The specific topic would be the effect of Motown on the civil rights movements during the 1960’s and how it revolutionized the music industry at the time. The thesis would be on how Motown created a unifying, empowering, and powerful force among black people. It would help to restore the image of African Americans by showing the musical talent and culture that was illustrated throughout Motown music, which was mainly songs by black artists. The audience of popular bands such as the Supremes, the Marvelettes, and the Miracles would have audiences from every race and culture, while they were also idols for African people who aspired to become like them. This helped strengthen the African American community by allowing them to find refuge within these popular artists, who were successful black artists who faced many challenges yet became successful. Also, Motown artists were given the reputation of being glamorous, polished, and respectable, which defied the negative stereotypes at the time of African Americans. This helped change the public perspective of African Americans into a more positive one by showing talented, professional, and respectable African American artists who were similar to white artists at the time. 

An excellent example of this would be the Supremes, as they were defined as fashion idols, even being compared to the likes of Jacquline Kennedy Onassis, who was the most respected and famous fashion icon of her time to many people. Many Motown songs represented the message of love, unity, and equality, which was the basis of the civil rights movement and its notion at the time. Songs such as “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye and “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas became one of the many anthems for the movement, which called for equality and a social revolution. Motown’s founder, Berry Gordy, was also a major force, as he would highlight the example of a paramount black entrepreneur who created a successful black-owned business that helped many African Americans throughout moments of hardship and set an example for many young African American business owners for them to thrive as well.  The Motown Records label would also help the political spectrum at the time with the Black Forum label, as this label was created to amplify the voices of many black people in society, especially surrounding the civil rights movement, as the label would also include influential figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Langston Hughes, and Elaine Brown. The label would address various issues ranging from the Vietnam War to racial inequality at the time. While also Motown would be responsible for distributing and recording the speeches of Martin Luther King, they would also be responsible for recording and distributing one of the most famous speeches, “I Have A Dream,” by Martin Luther King in 1963, which was a powerful speech that implored the people of the United States to fight for equality and a better future. Thus it highlights how Motown Records helped the civil rights movement by nourishing black artists that would go on to revolutionize the music industry and fight for social change, whilst also providing a platform for influential civil rights speakers. 

Annotated Bibliography         

1. Keizer, Garret. “Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone.” Virginia Quarterly Review, vol. 89, no. 4, Fall 2013, pp. 44–59. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=90646155&site=ehost-live.  

  Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone article, by Garret Keizer. Is shown to highlight the Motown music era and it discusses the sexual aspects of music and civil rights in the U.S. since the 1950s. This article also delves into the social and economic conditions of Detroit, Michigan, interracial marriage laws in the U.S., and the author’s experiences with racism are discussed, as well as the record company Motown’s founder Barry Gordy. It mostly highlights the experiences of the author and it gives us a first-person point of view on how Motown affected both the author and his surroundings. The author highlights famous bands such as the Four Tops, Marvelettes, Temptations, Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Martha and the Vandellas, Junior Walker and the All Stars, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells.   

Throughout the article,  Keizer is shown to provide a lot of in-depth information and examples such as highlighting how “Motown did its best, at least in the early days and at least on its banner label, to make rhythm and blues palatable to white audiences and to avoid overt political statements at all costs.”(Keizer 4). This shows the reliability of the evidence as it highlights Keizer as a primary source, who would, later on, highlight how Motown music would later become more political through songs such as “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, “War” by Edwin Star and the most coherently political one which would be is Wonder 1966 cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin In the Wind”. These songs highlight the alternating social and political shift of the Motown music label as it would go on to contain a message of civil rights movements and the fight against racism that was rampant at the time. The author also cites Mary Well, who was a Motown star at the time who had a moment with the Beetles and was also a powerful Motown singer who highlighted how the future of Black Women was “Babies, the factory or a day work” (Kazier 7). This shows how Mary Well at the time would level the playing ground for African American women who faced negative stereotypes at the time and show how African American women could become successful, while the author also highlights how Motown music caused riots such as the riot of 1967 at which the Motown band Funk Brothers, with Eddie Wills whom would go on to become one of the most successful bands that performed mostly Motown music in the history of music. This highlights that the author’s method of writing is shown to be chronological, reminiscent, and coherent as the author highlights how Motown music evolved with its significance that was magnified only by time.  

         The text is important to the topic proposal for Motown music because it coherently shows the effect of Motown music during the 1960s era with its social and political effects that helped dismay the negative stereotypes of the time as the author himself is, highlighted to be a white male whom loved Motown music and has only Motown music as his favorite. This is a powerful example that goes on to show the effect that Motown had on the youth’s perspective at the time and how Motown music was a powerful force in the civil rights movement.  

