- Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris), is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Wonder has recorded more than thirty Top 10 hits, won twenty-two Grammy Awards (a record for a solo artist), plus one for lifetime achievement, won an Academy Award for Best Song and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame. - Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, record producer and performer who gained international fame as an artist on the Motown label in the 1960s and 1970s. Beginning his career at Motown in 1961, Gaye quickly became Motown's top solo male artist and scored numerous hits during the 1960s, among them "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", … - Teena Marie
Teena Marie is an American singer/songwriter/producer. "Lady T" is a protegé of late funk legend Rick James, and is notable as one of the few successful Caucasian R&B performers, currently the reputed queen of blue-eyed soul. After signing with Motown Records in 1976 as a backup singer, Teena hooked up with James for her first album titled "Wild and Peaceful", released in 1979. - Tammi Terrell
Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Winifred Montgomery was an American soul singer, most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter/Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in 1965 and enjoyed modest success as a solo singer. Once she was paired with Gaye in 1967, her star rose, but in the fall of that year she collapsed on stage into Gaye's arms during a performance. - James Jamerson
James Jamerson (January 29, 1938 - August 2, 1983) was an American musician. He was the uncredited bassist on most of Motown Records' hits in the 1960s and early 1970s, and he has become regarded as one of the most influential bass guitar players in modern music history. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. - Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong (born 5 February 1941 in West Point, Mississippi) is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and is the performer on the company's first hit, "Money (That's What I Want)" (#2 U.S. R&B in 1960, on the Tamla label). In the mid 1960s, Strong became a Motown staff lyricist, teaming with producer Norman Whitfield. - Kim Weston
Kim Weston (born Agatha Natalie Weston, December 20 1939, in Detroit, Michigan) is an African American soul singer, and Motown Records alumna. She was signed to the record label in 1963, scoring a minor hit with "Love Me All the Way (R&B #24, Pop #88). Her largest solo hits with Motown were "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)" (R&B #4, Pop #50, 1965; later covered by The Isley Brothers and The Doobie Brothers) and "Helpless" (R&B #13, Pop #56, … - Michael Bivins
Michael Lam Bivins, aka Biv, (born August 10 1968 in Boston, Massachusetts) is the founder and member of the R&B group New Edition and the hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe. Not only does he perform in both groups, but he also discovers, manages, and produces for other acts, most notably Another Bad Creation, MC Brains, Boyz II Men, and 702, all of which who were signed to his Motown distributed label Biv 10 Records, prior to him discovering them. - Sylvia Rhone
When Sylvia Rhone was named chairman of Atlantic's Elektra Entertainment Group in 1994, the veteran music executive achieved two industry milestones: She became the first woman and the first African-American to be tapped to run a major label. Ms. Rhone has been breaking ground for years. At Elektra, she guided the delicate merger of Elektra, East West and Sire Records and fashioned one of Warner Music Group's most competitive labels. - Joe Hunter
Joseph Edward Hunter (November 19 1927 - February 2, 2007) was an African-American musician, known for his recording session work as a pianist in Motown Records' in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers. One of the original Funk Brothers, Hunter served as band director for the band from 1959 until 1964, when he left Motown and was replaced by Earl Van Dyke. He is a native of Jackson, Tennessee, USA. Though his time with the Funk Brothers was short, … - Philip Bailey
Philip Bailey (born May 8 1951, Denver, Colorado) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, best known as one of the longtime members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Together with Verdine White and Ralph Johnson he forms the heart of the current EWF line-up on stage. Before joining Earth, Wind & Fire in 1971, Bailey sung with different ensembles in the Denver and Chicago area. Bailey found fame by sharing the lead vocals on EWF songs with EWF-founder Maurice White. - Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd (born Eddie Lee Floyd, 25 June 1935, Montgomery, Alabama) is a soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s. Floyd was born in Alabama, but grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He founded The Falcons, which also featured "Sir" Mack Rice. They were forerunners to future Detroit vocal groups such as The Temptations and The Four Tops. - Frank Wilson
Frank Wilson is an African American former songwriter and record producer for Motown Records. He joined the company in 1965, working with Brenda Holloway. He went on to write and produce hit records for Brenda Holloway, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Eddie Kendricks, and more. Wilson also tried his hand at being a recording artist himself, … - Earl van Dyke
Earl Van Dyke (July 8, 1930, Detroit, Michigan - September 18, 1992) was an African American musician, most notable as the main keyboardist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Van Dyke was preceded as keyboardist and bandleader of the Funk Brothers by Joe Hunter. Besides his work as the session keyboardist on popular Motown hits such as "Bernadette" by The Four Tops, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, … - Remy Shand
Remy Shand (born in 1978 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian R&B/soul singer, who released his debut album, "The Way I Feel", on Motown Records in 2002. - Johnny Bristol
Johnny Bristol (born John William Bristol, February 3 1939 - March 21 2004), was an African American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a native of Morganton, North Carolina. - Katherine Jackson
Katherine Jackson (born Katherine Esther Scruse on May 4, 1930) is the matriarch of the Jacksons musical dynasty and the mother of pop music icons Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. - Bob Babbitt
Bob Babbitt (born Robert Kreinar) is an American bassist, most famous for his work as a member of Motown Records' studio band, the Funk Brothers. Babbitt traded off sessions with main Motown bassist James Jamerson, and was favored over Jamerson by producer Norman Whitfield. Over the course of his career, Babbit has played on over 200 Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits, for Motown and other labels as well. - Marv Johnson
Marvin Earl Johnson was an American R&B and soul singer most notable for performing on the first record to ever come from Motown. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Johnson began his career singing with a doo-wop group called the Serenaders in the mid-1950s. With budding talents not only as a singer but as a songwriter and pianist, he would eventually be discovered by Motown CEO Berry Gordy, … - Levi Stubbs
Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles) (born June 6, 1936) is most famous as the lead singer of the Motown group, The Four Tops, from 1954 until 2000 when he fell ill due to bouts with diabetes and cancer. - Henry Cosby
Henry "Hank" Cosby (May 12, 1928, Detroit, Michigan - January 22 2002, Detroit, Michigan) was an African American songwriter and record producer for Motown Records. Although he worked with many of the label's artists, from The Supremes to The Temptations, Cosby is best known for helming many of Stevie Wonder's early hits, including "My Cherie Amour", "I Was Made to Love Her", and "Uptight (Everything's Alright)". - Uriel Jones
Uriel Jones (born 13 June 1934 in Detroit, Michigan) is an African-American musician. Jones was a recording session drummer for Motown Records' in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers, during the 1960s and early 1970s. Jones played the drum tracks on successful Motown recordings such as "The Tracks of My Tears" by The Miracles, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & the Pips. - Johnny Griffith
Johnny Griffith (John Ellis Griffith Jnr, born 10 July 1936 in Detroit, Michigan, died 10 November2002 in Detroit, Michigan) was an African-American musician. Griffith played piano and keyboards for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers studio band. Among the hundreds of Motown recordings Griffith played on are "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" by Four Tops, and "Stop! In the Name of Love" by The Supremes. - Suzanne de Passe
Suzanne de Passe (born in 1948 in New York City, New York) is an American entertainment executive; the CEO of television production company de Passe Entertainment; and the first (and so far, only) African-American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for writing. De Passe first became notable as an executive for Motown Records, a company which she joined in 1968 after being introduced to Motown chief Berry Gordy by Supremes member Cindy Birdsong. - Robert White
Robert White (born 19 November 1936 in Billmyre, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA; died 27 October 1994 in Los Angeles, California, USA) was an African-American musician. Of note for being one of the main guitarists for Motown Records' in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers, White is best known for performing the familiar guitar riff on The Temptations' number-one hit single "My Girl", but played the guitar on many successful Motown records, … - Joe Messina
Joe Messina (born in Detroit, Michigan on 13 December 1928) is an American guitarist. Dubbed the "white brother with soul", Messina was one of the most prolific guitarists in Motown Records' in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers. Messina started playing guitar as an adolescent. By his mid-twenties, Messina was playing in the ABC Television studio band, accompanying guests that included Sonny Stitt, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Jack Teagarden, Lee Konitz, Jimmy Giuffre, … - Eddie Willis
Eddie "Chank" Willis (born 3 June 1936 in Grenada, Mississippi) is an African-American musician. Willis played electric guitar and occasional electric sitar for Motown Records' in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers, during the 1960s and early 1970s. Willis is known for his signature style of muted guitar riffs which added a distinctive tone or "color" to the beat, often timed with the snare, of the hundreds of hit songs recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. for Motown artists. - Dennis Coffey
Dennis Coffey (born in Detroit, Michigan) is an American guitarist, notable as a prominent studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings. Coffey learned to play guitar when he was 13 in Ontonagon County in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. At 15 he played on his first record session backing Vic Gallon on "I'm Gone" on the Gondola label. In the early 1960s he joined The Royaltones who had had hits with "Poor Boy" in 1958 and "Flamingo Express" in 1961. - Chuck Jackson
Chuck Jackson (born 1937) is an R&B singer who was one of the first artists to successfully record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. He has performed with moderate success since 1961. His hits include "I Don't Want to Cry," "Any Day Now," and "I Keep Forgettin'." He was born on July 22, 1937 in Latta, South Carolina, but was raised in Pittsburgh. He was "discovered" when he opened for soul legend Jackie Wilson at the Apollo Theater. - R. Dean Taylor
R. Dean Taylor (born 1939) is a Canadian born singer, most famous as an artist, songwriter, and record producer for Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. - Barbara McNair
Barbara McNair (March 4 1934 - February 4 2007) was an African-American singer and actress. Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Her big break came with a win on Arthur Godfrey's "Talent Scouts", which led to bookings at The Purple Onion and the Cocoanut Grove. - Drake Bell
Jared Drake Bell (Born June 27, 1986), better known as Drake Bell, is an American actor, guitarist, and singer/songwriter. After beginning his career as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he appeared on "The Amanda Show" and became well known among young audiences for his role on the series "Drake & Josh". In addition to his acting, Bell has a growing career as a musician and released his debut album, "Telegraph", … - Keith Robinson
Keith Robinson is an American actor and R&B singer. Robinson was born in Kentucky, grew up in the Augusta, Georgia suburb of Evans, and later moved to Atlanta. While attending the University of Georgia, Robinson signed a recording contract with Motown Records, although the label never issued any of his material. Moving to Los Angeles and touring to acting, Robinson gained a starring role in the TV series "Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue" as Joel Rawlings, … - Clarence Avant
Clarence Avant is a music executive who is widely renowned for his sincere dedication to pioneering opportunities within the recording industry. During his 40 year career, Avant has represented the likes of blues artist Little Willie John, rock and roll pioneer Tom Wilson, and jazz producer Creed Taylor. In the late 1960s, Avant successfully engineered the first joint venture between an African-American artist and a major record company. - Anna Gordy Gaye
Anna Gordy Gaye (born 1922) is the eldest sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy and was the first wife of soul legend Marvin Gaye. Born Anna Ruby Gordy in Detroit, Michigan, she was thirty-eight when she first met Marvin Gaye while the two were at a Christmas party at the Motown studios. At the time, Gaye was signed to Motown as a session musician. By the time he signed as a solo act for the label in 1961, he and Anna had started a romantic relationship. - Pam Sawyer
Pamela Sawyer is an American songwriter most noted for her tenure at Motown Records from 1967 to 1977. Sawyer co-wrote several hits for artists such as The Supremes, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and others during her time at the label. Among her co-compositions are singles such as "Love Child", "Love Hangover" and "My Mistake (Was to Love You)". She has also written for many non-Motown artists, including The O'Jays and Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles. - Kiki Dee
Kiki Dee (born Pauline Matthews on 6 March 1947, in Little Horton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) is a highly successful singer/songwriter, with a career that has lasted over 40 years. Her most famous song was a duet with Elton John, entitled "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", which was released in 1976 and went to Number 1. (She later performed another duet with Elton John for his "Duets" album, … - Ron Tyson
Ron Tyson (born Ronald Tyson Presson on February 8 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American tenor/falsetto singer and songwriter. Tyson, raised in Monroe, North Carolina, is the current tenor for long-lived singing group The Temptations, filling the role made famous by Eddie Kendricks in the 1960s. Before joining the Tempts in 1983, he wrote for them on their Atlantic album, "Hear To Tempt You". - Bunny Debarge
Bunny Debarge (born Etterlene DeBarge, 15 March 1955, Grand Rapids, Michigan) is a female soprano who was a member of the 1980s Motown group, DeBarge. She is best known for her duet with her brother El DeBarge on "Share My World". - Marv Tarplin
Marvin "Marv" Tarplin (born in Detroit, Michigan) is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for The Miracles during the 1960s,and is one of the group's original members. Tarplin began his career accompanying a teenage Detroit girl group known as The Primettes (later The Supremes). The Primettes sought an audition with Motown Records, …
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