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As political unrest swept the world in 1968, Stax Records faced a tumultuous year saved only by the legendary label’s own soul power.
Legendary groups The Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas and The Marvelettes are well known, but there are many female Motown stars you need to know.
Both baffling and astounding, ‘Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants’ found Stevie Wonder branching out into soundtrack work for the first time.
‘Who’s Making Love’ practically defined the “can’t trust a lover” strain of soul and made Johnnie Taylor a Stax star during the label’s pivotal year.
Seeing the connection between jazz and disco, the Vanguard and Fantasy labels made sophisticated dancefloor music that still sounds fresh and thrilling.
With ‘A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’, Black Sheep promoted intelligent Afrocentricity and upset hip-hop’s apple carts by refusing to act like gangstas.
In thrall to the jazz music she grew up with, Amy Winehouse’s debut album, ‘Frank’, found her at turns optimistic and wry, on her way to ‘Back To Black’.
Strong and bold, the best Four Tops songs stand as a pinnacle for soul music: heartfelt, emotional and pulling on the heartstrings.
Described by Smokey Robinson as Motown’s “first bang-bang record”, The Miracles’ ‘Shop Around’ remains one of the greatest soul songs of all time.
From classic hits sung by Diana Ross, to stunning tracks recorded by later line-ups of the group, the best Supremes songs reveal the group’s unique magic.
Rightfully known as the queen Supreme, the best Diana Ross songs reveal just how much the Motown icon achieved when she stepped out as a solo artist.
Stax house band Booker T & The MGs were the rulers of instrumental soul, and they cooked up a soul food storm on ‘Green Onions’, their debut album.
Not often a label thought of in hip-hop terms, the best Motown samples prove that Berry Gordy’s empire had more than enough beats for the crate-diggers.
In the late 90s, ‘Mos Def And Talib Kweli Are Black Star’ forged a new path in which culture and unity took precedence over hip-hop’s beefs and disses.
With The Smokey Robinson-penned ‘My Girl’, The Temptations created a keystone soul song that put the group on the map, adding to Motown’s winning streak.