2. white, Timothy. “`Dancing’ Machine: Motown’s Hidden History.” Billboard, vol. 112, no. 12,    Mar. 2000, p. 3. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=a9h&AN=2927923&site=ehost-live.  

In the article “Dancing Machine: Motown’s Hidden Story” by Timothy White, the author delves into the history of Motown and how it originated. By exploring the origin of how the label’s founder Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in Detroit, its commitment to breaking racial barriers, and its role in helping launch the careers of famous Motown artists such as “ Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Marvin Gaye. The article also elucidates behind-the-scenes struggles, such as intense competition, artistic control issues, and the ability to maintain a good public image during their careers. This article focuses on the uprising of the Motown label itself and how it influenced the music industry and the civil rights movement at the time.  

The article is showing to be valuable because it provides vital information surrounding the Motown label record rise, its artists, and its cultural significance. It’s valuable because it provides insight into unknown stories, the rise of the Motown music label, and the complexities of Motown’s rise to fame, which underscores the label’s impact on both the music industry and society. It highlights how Motown was powerful to the civil rights movement because it shows a paramount black-owned business that had great success and impacted many people’s lives. It shows how Berry Gorde rose with the Motown label towards great fame and success, through examining the personal and professional conflicts at the time. However, the text would become more beneficial if  White highlighted his sources and the context surrounding them and how these lesser-known stories reflect the major changes at the time during the Motown musical period. However, the article provides a unique perspective on Motown’s rise to fame and how it helped many artists rise to fame.  

This text is significant because it helps highlight the effect of Motown music on the civil rights movement, highlighting the rise of Motown records label and how it helped famous Motown singers at the time to become famous. This text is relevant to my topic because it shows the significance of Motown music and the civil rights movements in the 1960s.  

3. Chow, Andrew R. “How Martin Luther King Jr. and Motown Saved the Sound of the Civil Rights Movement.” Time.Com, Mar. 2020, p. N.PAG. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=142085725&site=ehost-live.  

           The article” How Martin Luther King Jr. and Motown Saved the Sound of the Civil Rights Movement.” by Andrew Chow is shown to highlight how Motown label Records founder Berry Gordy aided Martin Luther King throughout the civil rights movement era. Highlighting, also how Berry Gordy helped Martin Luther King financially and by recording and distributing Martin Luther King’s speeches to the public. This helps in showing how significant Motown music and the label itself was a potent force during the civil rights movements and how it helped one of the most important advocates for civil rights fighters, Martin Luther King who revolutionized the social and political situation at the time.  

             Throughout the article, it shows the impact of both media and music as it shows how both Martin Luther King and the Motown Records label worked hand in hand in order to fight against racism. The article states how Berry Gordy, founder of the Motown label Records who was a successful black entrepreneur wanted to fight against racism and his desire to participate in the civil rights movement. Motown music would be the front of the civil rights movement, with authors such as Marvin Marin Luther King was also a significant front as he would be written down in history as one of the greatest civil rights advocates at the time. Throughout this context, Berry Gordy supported Martin Luther King with financial means and also recorded his speeches and was responsible for distributing them. This highlights how the author reveals the significance of Motown Records label and Motown music in the social and political sphere, as it had a direct and active role in sparking the civil rights movement and helped great civil rights speakers such as Martin Luther King who would go on to create history.  

           This article is relevant to my research because it highlights the significance of Motown music and Motown records labels during the Civil Rights Movement era and how they had a direct positive effect. This article shows how the Motown CEO Berry Gordy would help one of the greatest civil rights activists Martin Luther King, which goes on to show the paramount effect that Motown had on the civil rights movement.  

4. Joel Rudinow. Soul Music : Tracking the Spiritual Roots of Pop From Plato to Motown. University of Michigan Press, 2010. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=338783&site=ehost-live.  

The article “Soul Music : Tracking the Spiritual Roots of Pop From Plato to Motown.” by Joel Rudinow highlights the origin of Motown music and how its origin ties to spiritual, cultural, and philosophical traditions. This highlights the origin of the music itself and how it came about to show the decades of suffering, resilience, and hope of the African community. It also highlights how classical philosophies and African spiritual practices throughout African American church and soul music. This highlights how Motown music was a representation of the African American community’s history of suffering, pain, and inequality and it highlights why Motown was shown to be a suitable front for the civil rights movements during the 1960’s.  

