GRAMMY MUSEUM® ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR UPCOMING EXHIBIT MOTOWN: THE SOUND OF YOUNG AMERICA

 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE ARTIFACTS FROM MOTOWN LEGENDS SUCH AS BOYZ II MEN, THE FOUR TOPS, THE JACKSON 5, THE MIRACLES, THE SUPREMES, THE TEMPTATIONS, AND CURRENT ARTISTS LIL BABY, MIGOS, NE-YO AND MORE

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.  —  The GRAMMY Museum® will reopen its doors to the public on Fri, May 21 and has announced details for its new exhibit, Motown: The Sound Of Young America, presented by City National Bank. The exhibit will be the Museum's premier second floor exhibit through winter 2021.    Motown: The Sound Of Young America traces the evolution of the label, focusing on its major artists and musical achievements, and explores how the sound of Motown continues to influence some of pop music’s most important artists today. In addition to stage outfits from many of Motown’s top performers, such as the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Miracles, and The Supremes, the exhibition also includes exclusive interviews with many Motown legends, letting visitors get deep inside the creative process perfected at Motown 60 years ago. Visitors will also experience interactive displays, including an opportunity to perform The Supremes’ “Stop! In The Name Of Love” on stage and learn the Temptations’ signature dance moves.   “The music of Motown, especially in the 1960s, represents a high-water mark in American music,” said Bob Santelli, the exhibition’s curator and Founding Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum. “The long list of No. 1 hits, the incredible stable of stars, and the genius of Berry Gordy Jr., both as a businessman and nurturer of talent, made Motown one of the most successful and impactful record companies of all time.”   “We’re honored that the GRAMMY Museum is bringing this vital exhibit to Los Angeles. In the past 60 years, Motown has repeatedly proved itself as a galvanizing musical and cultural force, amplifying the voice of Young America. Providing a firsthand view of the development of artists like Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Boyz II Men, NE-YO, Lil Baby and MIGOS will, I hope, spark the dreams of a new generation," said Ethiopia Habtemariam, Chairman/CEO of Motown Records and President of Urban Music/Co-Head of Creative at Universal Publishing Music Group.   A blend of gospel, blues and pop, Motown began in Detroit in the late 1950s and quickly became “The Sound of Young America,” crashing the American pop charts and challenging the Beatles-led British Invasion. The visionary of Motown, Berry Gordy Jr., a former prizefighter and songwriter who believed that talent could be found on nearly every Detroit street corner, brought the iconic sound into the mainstream, and it's a sound that continues to influence music and culture around the world. The exhibit was supported by Universal Music Group, Motown Records, and UMe and first premiered at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2019.

Exhibit highlights include: Berry Gordy's $800 loan contract (facsimile) used to start the Motown record label "Butterfly" gowns worn by The Supremes Harmonica and keyboard played by Stevie Wonder Ray Parker Jr.'s Gretsch guitar Recording Academy Hall Of Fame Awards for the Miracles Full set of Jackson 5 outfits Full set of Boyz II Men outfits Full set of The Four Tops outfits Full set of The Temptations outfits Blazers from MIGOS' “Stir Fry” music video  And more!