Friday, May 9, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
RENAISSANCE MAN. ... Smokey Robinson, performing in the Sheraton Desert Inn Crystal Room through Sunday, excels as a producer, director, songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, recording artist and complete entertainer. ... Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in Detroit at the end of the 1950s, creating the Motown Sound.
Gordy was the working head of the label. ... William "Smokey" Robinson was a teenager when he met Gordy. ... Robinson's group, the Miracles, gave Motown its first hit, "Shop Around." ... Robinson became the label's heart and most of its soul. ... Motown redefined popular music in the 1960s.
During these next three decades-plus, Robinson has won numerous Grammy Awards, berths in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. ... He has also been given the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences' Living Legends Award.
A little history
Recorded music had clearly defined categories until the mid-1940s. ... Pop, country and race, sepia or rhythm & blues records sold mainly in clearly defined areas. ... Benny Goodman's orchestra was a barrier breaker in the 1930s with Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton in the trio and quartet. ... Bing Crosby and Red Foley were pop-country crossovers during that same period; they were exceptions to the rule.
The late Jack Kapp at Decca, now MCA Records, believed there should be no color barriers. ... Under his aegis, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, the Ink Spots, Louis Jordan and the Mills Brothers sold equally well to all people.
Benny Goodman and Jack Kapp could be likened to baseball's Branch Rickey while Wilson, Hampton and the above Decca artists were the Jackie Robinsons of popular music, much earlier.
Back to Motown
Motown created a roster of black artists in the 1960s who sold very well to everyone, everywhere. ... The Motown Sound was really an amalgam of pop, gospel, blues and jazz, an approach that evoked positive sales responses, especially among postwar teenagers. ... It was at this time that Ray Charles released his landmark country music albums.
Pop and country music were no longer separate categories. ... Aretha Franklin was another major factor in the 1960s. ... Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and B.B. King were profound influences on the British invaders, beginning with the Beatles.
As the millennium approaches, the pop-country-gospel-blues-jazz business, now one, seems to be at a lull, looking for a new direction, a fresh approach. ... Whatever does emerge, whatever its direction, the basic Motown Sound will remain an integral part of its entirety.
Friday addenda
The Society of Singers honor the great Joe Williams at Ruth's Chris Steak House at 8 p.m. Saturday. ... Williams is another artist who has transcended categories; above all, he is a master balladeer. ... Support good jazz wherever you find it. ... Check the Accent Show Guide every Friday. ... Support the SUN Summer Camp Fund, please. ... See you next Thursday.
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