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CHAPTER 6 1960–1970, Motown Pop
and Southern Soul
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CHAPTER 6: Motown Pop and Southern Soul
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Motown Records was located in which city?
a. Detroit c. Cleveland
b. Memphis d. Chicago
2. The period 1964–1967 at Motown was dominated by which writing and production team?
a. William “Mickey” Stevenson and William “Smokey” Robinson
b. Berry Gordy and Mary Wells
c. Valerie Ashford and Nick Simpson
d. Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland
3. What was the purpose of the “quality control” meetings at Motown?
a. to decide which songs to record
b. to hold a final test for each song, including its arrangement and recorded sound
c. to determine which artists would be signed to the label
d. to decide what type of choreography would be used in performance
4. Who was Cholly Atkins?
a. He was a Motown songwriter.
b. He was hired by Berry Gordy to teach etiquette to Motown artists.
c. He was a choreographer who taught artists onstage movements and dance steps.
d. He was the co-owner of Motown Records.
5. Which member of the Supremes left the group in 1969 to focus on a solo career?
a. Diana Ross c. Martha Reeves
b. Florence Ballard d. Mary Wilson
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6. On the song “Baby Love,” what was used to create the hand clap–like sounds in the introduction?
a. a group of studio musicians clapping
b. a drummer hitting the rim of a snare drum
c. two-by-fours slapping together
d. members of the Supremes stamping their feet on the studio floor
7. Which Motown group showcased the high tenor voice of Eddie Kendricks?
a. the Supremes c. the Temptations
b. the Four Tops d. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
8. Originally, Martha Reeves was hired by Motown as a
a. songwriter. c. member of the Vandellas.
b. backup singer. d. secretary.
9. Which singer performed lead vocals in the Four Tops?
a. Smokey Robinson c. Levi Stubbs
b. Duke Fakir d. Marvin Gaye
10. Stevie Wonder’s first number-one hit on the pop and rhythm-and-blues chart was
a. “Fingertips, Pt. 2.”
b. “My Cherie Amour.”
c. “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You.”
d. “Stubborn Kind of Fellow.”
11. Berry Gordy’s desire to appeal to white audiences prompted
a. Motown to fold as a label.
b. numerous Motown hits to cross over to country and western charts.
c. accusations that Motown had sold out.
d. the rock community to embrace Motown as the “real thing.”
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32. Martha and the Vandellas were former members of which group?
a. the Del-Phins c. the Primettes
b. the Primes d. the Fabulous Flames
33. Which of the following labels had their artists tour the UK with hopes of creating a “reverse
invasion”?
a. Chess c. Motown
b. Stax d. Atlantic
SHORT ANSWER
1. By following the example of ________ with 1950s crossovers, Berry Gordy decided that original
versions of Motown recordings should be acceptable to white audiences.
2. The nickname for Motown Records was ________.
3. What was the purpose of the Motown “charm school”?
4. The Supremes had a string of hit songs written and produced by ________.
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MATCHING
Match the item to the description below.
a. a cover version was recorded by Aretha Franklin
b. a studio band for Motown Records
c. music producer who worked with Atlantic and Stax Records
d. a hit song for the Temptations
e. had hit duet songs with Tammi Terrell
f. songwriters from Stax Records
g. the last song released before Diana Ross started her solo career
h. two members from Booker T. & the MG’s
i. a group that worked with James Brown for a period of time
j.
nickname for Stax Records
1. the Funk Brothers
2. “Someday We’ll Be Together”
3. “My Girl”
4. Marvin Gaye
5. Jerry Wexler
6. David Porter and Isaac Hayes
7. Soulsville, USA
8. “Respect”
9. Cropper and Dunn
10. the Fabulous Flames
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ESSAY
1. Discuss how earlier rock-and-roll music and music industry influences were connected to the soul
music of the 1960s. What previous trends from the 1950s and early 1960s influenced musicians and
individuals in the soul music industry? Be sure to cite specific examples.
ANS:
answers vary
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
2. Compare the musical styles of Motown, Stax, and Atlantic Records. How did they differ in their
approach to soul music? Which aspects of the recording and business side of the operations affected
the music that was produced? Cite specific song and artist examples to help demonstrate these
differences.
ANS:
answers vary
PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
3. Discuss the cultural impact of soul music in the 1960s. How was soul music perceived in the era of
the civil rights movement? What other social events were significant to soul music during the 1960s?
ANS:
answers vary
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
4. Discuss James Brown’s career in soul music. How did his career as an artist differ from that of
Motown, Stax, or Atlantic artists? How did he develop his musical style through the 1960s and into
the 1970s?
ANS:
answers vary
PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
5. Discuss the rise of black pop music in the 1960s with regard to accusations of Motown “selling out”
to white America. What prompted such claims? How did attitudes toward “blackness” change
throughout the decade?
ANS:
answers vary
PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
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TRUE/FALSE
1. Berry Gordy’s method of production was derived from Brill Building practices.
2. The quintessential Motown girl group in the 1960s was the Temptations.
3. Marvin Gaye initially sought a career as a pop crooner in the vein of Frank Sinatra and Nat “King”
Cole.
4. Curtis Mayfield was most famously involved as a producer for the Four Tops.
5. There are no stylistic differences between Atlantic’s approaches to sweet soul and southern soul.
6. In the early 1960s, Stax was a much smaller operation than Motown.
7. The “delayed backbeat” is a concept specific to the Chess record label.
8. Berry Gordy’s desire to appeal to white audiences prompted criticism that Motown sold out to white
America.
9. Rock communities embraced southern R&B as the “real thing.”
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10. James Brown often fined musicians who made mistakes during performances.
11. By the early 1970s, the music of Marvin Gay, the Temptations, and Stevie Wonder increasingly
considered issues related to black urban life.
12. According to Berry Gordy, Motown artists had to project an image of class and sophistication.