3 Little Stevie

CHAPTER 3 Little Stevie Stevie walked into Motown Records on a September day in 1961 with his mother, John Glover, and Ronnie White. The sign above the door said "Hitsville, U.S.A." The truth was that Motown didn't have very many hits (top-selling

records) yet. It was a young company trying to grow. When the man who had founded Motown, Berry Gordy, heard Stevie audition, he believed Stevie could help Motown grow. The energy Stevie had, the feeling he brought to his songs, and the way people responded to him all convinced Mr. Gordy that Stevie could be a star.

Motown Record Corporation Berry Gordy opened the Motown recording studio in his hometown of Detroit in 1959. Motown's name is a shortened version of the nickname for Detroit: "Motor City," or "Motor Town." It was called that because for many decades almost all American cars were made there. Motown is important in the history of American music because it brought its unique sound to both black and white audiences at a time before any other company had bridged that gap. That new sound was a version of rhythm and blues that included elements of blues, gospel, jazz, country, and pop music. Motown produced seventy-nine top-ten records during the 1960s, when it became one of the most successful black-owned businesses in the United States. In 1972 the company left Detroit and relocated to the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles.

Mr. Gordy didn't really like to sign performers who were under eighteen years old because there were strict laws about the hours they could work, the number of days they could be away from home on tour, and the amount of time they must spend on their schooling. But he knew Stevie's talent was worth making an exception. He decided that very day in the studio he wanted to offer Stevie a contract with Motown Records. It took a few days to work out the details, but Stevie returned to Motown with Lula to sign his contract. He was officially a professional musician!

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Soon Stevie was rushing over to the recording studio at Motown every day after school. He spent most of his time there—more time than he did at home. Lula did not mind. She saw that the people at Motown took good care of Stevie.