The making of Motown ....

[remicks]

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I'm reading the Motown story as told by Raynoma Gordy


Here's a passage .........

"I'd recently confided to a good friend that it wasn't just exhaustion that limited our sex life , but that Berry was hesitant about making love too often. "He says it depletes his business drive."

She just rolled her eyes and said ," Miss Ray, I beg your pardon , but s%@t, if a man wasn't sticking it to me five times a day , I'd kick his black ass out."

I laughed high at that. No wonder she was single. What I couldn't explain to her was that Berry and I were making love every minute of the day --- in making music and working together, in orchestrating the magic of everything that was happening. And with our new headquarters ( Hitsville) , we were both lustier than ever before, hungering for our next orgasmic hit.

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[remicks]

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here's some more :

" Miss Ray , I want to see my contract right now ," Mary Wells had demanded one day. "It's my right , and besides I know how much The Miracles are making."

"Wait a minute. It's a standard contract., and it's just a formality . What are you talking about , rights? We're not here to steal your money. You'll always be taken care of , don't even worry about it. This company is built on trust , and Mary," I looked at her questioningly, "loyalty. We want you to have what you deserve, so please , trust me. " I was quite firm. In later years , I would learn the importance of educating an artist in all the details of his or her contracts and career. But in those formative days, when the contracts were straight forward, I took demands like Mary's to be affronts to our business ethics. I did understand , however, the disappointment many felt upon receiving their first royalties.
"Wow, I got a hit song and now I’m going to be rich" and then ---- after all the costs of recording the song, promotional monies, and advances are subtracted

---- they'd open the envelope, "Twenty-nine dollars and fifty cents ?"


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[remicks]

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Locating HITSVILLE .....

Since we'd long outgrown Gladstone, I was scouting for a new heaquarters for Tamla. On a sweltering July Saturday morning, I spied a gray house trimmed in green with a "For Sale" sign posted out front. Like so many others on the street , it was a fairly innocuos two-story family dwelling. But one structural distinction, a big showcase window gracing the front of the housw , had caught my eye. I called the agent.
The house belonged to a photographer, the agent explained, as I saw that it was already set up for doing business; a reception area, just as youwalked inthe door, a medium-sized office to the left of the rceptoin area, and then of course , the window the photographer had used to display his pictures. To the right of the reception area, the owner had knocked down some walls , leaving a large space for several desks. So far, so good. As the agent excorted me to the back of the house , however , I almost swooned. There was a huge cinder block room that had been added as a dark room. I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect place for a recording studio.

And the upstairs second floor , had plenty of living space for the two of us and the boys.

West Grand Boulevard --- even the street name bespoke great things to come. Twenty-five thousand dolllatrs was the purchase price. Three thousand down and paymentys of one hundred and forty a month. Hopefully. I thought, standing out front on the walk not long after moving day ,we'd pop another smash song out soon, and not have to worry about our burgeoning expenses.

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[neonlights]

Some great passages there.. It's been several years since I read it, but I loved Raynoma Gordy-Singleton's book! Probably one of the best Motown memoirs that have been published so far..

I remember reading something from when the book came out, one of Berry Gordy's sisters when asked for comment said "it was a good fiction." Which is interesting, since none of them have specifically countered any of the things she said in the book whether in court or in the press..

[remicks]

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Neon ... I'm very much enjoying this book too . Love learning about Motown's history . I hope books will come about Casablanca (especially Casablanca) Salsoul, PI , Stax, etc. .....

From the early part of the book, I found these particular sentiments so especially compelling.

"I'd recently confided to a good friend that it wasn't just exhaustion that limited our sex life , but that Berry was hesitant about making love too often. "He says it depletes his business drive."
...........What I couldn't explain to her was that Berry and I were making love every minute of the day --- in making music and working together, in orchestrating the magic of everything that was happening. And with our new headquarters ( Hitsville) , we were both lustier than ever before, hungering for our next orgasmic hit.

This part struck me as superlatively romantic and dedicated . How could they not succeed ... an empire derived from the roots of such ardent commitment . What a beautiful thing ... all that was built through the determination of this devoted young couple. 8)

..or so I thought .....

that is .............. until Raynoma later in the book retells some other details to that part of the story :evil: :P



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[remicks]

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---- “We have great sex together, too, ” Margaret added. “In fact , that night you got married…. was he home?” My stomach clenched, a sick taste entered my mouth as she asked, “What does that mean to you that your husband slept with me on your wedding night? “
My marriage was over after this conversation. It could never be the same. I could never be the same.

Raynoma Gordy Singleton about her wonderful husband and business partner: Berry Gordy Jr.
page 130 ---- BERRY , ME AND MOTOWN The Untold Story



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[Cory Ander]

on the same subject and from the musician's point of view I'd recommend the documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown". Very revealing, informative and entertaining......