Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound

by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Overview

From award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney comes the story of the music that defined a generation and a movement that changed the world.

Berry Gordy began Motown in 1959 with an $800 loan from his family. He converted the garage of a residential house into a studio and recruited teenagers from the neighborhood-like Smokey Robinson, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross-to sing for his new label. Meanwhile, the country was on the brink of a cultural revolution, and one of the most powerful agents of change in the following decade would be this group of young black performers from urban Detroit. From Berry Gordy and his remarkable vision to the Civil Rights movement, from the behind-the-scenes musicians, choreographers, and song writers to the most famous recording artists of the century, Andrea Davis Pinkney takes readers on a Rhythm Ride through the story of Motown.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596439733
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	09/29/2015
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	1,035,395
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	1030L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books for children, many of them illustrated by her husband Brian Pinkney. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

08/31/2015
In this clear, comprehensive history of Motown, Pinkney (The Red Pencil) narrates as "the Groove," a chatty, older guide to Berry Gordy Jr.'s music business. With well-chosen collaborators in every department—songwriting, backup performance, artistic development—Berry spotted and cultivated some of the best African-American musical talent of the era; Motown's stars in its 1960s heyday included The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder. Thanks to Berry's ambitious innovations, Motown became "an assembly line that cranked out hit after hit after hit," achieved through exacting standards that included personal integrity offstage, the color of a performer's eye shadow, and on-stage moves. With folksy speech and catchy metaphors ("a voice that was spicy ginger and cream—it was gritty and mellow"), supported by clear headings and well-chosen photographs, the Groove detours into the "finishing" of artists, segregation, and the Detroit riots of 1968, though Pinkney omits discussions of other popular music of the 1960s. A useful chronology, selected discography, and source notes are included for readers seeking to explore the Motown sound further. Ages 10–14. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

A well-crafted spin that will reverberate in the hearts of music, African American culture, and history buffs.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Veteran author Pinkney takes readers on a road trip to Motownin a book that catches the excitement of Hitsville U.S.A.” —Booklist, starred review

“An ebullient, wonderfully told introduction to music that had an indelible influence on a generation and its times.” —Kirkus

"Pinkney [...] delivers a memorable spin on Motown’s unparalleled cultural and musical heritage." —The Washington Post

From the Publisher

2015-06-23
Adopting the informal, laid-back voice of a narrator she calls "the Groove," Pinkney offers readers a lively, engaging chronicle of the Motown sound. Central to the story is the visionary impresario and Motown founder Berry Gordy. Although successful as a songwriter, the Detroit native was unhappy with the pittance earned for his labor while record company owners made a fortune. With $800 borrowed from his family, Gordy started Motown Records at a two-story bungalow he dubbed Hitsville USA. The ambitious Gordy drew on his experience working for Ford Motor Co. to turn Motown into an assembly line cranking out hit after hit. Gordy's "Motown family" soon included such stellar acts as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson Five, and more. Pinkney interweaves into the narrative accounts of the cultural and political upheavals occurring during the years of Motown's greatest success, such as the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and the deadly riots in Detroit. She explains how Gordy's success in an industry dominated by white men at the time was all the more remarkable. Given this, it's unfortunate she doesn't take the opportunity to discuss how influential the Motown sound was on white musicians, particularly those of the British Invasion. An ebullient, wonderfully told introduction to music that had an indelible influence on a generation and its times. (photos, timeline, discography, source notes, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews