-Motown issued the releases on the American Motown labels, using its own numbering system. In some cases, Tamla-Motown would issue singles and albums by Motown artists not released in the United States (for example, the singles "I Second That Emotion" and "Why (Must We Fall in Love)" by Diana Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations).

Secondary R&B labels[link]

• Check-Mate Records: Short-lived (1961–1962) R&B/soul subsidiary, purchased from Chess Records. Notable artists included David Ruffin and The Del-Phis (later Martha and the Vandellas).
• Miracle Records: Short-lived (1961) R&B/soul subsidiary that lasted less than a year. Some pressings featured the infamous tagline, "If it's a hit, it's a Miracle." Shut down and reorganized as Gordy Records in 1962. Notable releases included early recordings by Jimmy Ruffin and The Temptations).
• MoWest Records: MoWest was a short-lived (1971–1973) subsidiary for R&B/soul artists based on the West Coast. Shut down when the main Motown office moved to Los Angeles. Notable artists included G. C. Cameron, The Sisters Love, Syreeta Wright, The Four Seasons, Commodores (their first two singles in 1972 and 1973), and Los Angeles DJ Tom Clay. Unlike other Motown releases in the UK which were released by Tamla-Motown, MoWest retained its US label design and logo for its UK releases as well.
• Motown Yesteryear: a label created in late 1970s and used through the 1980s for the reissues of 7-inch singles from all eras of the company's history, after printing in the initial label has ceased.^[14] One Motown Yesteryear single made Billboard's Top 40 - The Contours' "Do You Love Me", in 1988, when its inclusion in the film Dirty Dancing revived interest.
• Soul Records: Established 1964, Soul was a R&B/soul subsidiary for releases with less of a pop feel and/or more of a traditional soul/blues feel. Notable Soul artists included Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, Shorty Long, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Jimmy Ruffin. The label was dissolved in 1978.
• V.I.P. Records: Established 1964, V.I.P. was a R&B/soul subsidiary. Notable artists included The Velvelettes, The Spinners, The Monitors, The Elgins and Chris Clark. The label was dissolved in 1974.
• Weed Records: A very short-lived subsidiary. Only one release, Chris Clark's 1969 CC Rides Again album, was issued. This release featured the tongue-in-cheek tagline, "Your Favorite Artists Are On Weed." The logo was a parody of the "Snapping Fingers" logo for Stax Records, but the hand in this case is holding up a peace sign. The name "Weed Records" is now owned by the Tokyo-New York based Weed Records.

Alternative genre labels[link]

Country[link]

• Mel-o-dy Records: Established in 1962 as a secondary R&B/soul music subsidiary, Mel-o-dy later focused on white country music artists. Notable Mel-o-dy artists include Dorsey Burnette. The label was dissolved in 1965.
• Hitsville Records: Founded as Melodyland Records in 1974, the name was changed to Hitsville in 1976. Like Mel-o-dy before it, Hitsville focused on country music. Run by Mike Curb and Ray Ruff, Hitsville's notable artists included Pat Boone and T. G. Sheppard. The label was dissolved in 1977.^[15]

The Mel-o-dy and Hitsville catalogs are now managed by Mercury Nashville Records.

Hip hop/rap[link]

• Wondirection Records: A record label owned by Stevie Wonder, it had one 12-inch dance release, the 10' 35" rap track "The Crown" by Gary Byrd and the G.B. Experience.
• Mad Sounds Recordings: Short lived hip hop/rap subsidiary label, released 5 albums in the mid 1990s, including Zig Zag by Tha Mexakinz.^[16]

Jazz[link]

• Workshop Jazz Records: Motown's jazz subsidiary, active from 1962 to 1964. Notable Workshop Jazz artists included the George Bohannon Trio and Four Tops (whose recordings for the label went unissued for 30 years). The Workshop Jazz catalog is currently managed by Verve Records.
• Blaze Records A short lived label featuring Jack Ashford released in Sept 1969. An instrumental 'Do The Choo-Choo' with b-side 'Do The Choo-Choo Pt II' written by L. Chandler, E. Willis, J. Ashford with label number 1107.
• Mo Jazz Records: Another jazz label created in the 1990s. Notable artists included Norman Brown, Foley, and J. Spencer. This label (including its roster and catalog) was folded into Verve Records after the PolyGram/Universal merger.

