NASHVILLE |DATE: MAY 15, 2008
FROM: TODD BRODGINSKI/MITCH SCHNEIDER
150-TRACK COMPILATION COVERING THE BEST FROM
HITSVILLE, USA OUT JULY 1
As part of their comprehensive music series, TIME LIFE is celebrating Motown Records’ 50th Anniversary with the July 1st release of THE MOTOWN COLLECTION, a 10-CD compilation of the greatest music to come out of Hitsville, USA. Founded by Mr. Berry Gordy in Detroit in the late 50’s, Motown quickly became the sound of young America, pumping out hits from The Miracles, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, Diana Ross, Mary Wells, Martha & The Vandellas, Lionel Richie, The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson and many more. This deluxe collector’s package will also include comprehensive lyrics to the songs that defined a generation and continue to resonate in pop culture.
For The Motown Collection, actor Billy Dee Williams–who starred in the Berry Gordy-produced films Lady Sings The Blues and Mahogany–recently filmed a half-hour performance clip show selling the package in Detroit at the Motown Museum, Hitsville, USA which is housed in the very same location where Mr. Gordy founded the iconic record label in 1959. Williams says, “The Motown sound was like when George Lucas came out with Star Wars–it set a precedent that everyone tried to emulate. He created a real home for a lot of very talented people. Berry Gordy and Motown crossed all cultures. They took the music they created–a provincial experience that was had been somewhat relegated to a certain group of people–and brought it to the whole world. It was basically rhythm & blues, but they made it universal.”
Williams was filmed in and around the museum, showing over 70 clips of historical footage and shared music from the vast catalog of music spanning from the late 1950s through the mid 1970s. The 30-minute presentation will air nationwide in April to promote the album, available through www.timelife.com and 800–846-3543. Williams says, “I’m really honored that I was asked to do this–be a part of the history of this phenomenon called Motown. I spent seven years under contract with Berry Gordy and I had the privilege of being around all of those great musicians and performers.”
As an added bonus, fans that buy the CD collection online or via telephone will receive a bonus DVD with 12 rare live performances of Motown artists on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
From Motown’s first hits “Money (That’s What I Want)” and “Shop Around,” through mid-60’s smashes like “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You,” “Tracks Of My Tears,” “My Girl” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” to 70’s gems “Three Times A Lady” and “All Night Long,” TIME LIFE’s The Motown Collection is the most thorough Motown anthology there is. It encompasses the huge hits that became the soundtrack of a generation as well as many other key gems that underline the artistic depth of the Motown sound and vision.
Some of the most respected names in all of pop music are included on The Motown Collection: Boys II Men, Commodores, The Contours, Debarge, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Brenda Holloway, Thelma Houston, Isley Bros., Jermaine Jackson, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Rick James, Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Marvelettes, The Originals, Bonnie Pointer, Rare Earth, David Ruffin, Jimmy Ruffin, The Spinners, Edwin Starr, Barrett Strong, Undisputed Truth, The Velvelettes and Mary Wells and Kim Weston.
About Time Life:
Time Life and the Time Life logo are registered trademarks of Time Warner Inc. and affiliated companies, used under license by Direct Holdings Americas Inc., which is not affiliated with Time Warner Inc. or Time Inc. Headquartered in Fairfax VA, Direct Holdings Americas Inc.'s history began in 1961 as Time Life a direct marketing division of Time Incorporated specializing in music and books. The business has been operated as a separate company since the mid-1970s when it relocated to Virginia, and has since grown to become one of the world’s largest direct marketers of audio and video products throughout North America, Europe and Australia. The Company has set the standard in the direct response industry by pioneering direct marketing techniques and building one of the most trusted and recognized brands in commerce. The Company now also sells its products through major traditional and non-traditional retailers around the world as well as via the Internet. The Company was sold in 2003 to private investors.
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TIME LIFE CELEBRATES MOTOWN AT 50: 150-TRACK COMPILATION COVERING THE BEST FROM HITSVILLE, USA OUT JULY 1
