Motown Hitsville Museum Detroit, a masterpiece

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Audley Smith, CEO of Motown Museum Detroit

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uploaded by aaronsneddon

The two interjoined buildings of the Motown Museum / Hitsville, looked rather colourful to me, apart from the big signs and window display in the shop, they just looked, and fitted in with, the rest of the street.

I signed the release form, and went on in, we were initially joining a tour (Husband and wife), they were half way round the museum when we joined.

The tour guide was informative, not only was he shown the ropes, but he took the time out to learn EVERYTHING about the museum, ask any question and the chances are, you'll get the answer you've been looking for.

After passing Studio A, the tour ended, and we started back at the beginning, getting the tour right to where we started (Half way round). The building where the studio is in is big, where the back yard used to be, the building had obviously been extended to accommodate the actual studio.

The museum is not only much larger inside than it looks, there is a huge amount of memorabilia on the walls, in one case sits Michael Jackson's glove and hat that he had given to the museum, there is a photo on the wall of Michael in the museum on the day he donated them.

Artists that lived, breathed and belched out some great music in Studio A include Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5 (Yes, Micheal Jackson), Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas and The Funk Brothers.

The guide is very animated, he flows from one exhibit to the next as if each is a page in an amazing story book.

Once we got to the end of the tour, the fun begins, Studio A beckons!

The light wasnt so great, its not meant to be. The guide explained that there was no air conditioning in Studio A because the fans would make noise, almost everyone smoked at the time and the huge speaker sitting next to the main door put out a lot of heat, apparently everyone was sweaty and it was foggy in there!

I got the pics I needed, the Grand Piano, I swept my hands over, it was one of the few exhibits visitors are allowed to touch to preserve the museum for generations to come. Studio A felt magical, it was "Raw" compared to the rest of the museum, which had been carefully laid out to accommodate the many visitors that quite rightly visit in the summer months.

The booths just off of Studio A sit dark, the door boarded, there was no reverberation in there apart from that caused by the smooth shiny surfaces on the grand Piano.

Upstairs, the "reverb chamber". When digital was still something for the future, the secret weapon to create reverbs was from the hole in the roof, there was a speaker in there, it is shaped like a loft. The sound would bounce from one part to the other, creating a deliberate reverberation.

After the tour and shoot in Studio A, I photographed the gift shop then took a low down partial portrait of Audley Smith, current CEO of the Motown / Hitsville Museum. Audley is a pure businessman, clearly the best character for the job. Mistaking Audley for someone with a musical background, he promptly corrected me, advising he was a business man. Its clear that the Motown / Hitsville Museum is a top notch visitor attraction, not to be missed!