Mary Wilson (1944–2021), founding member of the Supremes

Mary Wilson was an R&B singer who was a founding member of the Supremes.

The Motown Sound

One of the hottest musical styles of the 1960s was also one of the simplest. The creators of the Motown sound would be the first to acknowledge that creating a Motown hit wasn't rocket science. Their devotion to the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid), combined with a group of talented musicians and songwriters, plus a dash of Detroit spirit, added up to a winning formula that kept America dancing for a decade and beyond. We're remembering a few of the stars and songs that made Motown sound good.

The Tuneful Tammi Terrell

Tammi Terrell was just 24 when she died of a brain tumor, . But during her too-short life, she recorded some of —both as a solo artist and in duets, most notably with .

Jackie Wilson, Mr. Excitement

Question: How do you choose just one song with which to remember Jackie Wilson, who ?

Marvin Gaye: What's Going On

Marvin Gaye personified the changing landscape of R&B in a career that spanned not just the tumultuous 1960s, but 26 years that saw the art form go from innocent street corner doo-wop to the sexually charged soul music of the 1980s. No mere dabbler or genre-hopper, with each reinvention Gaye broke new ground and created classic records still in heavy rotation around the world. He scored 41 Billboard Top 40 hits in all—including reworked material released nearly two decades after his death. According to Forbes , in 2008 he ranked 13th in posthumous performer earnings, pulling in $3.5 million in royalties, a tribute to how much his music remains with us.