Synopsis

Even with all the famous names associated with Motown, such as Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder, one would still have to acknowledge that its founder, Berry Gordy Jr, is the man who sums up what the record label has been all about.

From the late 1950s to 1988, when he sold out to MCA, Berry Gordy was the controlling force behind a label that revolutionised the way black pop music was written, recorded, marketed and distributed all around the world. And it was always a family affair - his sisters and brothers were involved in running the business; the artists also took a hand; and the creative meetings at Motown were run through a sort of democratic autocracy.

Marshall Chess tells the story of Berry and the Motown "family". The documentary first broadcast in January 2008 and is repeated as part of Radio 2's Summer of Soul season. Contributors include Motown artists Smokey Robinson; Sylvester Potts (The Contours); Tommy Good; Martha Reeves; Gloria Jones (The Velvelettes); Uriel Jones, one of the Funk Brothers who played drums on classic Motown recordings; Funk Brother and arranger Paul Riser; writer/producer/engineer Clay McMurray; former Motown President Skip Miller; writer/producer Robert Bateman; and one of the first Motown A&R men, William "Mickey" Stevenson.