Duke Fakir (1935–2024), last surviving founder of the Four Tops

Duke Fakir was a singer best known as the last surviving founder of legendary Motown group the Four Tops.

Etterlene DeBarge (1935–2024), gospel singer and musical matriarch 

Etterlene DeBarge was a gospel singer and the matriarch of the musical DeBarge family.

Katherine Anderson Schaffner (1944–2023), Marvelettes co-founder

Katherine Anderson Schaffner was a singer with the Marvelettes, known for such hits as “Please Mr. Postman.” 

Barrett Strong (1941–2023), Motown’s first star with Money (That's What I Want)

Barrett Strong was a singer and songwriter for Motown Records who had the label’s first hit with “Money (That’s What I Want).”

Johnny Powers (1938–2023), early rock and roller

Johnny Powers was an early Detroit rock and roll musician known for songs including “Long Blond Hair.”

Bertha Barbee McNeal (2022), The Velvelettes co-founder 

Bertha Barbee McNeal was a founding member of the Motown girl group the Velvelettes.

Ivy Jo Hunter (1940–2022), unsung Motown songwriter 

Ivy Jo Hunter was an unsung Motown songwriter and musician who wrote hits for Martha and the Vandellas, the Isley Brothers, and the Four Tops.

Mable John (1930–2022), first woman signed to Motown Records

Mable John was a blues singer who became the first woman solo artist signed to Motown Records.

Lamont Dozier (1941–2022), songwriter for the Supremes and the Four Tops

Lamont Dozier was one third of the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting and production team, known for dozens of hit Motown singles in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Michael Henderson (1951–2022), R&B singer and Miles Davis’ bassist

Michael Henderson was a bassist in band as well as an R&B singer with hits including “Wide Receiver.”

Joe Messina (1928–2022), guitarist with Motown’s Funk Brothers

Joe Messina was a guitarist with the Funk Brothers, the longtime studio band for Motown Records artists.

Wanda Young (1943–2021), singer with the Marvelettes

Wanda Young was a singer with the Motown group the Marvelettes, who sang lead vocals on hit singles including “Don’t Mess with Bill.”

Carl Bean (1944–2021), “I Was Born This Way” singer who inspired Lady Gaga

Carl Bean was a minister, AIDS activist, and singer known for his 1977 dance club hit, “I Was Born This Way.”

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

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

Andre Williams (1936–2019), R&B singer known as the "Godfather of Rap"

Andre Williams was an R&B singer who had hits in the 1950s with "Bacon Fat" and the too-raunchy-for-radio "Jail Bait." Known as the "Godfather of Rap" for the spoken-sung style he adopted when he wanted to be a recording star but knew he couldn't sing well enough, Williams recorded with labels including Detroit-based Fortune Records and Chicago's Chess Records. His most enduring composition is "Shake a Tail Feather," which became an R&B standard after he co-wrote it, recorded first by the Five Dutones and more famously by Ike and Tina Turner as well as by for the 1980 movie "The Blues Brothers." He wrote songs for , and produced for musicians including Ike Turner and , but he also continued recording and performing his own music all his life, including his 2017 album "Don't Ever Give Up."

Dennis Edwards (1943–2018), lead singer of The Temptations

Dennis Edwards, lead singer of Motown’s famed vocal group The Temptations, died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, according to multiple news sources. He was 74.

Bobby Taylor (1939 - 2017), discovered the Jackson 5

Singer and producer discovered The Jackson 5…

Leon Ware (1940 - 2017), wrote I Want You for Marvin Gaye

Leon Ware, a soul singer-songwriter and producer, died Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, according to multiple news sources. He was 77.

Mack Rice (1933 - 2016), Mustang Sally songwriter

Mack Rice, the singer-songwriter who penned “Mustang Sally” and other hits made famous by Wilson Pickett and other big-name artists, died June 27 of Alzheimer’s disease complications at his home in Detroit, Michigan, according to multiple news sources. He was 82.

William Guest (1941 - 2015)

William Guest, an R&B singer and member of Gladys Knight & the Pips, has died of congestive heart failure in Detroit, according to The Associated Press. He was 74.

Ed Sullivan: Civil Rights Trailblazer

For more than 20 years, most Americans knew what they were doing on Sunday nights: watching "The Ed Sullivan Show" on CBS, eager to see which new talent or old favorite it's host would bring to the stage that week. Ed Sullivan, who died Oct. 13, 1974, 40 years ago, introduced more than 10,000 acts between 1948 and 1971.

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.

Florence Ballard, Unsung Supreme

As a founding member of The Supremes, Florence Ballard should have had it all. On the day Ballard would have turned 70, we look back on a life and career tragically cut short.

Mary Wells, First Lady of Motown

Born 70 years ago this week, Mary Wells helped shape the Motown sound. We remember some of the ways she blazed trails for the other talented women who came after her...

Edwin Starr Against the War

Any list of Vietnam War protest songs must include the classic "War"...

Bob Babbitt: The Shadows of Motown

You may never have heard the name Bob Babbitt before today, and you may not recognize his face… but we can guarantee you've heard his music...

Junior Walker, Sax Machine

Junior Walker was one of Motown's greatest sax players...

Ain’t No Man Like Levi Stubbs

Levi Stubbs was a singer and a gentleman.

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 .

Nick Ashford's 'Solid' Songwriting

I can't be the only person who's got Ashford & Simpson's "Solid" playing on constant repeat in my brain today.

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.

David Ruffin, Temptations Showman

David Ruffin was lead singer for The Temptations on some of their best-loved hits.

Michael Jackson, King of the Web

Michael Jackson’s death became the first high-profile passing since the rise of social media and played out largely over the internet.

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To

Retired General Motors president and former CEO died June 13, 2010, at the age of 87. Reading his obituary provided a lesson in how much Detroit CEO culture and corporate careerism in general have changed since the post-war auto boom of the 1950s.