Motown is an
American record company. It was founded by
Berry Gordy, Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960, in
Detroit,
Michigan. The name, a combination of
motor and
town, has also become a nickname for Detroit. Motown played an important role in the
racial integration of
popular music as an
African American-owned record label which achieved significant
crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including
Tamla Motown, the brand used outside the US) were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the
Motown Sound, a style of
soul music with a distinct pop influence. During the 1960s, Motown achieved spectacular success for a small record company: 79 records in the Top Ten of the
Billboard Hot 100 record chart between 1960 and 1969.
