[Ads-l] Antedating of "Motown"

[Ben Zimmer]

OED has this definition for "Motown" as an adjective: "Designating,
relating to, or in the style of music that blends soul and pop styles,
originally made popular in the 1960s by black musicians and singers
recording for the Motown Record Corporation." There's a bracketed cite from
1960 where "Motown" modifies "label," and I see similar early cites for
e.g. "Motown (record) firm" and "Motown line." Would "Motown artist" or
"Motown recording" make the cut?

1962 Pittsburgh Courier 27 Jan A21 (photo caption) [Eddie] Holland, a
Motown artist, is getting his first taste of fame, with his tune "Jamie."

1962 NY Amsterdam News 7 Apr A15 (photo caption) All tied up with local and
long distance congratulatory calls from numerous friends and fans
throughout the country after his Motown recording of "Janie" became a
nationwide hit is handsome singing star Eddie Holland.

Later unbracketed OED cites include "Motown sound" (like Fred's example),
"Motown oldies," and "Motown tunes." There's also a 1993 cite for "the
sound is distinctly Motown," which strikes me as the only example that's
clearly an adjective and not an attributive noun.

--bgz

On Fri, Mar 29, 2024 at 8:44 AM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:

> Motown (OED 1965)
>
> 1964 _Whitstable_ (England) _Times_ 31 Oct. 3/2 (Newspapers.com)  The
> Temptations ... The Motown sound yet again, and this record just must be a
> hit if given the exposure.
>

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