On January 12, 1959, Berry Gordy opened Motown Records here where it remained until 1972. Motown relocated to LA but this property was maintained and Esther Gordy opened the Motown Museum in 1985. In 2014, I made my first visit to Hitsville. This little place is so chockful of musical history, it's almost overwhelming.
Timed guided tours are the only way you can see the museum. Lots of people just stop by the building for a photo.
We were able to buy tickets for a later tour and returned in a few hours. No photos are allowed anywhere inside the museum and our group was pretty much rushed through the galleries (photos, record albums, Supremes' dresses, shoes, and wigs; hat and glove from Michael Jackson) with no time to reading the interesting things posted. We did have time, however, for our guide to banter with people in our group, to sing short Motown solos, and make us sing with him in the echo chamber 😏
He made sure that no one lingered behind and herded us quite effectively. Someone asked if he could go back to view the exhibits again and our guide said no. It would be great to be able to tour this place without a controlling guide and maybe it's loosened up since 2014. (Update: when the museum reopens summer of 2022, indoor photos will be permitted.)
So it's impossible to take it all in within the time allotted. From the galleries, we moved into what was Barry Gordy's apartment when Gordy first opened the studio. It's frozen in time with his kitchen table serving as his early shipping department. But the best part of this tour was standing inside Studio A where the great recordings were made. Pictures of Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and many more hang on the walls. The original piano and drums are still there along with the cords hanging down for the microphones. I couldn't take my own photos but, naturally, there are photos on the internet (next four photos). The 1877 Steinway was restored due to a visit by Paul McCartney some years ago and his funding of the project. We had to stand on the blue carpet and sing "My Girl" with our guide. Ok, that was pretty cool 😊
Being back in the area in 2016, we did a quick stop by. Someday, I would love to tour the museum again to experience more of this rich musical history.
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