Hitsville: The Making of Motown

There have been a number of music documentaries that have covered the era in focus but I give this documentary high praise not just for presentation but on the focus of what actually drove Barry Gordy to start the Motown enterprise and to grow it.

Let me explain upfront I don't have the musical background or training required for making a truly honest assessment of the documentary but being that much of the focus is on the human element behind the music I can point out some key things.

On the entrepreneurial side, learning from failures, perseverance, belief in oneself, and having a vision is embedded in the story. Having everyone in the enterprise share that vision and understand it even more so.

I appreciate how he gives his parents credit for raising him with the values needed to be a success. Civil rights is discussed but ultimately having a vision that is color blind is shown to be more important. The diversity he brought to his enterprise and the use of everyone's talents shines through as well.

The music is great too and making wish there was a Motown collection that I can purchase or a soundtrack to the documentary with all the full songs on it.

It is a helpful watch for anyone considering starting a business regardless of field. Barry Gordy shares credit with Smoky Robinson and others but for me it was clear he was the one driving the train..

P.S. Looking forward to comments from professional in the industry as well.

Motown was the greatest assembly of musicians that the world has ever heard. Their music transcended time, cultures, generations and ethnicities. To this day it remains as some of the most popular and captivating music ever recorded. I loved watching the making of the music and especially the clips of the live performances. Little Stevie Wonder, Little Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Temptations. The list goes on and on. Detroit will forever be known as Motown.

Documentary of the remarkable story of Berry Gordy.

Berry was the musical genius behind the formative years of Motown, he provides on screen narration with large contributions from Smokey Robinson.

As a child Berry was always interested in making money and started selling newspapers to white-folk, he did well and pulled in help from his brother to increase sales. But this backfired, you see because 1 black youth was cute but 2 started to look like a threat.

Berry briefly worked at Ford and so we see how car assembly techniques influenced his music production. Berry's skill was song writing and taking talented artists and bringing out the best from them to become superstars. We also see how Smokey Robinson was a special part of the Motown story, he had the idea of producing their own records instead of taking a tiny commission from other companies.

The 'Hitsville USA' studio looked like an ordinary house, this was where they started recording. Motown sounded different and there was a reason, the secret was recording in their echoey bathroom. The film includes historic film footage, including photos and audio clips of meetings where the music making machine 'family' would decide which singles to release.

Don't think of this as a film about black music, more about the sound of America. Deserves an Oscar in the documentary category.

As a native Detroiter, I thought I knew everything about this iconic, trail- blazing, star-making machine. I couldn't have been more wrong! This documentary was brilliantly produced and directed. It provides access to the genius behind the machine - Berry Gordy and many, many of the artists who were there from the beginning -through personal interviews and a rare archive of actual recordings of staff meetings and jam sessions. We get the opportunity to see Berry Gordy's vision come to life as he models his company after a Ford assembly line, starting with identifying, and developing a multitude of talent, then bringing all the key components together, such as writers, musicians, sales people, choreographers, etiquette trainers, under one roof, called Hitsville, that goes unrivaled even today. Mr. Gordy candidly shares his risk taking ventures, successes, and failures, as well as times he was dead wrong about identifying what later became legendary hits. He shares his vulnerabilities when some stars left Motown and other times he had to relinquish the reins or risk losing major stars, such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. Smokey Robinson, his life-long best friend, is there to support as well as tease his mentor and old friend. Berry Gordy and company have always made me proud to be a Detroiter, and I was never more proud than after viewing this documentary. Motown's legacy will never die.

Of all the Motown documentaries I have seen, this is probably the best, maybe because Berry Gordy Jr., the man who created that legendary record company, was also behind the production. I admit that I was a bit skeptic, considering that a man as controversial as Gordy were the center of the film, but he is definitely the heart of the story, the motor of the enterprise and the visionary business man who followed his principles, convictions, dreams and his whims too. A true "influencer".

Many persons can still deny the importance of Motown, as many rock and roll fans, critics and historians who prefer to see that story from the point of view of white boys playing a guitar... but at this point who cares what they believe? The facts are there and those who have been open enough to listen and appreciate, know what role Motown played in music, sociology, politics and civil rights in the United States.

I guess that what makes it all more interesting is the fact that Berry Gordy is quite a host, a funny story teller who receives great help from his best friend, colleague and artistic accomplice William "Smokey" Robinson.

The film also leaves out all the feuds, gossips and sarcasm (for example, Mary Wilson has more screen time than Diana Ross, who only appears in archive stock). In this way the Motown story becomes a celebration of love, effort, friendship and collaboration, with revealing sides to the story: Gordy's inspiration to develop his business model, his own tender perception of the love he had for Ross always tied to business, his initial refusal to accept the genius of Norman Whitfield and Marvin Gaye, his failed attempt to conquer Hollywood with Ross, which in the long run meant the musical downfall of the company.

However, the legacy is intact, and "Hitsville" is a magnificent homage to all the men and women that rode along with Gordy in this journey of American success.