Rock[link]

• Rare Earth Records: Established in 1969 after the signing of Rare Earth (after whom the label was named), Rare Earth Records was a subsidiary focusing on rock music by white artists. Notable acts included Rare Earth, R. Dean Taylor, The Pretty Things, Stoney & Meatloaf, Toe Fat, The Cats and Shaun Murphy. The label also was the subsidiary to house the first white band signed to Motown: The Rustix
• Prodigal Records: Purchased by Motown in 1974, Motown used Prodigal Records as a second rock music subsidiary; a sister label to Rare Earth Records. The Rare Earth band moved over to the label following the Rare Earth label's demise. Prodigal was dissolved in 1978.
• Morocco Records: Meaning "MOtown ROCk COmpany," As the name suggests, Morocco was a rock music subsidiary. Active from 1983 to 1984, it was a short-lived attempt to revive the Rare Earth Records concept. Only seven albums were released on the label. Its two most promising acts, Duke Jupiter and the black New Wave trio Tiggi Clay (via their lead singer, Fizzy Qwick) eventually moved to the parent label.

Other[link]

• Divinity Records: Short-lived (1962–1963) gospel subsidiary. With five releases by artists- Wright Specials, Gospel Stars, Bernadettes, and Liz Lands. Label sequence starts at 99004 to 99008, with the final recording We Shall Overcome (for label number 99008) that was recorded in the Greystone Ballroom was withdrawn and transferred to GORDY 7023B of I Have A Dream speech by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
• Black Forum Records: A spoken word subsidiary which focused mainly on albums featuring progressive political and pro-civil rights speeches/poetry. Black forum issued recordings by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, Elaine Brown, and others from 1970 until 1973.
• Natural Resources Records: This label was active from 1972 to 1973 and in 1976 as a minor subsidiary for white artists and instrumental bands. Served as a label for Motown, Tamla, and Gordy reissues and Motown compilation albums in 1978 and 1979.
• Motown Latino Records: Short-lived (1982) subsidiary for Spanish language Latin American music.
• Ocean Front Records: Catalog division, originally founded in company's heyday. Closed in 1983

Independent labels distributed by Motown[link]

• Biv 10 Records: A hip-hop/R&B label that was founded by Bell Biv Devoe/New Edition member Michael Bivins. The label operated throughout most of the 1990s. Its roster included Another Bad Creation, Boyz II Men, and 702.
• Chisa Records: Motown released output for Chisa, a label owned by Hugh Masekela, from 1969 to 1972 (prior to that, the label was distributed by Vault Records).
• CTI Records:Motown distributed output for CTI Records, a jazz label owned by Creed Taylor, from 1974 to 1975. CTI subsidiaries distributed by Motown included Kudu Records, Three Brothers Records and Salvation Records.
• Three Brothers Records: A short-lived sublabel of CTI Records which had two single releases. One was by a Spike Jones influenced group called The Clams.^[17] With a few exceptions, the bulk of CTI's recordings is now owned by Sony Music Entertainment.
• Ecology Records : A very short-lived label owned by Sammy Davis, Jr. and distributed by Motown. Only release: single "In My Own Lifetime"/"I'll Begin Again", by Davis in 1971.
• Gull Records: A UK-based label still in operation, Motown released Gull's output in the US in 1975. Gull had Judas Priest on its roster in 1975, but their LP Sad Wings of Destiny, intended for release by Motown in the US, was issued after the Motown/Gull Deal had fallen through.
• Manticore Records: A record label created by the members of the rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Manticore released albums by ELP and a number of other Progressive rock artists. Manticore was originally distributed in the U.S. by Atlantic Records from 1973 to 1975 but switched to Motown distribution until the label folded in 1977.

