Tag Archives: Living For The City

Music Monday: September 4, 2023

Posted in Music, Music Monday by

Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Bruce quote 2023

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

In the spirit of the Labor Day holiday, I pay homage to one of the hardest working genres of music which started over six decades ago and remains one of my favorites of all time.

In 1958 Berry Gordy Jr. borrowed $800 from his family (equivalent to about $8,500 today) to start Tamla Records in Detroit, Michigan which became Motown Records. The website does not list an actual date for this event only the year. But many music sites list the founding date as June 7, 1958. Regardless of the actual day it was started, 2023 marks the 65th anniversary of one of the greatest & most soulful styles of music the world ever saw.

Gordy’s affinity for music began when he owned a record store and started composing songs. After co-writing “Reet Petite” for Jackie Wilson and discovering The Miracles in 1957, Gordy was inspired to start his own label (which is owned today by the Universal Music Group) after he received a royalty check for only $3.19 in 1958 after leasing the first two Miracles singles to End Records in New York. Gordy used the knowledge he learned from his time as a Ford automotive worker by using the company’s assembly line philosophy to prepare his artists for musical careers. There were lessons in singing, choreography, stage performance and all night rehearsals of every kind.

Berry 1961

Berry Gordy Jr. circa 1961 (top) and circa 2011 (bottom). (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

From those hallowed halls of Hitsville, USA we were introduced to Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Marvelettes (who had the first #1 hit for the label, the first of today’s three songs), The Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Junior Walker & The All Stars and more. The label also gave us one of the greatest house bands of all time, The Funk Brothers.

This year two seminal Motown albums celebrate their golden anniversary. Wonder’s sixteenth studio album, Innervisions, was released on August 3, 1973. Gaye’s thirteenth record, Let’s Get It On, was released on August 28, 1973. The title track hit the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 on September 8, 1973 for the first of two inconsecutive weeks.

Thank you, Berry Gordy, for the priceless and phenomenal gift of Motown. And to nearly every artist on the label in its first unbelievably great decade, I remain in complete awe of the beauty of your songs.

Top: A Marvelettes compilation album. Middle: Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions album. Bottom: Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On album. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Marvelettes: “Please Mr. Postman” (1961, written by Robert Bateman, Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman and Brian Holland).

Stevie Wonder: “Living For The City” (1973, written by Stevie Wonder).

Marvin Gaye: “Let’s Get It On” (1973, written by Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend).

Stay safe and well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 308

Posted in Holidays, Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

4951d9fdd4e4d3c05a376ab06815412c

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Many admirers of civil rights activist & Baptist minister Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr., campaigned for years to make his birthday a federal holiday. King, who was born January 15, 1929 and led the fight for racial equality through nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his work & leadership by example.

One of the people who worked for King’s recognition was Stevie Wonder. He wrote a song in 1980 about King’s birthday to help get the word out about the proposed holiday. When it finally happened in 1986, Wonder celebrated by hosting a concert in Washington, D.C. That city’s National Mall became home to a memorial dedicated to King in 2011. His words proved to be as valuable as his actions as their power continues to influence generations more than 50 years after his death. One of my favorite quotes of his is, “Only in the darkness can you see the stars”. Today we remember Dr. King born 92 years ago with a song from one of his biggest supporters.

“A boy is born in hard time Mississippi
Surrounded by four walls that ain’t so pretty
His parents give him love and affection
To keep him strong, moving in the right direction
Living just enough, just enough for the city“.

Stevie

Stevie Wonder circa 1986 after King’s birthday was declared a federal holiday. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Stevie Wonder: “Living For The City” (1973, written by Stevie Wonder).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.