Today our family mourns the loss of our beloved Esther Gordy Edwards.

Esther Gordy Edwards was a top Motown executive, businesswoman, civil and political leader, who received numerous awards, commendations and accolades. She was the most educated in our family and was the go-to person for wisdom in business.

Whatever she did, it was with the highest standards, professionalism and an attention to detail that was legendary. She always came out a hero. Esther wasn’t concerned with being popular. She was dedicated to making us all better—the Gordy family and the Motown family.

Esther turned the so-called trash left behind after I sold the company in 1988 into a phenomenal world-class monument where Hitsville started—The Motown Museum.
She preserved Motown memorabilia before it was memorabilia, collecting our history long before we knew we were making it. She nurtured and held it together through the years, protecting the Motown legacy for generations to come—which is only one of the reasons people all over the world will remember and celebrate Esther Gordy Edwards.
Despite my sorrow, I will proudly continue to honor and celebrate her. She will always be my big sister and she will forever live in my heart. 

Berry Gordy, Jr. and the entire Gordy Family
Founder of Motown
August 24, 2011

On May 21, 1971, Motown Records released an album unique to its vast, already classic catalog: a suite of protest songs, railing, albeit softly and with an undeniable groove, about the planet’s woes and the pain of war.  With What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye forever changed the sound and subject matter of popular music, influencing and inspiring every generation since.  Formerly Motown’s reigning smooth-faced, smiling, mass-appeal artist, this album was Gaye’s departure for the bearded, brooding, reflective, angry artist he would become.  His first self-production, the album was written, sung and solely produced by Gaye.

Forty years on, the album remains a timeless classic.  Speaking boldly and passionately about social issues on the street unlike any other album before, What’s Going On provided a soundtrack to life in America—and still does.  It was a smash from the start and it’s still one of Rolling Stone magazine’s top ten Greatest Albums of All Time. Two songs from this album are in the Grammy® Hall of Fame, which honors the most important recordings in history.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary, Motown/UMe proudly announces the release of What’s Going On – Super Deluxe Edition, on May 17, 2011.  This new Super Deluxe Edition includes two CDs and one vinyl LP, 14 unreleased tracks, copious rarities, all  complemented by an oversized booklet with two essays and rare photos from the original cover shoot.  Inside as well is a reproduction of the album graphics, which showcased, for the first time at Motown, the song’s lyrics—and identified the musicians.

Leading off this lovingly produced, double-gatefold 12x12 package is a newly remastered version of the original album, which delivers a deeper, warmer sound than in previous reissues.  Added to the album on Disc 1 are several outtakes from sessions that led up to the recording of the LP—the original mix of the title song Marvin presente

President Obama and First Lady will invite music legends and contemporary major artists to the White House for “The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House,” a concert celebrating Black History Month and the legacy of Motown Records.
 
The program will include tributes to Motown’s distinctive soul-infused pop music sound that solidified its popularity in American culture, and showcase Motown’s impact on all music. The event will include legends from Motown’s golden age and performances by artists from today, all in tribute to Motown's 50-year legacy. Performers include Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, Jamie Foxx, Nick Jonas, Ledisi, John Legend, Seal and more!

“The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House,” will be broadcast on PBS stations nationwide on Tuesday, March 1 at 8 p.m. (ET). The program will also be broadcast via the American Forces Network on March 11 to American service men and women and civilians at U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world. Check your local listings here http://www.pbs.org/inperformanceatthewhitehouse/airdates.php

Missing any Motown from your collection? Check out the Motown store here!

Collection Features Karaoke Bonus Versions Of “I Want You Back,” “The Love You Save,” “I’ll Be There” and “Mama’s Pearl”

The Jackson 5 were fun to listen to and they were also a family. It is no surprise, then, that singing along with them to “ABC” or “I Want You Back” has brought other families together for decades and continues to do so today. Universal Music Family’s J Is For Jackson 5 (Motown/UMe), released March 30, 2010, collects a dozen of the group’s most mom-, dad- and kid-friendly greatest hits and fan favorites on one album – and adds karaoke versions of “I Want You Back,” “The Love You Save,” “I’ll Be There” and “Mama’s Pearl.”

Those four original master recordings were converted to split tracks – vocals on one channel and instrumentals on the other. When the balance control is turned one way, the vocals disappear; when turned the other way, the instrumentals fade away. So everyone can sing-along to the instrumental track without a karaoke machine or to the vocal track a cappella. The lyrics are provided in the album booklet. For the other selections, fans can sing-along to the full original recordings.

Until they emerged from Gary, Indiana, there had never been a singing group or a family quite like The Jackson 5. With Michael first hitting the big time when he was just 11 years old with teenage brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, the Jackson 5 became one of the biggest pop music phenomena in history, scoring No. 1 Pop hits with their first four singles.

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Mobile Music Studio Remixing App Features Five Jackson 5 Favorites:  ABC, Dancing Machine, I Want You Back, Mama's Pearl and The Love You Save

Austin, TX – SXSW Music Conference– March 19, 2010 – Easy as 1-2-3 – Starting today, Jackson 5 fans can remix five multi-platinum Jackson 5 songs and win over $6,000 in prizes. Universal Music Enterprises and EMI Publishing teamed up with ZOOZ Mobile, Inc., developers of the first mobile music studio, to launch ZOOZbeat Jackson 5 Remix for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users. ZOOZbeat Jackson 5 Remix – the second in a series of custom branded ZOOZbeat music apps – features five Jackson 5 signature songs that helped sell more than 250 million albums worldwide in 40 years: “Dancing Machine,” “ABC,” “I Want You Back,” “Mama's Pearl” and “The Love You Save.” ZOOZbeat Jackson 5 Remix transforms the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch into a mobile music studio, enabling anyone – with or without music training – to remix and re-create their own tracks with beats and samples from pop sensation Jackson 5  featuring Michael Jackson and brothers Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon.

Click here for more details!