The Motown legend Keith Richards thought defined the entire label
From its humble origins in Detroit, the Motown sound quickly spread to all corners of the globe, espousing the joys of soul and R&B to audiences everywhere.
Throughout the 1960s, Berry Gordy’s pioneering record label dominated the US singles chart, producing a wealth of now-iconic stars and inspiring countless other artists along the way. Even the blues-obsessed rock rebels The Rolling Stones could not resist the sweet sounds of soul emanating from Hitsville USA.
The Rolling Stones were always open about their unwavering adoration of American music. During their very early days back in 1962, the band dedicated themselves to covering American blues artists like Howlin’ Wolf or Robert Johnson, under the leadership of Brian Jones. Even when the band adapted to write and record their own original material, the influence of American blues and R&B music was never too far away. In fact, their first visit to the US in the summer of 1964 only seemed to increase those influences.
At the forefront of the British Invasion scene, The Rolling Stones found a dedicated audience in the States, and they opted to spend a considerable amount of time in the US as a result. During that period, the band found a wealth of new and exciting musical influences in the US pop charts, which were, at the time, chock-full of the Motown sound. By 1964, Gordy’s label had really hit its stride, producing groundbreaking hits by The Supremes, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder, to name only a few.
For British musicians arriving in America during the height of the British Invasion, Motown represented a masterclass in songwriting and production. The label’s artists combined irresistible melodies with emotional depth, creating records that appealed to both pop audiences and dedicated music fans alike.
The following years would see The Rolling Stones take those Motown influences to heart, performing multiple covers of classic songs from the Detroit label, including the likes of Gaye’s ‘Can I Get A Witness’ or The Drifters’ ‘Under The Boardwalk’. Both of those tracks were released in the wake of the Stones’ first trip to the US, but the influence of Motown Records never really left the band. Guitarist Keith Richards, in particular, has always maintained a love of Detroit R&B.
While The Rolling Stones never abandoned their blues roots, Motown offered a different lesson. The label demonstrated how soul music could be polished for mass audiences without sacrificing its authenticity, a balance that many British bands spent years trying to achieve.
So much so that, when asked to name his 20 favourite vocalists for Rolling Stone, one of his most notable inclusions was the voice of Smokey Robinson. An essential figure within the history and lineage of Motown Records, Robinson and his band, The Miracles, had been on Gordy’s radar before the label ever existed. Throughout the early years of the label, The Miracles were among the label’s most successful groups, and Robinson lent his songwriting talents to a multitude of other artists at Hitsville USA.
Motown had no shortage of talented vocalists, spanning the spectrum from Chris Clark to Diana Ross, but Robinson is among the most distinctive voices to feature on the label. As Richards himself affirmed in an interview with Q, “For me, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles epitomise Motown.”
The legendary guitarist highlighted Robinson’s 1967 LP Going to a Go-Go as a notable favourite in his record collection: “You could hear Smokey’s influence going on through Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Such a great songwriter. I mean, ‘The Tracks Of My Tears’… you might as well just go and throw yourself in the toilet.”
The Rolling Stones have something of a shared history with Motown Records, given their penchant for covering tracks from the label, but Richards’ adoration of Smokey Robinson is a good indicator of the power of the Detroit label. Its impact was utterly unavoidable back in the 1960s, and much of the material has certainly stood the test of time, much like Richards himself.
Richards’ admiration for Robinson highlights how deeply interconnected the musical landscape of the 1960s had become. Even bands often associated with rebellious rock and roll found inspiration in the polished soul emerging from Detroit. Decades later, the influence of Motown and artists like Smokey Robinson continues to resonate across genres, proving that great songwriting transcends stylistic boundaries.
