List of Motown artists

Last updated June 09, 2024

This is a list of artists signed to Motown or one of its many subsidiaries.

Overview of Motown acts
Name	Signed	Label	Notes
98 Degrees	1990s	Motown
702	1980s/1990s	Motown
Akon	21st century	Motown
The Allens	1970s	Motown
Georgio Allentini	1980s/1990s	Motown
Luther Allison	1970s	Motown
Gerald Alston	1970s	Motown
The Andantes	1960s	Motown Records	Backing vocal group used on several recordings
Another Bad Creation	1980s/1990s	Biv 10 Records
Apollo	1970s	Motown
India Arie	21st century	Motown
Ashanti	21st century	Motown
Ashford & Simpson	1960s	Motown	The duo worked at Motown as songwriters and producers primarily, but Valerie Simpson recorded albums with the label and the duo recorded albums as an act at other labels
Cholly Atkins	1960s	Motown	Choreographer
Avery	21st century	Motown
AZ	21st century	Motown
B.G.O.T.I.	1980s/1990s	BGOTI
Babyface	21st century	Motown
Erykah Badu	1980s/1990s	Motown
Bankroll Freddie	21st century	Motown
J. J. Barnes	1960s	Ric-Tic Records
Drake Bell	21st century	Motown
Yummy Bingham	21st century	Motown
Will Biondo	21st century	Motown
Black Coffey	21st century	Motown
Blinky	1960s	Motown
Bobby M	1980s/1990s	Gordy
Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers	1960s	Gordy
The Boys	1980s/1990s	Motown
Boyz II Men	1990s	Motown
Brass Monkey	1970s	Rare Earth
Toni Braxton	21st century	Motown
Trina Broussard	21st century	Motown
Dorsey Burnette	1960s	Mel-o-dy Records
G. C. Cameron	1970s	Motown
The Cats	1970s	Rare Earth
Vita Chambers	21st century	Motown
Charlene	1980s/1990s	Motown
The Chi-Lites	1960s
Choker Campbell & His 16-Piece Band	1960s	Motown Records
City Girls ^[1]	21st century	Motown
Chris Clark	1960s	V. I. P. Records
Tom Clay	1970s	MoWest Records
Angela Clemmons	1980s/1990s	Motown
Desiree Coleman	1980s/1990s	Motown
Commodores	1970s	MoWest and Motown
The Contours	1960s	Gordy Records
Caroline Crawford	1960s	Motown
Crystal Mansion	1970s	Rare Earth
Bobby Darin	1970s	Motown
Dazz Band	1980s/1990s	Motown
Dean Debbie	1960s	Motown
DeBarge	1980s	Gordy
Bunny DeBarge	1980s	Motown
Chico DeBarge	1980s	Motown
El DeBarge	1980s	Gordy
Kiki Dee	1970s	Tamla
Donnie	21st century	Motown
The Dynamic Superiors	1970s	Motown
Earl Van Dyke and the Soul Brothers	1960s	Motown
The Easybeats	1970s	Rare Earth
Billy Eckstine	1960s	Motown
Duane Eddy	1970s	Motown
Dennis Edwards	1970s	Gordy
The Elgins	1960s	V. I. P.
The Fantastic Four	1960s	Ric-Tic and Soul Records
Jose Feliciano	1980s	Motown
Four Tops	1960s	Motown
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons	1970s	MoWest and Motown
Siedah Garrett	1980s/1990s	Gordy
Marvin Gaye	1960s	Tamla
Valerie George	1980s/1990s	Gordy
