Founded by Berry Gordy as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, the company was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in 1960. The name derived from the words motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit. Motown is easily the most important and influential black label of all time. It was the first record label owned by an African American to primarily feature African-American artists. They not only did a lot for music in America, they also help the racial integration of that time. They had that great "Motown Sound" that was undeniably good which made their music able to crossover to all races all over the word.

50 Years of Motown