Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power

by Gerald Posner

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812974689
• ISBN13: 9780812974683
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Random House Trade
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Concise chronological account

For someone who has not read any other book on Motown, this book is provides a tremendous insight into the mega corporation: it's rise, power, entertainers, unsavory practices, lawsuits, legalities and the end of Motown. Chronological timeframe What you get here is a complete timeframe from the "Hitsville" building, the upstart of performers, the maintenance, the drugs, alcohol, bickering of performers and executive staff. There is an insight and understanding how the music industry works, how songs are selected for "hits"; We are educated on the distribution of records and its practices. It seems clear that if a record company was not gypping entertainers, something was not done right. Lawsuits, battles, downfalls Also explained is how and when entertainers and staff deflected to other companies. We are given a clear explanation of the struggles within the Supremes and the birth of the supergroup, The Jackson 5, the rise and fall of Marvin Gaye, success of Stevie Wonder, Berry Gordy's bond with Smokey Robinson of the Miracles, infighting, lawsuits, etc., etc. Much is written about the love affair of Diana Ross and Berry Gordy, and her bitter relationship with other Motown performers. The book also details the trials and tribulations of the 25th Anniversary Television show, where Michael Jackson performed the moon walk and made history. Motown movies It's clear that when Berry Gordy had a quest for the movie business, it would ultimately lead to neglecting the music business. What about the SOUND of Motown I did have one question: The Funk Brothers - the sound of Motown! There is almost nothing on the Funk Brothers. Although receiving negative reviews for what readers called "many mistakes", I don't care if so and so had this hit first before such and such hit, or so and so went to bed with so and so instead of so and so.... I don't care if details aren't precise! A hundred years from now, I won't remember anyhow, better make that 5 minutes from now. What mattered is that I was given a complete and chonological timeframe about the legacy of Motown. I had not read another book, and may not read another book. Simple as that!...MzRizz

Motown: Berry, Relationships, Schemes, & Amok-isms

Books and movies on the Funk Brothers and Motown artists enrapture readers and viewers with Motown's mobilized creativity and the never-again equalled gems. This book, Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power, by Gerald Posner is a great read with a different perspective. It shows the toils, foibles, relationships, un-substantiated schemes, and amok-isms behind the skin of the Motown company ("Beauty is only skin deep." Yawn, yes. But, it is true.). Rather than enrapturing, this book evokes, at times, admiration and, at times, revulsion. The book suggests that Berry Gordy's greatnesses helped build the beautiful Motown and his weaknesses gave Motown cardiac arrest to the abandonment of the Detroit musicians, artists, and the world-wide listening public. The reader infers from this book that Berry Gordy, perhaps alone, landed on his feet - a rich man of questionable conscience with many good people left as his road kill. Read this book (and others) to see whether you share in my perception or not.

very satisfying read...one of the year's best

A quick note on Ponser's book. I probably would have never picked up a book about Motown or sought one out, but decided to take a quick look at the bookstore and was immediately intrigued. I think that it's a great read, and never felt that the narration was slow or dull at any moment. It had a fast paced energy that kept me wanting more. I thought that the way the drama between Motown's management and stars developed was more fascinating than a year of soap operas.:) Particularly the sections about Diana Ross's relationship with Gordy and Gordy's business moves into film. Overall...I'm very impressed with the writing and the book has compelled me to look more into Motown's music to help fully understand what is so fascinating about this period of music making. I loved it! Great job, Gerald!

A delightful read - not sensationalist nor a puff piece.

Mr. Posner has given us a well-written and most enjoyable book that has a clear-eyed affection for its subject. The book captures the magic of the early years, the painful maturity as artists decided to leave Motown, the meandering later years, and the eventual and multiple sales of Motown to different entities. The stories are told with enthusiasm and the accomplishments are given the praise deserved, but Mr. Posner doesn't flack for any personality or viewpoint. In fact, he often presents multiple points of view of some events so the reader can decide where the truth is likely to be hiding.Since this isn't a book of encyclopedic length, it has to focus on certain key points and that means a lot gets left out. And though many artists contributed to Motown's fabulous accomplishments, the book centers on Berry Gordy, Jr., his founding of the company, how he gathered all that amazing talent, and how Motow provided an environment where that talent could develop and flourish. The book also focuses on the biggest acts and on those employees who were closest to Gordy. Necessarily, a lot of talented and wonderful people get left out of this telling of the story. THe book is just over 300 pages and it would take thousands of pages to tell something approaching a complete history of Motown. However, this book is delightful to read and gets those of us without inside knowledge closer to these personalities than many of us have every been.There are so many different and passionate views about who deserves credit for what in all the successes of Motown and who deserves blame for all the various failures that no book can satisfy everyone. However, Mr. Posner has done a great deal to talk to as many folks as would talk with him, did a lot of reading, and dug into court records to find out what really went on. He found out a lot about the truth of the charges and counter charges in key court cases and business practices that existed in Motown over the decades of its existence. The book takes an even handed view and isn't afraid to tell us about Mr. Gordy's rather sharp business practices, the self-delusion and self-destruction of many artists, as well as the glorious way they pulled together in the early years to make themselves into huge stars. The book isn't a puff piece, but it also doesn't drag the people discussed in the book through the mud.If you haven't already made up your mind, I think you will enjoy this book very much. At least, I can say that I did. Thanks, Mr. Posner!

Gerald Posner has written the definitive work on Motown

An earlier community reviewer accused Gerald Posner of sloppy scholarship regarding his study of the Kennedy assassination in "Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK." His opinion is not at all shared by the numerous scholars who praise the author for his meticulous research and objectively weighing of the evidence. Posner is on a first name basis with a high number of the greatest historians living today. He is far more than a mere journalist. Most assuredly, Posner has written the definitive book on the Motown phenomenon. Any mistakes, which are normal in a work of this kind, will be far and few between. Posner pulls no punches about the huge price both the executives and entertainers of this recording giant paid for putting out such beautiful music. The Motown sound is greatly responsible for bringing together the races during the Civil Rights era of the 1960s. Never before did so many white teenagers listen to the offerings of Afro-American musical artists. Their racial attitudes dramatically changed for the better. Barry Gordy comes across as a genius who understood what the public wanted, and how best to respond to that need. The leader generally sets the tone for everybody else and he failed miserably to set a good example. Gordy is no saint and the record tycoon's own irresponsible actions encouraged similar misbehavior by those around him. Illegal drug use, widespread alcohol abuse, and promiscuous sex became the norm to the point where one doubts if a person adhering to conventional values could have even survived a week in such a warped social milieu. The Motown people are highly talented, but few are to be envied or looked upon as role models. It is no coincidence that some of them died an early death. The viewing of laws and sausage being made is not for the faint of heart. Do we also really need to know that entertainers are often immature and reckless? Isn't it preferable to leave some stones unturned? Has Gerald Posner told us more than we should want to know concerning the Motown empire? I don't accept this line of argumentation. Posner stops short of indulging in prurient scandal mongering. He knows where to draw the line. Motown still plays an important role in the cultural life of our nation. We therefore have a legitimate reason to learn more about this influential organization's history. Gerald Posner's "Motown: Money, Power, Sex, and Music" is also highly recommended for anyone contemplating a show business career. They might be able to learn how to avoid similar personal heartbreak and degradation.