Michigan’s Music Legacy

By Levi Bright

Michigan is a state with an extremely rich musical history. With artists and hits ranging across the entire spectrum of genres, the city of Detroit and the state as a whole have been invaluable to the development and history of music in the United States. Let’s take a look at what this state can boast, past and present.

Perhaps most notably, Michigan is known for Detroit’s Motown Records. The pioneering label was founded in 1959 and featured a laundry list of best-selling singers and music groups and their soul, pop, and R&B sounds. Motown boasted artists such as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and The Jackson 5 (which featured a young Michael Jackson). Motown had a distinctive sound, one that’s now permanently linked to the city. The record label is today based in California and promotes a different style of music, but it left a permanent cultural and musical impact on Detroit and the world.

Aretha Franklin was also closely associated with Detroit. Although she never signed to Motown, she grew up in the city and ultimately lived in the area for most of her life. Named the greatest singer of all time by “Rolling Stone” magazine, the Queen of Soul (as Franklin was known) cannot be mentioned without also mentioning the city and state she called home.

Of course, Michigan’s enormous musical influence goes beyond the Motown sound. It’s no secret that Madonna, the best-selling female musical artist of all time, was born in Bay City. Not only that, but soul/R&B legend Stevie Wonder was born in Saginaw. As the crow flies, their birthplaces are less than twelve miles apart — practically in the backyard of where Delta stands today. Madonna and Wonder are two of the most influential and acclaimed musical talents of their day (and of all time), but the list doesn’t end there. Rapper Eminem — the single best-selling artist of the 2000s — is a product of Detroit and has been vocal about his association with the city. He lives in the area to this day. Michigan has also produced numerous smash-hit rock acts such as Bob Seger, Alice Cooper and The White Stripes. Across genres, big-time music runs in the state’s veins.

Additionally, Michigan contributed enormously to the development of jazz music during the genre’s heyday, with several influential players calling the state home. Plus, techno music originated in large part in Detroit! There’s more to be said — detailing Detroit’s history in genres like the blues, for example — but by now, the picture should be coming into focus. Michigan’s sonic legacy is unlike any other, and American music would be immensely different without its influence over the years.