When Motown Records founder Berry Gordy coined the term “the sound of young America” in 1960, he believed that his new sound would break down the barriers between black and white popular music. Through a once-in-a-lifetime confluence of circumstances and people, Gordy brought together some of the best young musicians of a generation, and they created the Motown Sound—a style, an attitude, a body of work that dominated popular music around the world for 30 years. Now, in The Motown Album, here are Diana Ross and the Supremes, the essence of chic in glittering gowns and bright smiles; the Temptations, executing their razor-sharp and infinitely hip trademark, the Temptation Walk; Marvin Gaye and his silky spirituality; Smokey Robinson and the Miracles; Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. The Motown Album features the big names, the unforgettable songs, the images, and the story of the phenomenon we refer to as Motown. The book features a foreword by Berry Gordy, an introduction by Elvis Mitchell, and a notated discography by Dave Marsh. The main text—the history of Motown Records and biographical sketches of all of its artists—is by Ben Fong-Torres.