Nikita Germaine	1980s/1990s	Motown
Johnny Gill	1980s/1990s	Motown
Gladys Knight & the Pips	1960s	Soul Records
The Good Girls	1980s/1990s	Motown
Layton Greene	21st century	Motown
Guinn	1980s/1990s	Motown
Sam Harris	1980s/1990s	Motown
Hearts of Stone	1970s	V. I. P.
High Inergy	1970s	Gordy
Eddie Holland	1960s	Motown
Dave Hollister	21st century	Motown
Brenda Holloway	1960s	Tamla
Patrice Holloway	1960s	V. I. P.
Thelma Houston	1970s	Tamla
Reuben Howell	1970s	Motown
Howl the Good	1970s	Rare Earth
Willie Hutch	1970s	Motown
Impact of Brass	1970s	Rare Earth
The Isley Brothers	1960s	Tamla
Mila J	21st century	Motown
Chuck Jackson	1960s	V. I. P.
Jackie Jackson	1970s	Motown
Jermaine Jackson	1970s	Motown
Michael Jackson	1970s	Motown
The Jackson 5	1970s	Motown
Jada	21st century	Motown
Rick James	1970s	Gordy
Mable John	1960s	Tamla
Marv Johnson	1960s	Tamla
Wade Jones^[2]^[3]	1959	Rayber
Jords	2020s	Motown	First British rap act signed to Motown.^[4]
Jr. Walker & the All Stars	1960s	Soul
Keff James	1970s	Rare Earth
Kem	21st century	Motown
Eddie Kendricks	1970s	Tamla
Sebastian Kole	21st century	Motown
Kreuz	1980s/1990s	Motown
Lakeyah	21st century	Motown
Latif	21st century	Motown
Stacy Lattisaw	1980s/1990s	Motown
Bettye LaVette	1980s/1990s	Motown
Lil Baby	21st century	Motown
Lil Durk	21st century	Motown	The Voice of the Heroes with Lil Baby
Lil Yachty	21st century	Motown
Lindsay Lohan	21st century	Motown	Only the single "Bossy")
London	21st century	Motown
Lost Boyz	1980s/1990s	Motown
The Lost Nation	1970s	Rare Earth
Love Sculpture	1970s	Rare Earth
Lovesmith	1960s
Michael Lovesmith	1960s
Shorty Long	1960s	Soul
Magic	1970s	Rare Earth
Teena Marie	1970s	Gordy
Martha and the Vandellas	1960s	Gordy	Also billed as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
The Marvelettes	1960s	Tamla
Mary Jane Girls	1980s/1990s	Gordy
Matrix	1970s	Rare Earth
MC Trouble	1980s/1990s	Motown
Michael McDonald	1980s/1990s	Motown
Carrie McDowell	1980s/1990s	Motown
Brian McKnight	1980s/1990s	Motown
Barbara McNair	1960s	Motown
Meechy Baby	21st century	Motown
Michael and the Messengers	1970s	Rare Earth
Chrisette Michele	21st century	Motown
Migos	21st century	Motown
The Miracles	1960s	Tamla	Also billed as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Misa	1980s/1990s	Motown
The Monitors	1960s	V. I. P. Records
Debelah Morgan	1980s/1990s	Motown
Mýa	21st century	Motown
Nelly	21st century	Motown
Ne-Yo	21st century	Motown
Njomza	21st century	Motown
The Originals	1960s	Soul
The Ones	1960s	Motown
Matt Ox	21st century	Motown
Pal	1980s/1990s	Motown
Bonnie Pointer	1970s	Motown
The Pointer Sisters	1980s/1990s	Motown
Poor Boys	1970s	Rare Earth
Power of Zeus	1970s	Rare Earth
Billy Preston	1970s	Motown
The Pretty Things	1970s	Rare Earth
Quavo	21st century	Motown
Queen Latifah	1980s	Motown
Barbara Randolph	1960s	Soul
Dina Rae	21st century	Motown
Rare Earth	1970s	Rare Earth
The Rayber Voices	1959	Rayber	A backing vocal group^[5] Robert Bateman Brian Holland William "Sonny" Sanders
La'Porsha Renae	21st century	Motown
Repairs	1970s	Rare Earth
Lionel Richie	1980s	Motown
Jimmy Robbins	21st century	Motown
Smokey Robinson	1970s	Tamla
Rockwell	1980s	Motown
Diana Ross	1970s	Motown
Kevin Ross	21st century	Motown
Kelly Rowland	21st century	Motown
Bailey Rubero	21st century	Motown
David Ruffin	1960s	Motown
Jimmy Ruffin	1960s	Soul
Rustix	1970s	Rare Earth
SafetySuit	21st century	Motown
Phyllis St. James	1980s/1990s	Motown
Tiwa Savage	21st century	Motown
San Remo Golden Strings	1960s	Gordy
Remy Shand	21st century	Motown
Shanice	1990s	Motown
Sharissa	21st century	Motown
Shiny Toy Guns	21st century	Motown
Shontelle	21st century	Motown
Valerie Simpson	1970s	Tamla
Sounds Nice	1970s	Rare Earth
Sparkle	21st century	Motown
The Spinners	1970s	V. I. P.	Also marketed as The (Original) Detroit Spinners in the United Kingdom to distinguish them from the British folk act
Vince Staples	21st century	Motown
Edwin Starr	1960s	Soul
Rose Stone	1970s	Motown	Also known as Rose Banks
Stone City Band	1980s/1990s	Gordy
Dennis Stoner	1970s	Rare Earth
Stoney & Meatloaf	1970s	Rare Earth
Barrett Strong	1959	Tamla
Suai	21st century	Motown
Sunday Funnies	1970s	Rare Earth
The Supremes	1960s	Motown	Also billed as Diana Ross & the Supremes
Switch	1970s	Gordy
Takeoff	21st century	Motown
Felicia Taylor	1980s/1990s	Motown
R. Dean Taylor	1960s	V. I. P.
The Temptations	1960s	Gordy
Three Ounces of Love	1960s	Motown
Tammi Terrell	1960s	Gordy
Toe Fat	1970s	Rare Earth
Today	1980s/1990s	Motown
Tony! Toni! Toné!	1980s/1990s	Motown
Trick Trick	21st century	Motown
UFO	1970s	Rare Earth
The Underdogs	1960s	V. I. P.
The Undisputed Truth	1970s	Gordy
UnoTheActivist	21st century	Motown
The Valadiers	1960s	Miracle
Vanity	1980s/1990s	Motown
The Veer Union	21st century	Motown
Táta Vega	1970s	Tamla
The Velvelettes	1960s	V. I. P.
Waii	21st century	Motown
Leon Ware	1970s	Motown
Jason Weaver	1980s/1990s	Motown
Mary Wells	1960s	Motown
Kim Weston	1960s	Gordy
Bruce Willis	1980s	Motown
Mary Wilson	1970s	Motown
Wolfe	1970s	Rare Earth
Stevie Wonder	1960s	Tamla/Motown	Originally billed as Little Stevie Wonder
Syreeta Wright	1960s	Motown	Also billed as Rita Wright and Syreeta
XIT	1970s	Rare Earth
Val Young	1980s/1990s	Gordy
YoungBoy Never Broke Again	21st century	Motown
Yours Truly	1980s/1990s	Motown
P Yungin	21st century	Motown
Zhané	1990s	Illtown/Motown Records
Zion	21st century	Motown

