Monday 18 April 2011

Major divisions

  • 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, 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 incorporated 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 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, Teena Marie, The Mary Jane Girls, 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 single "I Second That EMotion" by Diana Ross & the Supremes with The Temptations

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