far too many to say which is my personal favourite but for me 'the quintessential sound of motown' would be The Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There ; especially the chorus when Levi sings it.

The Supremes-Nothing But Heartaches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTOmuMKWZBc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Barbara Randolph-I Got A Feeling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV_cs-T2Y-Q" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And finally from me...
Heaven Help Us All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34YzTGdemb8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

hampsteadclaret wrote:Thanks for all the contributions on this, most of which were excellent, and some great links.

A couple to finish with, artists who have not featured on here yet..

This is Jackie Wilson...check out the excellent Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth dancing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AXkfhqvO44" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Curious Hampstead.

Why Jackie Wilson as far as I am aware he had no connection with Berry Gordy. Wilson got ripped off by Brunswick throughout the course of his recording career.

Wilson and Gordy were a bit intertwined. They wrote songs together and The Funk Bros played on some of Jackie's records - eg Higher and Higher.
But you're right, not a Motown artist.

They were both boxers too - perhaps for the same stable?

so many great memories of my late teens are around Motown but soul in particular, went to some fab places and saw great performers, the dancing was as good as the singing/beat for me, so well done. We just got a new record player for Christmas and had a lot of the old 45's out and a dance around, our youngest thought we had gone mad, but nothing new there really, he was really confused when I said just a minute and put a couple of handbags down so I could dance around them, OH Happy Days, Higher & Higher which actually was my mothers favorite all those years ago

Thank you for the trip down memory lane people xx

If you enjoy a journey down 'memory lane' then tune in to the 'CountryTV' channel on Sunday nights(8pm) and Tuesday nights(10pm). Hits and video from the 50's,60's and 70's. The title of the programme is, surprisingly, called Memory Lane. Did a nice little tribute last night to Dean Ford of Marmalade featuring him singing 'Reflections of My Life' from 1969 and then more recently. Anyway, well worth recording.

yes but ............. did you call it 'tamla', 'motown', 'tamla motown' or something else?

Don't forget; Gordy, Soul, VIP, Anna, Mowest, Rare Earth and other labels in the family as well as those acquisitions like Ric Tic and Golden World and more.