Profile of an artist: Marcus Belgrave, master jazz trumpet player. A peripatetic performer, recording artist, jazz ambassador, and teacher, Belgrave has captivated audiences and inspired young musicians worldwide.

". . . a great blow-by-blow account of an exciting and still-legendary scene." ---Marshall Crenshaw From the early days of John Lee Hooker to the heyday of Motown and beyond, Detroit has enjoyed a long reputation as one of the crucibles of American pop music. InGrit, Noise, and Revolution, David Carson turns the spotlight on those hard-rocking, long-haired musicians-influenced by Detroit's R&B heritage-who ultimately helped change the face of rock 'n' roll. Carson tells the story of some of the great garage-inspired, blue-collar Motor City rock 'n' roll bands that exemplified the Detroit rock sound: The MC5, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, SRC, the Bob Seger System, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, and Grand Funk Railroad. An indispensable guide for rock aficionados,Grit, Noise, and Revolutionfeatures stories of these groundbreaking groups and is the first book to survey Detroit music of the 1960s and 70s-a pivotal era in rock music history.

All A and B sides of every 45 rpm single issued by Motown and subsidiary labels during the year of 1965.
*Request from Storage; Library use only; Bring headphones!

Folk songs from Michigan.
*Request from Storage.

In the Undergraduate Library. The story of seminal Ann Arbor punk rock band the Stooges, told through original interviews with the band members and associates.

Detroit has always been at the forefront of American popular music development, and the ragtime years and jazz age are no exception. The city's long history of diversity has served the region well, providing a fertile environment for creating and nurturing some of America's most distinctly indigenous music. With a focus on the people and places that made Detroit a major contributor to America's rich musical heritage, Detroit: Ragtime and the Jazz Age provides a unique photo journal of a period stretching from the Civil War to the diminishing years of the big bands in the early 1940s.

"Born in 1945 in Hamtramck, Michigan, Mitch Ryder has been in the music business for 47 years, made more than two dozen albums' worth of recordings, and given upward of 8,000 performances. In It Was All Right, author James A. Mitchell has collected an impressive array of anecdotes from Ryder's extraordinary life in music, including Ryder's stories of his first gigs in Greenwich Village clubs, singing with a black trio in the early days of the civil rights movement, jamming with Jimi Hendrix, and attending private parties thrown by the Beatles. Also chronicled are Ryder's struggles to regain his popularity among American audiences after the 1970s, his return home to the Detroit music scene in the 1980s, and his recent career."--BOOK JACKET.

"Horn Man explores the history of twentieth-century Detroit's Polish-American musical landscape. The beauty of Polish and Polish-American customs and culture is also illumined. Music is an inseparable part of Polish life, and because of polka's communal aspect, polka musicians are some of the best examples American society has of family bonds and Christian values. The pillar Detroit polka band-leaders who came of age during the Great Depression were, for the most part, community oriented and family focused. Therefore, while they were superstars in their own galaxy and their names readily recognizable in their own circles, in general, their names were not quite as prominent as those of the well-known superstars of the Polka Era. They were, however, no less talented and diversified and their lives no less fascinating than those of their contemporaries in other Polish-American communities (Polania). In fact, it was their diversification, entrepreneurial skills, and ability to adapt that ensured that they survived in an erratic, chaotic industry. They were trained in theory and the classics, as well as in jazz, voice, and the popular big-band dance music of the era. Along with their colleagues across America, they were among the nation's first ethnomusicologists and the creators of a new genre of American music. They recorded on major record labels, created and developed their own record labels, published sheet music, appeared on radio and television, performed with visiting luminaries and for traveling dignitaries, and became savvy marketers of their product: musical entertainment. Yet, as a result of technological innovations, the influx of rock and roll, and the trend toward an increasing American ethnocentrism, their heyday was tragically brief and fleeting."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The editor o the acclaimed Back To The Beach gathers together the best writing on Motown in a collection spanning four decades. From profiles of key artists like Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and Marvin Gaye to analyses of Motown's hit factory songwriting partnerships and the sociological impact of the label on Sixties' America. Contributors include top critics like Dave March, Richard Williams and John Rockwell.

In Purdy/Kresge Library

In Purdy/Kresge Library

Polish American music in Detroit. In Purdy/Kresge Library.

80 years of Pro Musica in Detroit.

