Smokey Robinson

“Smokey” Robinson. After being turned away by Jackie Wilson’s manager, a dejected Smokey Robinson was heading back to his car and Berry Gordy stopped him and told him he liked the songs they were auditioning (Gordy 90-92, Posner23-25). After more conversation Berry discovered that Smokey had written over 100 songs and Berry ask to look and critique them, leading to a lifelong business and friendship between the two. This meeting would actually lead to the development of Motown Records, with Smokey Robinson becoming an integral part of the story. After receiving a mere $3.19 royalty check from his songwriting, Berry is told by Smokey Robinson that if that’s all you are making you might as well start your own company (Hirshey 133). The light…

lead to the development of Motown artists. In my opinion, it is almost like during this time period female artists were trying to gain the respect they deserved. Many women repeatedly stated that they wanted to look like Diana Ross. This was very important to the racial tension during this time period. White people wanted nothing to do with black people creating this strain between races. With the comments women made about their feelings toward Diana, this shows the cultural boundaries Motown…

How do you define a generation? Relate to a whole ethnicity? Or make everyone come together as one? The answer is with music. In 1959 a man named Berry Gordy made a small business in Detroit Michigan with a small loan from his family to start something amazing. This amazing thing was a recording studio by the name of motown records. Berry Gordy was the son of a Plantation owner and his female slave. They relocated to detroit because his father found a better job working for the automotive…

Motown Records was created by Berry Gordy on January 12, 1959. Motown made its impact on the music industry forever. Artists that we know as legends today such as Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and The Jackson 5 started in Motown. Together their music brought a community together. Motown started with just a man and 800 dollars loaned from his family. Berry Gordy was a dreamer, and also a teacher, producer, and entrepreneur.Gordy as an African American owner wanted to make a…

What’s Going On 2 Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On is one of my favorite songs. Honestly, every generation down through the years can ask this question. What’s Going On? What’s going on with our children, with in our homes, in our schools, in our cities, in our nation? There are far too many mothers crying from the loss of their sons or even their daughters…

Marvin Gaye makes a lot of bold statements in his song, “What's Going On”. His song is a timeless piece of work that will always be relevant no matter the year. The song was made in the year 1971, which was a decade littered with war. Coincidentally, the song can be applied to 2016 with the current news of hate crime. Marvin Gaye says, “Don't punish me with brutality. Talk to me. So you can see. What's going on.” I chose this line because it really speaks to me. As an Indian American, there is…

Marvin Gaye was an American singer, record producer and songwriter. During the 1970’s, he recorded “What’s Going On”. The spring of 1970 was a dark time for Marvin Gaye and this song helped him talk about some controversial issues. His marriage to Anna Gordy, was crumbling, and he was devastated by the death of one of his duet partners, Tammi Terrell. His lyrics for this song were inspired by the stories his brother Frankie told him when he came back from the Vietnam War. The whole purpose of…

The Magnificent Motown Records There story of Motown Records is a story about the dreams and determination by one man incorporated with the aspirations of many others culminating into the realization of a tremendous music and cultural change throughout the world. Berry Gordy, a young man whose great- grandfather was an enslaved person of African descent, established a legacy that still resonates throughout the world even today. The Gordy family comes from humble beginnings in Georgia,…

During the summer of 2016, I fought wildland fire for the Weiser Ranger District of the Payette National Forest in Idaho. I worked on a type four heavy engine, E-421. As a firefighter, I was able to witness climate change and increasing fire activity first hand on an off forest assignment to Midas, Nevada. It was there where my module was the first to respond to the Hot Pot Fire. In a little under 36 hours, the Hot Pot Fire spread 123,000 acres. It claimed an abandoned ranch and almost consumed…

only the environment but the people who are unlucky enough to find their ecosystem ravaged by flames (Image 1). Collins wrote a poem so casually joking about forest fires because he wanted to demonstrate that poetry should discuss serious issues and not simply play it safe. Another of Collins motivations for writing “Flames” was to ruffle the feathers of those who consider Smokey the Bear an American icon. Smokey the Bear is an American icon and can likely be identified by any individual in the…