             The author is shown to mainly focus on the origin of Motown music and makes a connection to the soul music of the African American community, such as relating it back to African church music with the relevance of musicians such as Little Richard. This helps us understand why Motown is significant in the civil rights movement. The author highlights how the music carries a rich history of African American history with many ideas, beliefs, and hopes implanted within the music and how it functions in today’s society. The author helps us understand how timeless and important Motown music is because it shows how it reflects ancient philosophy from gospels and soul music. Thus it shows how the author connects Motown music to very powerful and significant philosophies, that have long been engraved in our society and affect our thought processes and biases throughout society. This shows the origin and the sad need for Motown music at the time since it was used to combat decades of prejudice, despair, and anguish in the African American community.   

This article is relevant to my topic of how Motown music had a powerful influence on the civil rights movement because it shows the origin of Motown and how it represents decades of cultural, philosophical, and ideological ideas that help the readers understand why Motown is such an excellent choice of music. Which would be the frontier and anthem of the civil rights movement.  

5. Sykes, Charles E. “The Black Forum Label: Motown Joins the Revolution.” ARSC Journal, vol. 46, no. 1, Spring 2015, pp. 1–42. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=102661542&site=ehost-live.  

The Journal “The Black Forum Label: Motown Joins the Revolution.” by Charles Skyes, is shown to be a highlight of how the Black Forum Label was launched by Berry Gordy the founder of the Motown record label in 1971. This label was created to amplify the voices of many black people in society, especially surrounding the civil rights movement, as the label would also include influential figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Langston Hughes, and Elaine Brown. The label would address various issues ranging from the Vietnam War to racial inequality at the time.  

Throughout Sykes’s writing, he incorporates multiple examples of famous black artists and figures throughout he’s writing in order to highlight the power of the Black Forum Label that was created by Berry Gordy at the time. Sykes talks about figures such as former Black Panther chairman Elaine Brown, and poet and music critic Amiri Baraka who are all shown to be figures within the Black Forum Label that are providing a message against inequality and prejudice that many African Americans faced. The Black Forum label would help the African community voice out their pain, as the label would give these individuals a platform to speak on and distribute their speeches; this helped voice the pain and inequality that the black community faced at the time. Artists such as the Supremes, Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder would embody those ideologies and messages throughout their Motown music and launch it to the public.   

This article is relevant to my topic because it underscores the paramount role that Motown music and Motown had in the civil rights movement. Showing how these ideologies by influential figures such as Martin Luther King, Elaine Brown, and Amiri Baraka were engraved within these Motown songs that would reach thousands of people. Showing how Motown music helped spark the civil rights movement toward progress.  

6. Chow, Andrew R., et al. “A Dream Restored.” TIME Magazine, vol. 195, no. 7/8, Mar. 2020, pp. 92–95. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=141838315&site=ehost-live.  

         The article “ A Dream Restored” by Andrew Chow, is shown to highlight the influence of Motown music on Martin Luther King and his speeches.  The author makes a connection between King’s legacy and the cultural influence of Motown music, by highlighting how both worked in unity in order to positively influence the civil rights movement.  

The author is shown to connect these points and also show how Martin Luther King came to utilize Motown record labels as a company that would help distribute and, record his speeches and launched them in an album called “The Great March On Washington” which also had one of the most iconic speech. The speech “I Have A Dream” in 1963, would go down in history as one of the most powerful speeches that was given during the civil rights movement era which goes on to show the powerful influence and unisons that Motown and Martin Luther King had together while showing how they both delivered the message of peace, equality and love.  

This article is significant to my writing because it helps illustrate how Motown helped revitalize and spark the civil rights movement by bringing it to the people’s attention. As Motown Records label would help by releasing music that advocated for the civil rights movement and it would also record the speech of Martin Luther King and, publish those speeches to the people in order to help combat the racism that was pungent, highlighting the effect of Motown once again.  

7. Around the Nation.” Humanities, vol. 35, no. 1, Jan. 2014, pp. 40–44. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=94755506&site=ehost-live.  

Around the Nation, by Humanities is a calendar that provides clarity on the events of Motown across the United States while also showcasing upcoming Motown events inspired by iconic Motown artists during the 1960s Motown era, with figures such as Steve Wonder, Marvin Gye, The Supremes and The Jackson 5. These events would be how the author shows the influence of Motown music on a Nationwide scope throughout the United States at the time, specifically the South.  

This periodical made by Humanities is shown to highlight multiple events that occurred throughout the nation that are relevant to Motown. As these events revolve around the year 2014, it highlights the effects of Motown music on history as it’s still shown to be significant until now. This calendar shows the actions made during 2014 that still carry the ‘spirit’ of Motown music within them while showing how the old iconic figures of the 1960s era still have a powerful influence today with their powerful message throughout music.  

    I believe this is relevant to my topic because it highlights the importance of Motown even until now, as it shows how the 2014 events have carried the spirit of Motown music within them which shows the influence of Motown until now.