In 1959 twentynineyearold Berry Gordy who had already given up on his dream to be a champion boxer borrowed eight hundred dollars from his family and started a record company. A rundown bungalow sandwiched between a funeral home and a beauty shop in a poor Detroit neighborhood served as his headquarters. The buildings entrance was adorned with a large sign that improbably boasted Hitsville U.S.A. The kitchen served as the control room the garage became the twotrack studio the living room was reserved for bookkeeping and sales were handled in the dining room. Soon word spread that any youngster with a streak of talent should visit the only record label that Detroit had seen in years. The companys name was Motown. Motown cuts through decades of unsubstantiated rumors and speculation to tell the true behindthescenes narrative of Americas most exciting musical dynasty. It follows the company and its amazing roster of stars from the tumultuous growth years in Detroit to the drama and intrigue of Hollywood in the 1970s to resurgence in 2002. Set against the civil rights movement the decay of Americas northern industrial cities and the social upheaval of the 1960s Motown is a tale of the incredible entrepreneurship of Berry Gordy. But it also features the moving stories of kids from Detroits innercity projects who achieved remarkable success and then in many cases found themselves fighting the demons that so often come with stardomdrugs jealousy sexual indulgence greed and uncontrollable ambition. Motown features an extraordinary cast of characters including Diana Ross Michael Jackson Marvin Gaye Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder. They are presented as they lived and worked a clan of friends lovers competitors and sometimes vicious foes. Motown reveals how the hopes and dreams of each affected the lives of the others and illustrates why this singular story is a madeinAmerica Greek tragedy the rise and fall of a supremely talented yet completely dysfunctional extended famil