The Motown Museum, established in 1985 by Esther Gordy Edwards, is an homage to the hitmakers and achievements of Motown and its founder, Berry Gordy. If you haven’t made the trip to visit the museum, here are just a few great reasons to entice you.
Studio A
The tour through Motown Museum gives you access to Studio A, where the original Motown artists recorded all of your favorite tunes. The urge to take advantage of the acoustics and belt out a tune may just hit you, and it’s very likely that your guide and other members of your tour could join in. Walk through the studio and see replicas of popular instruments of the time as well as photos of the artists in action.
Berry Gordy’s Upper Flat
You might imagine the Motown Museum to be located in the inner city or in a more industrial area. It’s actually in the suburbs, with homes all around, just as it was in 1959 when Motown was founded. The building houses the museum on the main level, while the upper flat is where Berry Gordy lived with his family early on. When you tour the museum, you also have access to the upper flat, which has been restored to the vintage look of old with a bright orange couch and ’50s-style dining table and chairs.
The Inside Scoop
Your tour guide will enlighten you with many of Motown’s “untold” stories as you travel through the building. Photos and memorabilia on the walls and in displays include a white glove and hat from Michael Jackson, complete with dirt on the wrist and rim from actual use and the artist’s name embroidered on the inside. This and many more artifacts of Motown history are available for viewing.
Black History Month Events and Visits
Every June, the Motown Museum schedules educational and celebratory activities for the community and its members. Last June saw tickets given away to a lucky visitor by Smokey Robinson for his most recent tour, as well as a membership giveaway from Diana Ross for tickets to her Detroit concert. Famous visitors at the time were Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Blue Ivy Carter, as well as Beyonce’s entire Formation tour. All singers, dancers, stage crew, and makeup artists toured the museum and were given additional time due to many stops for singing and dancing along the way.
Current Events
The Motown Museum features a current exhibit that changes seasonally. ‘Boulevard to Broadway’ is the exhibit currently on display. It explores how Gordy built an enterprise that revolutionized the entertainment industry, using Motown as his vehicle.
Summer camps are also an important function of the museum. Motown Museum IGNITE for high school teenagers and Motown Museum SPARK for kids age 8-12 are two-week camps offered to teach performance, singing, dancing, producing, and the music business.
If you find yourself in southeastern Michigan, you should drop by the Motown Museum and sing a few songs in Studio A, visit the upper flat, learn some Motown history, and get some of your favorite oldies stuck in your head for the next few days.
Image via Flickr by mariannica under use of Public Domain
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