What’s going on

1967 saw the first crisis when the successful songwriter and producer trio Holland/Dozier/Holland left the company following a legal wrangle over retained royalties. Bad for Motown, good for upcoming talents like Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, who were to shape the sound of Motown in coming years. They were behind a string of hits such as "I heard it through the grapevine", "War" and "Papa was a rollin’ stone". Motown gradually opened up to the newer sounds that were dominating the soul and funk scene. The Jackson 5 with lead singer Michael Jackson (who had just turned 11) brought new fresh blood into the company. The "hit machine Motown" was back in full swing, but artists like Marvin Gaye and Little Stevie Wonder no longer wanted to be pressed into the Motown mold. In the late 1960s, they started to shed the shackles and increasingly relied on their own ideas. The still young Stevie quickly dropped the "Little" that preceded his name and the songwriter, producer, singer and multi- instrumentalist swiftly emerged as one of the biggest Motown artists of the 1970s.
Marvin Gaye won out in the war of words with father figure Gordy and released one of the prime soul albums of the new decade: "What’s going on".

Too busy thinking about my baby

1972 saw a change with far-reaching implications for the history of Motown, if not for the city itself. Berry Gordy planned to enter the film business and relocated the entire company to Los Angeles. Not all the performers were willing to join up for the ride. Some left the label, others were disappointed and stayed in Detroit. This was the case for Motown’s backing band, the brilliant Funk Brothers. The Funk Brothers were the heart of Motown and up until this point featured on almost all the hits. It would be fair to say the band exemplified what made Motown. Black and white musicians played together and produced music not only for blacks or whites. For years, these musicians (all of them experienced jazz musicians) performed anonymously in the "Snakepit", the studio of Hitsville U.S.A. Only later were they actually mentioned by name on albums.
The moving and very aptly named documentary film "Standing in the shadows of Motown" (2002) left a respectful memorial to the outstanding musicians – though for many it was posthumous.

Since I lost my baby

Following the move from Detroit, the big Motown family was no longer what it had once been. But Berry Gordy succeeded in finding and promoting new stars. His new heroes were Diana Ross, The Commodores, Lionel Richie, Rick James and – still – Stevie Wonder. The soul superstar, who was signed up at the tender age of 12, grew and grew up with Motown. Today, he is the only first-generation performer to have remained utterly loyal to the label.