Miscellaneous labels associated with Motown[link]

• Rayber Records
• IPG Records
• Rich Records
• Summer Camp Records
• Inferno Records

British (pre-Tamla-Motown) labels[link]

• London American Records: issued the releases for Motown from 1959 to 1961.
• Fontana Records: issued the releases for Motown from 1961 to 1962.
• Oriole Records: issued the releases for Motown from 1962 to 1963.
• Stateside Records: issued the releases for Motown from 1963 to 1964.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Motown Records website
• Official Classic Motown website
• Motown Historical Museum - Open to the public, located in the former "Hitsville USA" building in Detroit
• Complete discography of pre-1986 Motown singles
• Complete discography of pre-1986 Motown albums
• Motown artists interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969).

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Commodores
Performing at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida
Background information
Origin	Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.
Genres	Funk, soul
Years active	1968–present
Labels	Motown, Polydor
Members
Walter Orange William King J.D. Nicholas
Past members
Lionel Richie Thomas McClary Ronald La Pread Milan Williams Sheldon Reynolds Skyler Jett

The Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour.

Biography[link]

This group is best known for their ballads, such as "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady", but, for the most part, the group mainly recorded funky, driven dance-floor hits which include "Brick House", "The Bump", "Fancy Dancer", and "Too Hot ta Trot". The Commodores originally called themselves the Mystics, but wanted to change the name. To choose a new name William King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. "We lucked out," he remarked with a laugh when telling this story to People magazine. "We almost became The Commodes!"^{[citation needed]}

"Machine Gun", the instrumental title track from the band's debut album, became a staple at American sporting events, and is similarly featured in many films, including Boogie Nights and Looking for Mr. Goodbar. It reached No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. Another instrumental, "Cebu" (named after an island in the Philippines), later became a staple in the Quiet storm format. Three albums released in years 1975 and 1976 (Caught in the Act, Movin' On, Hot On The Tracks) are considered the peak of their harder funk period. After those recordings the group started to move towards a softer sound. That move was hinted at in their 1976 Top Ten hits "Sweet Love" and "Just to Be Close to You." In 1977 the Commodores scored a ballad hit with "Easy", which became the group's biggest hit yet, reaching No. 4 in the U.S., followed by the funky favorite "Brick House", also Top 5, both from their landmark album "The Commodores", as was the utopian album favorite "Zoom". After years of toiling in the Top Ten, the group finally reached No. 1 in 1978 with the sweet "Three Times a Lady." The year 1979 saw the Commodores score another Top Five ballad hit, "Sail On", before reaching the top of the charts once again with another ballad, "Still". The group had no major hits in 1980, but by 1981 they released two Top Ten hits with "Oh No" (#4 U.S.) and their first upbeat single in almost five years, "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" (#8 U.S.)

In Tuskegee, they played local parties and fraternity parties playing mostly cover tunes and some original songs with their original singer, James Ingram (another "James Ingram" – not the more famous solo artist). Ingram, older than the rest of the members of the band, left to serve active duty in Vietnam, and was later replaced by Walter "Clyde" Orange, the second lead singer who wrote or co-wrote many of their hit tunes before Lionel Richie came on board. Richie and fellow Commodore Walter "Clyde" Orange alternated as lead singers. Orange was also the lead singer on the Top 10 hits, "Nightshift" and "Brick House" among others.

After Richie left to pursue a solo career, former Heatwave singer J.D. Nicholas assumed co-lead vocal duties with drummer Walter Orange. However, with the exception of the Grammy Award-winning "Nightshift" (#3 in the U.S., a tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson; in 2010 a new version was recorded dedicated to Michael Jackson),^[1] the band never achieved the same level of success it had enjoyed with Richie. Ironically, "Nightshift" won The Commodores their first Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1985.

The Commodores made a brief appearance in the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday. They performed the song "Too Hot ta Trot" during the dance contest; their songs "Brick House" and "Easy" were also played during the movie.

