Documentary, Music
The remarkable story of the legendary Motown Records is told through exclusive interviews with the label’s visionary founder, Berry Gordy, and many of its superstar artists and creative figures, as well as rare performances and behind-the-scenes footage unearthed from Motown’s vaults and Gordy’s personal archives.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
King of the Hill: A 70th Anniversary Retrospective of Cincinnati’s King Records
Elvis
Dreamgirls
The Cavern Club: The Beat Goes On
Welcome to Death Row
Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend
Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee
The Definitive Elvis: Elvis and the Colonel
American Pop
Martha Reeves: Live in Concert
Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle
Martha Reeves - Legends in Concert
Slave Trade: How Prince Remade the Music Business
Sparkle
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
On the Record
Keep on Burning: The Story of Northern Soul
American Hot Wax
I Need That Record!
All Things Must Pass
SIMILAR MOVIES
King of the Hill: A 70th Anniversary Retrospective of Cincinnati’s King Records
IMDB 4.6 | Aug , 2014
James Brown was the jewel in the crown, but the throne of Cincinnati’s King Records always belonged to its irascible founder, Syd Nathan. This is the 70th anniversary of the legendary record label and studio. It closed shop nearly 40 years ago, in a now long-neglected warehouse on the neighborhood border of Evanston and Walnut Hills, but its impact still reverberates across today’s music.Elvis
IMDB 7.5 | Jun , 2022
The life story of Elvis Presley as seen through the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.Dreamgirls
IMDB 6.7 | Dec , 2006
A trio of female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.The Cavern Club: The Beat Goes On
IMDB 7.8 | Apr , 2019
Presented by Paul McGann, The Cavern Club and LA Factual have come together to produce "The Cavern Club: The Beat Goes On" - a unique documentary feature, telling the untold, complete and colourful story of the 'greatest club in the world'.Welcome to Death Row
IMDB 7.5 | Sep , 2001
The record label Death Row Records has, since its creation in 1993, been synonymous with the American hip-hop climate. Formed by ex-bodyguard Suge Knight, the label has released seminal rap albums from luminaries including Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and the famous hip-hop martyr Tupac Shakur. WELCOME TO DEATH ROW is a fascinating, well-researched documentary which explores the history of this intriguing and incredibly significant company.Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend
IMDB 7 | Jul , 2014
The northern soul phenomenon was the most exciting underground British club movement of the 1970s. At its highpoint, thousands of disenchanted white working class youths across the north of England danced to obscure, mid-60s Motown-inspired sounds until the sun rose. A dynamic culture of fashions, dance moves, vinyl obsession and much more grew up around this - all fuelled by the love of rare black American soul music with an express-train beat.Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee
IMDB 6 | Oct , 2009
An improvised comedy, shot over five days by Shane Meadows, devised with and starring Paddy Considine. Rock roadie and failed musician, Le Donk has lived, loved and learned. Along the way he's lost a girlfriend but he has found a new sidekick in up-and-coming rap prodigy Scor-zay-zee. With Meadows' fly-on-the-wall crew in tow, Donk sets out to make Scor-zay-zee a star...The Definitive Elvis: Elvis and the Colonel
IMDB 6.4 | Mar , 2002
One of the dominating figures in Elvis Presley's life was his manager, who was known as the "Colonel". No other relationship in Elvis' life was as controversial and misunderstood as the one he had with Colonel Tom Parker. The truth about their unique friendship is revealed in this documentary.American Pop
IMDB 6.9 | Feb , 1981
The history of American popular music runs parallel with the history of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, with each male descendant possessing different musical abilities.Martha Reeves: Live in Concert
IMDB 0 | Nov , 2012
The sweetheart of Motown roars back on stage in this fantastic concert! Recorded in front of a energetic audience, the show contains performances of the Reeves classics Dancing In The Street, Nowhere To Run, (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave and lots more! Reeves has been shining in the spotlight recently with appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing with The Crystal Method, as well as a recent performance on the hit TV show Dancing With The Stars.Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2004
Get to know the mastermind behind The Beatles’ worldwide domination, from an unknown Liverpool band to uncontested modern musical icons.Martha Reeves - Legends in Concert
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2004
The unforgettable R&B soul diva shows her incredible range with hits like “Nowhere to Run,” “Jimmy Mack,” “Heatwave,” and others.Slave Trade: How Prince Remade the Music Business
IMDB 6.3 | Jul , 2014
In the mid-1990s reports emerged that Prince had fallen into dispute with his record company. Having signed what was ostensibly a new, 100 million dollar contract just a couple of years before, Prince was now demanding - not unreasonably to most commentators - control of his masters and the freedom to release what he wanted when he wanted. After a bitter war of words, during which the star scrawled Slave across his cheek whenever he appeared in public and routinely dissed his label, the parties finally settled and Prince henceforth was free to take full control of his music and the way it was sold to consumers. Prince approached this task with devastating foresight as he routinely created new marketing concepts which, with time, became the norm across the music world.Sparkle
IMDB 7.7 | Apr , 1976
Three sisters start out singing in their church choir in Harlem in the late 1950s and become a successful girl group in the 1960s.Standing in the Shadows of Motown
IMDB 6.9 | Sep , 2002
In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers.On the Record
IMDB 6.7 | Jan , 2020
The haunting story of music executive Drew Dixon as she grapples with her decision to become one of the first women of color, in the wake of #MeToo, to come forward and publicly accuse hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct. A gripping and profound examination of race, gender, intersectionality, and the toll sexual abuse takes on survivors and on society at large.Keep on Burning: The Story of Northern Soul
IMDB 0 | Dec , 2012
Keep on Burning tells the fascinating story of the world's most enduring underground music movement: Northern Soul. Featuring key DJ's, journalists and promoters, including soul radio pioneer Tony Blackburn, Marc Almond and key DJ's, journalists and promoters.American Hot Wax
IMDB 5.6 | Mar , 1978
This is the story loosely based on Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, who introduced rock'n'roll to teenage American radio audiences in the 1950s. Freed was a source of great controversy: criticized by conservatives for corrupting youth with the "devil's music"; hated by racists for promoting African American music for white consumption; persecuted by law enforcement officials and finally brought down by the "payola" scandals.I Need That Record!
IMDB 6.5 | May , 2008
Guerilla filmmaker Brendan Toller unleashes I NEED THAT RECORD! THE DEATH (OR POSSIBLE SURVIVAL) OF THE INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE, "an elegy for a vanishing subculture...a lively, bittersweet film that examines - with caustic humor, brutal candor, and, ultimately, great affection - why roughly 3,000 indie record stores have closed across the nation over the past decade," (Johnathan Perry, Boston Globe). A tour-de-force tale of greed, media consolidation, homogenized radio, big box stores, downloading, and technological shifts in the music industry told through candid interviews, crestfallen record store owners, startling statistics, and eye-popping animation. Fat cats or our favorite record stores? You decide. Featuring- IAN MACKAYE, NOAM CHOMSKY, MIKE WATT, THURSTON MOORE, LENNY KAYE (Patti Smith), CHRIS FRANTZ (Talking Heads), GLENN BRANCA, PATTERSON HOOD (Drive By Truckers), PAT CARNEY (Black Keys) , LEGS MCNEIL, BOB GRUEN, BP HELIUM, and many indie record stores across the U.S.All Things Must Pass
IMDB 7.2 | Oct , 2015
The explosive trajectory and tragic demise of iconic music retailer Tower Records, and the legacy of its rebellious founder Russ Solomon. Two hundred stores in thirty countries on five continents. In 1999 it made $1 billion. In 2006 it filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong?