AAAS/MUSIC 146

MOTOWN AND AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

Anthony Kelley & Mark Anthony Neal, Instructors
Cody Black <cody.black@duke.edu>, Teaching Assistant
Tuesdays, 4:40 PM-7:10 PM; Biddle 104

COURSE OUTLINE [Spring, 2019]

Month Day SESSION CONTENT:

JAN 22 Tues. KELLEY/NEAL JOINT SESSION: Introduction of Participants ; Explanation of Live Listening Session #1
Logistics and Deadlines***; Overview of Motown as Cultural and Musical
Phenomenon;
JAN 29 Tues. KELLEY LECTURE: Song Structures and Musical Effects/Student Analysis of Core Live Listening Session #2
Motown Songs;
FEB 5 Tues. NEAL LECTURE: “Guy Bands” and “Girl Groups”: Gender in Motown Musical Live Listening Session #3
Creation ;
FEB 12 Tues. KELLEY LECTURE: Timbral Tags and Orchestration in Motown Songs; Live Listening Session #4
FEB 19 Tues. NEAL LECTURE: Societal Parallelism: Musical Commentary on Broader World Live Listening Session #5
Events in Motown Songs;
FEB 26 Tues. KELLEY CLASS: QUIZ #1: Motown Remake Repertoire Listening Quiz; Live Listening Session #6
KELLEY LECTURE: Versioning & The Doppelgangers of Motown: Re-makes/Covers;
MAR 5 Tues. NEAL LECTURE: Style and Decorum in Motown Artist Preparation; Live Listening Session #7
MAR 12 Tues. SPRING BREAK

MAR 19 Tues. KELLEY LECTURE: Marriage of Lyrics and Melodies of the Motown Style; Live Listening Session #8
Preparation for Recording Projects;
MAR 26 Tues. KELLEY/NEAL JOINT SESSION: Listening to Student Midterm Recordings
Listen to Student Recording Projects (Discussion of Chosen Songs;)
Discuss Marketing and publicity for end-of-semester production;
APR 2 Tues. NEAL SESSION: Cultural Retention of Motown in post-Motown Era Arts and Music; Live Listening Session #9
FIRST DRAFT OF “COVER” SONG DUE
APR 9 Tues. KELLEY LECTURE: Musical Segues and Transitions; Live Listening Session #10
QUIZ #2: Listening for Elements of Music in Motown Songs [Short
Answer]
APR 16 Tues. NEAL LECTURE: Philly Soul as the Stylistic Sequel to Motown Live Listening Session #11
APR 21 Sun. [7PM] KELLEY WORKSHOP:
Dress Rehearsal Workshop/revise Final Projects
APR 23 Tues. 7:00 PM: FINAL, LIVE PRESENTATION OF STUDENT GROUP/SONG[S];
KELLEY/NEAL JOINT SESSION: Final Live Listening Discussion; Closure
and De-Brief; Exploration and Expansion beyond class discussions.

Grades will be based on : Short Assignments, quizzes, analysis projects, the

Motown Recording Project, the Motown Cover Project, and class participation.
Attendance is mandatory.
Grading penalties will be implemented for ALL late assignments.
You should attend all lectures.
Workshop attendance and participation is mandatory.
Even if a class is missed, you are responsible for full participation on all projects and
assignments.

1
REQUIRED BOOKS & MATERIALS
Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound
(UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS), by Nelson George
Dancing in the Street: Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit
(HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS), by Suzanne E. Smith
Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 (MOTOWN), by Various
Artists

Supplementary Material:
Kingsley Abbott: Calling Out Around the World: A Motown Reader [2001]
Stephen Citron, Song Writing, A Complete Guide to the Craft [2004]
Gerald Early: One Nation Under a Groove: Motown and American Culture [2004]
Peter Guralnick: Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of
Freedom [1986]
Berry Gordy: To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, the Memories of Motown [1995]
David Morse: Motown and the Arrival of Black Music [1972]
Gerald Posner: Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power [2005]
Joel Rudinow: Soul Music:Tracking the Spiritual Roots of Pop from Plato to Motown
[2010]
Various (Hal Leonard): The Big Book of Motown [sheet music anthology] [2004]
Various [Hip-o-Select], The Complete Motown Singles, Vols. 1-11B [CD Anthology,
2006-2009 ]

FILMS TO WATCH IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COURSE

The Big Chill [dir. Lawrence Kasdan; written by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara
Benedek, 1983]
Standing in the Shadows of Motown [dir. Paul Justman; written by Alan Slutsky,
Ntozake Shange (narr.), Walter Dallas (narr.), 2002]
Cooley High [dir. Michael Schultz; written by Eric Monte, 1975]
Mahogany [dir., Berry Gordy and Tony Richardson; written by Toni Amber and
Jon Bynum, 1975]