by Christina Pomoni

Created on: August 28, 2009

Motown has changed the course of music by being the first African-American label to capture a huge audience and the critics thanks to a brilliant group of extremely talented African-American artists, who produced unforgettable smash hits. Featuring a distinctive soul sound, full of energy and emotion, chord and percussion sections, melodic bass guitar slides and horn grooves, all orchestrated in groundbreaking pop production techniques, Motown gave birth to what became known as the Motown Sound.

The Supremes (Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard) is, admittedly, Motown's best-selling female group. Featuring an innovative, refreshing sound, a flawless look, and a compelling vibe that reached any household in the 1960s, The Supremes developed practically a love affair with their audience around the globe. The group was actually the female response to the avalanche of male- dominated scene and it featured a completely feminine image. Diana Ross's calm, high-pitched voice, the vocal harmony among the group's members, the simple, yet appealing choreography, the detailed, yet plain make-up onstage, their high-fashion gowns and wigs, and graceful movements created an image of absolute feminism that had a huge impact on the audience along with their excellent performance. 'Where Did Our Love Go' (1964), 'Baby Love' (1964), 'Stop! In the Name of Love' (1965), 'You Can't Hurry Love' (1966), 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' (1966), and 'Love Is Here and Now You're Gone' (1967) are some of the smash hits of The Supremes under the Motown label.

Diana Ross left The Supremes in 1970 to pursue a solo career in Motown. Her first huge success was 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' (1970) that topped #1 in the US Billboard Hot 100. Since then, she released a barrage of great songs that reached a huge audience worldwide such as 'Remember Me' (1970), 'Touch Me In The Morning' (1973), 'You Are Everything' (with Marvin Gaye) (1974), 'Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)' (1975), 'Love Hangover' (1975), 'Upside Down' (1980), 'Endless Love' (with Lionel Richie) (1981), 'Chain Reaction' (1986), 'When You Tell Me That You Love Me' (1991), 'One Shining Moment (1992), and 'Not Over You Yet' (1999).

Smokey Robinson is broadly recognized as the 'King of Motown' and one of the greatest contributors to the label. Being the founding member of the Miracles (Smokey Robinson, Claudette Rogers Robinson, Ronald White, Pete Moore, and Bobby Rogers) and one of the leading figures in

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