Sources cited

Dahl, Bill (February 28, 2011). Motown: The Golden Years: More Than 100 Rare Photographs. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 9781440225574.
Betts, Graham (June 2, 2014). Motown Encyclopedia. AC Publishing. ISBN 9781311441546.
Waller, Don (1985). The Motown Story. New York City, New York, United States: Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 0684183471. LCCN 85002110.

Related Research Articles

Roald Dahl was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. He has been called "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century".

Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African-American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening, where U.S. record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa. It also had a resurgence in the mid-to late 1990s with the subgenre neo-soul, which added modern production elements and influence from hip-hop.

Stevland Hardaway Morris, known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. One of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the 20th century, he is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. A virtual one-man band, Wonder's use of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970s reshaped the conventions of contemporary R&B. He also helped drive such genres into the album era, crafting his LPs as cohesive and consistent, in addition to socially conscious statements with complex compositions. Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder.

Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and musician. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of successes, which earned him the nicknames "Prince of Motown" and "Prince of Soul".

Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.

Berry Gordy III known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is an American retired record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record label and its subsidiaries, which was the highest-earning African-American business for decades.

The Miracles were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups in the history of pop, soul, R&B and rock and roll music. The group's international fame in the 1960s, alongside other Motown acts, led to a greater acceptance of Rhythm & Blues and pop music in the U.S., with the group being considered influential and important in the development of modern popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Heard It Through the Grapevine</span> 1966 song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a single in September 1967. It went to number one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and number two on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and shortly became the biggest selling Motown single up to that time.

Barrett Strong Jr. was an American singer and songwriter known for his recording of "Money ", which was the first hit single for the Motown record label. He is also known for his songwriting work in association with producer Norman Whitfield; together, they penned such songs as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "War", "Just My Imagination ", and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone".

<i>S. F. Sorrow</i> 1968 studio album by Pretty Things

S. F. Sorrow is the fourth album by the English rock band Pretty Things. Released in 1968, it is known as one of the first rock operas ever released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Gordy</span> American music publishing executive (1931–2022)

Robert Louis Gordy was an American songwriter, music publishing executive, and recording artist under the stage name Bob Kayli. He released the minor hit song "Everyone Was There" in 1958. He was the brother of Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. and uncle of Redfoo.

Pamela Joan Sawyer is an English songwriter/lyricist, who started writing songs in the mid-1960s and whose credits as a co-writer at Motown included "Love Child", "If I Were Your Woman", "My Whole World Ended ", and "Love Hangover".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Jackson</span> American singer (1958–2009)

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Known as the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. During his four-decade career, his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture. Jackson influenced artists across many music genres. Through stage and video performances, he popularized complicated street dance moves such as the moonwalk, which he named, as well as the robot.

Gilbert Askey was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, producer and musical director who was born in Austin, Texas, and emigrated to Australia in 1988.

Sidney Alexander Barnes Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. He has been active in music since the early 1960s with Rotary Connection and as a staff writer with Motown during their time with the New York office and credits on albums with George Clinton, The Jackson 5, The Supremes, and B.B. King. Barnes has appeared on more than 150 albums and CD compilations.

Dino George Fekaris is an American music producer and songwriter.

Calvin Lawrence Harris was an American sound engineer and the head of the recording department at Motown. He worked on projects such as Marvin Gaye's hit album What's Going On, The Beach Boys' single “Good Vibrations”, and Lionel Richie's Grammy award-winning album Can't Slow Down. He is the father of jazz musician Cal Harris Jr. and programmer/keyboard technician Eric Harris.

<i>On Broadway</i> (Four Tops album) 1967 studio album by Four Tops

On Broadway is a 1967 studio album by American soul vocal group Four Tops, mostly covering Broadway show tunes and musical numbers.

This is a discography for singles released by the American rhythm and blues record label Motown as well as its subsidiaries and imprints.

This is a discography for albums released by the American rhythm and blues record label Motown as well as its subsidiaries and imprints.

References

↑ "City Girls | Artists". Motown. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
↑ Betts 2014, Wade Jones.
↑ Waller 1985, p. 33.
↑ Savage, Mark (May 26, 2023). "How Jords became the first UK rap act on Motown records". Entertainment & Arts. BBC News . Retrieved May 26, 2023.
↑ Dahl 2011, Part 1: Motown 1959–1972: Defining the Sound of Young America.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[city-1] "City Girls | Artists". Motown. Retrieved April 10, 2023.

[FOOTNOTEBetts2014Wade_Jones-2] Betts 2014, Wade Jones.

[FOOTNOTEWaller198533-3] Waller 1985, p. 33.

[jords-4] Savage, Mark (May 26, 2023). "How Jords became the first UK rap act on Motown records". Entertainment & Arts. BBC News . Retrieved May 26, 2023.

[FOOTNOTEDahl2011Part_1:_Motown_1959–1972:_Defining_the_Sound_of_Young_America-5] Dahl 2011, Part 1: Motown 1959–1972: Defining the Sound of Young America.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]