"Mary Francis Penick (Skeeter Davis's Christian name) was born in a two-room shack on the banks of Eagle Creek in Glencoe, Kentucky. Energetic and imaginative, she moved so quickly that they nicknamed her Skeeter before she was in her teens." "At an early age she discovered that she had an unusual singing voice. During her high school years, she teamed up with her best friend, Betty Jack Davis, and the two became recording stars under the name The Davis Sisters." "Skeeter began singing her own brand of self-styled harmony to Betty Jack's lead vocals. The duo's first RCA recording in 1953, "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know (About Him)," soared to the top of the charts, with the pioneering rockabilly tune "Rock-a-Bye Boogie" on the flip side. The singing "sisters" continued to earn widespread recognition until Betty Jack's tragic death in an automobile accident in 1953." "In 1958, Skeeter struck out on her own under the guidance of legendary guitarist and record producer Chet Atkins. The very next year - with a top ten record, a Grammy nomination, and many record industry awards to her credit - she joined WSM's Grand Ole Opry. Her unsuccessful marriage to radio and television personality and bestselling author Ralph Emery in 1960 overshadowed the string of hits which followed." "Skeeter Davis was the first female country artist to have a number-one crossover hit on the pop charts. "The End of the World" remains popular today and is hummed by youngsters who weren't even born when the song was introduced." "Bus Fare to Kentucky tells the poignant story of a vulnerable yet tenacious woman struggling to overcome seemingly countless dramatic twists of fate. With characteristic humor, conviction, and vitality, Skeeter recalls an innocent's experience of self-discovery as well as a triumph over personal illness. A successful remission of cancer (which caused a four-year delay in completing this memoir) gave her an even stronger belief in God. Her resilient spirit, faith, and courage make Bus Fare to Kentucky a truly touching and inspiring tale."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Now the man who made Motown, the revolutionary who shattered the color barrier in the American entertainment industry, the visionary who forever changed the way the world hears its music, finally breaks his silence after decades of rumor, gossip and misinformation. In TO BE LOVED, Berry Gordy tells it from the inside, as he lived it, as he made it happen." "The son of a plastering contractor in Detroit's inner city, Gordy rose to become one of the twentieth century's most stunning success stories, following a sometimes stumbling, but always determined course. Within this kid, known as the "black sheep" of his family, burned an aspiration to greatness, a desire to be special, a fire lit by the heroes of his youth - the legendary boxers, as well as the artists and musicians flourishing in Detroit's club scene - who showed him there was a way out of the ghetto." "Torn between boxing and music, the teenage Gordy took his professional plunge as a boxer, then turned to his real love - songwriting. The tenacity of this young fighter, along with the creative drive of a developing songwriter, laid a strong foundation for the company he established in 1959 in a Detroit house that came to be known as Hitsville, USA." "Gordy's standards were ferociously exacting. With determination and constant innovations, he cultivated a music that communicated basic feelings, cutting through cultural and language barriers. By the mid-60s, Motown dominated the nation's pop music charts, becoming the soundtrack for the lives of millions of young Americans - black and white." "Full of joy and heartbreak, triumph and disaster, TO BE LOVED is one extraordinary man's saga - an adventurous yet tumultuous journey that chronicles the building and the selling of Motown...and finally, the sacrifices made in order to preserve its unparalleled legacy and black heritage. Gordy's belief in the potential of all people resulted in the music the world listened to, danced to, made love to - even today. And what ultimately emerges is someone whose labor of love and very being became a source of instruction and inspiration for young and old of all colors." "Featuring over 30 pages of rare photographs that capture the personalities and excitement of an astonishing era, TO BE LOVED is the very intimate and powerful story of the man who created the sound heard 'round the world."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

". . . a great blow-by-blow account of an exciting and still-legendary scene." ---Marshall Crenshaw From the early days of John Lee Hooker to the heyday of Motown and beyond, Detroit has enjoyed a long reputation as one of the crucibles of American pop music. InGrit, Noise, and Revolution, David Carson turns the spotlight on those hard-rocking, long-haired musicians-influenced by Detroit's R&B heritage-who ultimately helped change the face of rock 'n' roll. Carson tells the story of some of the great garage-inspired, blue-collar Motor City rock 'n' roll bands that exemplified the Detroit rock sound: The MC5, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, SRC, the Bob Seger System, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, and Grand Funk Railroad. An indispensable guide for rock aficionados,Grit, Noise, and Revolutionfeatures stories of these groundbreaking groups and is the first book to survey Detroit music of the 1960s and 70s-a pivotal era in rock music history.

From the 1940s through the early 1960s, a new form of popular music was born in the United States-one that would take the world by storm. Detroit disc jockey Alan Freed, among the very first to play and promote new music, christened it "Rock 'n Roll" from an old blues lyric. Detroit, like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Memphis, contributed its own distinctive regional character to the music and became a hub of industry activity. An epicenter of American music by the mid-1950s, Detroit built its reputation upon a wealth of talented singers and musicians, the vast amount of clubs and theaters available to them, and a multitude of enthusiastic industry professionals who helped bring their unique sound to the world. Many record labels, including Fortune and Fox, also thrived in the metro Detroit area in the days before Berry Gordy's Motown Records gained international recognition. This book documents the extraordinary style of music that took shape in Detroit well before Motown was a gleam in Gordy's eye. The Birth of the Detroit Sound chronicles great talents like John Lee Hooker, Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, Jackie Wilson, Jack Scott, Andre Williams, and Nolan Strong. Featuring a rare collection of vintage photographs, the book also spotlights record industry personalities, deejays, and long-forgotten venues where the giants of Detroit music once performed.

