Home / Topics / Motown Quotes

Motown Quotes

Browse 71 quotes about Motown.

Related topics

Motown Quotes

“You certainly don't hear any country music on pop radio today. But for a while you did, and it was a lovely thing to have all the different genres of music cohabitating the Top 40 - the folk sound, The Beatles, the British sound, the Motown sounds, that kind of light country - it was a welcome relief after a few hard rock records. Everyone was sharing the airwaves, and I think it was a beautiful time for American music.”

“Ali Woodson was one of the few Iconic Soul-Singers left from the Motown Era that could STILL sell out a crowd, light up a party, & make the women scream! Ali & I have loved, fought, flew & cruised these United States together. His raspy but golden tones will be missed but his music, acting & friendship will last in my heart 4-ever.”

Heart Stills Soul States Light Together Lasts Left United Party Acting United States My Heart Sells Crowds Singers Golden Eras Tone Scream Flew Iconic Light Up Motown

Author:Luenell

“I grew up when the whole Motown thing was huge. The charts in those days were dominated by groups more than solo artists at one point.”

Whole Artist Groups Huge Grew Grew Up Solo Motown

Author:Simon Cowell

“Once you're a Motown artist, you're always a Motown artist”

Author:Smokey Robinson

“Motown will always be a heavy-duty part of my life because those are my roots”

Duty Roots Heavy Motown

Author:Smokey Robinson

“One thing I can say about the Motown acts is that we were a family. That's not a myth”

I Can One Thing Myth Motown

Author:Smokey Robinson

“I don't ever balk at being considered a Motown person, because Motown is the greatest musical event that ever happened in the history of music”

Persons Happened Events Musical Motown History Of Music

Author:Smokey Robinson

“Once you're a Motown artist, that's your stigmatism, and I was there from the very first day”

Firsts Artist Motown

Author:Smokey Robinson

“I have this ability to find this hidden talent in people that sometimes even they didn't know they had.”

People Knows Sometimes Ability Talent Capacity African American Capability Aptitude Motown Untapped Potential Hidden Talents Music Producer

Author:Berry Gordy

“I've discovered that Motown and Broadway have a lot in common - a family of wonderfully talented, passionate, hardworking young people, fiercely competitive but also full of love and appreciation for the work, for each other and for the people in the audience.”

People Young Common Audience Passionate Appreciation Broadway Hardworking Motown Love And Appreciation

Author:Berry Gordy

“Motown was about music for all people – white and black, blue and green, cops and the robbers. I was reluctant to have our music alienate anyone.”

People Black White Blue Green Cop Reluctant Robbers Motown Cops And Robbers Blue And Green

Author:Berry Gordy

“The Beatles were huge. And the first thing they said when you interviewed them, 'Oh yeah, we grew up on Motown.'..They were the first white act to admit they grew up listening to black music.”

Firsts Said Black White Huge Listening Grew Grew Up Yeah They Said Motown Black Music

Author:Smokey Robinson

“When I joined, I was one of the first artists to sign on to the Motown West label when they opened their first studio in California. At the studio, you'd run into Stevie Wonder, you'd run into Marvin Gaye…it was very special.”

Firsts Running Artist Wonder Special West Studios Labels California Marvin Motown

Author:Thelma Houston

“When we did a lot of that Motown stuff there were four of us on the front line. When we started the evening we'd start from one end of the band and just go along. The lead singer would change all the time. That's the first time that I actually managed to put it into a record.”

Firsts Ends Stuff Change Lines Records Four Fronts Band First Time Singers Evening Motown

Author:Roy Wood

“I love Motown, but I've obviously always been more of a Memphis soul fan. If it's Stax or Motown, I go Stax.”

Ifs Soul Fans Memphis Motown

Author:Justin Townes Earle

“I love to sing old Motown songs to myself, or some Patti Smith Edith Piaf or Billie Holiday. That gets me in the mood for singing.”

Song Singing Mood Holiday Motown

Author:Siobhan Fahey

“When I was a kid in the mid-'60s, I was what's known as a moddie boy, a prototype skinhead. You all had your hair like a crew cut, cropped, with suits or Levis with red suspenders, sometimes Doc Martens. It was a thriving soul music, Motown and ska scene; we used to dance to Prince Buster and the Skatalites.”

Soul Sometimes Kids Used Known Boys Cutting Hair Scene Red Suits Crew Music Soul Prototype Motown Busters Suspenders

Author:Graham Parker

“And for some reason, when I'm sad, I do listen to Leonard Cohen, I do listen to Joni Mitchell. I do find myself going to the music that's actually reflecting my mood, as opposed to sticking on Motown, which might actually bring my mood up.”

Reason Might Mood Reflecting Motown I'm Sad

Author:Glen Hansard

“My dad was a soul fan and a singer himself, and he loved vocal harmony, stuff like the Beach Boys and Motown like the Four Tops, which was a big influence on me.”

Soul Bigs Stuff Boys Four Fans Influence Dad Harmony My Dad Singers Beach Vocal Motown Beach Boys

Author:Katy B

“I grew up not far from where Motown was founded, maybe 300 miles from Detroit and I've always liked - I used to like the way they made records. I still do, I just haven't had a chance to hear as much. They used to entertain me.”

Way Made Stills Used Chance Records Havens Grew Grew Up Miles Detroit Motown

Author:Rick Danko

“A big part of the Motown formula was, they took music and turned it into this sort of automotive assembly line. They were cranking out 10 songs a day in that studio, or more.”

Bigs Song Lines Studios Formulas Assembly Motown Assembly Line

Author:Mayer Hawthorne