If you’re ever in Detroit, and you’re a music fan, you really should check out the Motown Museum. It’s located in two houses, one of which houses the famous Studio A where nearly every early Motown hit you’ve heard was recorded.
You can only visit the museum via guided tour. The tours last a little over an hour, and there isn’t as much time to gawk at things as I’d like – mainly because they are packed with tour groups every day and need to get people through the place. The first building houses a lot of memorabilia including famous album covers, photos, and ephemera from various artists. The basketball uniforms worn by the Jackson 5 on a TV special were on display when my wife and I were there.
The second building is the famous “Hitsville, U.S.A.” building where many came to seek their dreams of music stardom.
They’ve preserved the original receptionist’s office, Berry Gordy’s apartment, the tape storage room, and Studio A. I loved seeing the old tape boxes and the recording studio in Studio A. I liked seeing the mixing board and the holes worn in the floor from producers stomping their feet to the killer beats Motown artists were dropping all those years.
You can’t take photographs in the museum, and the CDs at the gift shop are far too pricey for today’s consumers, but the opportunity to stand in the studio where the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, and so many others recorded some of the best songs in history is something you shouldn’t miss.
Keep your mind open.
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