Remember when Beatle mania hit the mainstream of American life. It was the beginning of an era; the dawn of the 1960’s. The consensus of that time and place was about civil rights, and how those four, young men from Liverpool, England crossed the Atlantic and literally took America by storm. The black revolution had begun.
For a time, Beatle mania sent a ripple effect throughout the mainstream of American life. Singing groups as diverse as the Village People began emulating those British singing sensations with abandoned. Yet the Beatles dominated the popular charts throughout the decade and gave those singing groups a run for their money.
From New York to California, young Americans began mimicking the vibes; and, of course, the music that was produced by the Beatles. It was quite obvious then that the revolution was about music. Record labels began competing with that manic atmosphere: They upgraded their repertoires and young, eager hopefuls would flock to those northern urban centers en masse in the hope of becoming the next singing sensation.
Beatle mania had come into its own.
Yet, African American artists and musicians arrived to those northern urban centers with intentions of signing on to become a recording star but was giving a bum rap by what they had encountered; the manic depressive drive of Beatle mania. So, they dived right in and began to assail the market. That is, until a young man from Detroit started his own record label, Motown.
Berry Gordy organized his record label on a shoestring budget; he raised the initial capital from family members and Motown was born.
Initially, Motown was organized as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959. It is owned by Universal Music Group in Los Angeles, California; Capitol Music Group began distributing Motown’s inventory in massed quantities shortly thereafter.
Hitsville USA began upgrading their repertoire to accommodate black musicians and artists. These musicians and artists began to flock to Detroit in the hope of being awarded a contract. The Black Revolution was in full swing.
In 1960’s, Black musicians and artists opted for a change. Beatle mania instigated that change by bringing more of those popular tunes to America. Still, Beatle mania was met with aplomb when those hits began dominating the popular charts.
Consequently, a new breed in those popular tunes came into play — Rhythm and Blues.
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Thanks, Roger. Good memories.
Sharyn Dowd