Music instruction and study at Wayne State University, Detroit MI.

David Carson is a music historian and former Detroit deejay. He is the author of 'Rockin' down the dial : the Detroit sound of radio from Jack the Bellboy to the Big 8', as well as 'Grit, noise, and revolution: the birth of Detroit rock 'n' roll'.

WSU Music Dept Thesis from 1962.

Bio-Bibliographies of composers in Michigan in 1967.

History of the DSO.

Detroit in the 1960s was a city with a pulse: people were marching in step with Martin Luther King, Jr., dancing in the street with Martha and the Vandellas, and facing off with city police. Through it all, Motown provided the beat. This book tells the story of Motown--as both musical style and entrepreneurial phenomenon--and of its intrinsic relationship to the politics and culture of Motor Town, USA. As Suzanne Smith traces the evolution of Motown from a small record company firmly rooted in Detroit's black community to an international music industry giant, she gives us a clear look at cultural politics at the grassroots level. Here we see Motown's music not as the mere soundtrack for its historical moment but as an active agent in the politics of the time. In this story, Motown Records had a distinct role to play in the city's black community as that community articulated and promoted its own social, cultural, and political agendas. Smith shows how these local agendas, which reflected the unique concerns of African Americans living in the urban North, both responded to and reconfigured the national civil rights campaign. Against a background of events on the national scene--featuring Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Nat King Cole, and Malcolm X--Dancing in the Street presents a vivid picture of the civil rights movement in Detroit, with Motown at its heart. This is a lively and vital history. It's peopled with a host of major and minor figures in black politics, culture, and the arts, and full of the passions of a momentous era. It offers a critical new perspective on the role of popular culture in the process of political change.

In its heyday Motown Records was a household word, one of the most famous and successful black-owned businesses in American history, and, arguably, the most significant of all American independent record labels. How it got to be that way and how it changed the face of American popular culture are the subjects of this concise study of Berry Gordy's phenomenal creation. Author Gerald Early tells the story of the cultural and historical conditions that made Motown Records possible, including the dramatic shifts in American popular music of the time, changes in race relations and racial attitudes, and the rise of a black urban population. Early concentrates in particular on the 1960s and 70s, when Motown had its biggest impact on American musical tastes and styles. With this revised and expanded edition, the author provides an up-to-date bibliography of the major books that have been written about Motown Records specifically, and black American music generally. Plus, new appendices feature interviews with four of the major creators of the Motown Sound: Berry Gordy, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Marvin Gaye.

Motown and the Funk Brothers.

In 1959, twenty-nine-year-old Berry Gordy, who had already given up on his dream to be a champion boxer, borrowed eight hundred dollars from his family and started a record company. A run-down bungalow sandwiched between a funeral home and a beauty shop in a poor Detroit neighborhood served as his headquarters. The building’s entrance was adorned with a large sign that improbably boasted “Hitsville U.S.A.” The kitchen served as the control room, the garage became the two-track studio, the living room was reserved for bookkeeping, and sales were handled in the dining room. Soon word spread that any youngster with a streak of talent should visit the only record label that Detroit had seen in years. The company’s name was Motown. Motown cuts through decades of unsubstantiated rumors and speculation to tell the true behind-the-scenes narrative of America’s most exciting musical dynasty. It follows the company and its amazing roster of stars from the tumultuous growth years in Detroit, to the drama and intrigue of Hollywood in the 1970s, to resurgence in 2002. Set against the civil rights movement, the decay of America’s northern industrial cities, and the social upheaval of the 1960s, Motown is a tale of the incredible entrepreneurship of Berry Gordy. But it also features the moving stories of kids from Detroit’s inner-city projects who achieved remarkable success and then, in many cases, found themselves fighting the demons that so often come with stardom—drugs, jealousy, sexual indulgence, greed, and uncontrollable ambition. Motown features an extraordinary cast of characters, including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder. They are presented as they lived and worked: a clan of friends, lovers, competitors, and sometimes vicious foes. Motown reveals how the hopes and dreams of each affected the lives of the others and illustrates why this singular story is a made-in-America Greek tragedy, the rise and fall of a supremely talented yet completely dysfunctional extended family. Based on numerous original interviews and extensive documentation, Motown benefits particularly from the thousands of pages of files crammed into the basement of downtown Detroit’s Wayne County Courthouse. Those court records provide the unofficial—and hitherto largely untold—history of Motown and its stars, since almost every relationship between departing singers, songwriters, producers, and the label ended up in litigation. From its peaks in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Motown controlled the pop charts and its stars were sought after even by the Beatles, through the inexorable slide caused by their failure to handle their stardom, Motown is a riveting and troubling look inside a music label that provided the unofficial soundtrack to an entire generation. From the Hardcover edition.