In One Door, Out the Other, yo.

Berry Gordy, founder of Motown records, created his record company with one goal: that a person could walk in from the streets and come out a star. This dream came from his experience working on an automobile assembly line in Detroit. He was amazed that cars started off as just a frame, but were created into something incredible. He wanted the exact same thing for his clients, which is why he gave them everything from dance to etiquette lessons. One main part of why he wanted his clients to act properly was to appeal to a white audience. All of this paid off. Berry Gordy knew that Motown hit it big when a song by one of his biggest stars, Smokey Robinson, sold over one million copies.

Smokey Robinson is a prime example of Gordy's dream. William Robinson, his real name, was a teenage boy fresh out of high school when he met Gordy. Robinson joined a group that Gordy wrote for, The Miracles. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles put Motown on the map. Robinson's musical talent was quickly discovered after he joined the Miracles. He was a brilliant song writer, and gave popular groups like the Beatles a run for their money. Robinson's career took off. He became such good friends with Berry Gordy that Gordy named Robinson vice-president of Motown Records. Smokey Robinson also became a talent scout for Motown Records. Out of the numerous acts that he found, Diana Ross and The Supremes were the most famous.



Diana Ross and the Supremes, formerly known as The Primettes, were another example of Gordy's dream. A local group from Detroit, The Primettes main goal was to get a record deal. Diana Ross, the front runner of the group, decided to contact her old neighbor, Smokey Robinson, to see if he would be able to help. Robinson got them an audition, but Gordy encouraged the girls to finish high school. After months of persistence, however, Gordy agreed to sign them on one condition: that they change the name of their group. The Primettes chose the name The Supremes. Their first few years at Motown were not so successful, but they hit it big in 1964 with their single "Where Did Our Love Go."



Berry Gordy created legends, along with a legendary sound, all with an 800 dollar deposit, and a dream.

Sources:http://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Gordy-Jr-Berry.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Robinson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Supremes

Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59AjRuRaC34&feature=fvst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjy8HqrcYys