Welcome to History's Not Boring by kidopoly.com. I'm Mira! And I'm Finn. Before we start, we have a very special listener request. Ray Sullivan, who is five years old and lives in Massachusetts, asked us for an episode all about Michael Jackson. Oh yeah, Rai is the one who asked for our Lionel Messi episode before, right? Exactly! Well, Rai, to tell you the story of Michael Jackson, we have to travel back in time to where he got his big start. Where was that? Did he have a giant stadium? Not at all. Imagine a single tiny two-story house. Now imagine that this one little house produced more number one hit songs than the Beatles, Elvis Presley, and the Rolling Stones combined. No way! That's literally impossible! How many songs are we talking about? Between the years 1961 and 1971, this tiny house pumped out 110 top 10 hit songs. 110? That's like a new hit song every single month for 10 years. What was this magical house? Today we are talking about the birth of Motown Records in 1959. It became the very first black-owned music empire, and it completely changed American music forever. So how did it all start? Was it a giant corporation with thousands of workers? Nope, it started with just one guy who used to work on a car assembly line and an $800 loan from his family. Wait, a car assembly line? Like building cars? What does that have to do with music? I'll explain. The year was 1959 and we are in Detroit, Michigan. A 29-year-old man named Berry Gordy Jr. had previously worked at the Lincoln Mercury car plant until 1957. That's a heavy, sweaty job. Putting on doors and tyres all day long. Yep, but Barry was observant. He watched closely how the factory worked. A bare, boring metal frame would roll in one door, and a beautiful, shiny new car would roll out the other. Okay, but cars aren't singers. True, but Barry loved writing songs. He realised he could use that exact same assembly line idea, but for musicians. You mean building pop stars, like they were cars on a conveyor belt? Yes. He wanted a place where an unknown kid off the street could walk in the front door and a polished, world-class superstar would walk out the back. That sounds expensive to set up. Did he have a lot of money saved? Not at all. On January 12, 1959, he sat down at his family's dining room table and begged them for a loan. Did his family say yes? They had a special family savings fund called the Bear Berry Co-op. After some arguing, they agreed to lend him exactly $800. $800? That wouldn't even buy a fancy phone today. True, but back then, it was just enough to get started. Barry took that money and bought a small two-family house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit. What did he do with the house? Paint it neon colours. He moved his family into the upstairs apartment, and on the front of the house, he painted a huge sign that proudly said, Hitsville USA. Haha, I love that name. It's like a town just for hit songs. Hitsville USA was a music factory that was open 22 hours a day. Barry turned the old photography studio in the back into his recording room. Wait, why only 22 hours? Why not 24? They had to close from 8am to 10am just to clean the place. It was constantly packed with musicians coming and going. They recorded all those hits in a converted garage. That's so cool. They actually called the studio the Snake Pit because all the thick microphone cables were tangled up like a nest of snakes all over the floor. Ooh, I would hate stepping on those in the dark. But who played the music? That's the best part. Berry hired a secret weapon. A group of brilliant local jazz musicians who became the official house band. They were called the Funk Brothers. The Funk Brothers? Did they play on all the songs? Almost every single one! Whenever a new singer came in to record, the Funk Brothers played the drums, guitars and keyboards. Wait, so the exact same guys played the music for all those different famous stars? Yes! That's why Motown had such a unique, bouncy, unstoppable sound. You could hear a song on the radio and instantly know. That's a Motown song. And you said they had more number one hits than the Beatles and Elvis combined. They sure did. But for over ten years, their names weren't even printed on the record sleeves. They were the ultimate unsung heroes of music history. Aw, that's not fair. They should have been super famous. They eventually got the massive credit they deserved. But back then, Berry Gordy was focused on building his vocal stars. And remember that assembly line idea? Yeah, the Star Factory. How did he polish the singers? Well, when Barry signed a singer, they didn't just record songs. They had to go to the Motown Artist Development Department. Department? Like a school for rock stars. Exactly. A strict but loving woman named Maxine Powell taught them how to walk, talk, eat, and have perfect manners. No way! Did they have to do that thing where you balance books on your head? Yes, they literally practice walking with heavy books on their heads to get perfect posture. And a man named Jolly Atkins taught them incredible synchronised dance moves. So who were these famous singers who went to star school? Oh, so many legends. Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson. And remember, they signed kids too. Kids? Like us? Yes! In 1961, they signed a blind musical genius named Stevie Wonder. He was only 11 years old. 11? I bet he just wanted to play and eat candy. You're actually right. The studio lobby had a candy machine, and little Stevie loved buying baby Ruth chocolate bars from slot number four. That's awesome! What about Michael Jackson? Rye wanted to know about him. Ah, the Jackson 5. In 1968, five brothers from Gary, Indiana auditioned for Motown. Their names were Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael. How old was Michael when they joined? The lead singer, Michael Jackson, was only nine years old. But when he danced, he spun and performed just like a grown-up superstar. Nine years old and singing for the biggest record label in the world. Yes. In 1969, the Jackson 5 released their first Motown single, I Want You Back, and it shot straight to number one. In fact, their first four songs all hit number one. Four number ones in a row? That's like scoring four goals in the World Cup finals! It was historic, and Motown wasn't just making popular music. This was during the 1960s, which was the height of the civil rights movement in America. How did the music help the movement? Back then, America was deeply segregated, meaning black and white people were often kept apart. But Motown's music was so incredibly good it crossed all those boundaries. Let me guess. Everyone wanted to listen to it? Exactly! Black and white teenagers were buying the exact same records, going to the same concerts, and dancing to the same beat. That is amazing. Music really does bring people together. Smoky Robinson said Motown broke down barriers with music. Barry Gordy proudly called it the sound of young America. Okay, that's beautiful. But before we do the quiz, you promised me some weird facts about Hittsville. Oh right. You know how modern songs use computers to add a cool echo effect to the singers' voices? Yeah, like when it sounds like you're singing inside a giant cave. Well, they didn't have computers in 1959. So to get that echo, they literally cut a hole in the ceiling, ran a wire up to the attic, and put a speaker and a microphone up there. Wait, they recorded in a dusty attic. Spiders probably got front row seats to all the hit songs. Probably. Sometimes the singers even had to record their vocals standing inside the bathroom because the hard tile walls made the sound bounce around perfectly. Singing in the bathroom! I do that every day! Maybe I'm a Motown star. You definitely have the volume for it. Ready to see how much you learned in today's quiz? Alright, Finn, time for the quiz! Are you ready? I'm ready. Hit me with your best questions. First question. What city was Motown founded in? Next one. How much money did Berry Gordy borrow from his family to start the company? Question 3. What was the name of the secret house band that played all the instruments? Here's number four. What name was painted on the front of the tiny house headquarters? Last question. How old was Michael Jackson when he auditioned for Motown? Great job! Let's see how you did. Let's hear them. The first answer is, Motown was founded in Detroit, Michigan. The Motor City. For question two, Barry Gordy borrowed exactly $800 from his family. Haha, best $800 ever spent. Number three, the answer is the house band was called the Funk Brothers. The unsung heroes of music. Question 4. The tiny house was named Hitsville, USA. I definitely want to live in Hitsville. And the final answer is, Michael Jackson was only nine years old when he auditioned. That is still blowing my mind. That was such a cool episode. From a car assembly line to a star factory. It really shows what you can build with a great idea, a tiny bit of money, and a lot of hard work. And Rye, we hope you loved learning about nine-year-old Michael Jackson. Yeah. If you loved this episode, please leave us a five-star review. It helps other kids find the show. It's super easy to do. Just scroll down on your podcast app and tap the five stars. Oh, and don't forget to check out our site, kidopoly.com. We've got tons of fun learning games and activities there. That's right. Head over to our site, kidopoly.com for more cool stuff to explore. Hey Mira, what if someone wants a shout-out like Rai got today? Great question. If you want a shout-out on the show or just want to say hi, email us at hello at kidopoly.com. I love getting emails from listeners. I read every single one. Me too. Thank you all so much for listening and exploring the magic of Motown with us today. See you next time on Histories Not Boring. Bye everyone!