On the Road With the Motortown Revue: How to Make a Motown Hit

For a very brief period in time, some of the most legendary music acts of the 20th century played together in one star-studded concert, playing hit after hit. Granted, at the time some of these stars had not yet reached the level of fame they hold today. But what a show! 

Motown’s music roster, Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson, The Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and more toured around the country and even the U.K. and France, with guest appearances from James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield…the list goes on. 

The Supremes at the Apollo (1965)

The purpose of the Revue was a kind of promotional tour – taking young emerging artists out on the road in the hopes of making their records into hits. Mainstream white media wouldn’t promote or play what they called “race music”, which essentially shut this artists out of radio, major record shops and tv.

Thomas “Beans” Bowles, a skilled jazz musician and stage manager conceived the idea for the Revue and was the road manager for the first tour. Tour logistics were handled by Esther Gordy Edwards, sister of Motown Records’ founder Berry Gordy.

The Supremes arriving in London

The tour was where a then 14-year old Stevie Wonder honed his abilities and  got his first hit single with “Fingertips”.

Young artists’ talents were refined and honed on stage. The rapid pace of the tour meant they often didn’t have much time to rehearse or prepare. Later the Revue established the Artist Development Department, which helped green performers on their singing, poise and choreography. 

The artists were backed by a 16-piece band, who were also able to practice their talents and get recognition in the industry, like bass player Tony Newton, who travelled on the Revue’s 1965 U.K. tour. He would go on to play bass in many Motown hits, such as Stop in the Name of Love and Baby Love.

Members of the Motortown Revue on their U.K. tour

The revue would usually be out on the road for 3-month stints, playing week long performances at the big venues in Chicago and Oakland and Detroit. This heavy commitment would often clash with different performers schedules, and others would step in to fill the slots when a performer had to go honor other commitments. 

It comes as no surprise that this tour was not always smooth sailing. Despite performing at venues that welcoming African American artists (called the Chitlin’ Circuit), they still experienced racism when they were in the Deep South by means of threats and even attacks from local whites, frequently being refused entry in gas stations, restaurants or hotels. Some venues did not allow performers to enter through the front door but made them travel through the kitchen. While shows in the north were mixed, shows in the south were often racially segregated, with separate nights for white and black concert-goers. Some venues would place white concert-goers at the front of the stage, with black attendees on the balcony. This went on until the performers protested. Still, many of the stars would later credit the concerts to helping break down racial divides. Sometimes a show would be the first integrated performance in the communities and towns they were visiting. And certainly, they had no problem selling $2 tickets. Young people didn’t stay away. Concerts by the mid-1960s played to sold-out audiences.

These exhausting promotional tours were only the beginning. It was then back to the recording studio to make more hits, as well as touring for solo performances. 

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