Performing at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida

Over time, the group's founding members began leaving. McClary left in 1982 (shortly after Richie left) to pursue a solo career and to develop a gospel music company. McClary was replaced by guitarist/vocalist Sheldon Reynolds. LaPread left in 1986 and moved to New Zealand, and Reynolds departed for Earth, Wind and Fire in 1987, which prompted trumpeter William "WAK" King to take over primary guitar duties for live performances. Keyboardist Milan Williams exited the band in 1989. The group also gradually abandoned its funk roots and moved into the more commercial pop arena. In 1983, Skyler Jett, replaced Lionel Richie as the lead singer for The Commodores, and toured the world and performed in over 32 countries in a two year span.

In 1985, the group performed two commercials for NBC affiliate WXIA-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. The group left Motown in 1986 for Polydor, and released several additional albums, which are primarily compilations of previous material. They have re-recorded Commodores hits and have recorded a live album and a Christmas album.

Today, the Commodores consist of Walter "Clyde" Orange, Nicholas and King, along with a backing band. King married the songwriter Shirley Hanna-King ("Brick House" co-writer) in 1976.

Since the late 1990s, Orange has also been working in conjunction with singer/songwriter Craig Deanto, and they have released an album titled Who Hears the Cries. The group continues to perform, playing at arenas, theaters and festivals around the world. They have been the opening act for Trump casinos and Hard Rock casinos.

Original band personnel[link]

• Lionel B. Richie Jr. (vocals, saxophone, drums and piano) – born June 20, 1949, Tuskegee, Alabama.
• Thomas McClary (lead guitar) – born October 6, 1949, Eustis, Florida.
• Milan Williams (keyboards, trombone, rhythm guitar) – born March 28, 1948, Okolona, Mississippi, died of cancer, July 9, 2006, Houston, Texas.
• William "WAK" King (trumpet, rhythm guitar, synthesizer) – born January 30, 1949, Alabama.
• Ronald La Pread (bass guitar, trumpet) – born September 4, 1946, Alabama.
• Walter Orange (vocals, drums) – born December 10, 1946, Florida.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Awards and recognition[link]

The Commodores were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. Among multiple Grammy nominations, they won a Grammy for "Nightshift" in 1986.

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Commodores
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• Official Commodores website
• Lionel Richie interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' 03/2009
• 'The Commodores' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page

v t e Commodores Walter Orange William King J.D. Nicholas Lionel Richie Thomas McClary Ronald LaPread Milan Williams Sheldon Reynolds Harold Hudson Skyler Jett Albums Machine Gun (1974) Caught in the Act (1975) Movin' On (1975) Hot on the Tracks (1976) Commodores (1977) Natural High (1978) Midnight Magic (1979) Heroes (1980) In the Pocket (1981) Commodores 13 (1983) Nightshift (1985) United (1986) Rock Solid (1988) Commodores Christmas (1992) No Tricks (1993) Singles "Slippery When Wet" (1975) "Just to Be Close to You" (1976) "Easy" (1977) "Brick House" (1977) "Too Hot ta Trot" (1978) "Three Times a Lady" (1978) "Sail On" (1979) "Still" (1979) "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" (1981) "Oh No" (1981) "Nightshift" (1985) "Take It From Me" (1987) Categories Albums Songs Book:Commodores

	"Activated" (1989) noicon Sample of the hit single
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Gerald Alston (born 8 November 1951) is an R&B singer, and the lead singer with The Manhattans. Between 1988 and 1995, he left the group to record five albums (later recording his tribute to Sam Cooke in 2008) and ten solo singles, including "Take Me Where You Want To." "Slow Motion" a remake of Atlantic Starr's "Send For Me" and "Activated", most of which was for Motown Records. He joined the Manhattans in 1970, shortly after the death of their former lead singer George Smith and helped the group remain a fixture on the R & B top ten as lead on songs like "Kiss And Say Goodbye," "There's No Me Without You", and "Shining Star". He is the nephew of Shirley Alston Reeves, former lead singer of The Shirelles and rejoined the group in 1995 after finding that "his solo career wasn't what he thought it would have been." (quote from A Touch Of Classic Soul of the Early 1980s - Marc Taylor, pg. 170.)

