Beyond Motown: Documenting the Unsung Detroit Music of the 1960s

In the 1960s, Detroit saw an explosion of creativity and world-changing art, especially in its music community. The most obvious example is Motown Records. Motown’s story has been told, rightfully, many times over. But what about the hundreds of other Detroit artists and record labels that contemporaneously produced soul, rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and country music that was just as vibrant and exciting but, for one reason or another, was nowhere near as successful?

For the last decade, Detroit music historian Mike Dutkewych has been connecting with lesser-known local musicians from this period, many of whom had never formally shared their stories. His goal in compiling oral history interviews with these figures is not only to preserve their stories for posterity, but also to shine a long-overdue spotlight on some of the more obscure corners of Detroit’s midcentury music scene.

On Monday, June 15, Mike will discuss his important oral history work with the finest unsung Detroit musicians of the twentieth century. The program will include interview excepts, music samples, photographs, and other ephemera to exhibit the quality of their work and the importance of their history being preserved. This music and these stories provide a fascinating snapshot of Detroit at the peak of its cultural influence in America.