It all started decades ago in Detroit, Michigan. The record company was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records in 1959 and was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation the next year.
The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has also become a nickname for Detroit. Motown played a significant role in the racial integration of popular music as 
an African American-owned record label that achieved significant crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including Tamla Motown, the brand used outside the US) were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. During the 1960s, Motown achieved spectacular success for a small record company: 79 records in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 record chart between 1960 and 1969.