- 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)", … - Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an R&B and soul singer and songwriter. Robinson is noted for being one of the primary figures associated with the Motown record label, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy. As both a member of Motown group The Miracles and a solo artist, Robinson recorded thirty-seven Top 40 hits for Motown between 1960 and 1987, and also served as the company's Vice President from 1961 to 1988. - Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. (b. November 28 1929, Detroit, Michigan) is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label and its many subsidiaries. - Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American R&B/soul singer and actress. She is best known for the hits she recorded during the 1960s and 1970s, for both the Motown and Buddah Records labels, with her group Gladys Knight & the Pips, the most famous incarnation of which also included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and her cousins Edward Patten and William Guest. - Martha Reeves
Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941 in Eufaula, Alabama) is an American R&B and soul singer and was the lead singer of the legendary Motown girl group Martha & the Vandellas. During her tenure as Motown's reigning female chart-topper, second only to Diana Ross in the 1960s, Reeves and the Vandellas scored over a dozen hit singles including "Dancing in the Street", "Nowhere to Run" and "Jimmy Mack". - Rick James
Rick James (born James Ambrose Johnson, Jr) (February 1 1948 - August 6 2004) was one of the most popular artists on the Motown label during the late 1970s and early 1980s. James was famous for his wild brand of funk music and his trademark braids, sporting them well before the style was popularized. As time went on, James was given the unofficial title "The King of Punk-Funk". - Mary Wells
Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 - July 26, 1992) was an American soul, R&B, and pop singer. Most famous for her 1964 hit "My Guy", she was one of the signature voices of Motown and their first big star. - 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. - Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr was an American soul music singer. Born Charles Edwin Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee, Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War". - Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. He is noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style and was one of the lead singers of the Motown singing group The Temptations during the 1960s and early 1970s, and also for recording hits as a solo artist during the 1970s. - Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson (born March 6, 1944 in Greenville, Mississippi) is an American singer best known for her work as a member of the Motown soul and pop group The Supremes. Wilson was the only Supreme who remained in the group from the very beginning in 1959, when the group was known as The Primettes, until the very end, when the group was dissolved in 1977. As a member of the Supremes, Wilson (along with Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and later, … - Lamont Dozier
Lamont Dozier was born and raised in Detroit, and was surrounded by music as a child. He began writing lyrics and music before he was a teenager. At the age of 13, Dozier founded The Romeos, was signed to Atco Records in 1957. The band had a charting R&B record with the song, "Fine Fine Baby". Shortly thereafter, The Romeos broke up, Dozier joined The Voicemasters, a doo-wop band on Anna Records. - 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. - Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield (born in Harlem, New York in 1943) is an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s. He is credited as being one of the creators of the Motown Sound, as well as one of the major instrumental figures in the late-60s sub-genre of psychedelic soul. - Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards (born February 3, 1943 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American soul and R&B singer, most noted for being one of Motown act The Temptations' lead singers. A member of The Contours during the late-1960s, Edwards soon replaced David Ruffin as lead singer of The Temptations in 1968 after Ruffin was fired for what has been deemed unprofessional behavior. Edwards had been a friend of the group before hand and in particular had been a friend of Ruffin's. - Joan Osborne
Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her song "One of Us." - 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. - Florence Ballard
Florence Glenda Ballard Chapman, nicknamed "Flo" or "Blondie" was an American singer, and one of the original lead singers of the Motown act The Supremes. By 1967, both Ballard's and her band mate Mary Wilson's importance diminished within The Supremes as Diana Ross was spotlighted as the group's focal point. - 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. - 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. - Paul Williams
Paul Williams was an American second tenor/baritone singer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the popular Motown group The Temptations. Along with David Ruffin, Otis Williams (no relation), and fellow Alabamians Eddie Kendricks and Melvin Franklin, Williams was a member of The Temptations during their most successful years in the 1960s, later dubbed the "Classic 5" period. - James Ingram
James Ingram (born February 16, 1956 in Akron, Ohio) is an American soul musician, famous for his vocal performance. He is also a producer and songwriter. - Leon Ware
Leon Ware (born February 6, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan) is a soul music singer, songwriter and producer who found his biggest success crafting the hit album, "I Want You", for friend and Motown icon Marvin Gaye in 1976. Ware also is notable for writing the Top 5 R&B single, "I Wanna Be Where You Are", for a young Michael Jackson in 1972 and creating the "Body Heat" Album along with Quincy Jones. - Brenda Holloway
Brenda Holloway (born June 21, 1946 in Atascadero, California) is an African-American singer and songwriter best known for her period as a recording artist for the Motown label during the 1960s. - Freda Payne
Freda Charcelia Payne (born September 19 1942 in Detroit, Michigan) is an African-American singer and actress. She is the sister of Scherrie Payne, the final lead singer for the Motown act The Supremes. - Willie Hutch
Willie McKinley Hutchinson, known professionally as Willie Hutch (December 6, 1944 - September 19, 2005) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Hutch, born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Dallas, Texas, is notable as both a performer and songwriter/producer for the Motown label during the 1970s. Before joining Motown, Hutch worked as a producer for acts such as The 5th Dimension. - Boney James
James "Boney James" Oppenheim, (born September 1, 1961 in Lowell, Massachusetts) is a saxophonist who popularized urban jazz (an updated version of contemporary jazz that contains elements of hip-hop). Boney James is a two-time Grammy nominee and a Soul Train Award winner. He has accumulated three Gold records. His current and tenth CD, "Shine", debuted at #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts, #6 on the R+B chart and #44 on the Pop Chart. - Graham Parker
Graham Parker and the Rumour (Parker, with Brinsley Schwarz and Martin Belmont on guitars, Bob Andrews on keyboards, Andrew Bodnar on bass and Steve Goulding on drums) formed in the summer of 1975 and began doing the rounds of the British pub rock scene. The band was also augmented at times by a four-man horn section known as The Rumour Brass: John "Irish" Earle (sax), Chris Gower (trombone), Dick Hanson (trumpet), and Ray Bevis (sax). - Chris Clark
Chris Clark (born February 1, 1946) in Santa Cruz, California, is an American Motown soul singer. Clark became famous in England as the "white Negress" (a nickname meant as a compliment), since the platinum blonde, blue-eyed soul songstress toured with fellow Motown artists. Recording on the V.I.P. label for Motown, Chris Clark is still acknowledged by the Northern Soul community for songs such as 1965's "Do Right Baby Do Right" (by Berry Gordy, … - Will Hoge
Will Hoge is a Nashville, Tennessee, based singer-songwriter who plays rock and roll music. His sound has been compared to the likes of Bruce Springsteen and The Black Crowes. Will infuses his brand of rock and roll with the blues, country and the Motown sound and is famous for his high-energy live performances. Sony recording artist Josh Hoge is his younger brother. - Journalist
Journalist (Born Rafiek George, 24) is an underground hip hop rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He gives much of the credit for his success to his mother who worked hard to raise 5 other family members. After graduating he went out to get a recording contract. Supporting himself as a public speaker, youth counselor, and taking parts in talent shows, … - Billy Davis
Roquel Billy Davis (July 11 1932 - September 2 2004) of Detroit was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Davis is best known as a songwriter for a number of soul musicians label, and as a writer/producer of commercial jingles, mostly for Coca-Cola. Early in his career, Davis worked with an early version of The Four Tops called "The Four Aims", which included his cousin Lawrence Payton. - El Debarge
Eldra Patrick DeBarge (born June 4, 1961 in Grand Rapids, Michigan) is an American R&B and soul falsetto singer, the focal point and lead singer of the DeBarge family group throughout the early 1980s. He is currently married to Monique DeBarge but the two are separated. - Jack Ashford
Jack Ashford (born 1934 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an African-American musician, widely known as the percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing the tambourine on hundreds of Motown recordings. His definitive performance is on "War" by Edwin Starr; other notable songs Ashford played tambourine on include "Nowhere to Run" by Martha & the Vandellas, … - 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. - 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. - 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, … - 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. - 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, … - Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua, born July 27 1929 in Louisville, Kentucky, is an African-American soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive. He is noted for being one the key figures in the development of the Motown label in Detroit, Michigan: his doo-wop group gave Marvin Gaye his start in his career, and he and his wife Gwen Gordy distributed the very first Motown hit single, Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", on their record label, …
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