Name your favorite books about Motown, their artists & their music.

[Motown Eddie]

Name your favorite books about Motown, their artists & their music.

Here's a few of mine;

Temptations by Otis Williams
Dreamgirls & Supreme Faith by Mary Wilson
Divided Soul-the life of Marvin Gaye by David Ritz
Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story 1958-2009 by J. Randy Taraborrelli
To Be Loved by Berry Gordy Jr.
The Original Marvelettes by Marc E. Taylor
Signed, Sealed & Delivered: The Soulful Journey of Stevie Wonder by Mark Ribowsky

[woodward]

Hype and Soul: Behind the Scenes at Motown - Al Abrams
The Story of Motown - Peter Benjaminson
Heat Wave - David Bianco
Once in a Great City - David Maraniss

[jbpintus]

Not listed yet :

Bartlette : OFF THE RECORD

Betts : MOTOWN ENCYCLOPEDIA

Edmunds : WHAT'S GOING ON

Turner : MERCY MERCY ME
[[I hope the title is right)

Swenson : STEVIE WONDER

Martha Reeves biography

Taraborelli : Diana bio

JB

[marv2]

Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound [[Music in American Life) - Nelson George

Dreamgirl, My Life As A Supreme - Mary Wilson

Hype & Soul - Al Abrams

Berry, Me & Motown - Raynoma Gordy Singleton

The Story of Motown - Peter Benjaminson

The Motown Album: The Sound of Young America) Oct 1990
by Elvis Mitchell and Ben Fong-Torres [[Coffee table book with the gold cover)

Motown the History - Sharon Davis

Confessions of a Motown Diva - Martha Reeves

Movin' Up, Pop Gordy Tells His Story - Berry Gordy Sr.

[luke]

Not listed yet
Berry Me and Motown Raynoma Gordy
Girl Groups Story of a Sound
Ladies Of Motown [[ I think that's the name)
All that Glittered. Tony Turner

[luke]

Oops just saw Marv listed Raynoma's

[sansradio]

Michael Eric Dyson's MERCY, MERCY ME: THE ART, LOVES AND DEMONS OF MARVIN GAYE deserves mention here.

[caliluv]

Me, Berry and Motown

[woodward]

Memories of the 1962 Motown Revue - a Photographic Journal Collector's Edition by Curtis E. Woodson - 2005

[icustomboxes]

These are just given below 1-The Story of Motown - Peter Benjaminson2-Dreamgirl, My Life As A Supreme - Mary Wilson3-Hype & Soul - Al Abrams4-Me,Berry and Motown

[icustomboxes]

These are just given below :

1-The Story of Motown - Peter Benjaminson
2-Dreamgirl, My Life As A Supreme - Mary Wilson
3-Hype & Soul - Al Abrams
4-Me,Berry and Motown

[masterblaster]

Motown:The Sound Of Young America- Adam White and Barney Ales
Great coffee table book

[Roberta75]

Motown:The Sound Of Young America- Adam White and Barney Ales
Great coffee table book

Is that the book with the gold cover masterblaster?

Thanks!

Roberta

[masterblaster]

Is that the book with the gold cover masterblaster?

Thanks!

Roberta

Hi Roberta,
No it's not the gold cover, Mine has a black plastic jacket,when the black jacket is removed it reveals a full graphic of all the artists the can be seen in the 'M' symbol.
The book contains some great photos and is a good read.

[reese]

Is that the book with the gold cover masterblaster?

Thanks!

Roberta

The book with the gold cover is called THE MOTOWN ALBUM. It came out in 1990, I believe.

[masterblaster]

The book with the gold cover is called THE MOTOWN ALBUM. It came out in 1990, I believe.

I have The Motown Album but not with a gold cover, I believe the gold cover version was Exclusive to The Motown Museum.

[reese]

I have The Motown Album but not with a gold cover, I believe the gold cover version was Exclusive to The Motown Museum.

I bought the book at a Lauriat's bookstore when it was first released, and it has the gold cover.

[sansradio]

I bought the book at a Lauriat's bookstore when it was first released, and it has the gold cover.

Yes, when I worked for Waldenbooks, we carried the gold cover as well.

[Luciano]

Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound [[Music in American Life) - Nelson George
.

This is favorite.

[Roberta75]

I bought the book at a Lauriat's bookstore when it was first released, and it has the gold cover.

Thanks Reese thats the version i have. Amazing photos in that book. I love it.

Fondly,

Roberta

[jack020]

Just started:
Detroit 67: The Year that Changed Soul by Stuart Cosgrove

[John G. Stumpf]

Thanks Reese thats the version i have. Amazing photos in that book. I love it.

Fondly,

Roberta

John Cluckie's commentaries on the Supremres
is amazing to me.

[144man]

"The Motown Story" by Don Waller should not be overlooked.

[marv2]

"The Motown Story" by Don Waller should not be overlooked.

That was a good book. I have it.

[marv2]

This is favorite.

Mine too. Every page kept my attention.

[Motown Eddie]

"The Motown Story" by Don Waller should not be overlooked.

That's a good one. I still have my copy of Wallers' The Motown Story from 1985. It has good articles about most of the artists and it was the first book that I saw that had a singles and LP discography on the Motown catalog [[before being superseded by Heat Wave in 1989).

[Luciano]

Mine too. Every page kept my attention.

I agree with you Marv. When I first bought it I kept reading it over and over.

[marv2]

I have The Motown Album but not with a gold cover, I believe the gold cover version was Exclusive to The Motown Museum.

I have the first printing with the gold cover.

[luke]

I forget the name of the Motown book from U.K. I believe that told a story about each Motown single released. Loved it!

[marv2]

There were so many Motown Books, I forgot some that I have owned for years. There was one that was a mid sized paperback that had a brown cover and used brown tinted photos throughout.

"Motown And The Arrival Of Black Music" by David Morse [[1971),was my first Motown book with Jean, Mary and Cindy's painting on the cover.

[marv2]

I've never seen or heard of this one with Lawrence Payton on the cover:

[phil]

I forget the name of the Motown book from U.K. I believe that told a story about each Motown single released. Loved it!

It's "Tamla Motown The Stories Behind the UK Singles" : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamla-Motow.../dp/1901447316



It's a very informative and detailed book. Recommended !

[mysterysinger]

"Tamla Motown The Stories Behind the UK Singles" is littered with errors [[but is still a good book anyhow).

[luke]

Thanks Phil. Fascinating book

[motownjohnny]

Here's three more that haven't been mentioned yet:

"Groovesville USA, The Detroit Soul and R&B Index" by Keith Rylatt

"I Hear A Symphony Motown and Crossover R&B" by Andrew Flory and

"Mary Wells, The Tumultuous Life of Motown's First Superstar" by Peter Benjaminson.

[masterblaster]

"Tamla Motown The Stories Behind the UK Singles" is littered with errors [[but is still a good book anyhow).

Love this book but haven't noticed many errors, please enlighten me.