Discography[link]

• Take Me Where You Want To" (1998)
• "You Laid Your Eyes On Me" (1989)
• "Activated"
• "Stay A Little While"
• "Slow Motion" (1990)
• "Nothing Can Change"
• "Getting Back Into Love"
• "Hell Of A Situation (1991)
• "Tell Me This Night Won't End" (Motown)
• "Stay The Night" (Street Life)(1994)

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

• Gerald Alston at Allmusic

External links[link]

• Official website

This article about a United States rhythm and blues singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Rod Stewart
Stewart performing in Zaragoza, Spain, 5 November 2006.
Background information
Birth name	Roderick David Stewart
Also known as	"Rod the Mod"
Born	(1945-01-10) 10 January 1945 (age 67) Highgate, North London, England[1]
Genres	Rock, pop, blues rock, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Years active	1964–present
Labels	Mercury, Warner Bros., RCA,[2] J
Associated acts	Shotgun Express, The Steampacket, The Jeff Beck Group, Faces
Website	RodStewart.com

Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945)^[3] is a British singer-songwriter, born and raised in North London, England, and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English^[4] ancestry.

With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with The Jeff Beck Group and then Faces. He launched his solo career in 1969 with his debut album An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (US: The Rod Stewart Album). His work with The Jeff Beck Group and Faces influenced heavy metal genres.^[5][6]

With his career in its fifth decade, Stewart has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling artists of all time.^[7] In the UK, he has had six consecutive number one albums, and his tally of 62 hit singles include 31 that reached the top 10, six of which gained the number one position.^[8] He has had 16 top ten singles in the U.S, with four of these reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him the 17th most successful artist on the "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists".^[9] He was voted at #33 in Q Magazine's list of the top 100 Greatest Singers of all time,^[10] and #59 on Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Singers of all time.^[11] As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and was inducted a second time, as a member of Faces, in April 2012.^[12][13]

Early life[link]

Roderick David Stewart was born at 507 Archway Road, Highgate, North London, the youngest of the five children of Robert Stewart and Elsie Gilbart.^[14] His father was Scottish and had been a master builder in Leith, Edinburgh, while Elsie was English and had grown up in Upper Holloway in North London.^[15] Married in 1928,^[15] the couple had two sons and two daughters while living in Scotland, then they moved to Highgate.^[14] Stewart came after an eight-year gap following his youngest sibling; he was born at home during World War II, half an hour after a German V-2 missile warhead fell on the local Highgate police station.^[14][15]

The family was neither affluent nor poor, and by all accounts Stewart was a spoiled child as the youngest;^[14][15] Stewart has called his childhood "fantastically happy".^[15] He had an undistinguished record at Highgate Primary School and failed the eleven plus exam.^[16] He then attended the William Grimshaw Secondary Modern School in Hornsey.^[17] His father retired from the building trade at age 65, then opened a newsagent's shop on the Archway Road when Stewart was in his early teens; the family lived over the shop.^[14][15] Stewart's main hobby was railway modelling.^[18]

The Stewart family was mostly focused on football;^[19] Robert had played on a local amateur side and managed some as well, and one of Stewart's earliest memories were the pictures of Scottish players such as George Young and Gordon Smith that his brothers had on the wall.^[20][21] Rod was the most talented footballer in the Stewart family and was a strong supporter of Arsenal F.C..^[20][22] Combining natural athleticism with near-reckless aggression, he became captain of the school football team and played for Middlesex Schoolboys as centre-half.^[20]

The family were also great fans of the singer Al Jolson and would sing and play his hits.^[19][23] Stewart collected his records and saw his films, read books about him, and was influenced by his performing style and attitude towards his audience.^[19][21][24] His introduction to rock and roll was hearing Little Richard's 1956 hit "The Girl Can't Help It" and seeing Bill Haley & His Comets in concert.^[23] His father bought him a guitar in January 1959; the first song he learned was the folk tune "It Takes a Worried Man to Sing a Worried Song" and the first record he bought was Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody".^[18] In 1960, he joined a skiffle group with schoolfriends called the Kool Kats, playing Lonnie Donegan and Chas McDevitt hits.^[18][25]

Stewart left school at age 15^[26] and worked briefly as a silk screen printer.^[27] Spurred on by his father, his ambition was to become a professional footballer.^[22][26] In 1961 he joined on as an apprentice with Brentford F.C.,^[26][28][29] a Third Division club at the time.^[30] However, he disliked the early morning travel to West London and the daily assignment to clean the first team's boots.^[26] His playing effectiveness at centre-half was hindered by his slight build — 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) but only 9 stone (130 lb; 57 kg) — and he pushed himself so much that he sometimes vomited at the side of the pitch.^[26] After up to two months of play in pre-season fixtures,^{[nb 1]} Stewart left the team, to the great disappointment of his father.^[26] Stewart later reflected that: "I had the skill but not the enthusiasm."^[26] Regarding possible career options, Stewart concluded, "Well, a musician's life is a lot easier and I can also get drunk and make music, and I can't do that and play football. I plumped for music ... They're the only two things I can do actually: play football and sing."^[19][26]

Music career[link]

1961–63: Early efforts[link]

Stewart worked in the family shop and as a newspaper delivery boy,^[31] then as a grave digger at Highgate Cemetery,^[32] partly to face a childhood fear of death.^[31] He worked in a North Finchley funeral parlour^[31] and as a fence erector and sign writer.^[27] In 1961 he went to Denmark Street with The Raiders and got a singing audition with well-known record producer Joe Meek, but Meek stopped the session with a rude sound.^[33] Stewart began listening to British and American topical folk artists such as Ewan MacColl, Alex Campbell, Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and especially Derroll Adams and the debut album of Bob Dylan.^[33][34] He became attracted to beatnik attitudes and left-wing politics, living for a while in a beatnik houseboat at Shoreham-by-Sea.^[33] Stewart was an active supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament at this time, joining the annual Aldermaston Marches from 1961 to 1963 and being arrested on three occasions when he took part in sit-ins at Trafalgar Square and Whitehall for the cause.^[27][33] He also used the marches as a way to meet and bed girls.^[33][35] In 1962 he had his first serious relationship, with London art student Suzannah Boffey (and a friend of future model and actress Chrissie Shrimpton); he moved to a bed-sit in Muswell Hill to be near her.^[36] She became pregnant, but neither Rod nor his family wanted him to enter marriage; the baby girl was given for adoption and Rod's and Suzannah's relationship ended.^[36]

In 1962, Stewart began hanging around folk singer Wizz Jones, busking at Leicester Square and other London spots.^[37] Stewart took up playing the then-fashionable harmonica.^[38] On several trips over the next 18 months Jones and Stewart took their act to Brighton and then to Paris, sleeping under bridges over the River Seine, and then finally to Barcelona.^[37] Finally this resulted in Stewart being rounded up and deported from Spain for vagrancy during 1963.^[29][37][39]

In early 1962, Stewart joined The Ray Davies Quartet, later known as the successful British band The Kinks, as their lead singer. He had known three of their members at William Grimshaw School^[16][34] and at the time, Ray Davies was uncomfortable with the lead vocalist role.^[40] He performed with the group on at least one occasion, but was soon dropped due to complaints about his voice from then-drummer John Start's mother as well as musical differences with the band and (as Pete Quaife later recalled) Davies' fear that Stewart would take over.^[40][41]

In 1963, Stewart adopted the Mod lifestyle and look, and began fashioning the spiky rooster hairstyle that would become his trademark.^[42] (It originated from large amounts of his sisters' hair lacquer, backcombing, and his hands holding it in place to protect it from the winds of the Highgate Underground station.^[42][43]) Disillusioned by rock and roll, he saw Otis Redding perform in concert and began listening to Sam Cooke records; he became fascinated by rhythm and blues and soul music.^[42]

After returning to London, Stewart joined a rhythm and blues group, the Dimensions, in October 1963 as a harmonica player and part-time vocalist.^[28][44] It was his first professional job as a musician, although Stewart was still living at home and working in his brother's painting and picture frame shop.^[45][46] A somewhat more established singer from Birmingham, Jimmy Powell, then hired the group a few weeks later, and it became known as Jimmy Powell & the Five Dimensions, with Stewart being relegated to harmonica player.^[28][44] The group performed weekly at the famed Studio 51 club on Great Newport Street in London, where The Rolling Stones often headlined;^[44] this was Stewart's entrée into the thriving London R & B scene,^[47] and his harmonica playing improved in part from watching Mick Jagger on stage.^[38] Relations soon broke down between Powell and Stewart over roles within the group^[45] and Stewart departed.^{[nb 2]}

1964–67: Long John Baldry, Steampacket, and "Rod the Mod"[link]

On or around 5 January 1964,^{[nb 3]} Stewart was drunk and waiting on the Twickenham railway station platform, playing "Smokestack Lightnin'" on his harmonica after having seen a rhythm and blues show by Cyril Davies and the All Stars at Eel Pie Island.^[28][48][49] All Stars singer Long John Baldry discovered him and invited him to sit in with the group (which passed into his hands and was renamed the Hoochie Coochie Men when Davies died of leukaemia on 7 January); when Baldry discovered Stewart was a singer as well, he offered him a job for £35 a week, after securing the approval of Stewart's mother.^[48] Quitting his day job at age nineteen, Stewart gradually overcame his shyness and nerves and became a visible enough part of the act that he was sometimes added to the billing as "Rod the Mod" Stewart,^[38][48][50] the nickname coming from his dandyish style of grooming and dress.^[34] Baldry touted Stewart's abilities to Melody Maker magazine and the group enjoyed a weekly residence at London's fabled Marquee Club.^[50] In June 1964, Stewart made his recording début (without label credit) on "Up Above My Head", the B-side to a Baldry and Hoochie Coochie Men single.^[51]

While still with Baldry, Stewart embarked on a simultaneous solo career.^[52] He made some demo recordings,^{[nb 4]} was scouted by Decca Records at the Marquee Club and signed to a solo contract in August 1964.^[53] He appeared on several regional television shows around the country and recorded his first single in September 1964.^[52][53] Turning down Decca's recommended material as too commercial, Stewart insisted that the experienced session musicians he was given, including John Paul Jones, learn a couple of Sonny Boy Williamson songs he had just heard.^[54] The resulting single, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", was recorded released in October 1964; despite Stewart performing it on the popular television show Ready Steady Go!, it failed to enter the charts.^[53] Also in October Stewart left the Hoochie Coochie Men after having a row with Baldry.^[53]

Stewart played some dates on his own in late 1964 and early 1965, sometimes backed by the Southampton R & B outfit The Soul Agents.^[55] The Hoochie Coochie Men broke up, Baldry and Stewart patched up their differences (and indeed became lifelong friends),^[56] and legendary impresario Giorgio Gomelsky put together Steampacket, which featured Baldry, Stewart, Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll, Micky Waller, Vic Briggs, and Rick Brown; their first appearance was in support of The Rolling Stones in July 1965.^[57] The group was conceived as a white soul revue, analogous to The Ike & Tina Turner Revue, with multiple vocalists and styles ranging from jazz to R & B to blues.^[58] Steampacket toured with the Stones and The Walker Brothers that summer, ending in the London Palladium;^[58] seeing the audience react to the Stones gave Stewart his first exposure to crowd hysteria.^[59] Stewart, who had been included in the group upon Baldry's insistence, ended up with most of the male vocal parts.^[58] Steampacket was unable to enter the studio to record any material due to its members all belonging to different labels and managers,^[58][60] although Gomelsky did record one of their Marquee Club rehearsals.^{[nb 5]}

Stewart's "Rod the Mod" image gained wider visibility in November 1965, when he was the subject of a 30-minute Rediffusion, London television documentary titled "An Easter with Rod" that portrayed the Mod scene.^[29][61] His parallel solo career attempts continued on EMI's Columbia label with the November 1965 release of "The Day Will Come", a more heavily arranged pop attempt, and the April 1966 release of his take on Sam Cooke's "Shake", with the Brian Auger Trinity.^[61] Both failed commercially and neither gained positive notices.^[62] Stewart had spent the better part of two years listening mostly to Cooke; he later said, "I didn't sound like anybody at all ... but I knew I sounded a bit like Sam Cooke, so I listened to Sam Cooke."^[46] This recording solidified that singer's position as Stewart's idol and most enduring influence; he called it a "crossing of the water."^[34][46][58]

