Q 01/05

Motown began operating on January 12, 1959 under which label name?

A) Tamla

B) Gordy

C) Soul

D) Rayber

Answer · why

A) Tamla

The name Motown itself is a blend of 'motor' and 'town'; the two labels merged into Motown Record Corporation in April 1960.

Q 02/05

How much did Berry Gordy borrow from his family's savings co-op to start the company?

A) $1,000

B) $800

C) $2,500

D) $5,000

Answer · why

B) $800

The loan came from a cooperative family savings account and was needed to cover his end of a distribution deal for a Marv Johnson single.

Q 03/05

Hitsville U.S.A., the house Gordy bought in 1959, sits at number 2648 on which Detroit street?

A) Woodward Avenue

B) Gratiot Avenue

C) West Grand Boulevard

D) Jefferson Avenue

Answer · why

C) West Grand Boulevard

Within seven years Motown had spread into seven additional neighbouring houses along the same block.

Q 04/05

What was the Hitsville building used for before Gordy bought it in 1959?

A) A funeral home

B) A dentist's office

C) A grocery store

D) A photographers' studio

Answer · why

D) A photographers' studio

The Gordy family lived in the second-floor apartment while the little studio downstairs ran 22 hours a day.

Q 05/05

Under which slogan did Motown market its acts during the 1960s?

A) The Sound of Young America

B) The Beat of the Motor City

C) Hits from the Heart of Detroit

D) America's Hit Factory

Answer · why

A) The Sound of Young America

From 1961 to 1971 the company placed 110 records in the Billboard top 10, an unmatched run for an independent label.