Writing Jackie Wilson's successful song, "Lonely Teardrops," Berry Gordy did not receive much recognition for his efforts and began Tamla/Motown Records with an investment of $800, believing that producing music offered more control.
Experiencing immediate success by utilizing a small recording studio known as Hitsville, USA with his first signed group, the Matadors (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles), Gordy's Tamla/Motown record label was eventually incorporated as Motown Record Corporation.
Producing an uncanny 110 top 10 hits during the 1960s, the Motown label churned out music stars, including Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Four Tops and the Jackson 5.
Moving its operations to Los Angeles in the 1970s, producing and developing movies came next, with hits such as "Lady Sings the Blues" and "The Wiz."
Motown began to lose money in the 1980s, forcing Berry Gordy to sell his ownership in Motown Music Corporation and Motown Productions.
Remaining a music legacy, Motown belongs to Universal Music Group, and of those artists who began working under the original label, all have left with the exception of Stevie Wonder.