MotownSound (2019-09-16)

DDEX Data Dictionary for Allowed Value Sets, 2019-09-16

MotownSound

Named after the legendary Detroit record label founded by Berry Gordy, Motown was the first African-American owned label featuring African-American artists to achieve American mainstream popular success. The 'Motown Sound' characterized by soft, smooth, soulful vocals over simple, straight-forward arrangements with highly memorable melodic hooks echoing throughout the instrumentation. Motown's success and distinctive sound can be attributed to the use of the same songwriters, producers, musicians and studio for every recording. Notably, the Funk Brothers, a group of highly-talented session musicians who helped defined the sound and craft of Motown's music.

Relationships
Parents	RAndB	Originally a marketing term for popular African-American music with a strong beat, R&B has since come to define a few specific styles that are perhaps as much sonic as racial categories. The term has several distinct associated sounds, depending on the era. In the early 50s, R&B described popular blues records, and in the mid-50s, the term came to denote gospel and soul music, as well as popular styles with elements of electric blues, acoustically similar to contemporary rock and roll (which itself grew out of early R&B). In the 70s, it largely referred to soul and funk, and in the 80s, the term began to refer to a sonic hybrid of earlier R&B, pop, soul, funk, rap, and electronic music. It has morphed and evolved while maintaining this hybrid identity to the present day, taking on newer production and performance styles as time passes.
Belongs to AVS	avs:SubGenre	A Type of SubGenre.