Stewart departed from Steampacket in March 1966,^[61] with Stewart saying he had been sacked and Auger saying he had quit.^[58] Stewart then joined a somewhat similar outfit, Shotgun Express, in May 1966 as co-lead vocalist with Beryl Marsden.^[58][61] Amongst the other members were Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green (who would go on to form Fleetwood Mac), and Peter Bardens.^[61] Shotgun Express released one unsuccessful single in October 1966, the orchestra-heavy "I Could Feel The Whole World Turn Round", before disbanding.^[58][61] Stewart later disparaged Shotgun Express as a poor imitation of Steampacket, and said "I was still getting this terrible feeling of doing other people's music. I think you can only start finding yourself when you write your own material."^[61] By now, Stewart had bounced around without achieving much success, with little to distinguish himself among other aspiring London singers other than the emerging rasp in his voice.^[47]

1967–69: Jeff Beck Group[link]

Guitarist Jeff Beck recruited Stewart for his new post-Yardbirds venture,^[63] and in February 1967, Stewart joined the Jeff Beck Group as vocalist and sometime songwriter.^[64] This would become the big break of his early career.^[34] There he first played with Ronnie Wood^[58] whom he had first met in a London pub in 1964;^[53] the two soon became fast friends.^[63] During its first year, the group experienced frequent changes of drummers and conflicts involving manager Mickie Most wanting to reduce Stewart's role; they toured the UK, and released a couple of singles that featured Stewart on their B-sides.^[64][65] Stewart's sputtering solo career also continued, with the March 1968 release of non-hit "Little Miss Understood" on Immediate Records.^[64] The Jeff Beck Group toured Western Europe in spring 1968, recorded, and were nearly destitute; then assistant manager Peter Grant booked them on a six-week tour of the United States starting in June 1968 with the Fillmore East in New York.^[64][66][67] The first-time-in-America Stewart suffered terrible stage fright during the opening show and hid behind the amplifier banks while singing; only a quick shot of brandy brought him out front.^[64] Nevertheless, the show and the tour were a big success,^[34][67] with Robert Shelton of The New York Times calling the group exciting and praising "the interaction of Mr. Beck's wild and visionary guitar against the hoarse and insistent shouting of Rod Stewart,"^[66] and New Musical Express reporting that the group was receiving standing ovations and pulling receipts equal to those of Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.^[64]

In August 1968, their first album Truth was released; by October it had risen to number 15 on the US albums chart but failed to chart in the UK.^[64] The radical, groundbreaking, landmark album featured Beck's masterly guitar technique and manipulated sounds as Stewart's dramatic vocalising tackled the group's varied repertoire of blues, folk, rock, and proto-heavy metal.^[47][65][68] Stewart also co-wrote three of the songs,^[68] and credited the record for helping to develop his vocal abilities and the sandpaper quality in his voice.^[46] The group toured America again at the end of the year to a very strong reception, then suffered from more personnel upheaval^[64][69] (something that would continue throughout Beck's career). In July 1969, Stewart left, following his friend Wood's departure.^[46][70] Stewart later recalled: "It was a great band to sing with but I couldn't take all the aggravation and unfriendliness that developed.... In the two and a half years I was with Beck I never once looked him in the eye – I always looked at his shirt or something like that."^[64] The group's second album, Beck-Ola, was released in June 1969 in the US and September 1969 in the UK, bracketing the time the group was dissolving; it also made number 15 in the US albums chart and placed to number 39 in the UK albums chart.^[34][70][71] During his time with the group, Stewart initially felt overmatched by Beck's presence, and his style was still developing; but later Stewart felt the two developed a strong musical, if not personal, rapport.^[64][72] Much of Stewart's sense of phrasing was developed during his time with the Jeff Beck Group.^[46] Beck sought to form a new supergroup with Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert (of the similarly just-breaking-up Vanilla Fudge) joining him and Stewart, but Stewart had other plans.^[73]