photo credit: Amazon.com
In the 1950’s, Detriot was known as
the Motor city, the hub of the Ford Motor Company. It also became known as
Music City, the birthplace of a new genre of music that would transcend
cultural and racial barriers to become the “Voice of Young America” (p.107). Rhythm Ride takes us on a journey from a
small garage recording studio (known as “Hitsville, USA”), to places throughout
the United States and beyond. The success of Motown was fueled by the vision
and drive of Gordon Berry, who founded and ran the record company on three basic
beliefs: raw talent needed to be blended with hard work; every member of the
team had an important job and equal say; and respect for all people. He
discovered local talented singers and incorporated the assembly-line strategy
with a nurturing environment to produce polished and poised shiny stars with
even brighter hits. For almost 30 years, Motown employees and performers
followed a strict code of ethics, insisted on quality control, and never lost
sight of their Detriot roots. The result was one of the most successful
companies in music recording history, and a legion of fans that when asked, “If
you only had a dollar in your pocket, and you were hungry, would you buy a hot
dog or this record?” (p.32), would simply go hungry.
Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound is a fascinating book that depicts
one man’s aspirations to create a music company whose songs would have mass
appeal and give credit to the songwriters and performers who created them. The
author transports the reader to an era in American history, exploring how
cultural and political events impacted and influenced this company over the
next three decades. The road map of this book truly travels through the Motown
Sound and the company behind it, rarely taking a detour into the personal lives
of musicians and company personnel. Although there are numerous other books
about Motown, the narrative format of this selection is unique. The Groove is
our guide, depicted as the beat that is always around and has witnessed all
events on this journey. This book is recommended for students in middle school
and beyond, and has value for both leisure reading and content area studies in
music and social studies units concerning civil rights and race relations.
“Just as Motown was always there to inspire us, to lift us up, to help us march
past struggle – to change us – those unforgettable songs are still lifting us
to great heights.” (p, 128).
Bibliography: Pinkney, A.D. (2015).
Rhythm ride: A road trip through the Motown
sound. New York, NY: Roaring Book press.
Interested in learning more about Andrea Davis Pinkney or the Motown sound?
Check out these links:
Check out these links:
http://andreadavispinkney.com/
https://www.motownmuseum.org/story/motown/
http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/mrrl-hall-of-fame/103-berry-gordy-jr
http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/mrrl-hall-of-fame/103-berry-gordy-jr
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