I am interested in the early artists of Motown and their role in politics and/or the Civil Rights Movement. Mary Wilson in her autobiography about her life as a Supreme mentions how the integrated concerts helped to further integration in the south, but I wonder if this was a comment made in retrospect. In No Coward Soldiers the author states that music "artists, producers, and executives did not want to alienate potential white customers, and this perspective reinforced the integrationist thrust of the Civil Rights Years" (pg 61).
In looking at these comments I wonder if they are made in retrospect. In the reading so far it seems the early Motown artists were busy trying to scrape by and make a moderate success of themselves and were not actively involved in politics or movements. I would speculate that in the early days of Motown such activity would have been frowned on since there would be an economic backlash from the targeted white buying population if their way of life was openly challenged through the music. That being said many musicians gained a following that was large enough to weather some backlash in response to political views and I would like to know more about how many of the early artists did take that step. Now I am not talking the John Coltranes whose work was said to be political in nature (though he never openly stated he was using his work for any political reason), but artists who openly proclaimed to be using their art as an avenue of expression of political views.
I would also like to know more about how the artists saw themselves in the bigger context of the changing culture of America. The artists would have faced racism during their tours of the South, though it may not have been as harsh as the locals would have faced (fame did temper behaviors and offer some levels of protection as noted by Mary in her biography). I would like to see to what extent seeing the differences in treatment of people in different geographical areas and the treatment of people based on race impacted and influenced the music and that was presented by these performers.
-- Carrie Brandon
