In 1959, Berry Gordy founded Motown Records and changed the history of black American groups in the United States. In the 1960s, Motown Records produced black American singing and dancing bands, such as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, The Temptations and The Supremes, that are still popular today. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles performed Motown's first hit song "Shop Around" in 1960. The Temptations--a group of five black singers--produced such hits as "My Girl," "Get Ready" and "They Wa You do the Things You Do" with Motown in the 1960s. The Supremes--a trio of women--made No. 1 hits like, "Baby Love," "Come See About Me" and "I Hear a Symphony" with Motown during this golden era of Motown.
The first big black American group of the 1970s and the last for Berry Gordy was the Jackson 5. The Jackson 5 was a group of brothers that included the future pop icon Michael Jackson. The Jackson boys were singing and dancing sensations. They made hits like, "I Want You Back," "I'll be There" and "ABC." Other black American singing groups from the 70's, like Gladys Knight & the Pips and Kool & the Gang, were established before the 70s, but made some major hits in the decade. Gladys Knight & the Pips made their lasting hit "Midnight Train to Georgia" in 1973. That same year, Kool & the Gang released their first gold record.
The 1980s saw major changes in popular black American groups. The Motown sound was out; hip-hop and rap were in. The earlier smooth dancing had also made way for a new kind of dance--break dancing. However, the popular black singing groups of the 80's were not much on dancing. Run DMC, a trio of hip-hop rappers, brought this musical style to the forefront of the music industry in 1983 with the song "It's Like That." Hardcore rap group Public Enemy came along in 1987 and brought politically charged themes to rap.
The 1990s brought a comeback for rhythm and blues with all male groups like Boyz II Men, Jodeci and Blackstreet. Women also made an impact in this genre with groups like En Vogue, Jade, Destiny's Child and SWV. Female rap and multi-genre groups like Salt 'n' Pepa and TLC also hit the music scene in the 1990s. Salt 'n' Pepa and TLC in particular included dancing in their acts. These groups, some of which, like TLC and Boyz II Men, are still popular today, dominated the popular music of the decade.