Fire in Pinckneyville, Illinois

A major fire on the square in downtown Pinckneyville caused the death of one firefighter and destroyed the Kuntz Opera House and the adjoining Pinckneyville Antique Mall on Friday, June 17, 2011. The opera house was built in 1896 and was a fixture in downtown Pinckneyville for generations. Both buildings collapsed during the fire.

The Supremes

The Supremes were the premier act for Motown through the 1960s. Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard, and Betty McGlown formed the Primettes in Detroit in 1959. Barbara Martin replaced McGlown in 1960 and in January 1961 Berry Gordy signed The Primettes to Motown under one condition - they had to change their name. Florence Ballard picked the name The Supremes. Martin left the group in early 1962 to start a family and the group continued as a trio. The Supremes racked up 12 #1 singles with Motown between 1964 and 1969. Florence Ballard left the group in 1967 and was replaced by Cindy Birdsong. Diana Ross left the group in January 1970 and was replaced by Jean Terrell. After several other personnel changes in the 1970s, The Supremes disbanded in 1977. Florence Ballard died suddenly in 1976 from coronary thrombosis at age 32. The Supremes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.

The Four Tops

The Four Tops formed in Detroit in 1953 as The Four Aims. Lead singer Levi Stubbs and groupmates Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton remained together for over four decades, having gone from 1953 until 1997 without a single change in personnel. The Four Tops signed with Motown in 1963 and stayed with the label until 1972. The Four Tops were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Lawrence Payton died in 1997; Obie Benson died of lung cancer in 2005; and Levi Stubbs died from complications of a stroke in 2008. The Four Tops are still performing together in 2011 with Duke Fakir now the only surviving founding member of the original group.

The Temptations

Formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1960 as The Elgins , The Temptations original members were Eddie Kendricks, Otis Williams, Elbridge "Al" Bryant, Melvin Franklin, and Paul Williams. The Temptations signed with Motown in early 1961 as The Elgins but Berry Gordy discovered there already was a group with that name. The name Temptations was thought up by several Motown employees while sitting with the group members on the front steps of Hitsville USA. The Temptations had numerous hits for Motown and the group was still performing in 2010 with its one living original member, Otis Williams.

Martha & The Vandellas

In 1961 Martha Reeves was working as a secretary at Motown and later was responsible for helping acts audition for the label. By 1961, the group The Vels were recording background vocals for Motown acts. After Mary Wells failed to make a scheduled recording session the Vels recorded what was initially a demo recording of I'll Have to Let Him Go. Motown was so impressed by the group's vocals – and Martha's lead vocals in the song – that Berry Gordy offered to give the group a contract. Martha Reeves, Annette Beard, and Rosalind Ashford renamed themselves Martha and the Vandellas, choosing the name "Vandella" as a mixture of two things – Reeves lived on Van Dyke Street in Detroit and her idol was Detroit singer Della Reese. Martha & The Vandellas' hits include:

Come and Get These Memories

Heat Wave

Quicksand

Dancing in the Street

Nowhere to Run

My Baby Loves Me

I'm Ready For Love

Jimmy Mack

Mary Wells

Mary Wells was born in Detroit in 1943 and was signed to Motown Records in 1960 at age 17. Her five year stay at Motown resulted in such hits as The One Who Really Loves You, You Beat Me to the Punch, Two Lovers, and My Guy. She sued Motown in 1965 to be released from her contract. Mary Wells died from complications of throat cancer in 1992 at age 49.

The Marvelettes

The Marvelettes formed in 1960 at Inkster High School in Inkster, Michigan. Original members were lead singer Gladys Horton, Georgeanna Marie Tillman Gordon, Wanda Young, Katherine Anderson, and Juanita Cowart. Cowart left in 1962 and Gordon in 1965; Horton left in 1967 and was replaced by Anne Bogan. Motown's first successful female vocal group, The Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 pop hit Please Mr. Postman. Other hits include Playboy, Beechwood 4-5789, Don't Mess With Bill, The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game, When You're Young and in Love, and My Baby Must Be a Magician. The Marvelettes disbanded in 1969. Georgeanna Tillman died in 1980 from lupus at age 36. Gladys Horton died in January 2011 at age 66 of complications from several strokes.

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

Smokey Robinson formed the Miracles at Northern High School in Detroit in 1955. In 1959, Berry Gordy founded Tamla Records (later Motown) and signed The Miracles as one of his first acts. By 1961, Smokey Robinson would be appointed vice-president of the corporation. Smokey Robinson left the Miracles for a solo career in 1972.

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder was born Steveland Morris in 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. Blind since birth, he was signed by Motown in 1960 where he did back up work. His first single, Fingertips - Pt. 2 went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He had 9 other #1 singles in the following years.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye was born in Washington, D.C., in 1939. After moving to Detroit in 1960 he worked as a session drummer for Motown. In 1964 he married Motown founder Berry Gordy's sister Anna Gordy, who was 18 years older than Gaye. Marvin Gaye released his first single for Motown in 1962 and had many hits over the next 15 years, including several duets with Tammi Terrell. Marvin Gaye was fatally shot by his father after a quarrel in Los Angeles in 1984.

Tammi Terrell

Tammi Terrell was born Tammy Montgomery in Philadelphia in 1945. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed modest success as a solo singer. Once she was paired with Marvin Gaye in 1967, her stardom grew, but on October 14 of that year she collapsed on stage into Gaye's arms during a performance. She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor which eventually led to her death six weeks before her 25th birthday in 1970. Her duets with Marvin Gaye include Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Your Precious Love, If I Could Build My Whole World Around You, Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, and You're All I Need to Get By.

Gladys Knight & The Pips

Gladys Knight and the Pips formed in Atlanta in 1952 when Gladys was just 8 years old. After several minor hits in the early 60s, the group signed with Motown in 1967 and had several hits including I Heard it Through the Grapevine, The End of Our Road, The Nitty Gritty, Friendship Train, If I Was Your Woman, I Don't Want to Do Wrong, and Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye. The original group consisted of Gladys Knight, her sister Brenda, her brother Bubba, and cousins William and Eleanor Guest. Edward Patten, another cousin, joined the group in 1959. By 1967, Brenda and Eleanor had left the group.

Jr. Walker & The All-Stars

Jr. Walker & The All-Stars formed in South Bend, Indiana, and became one of the early members of the Motown Family in 1961. Band members were Jr. Walker (born Autry DeWalt II), Willie Woods, Vic Thomas, and James Graves. Their Motown hits include Shotgun, (I'm a) Road Runner, Pucker Up Buttercup, What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) and Gotta Hold on to This Feeling. Jr. Walker died of cancer in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1995 at the age of 64.

More Motown Tomorrow!

The Spinners

The Spinners formed in Detroit at Ferndale High School in the early 60s. They released four single for Motown between 1965 and 1971 and had many hits in the 1970s after they signed with Atlantic Records.

The Originals

The Originals formed in Detroit in 1966 and had two hits for Motown, Baby I'm For Real in 1969 and The Bells in 1970.

Edwin Starr

Born Charles Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1942, Edwin Starr had a couple of hits for Motown, Twenty-Five Miles in 1969 and War which went to #1 in the summer of 1970. Edwin Starr died at his home in Bramcote, England, of a heart attack in 2003 at the age of 61.

Diana Ross

Born Diana Earle in Detroit, Michigan, in 1944, Diana Ross was the lead singer of The Supremes from 1961-1969. She began a solo career in 1970 that included such hits as Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Remember Me, Touch Me in the Morning, Last Time I Saw Him, Theme From Mahogany, Love Hangover, Upside Down, It's My Turn, I'm Coming Out and Endless Love with Lionel Richie.

The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5, a quintet of brothers Michael, Tito, Jermaine, Jackie, and Marion Jackson, formed and was managed by their father in Gary, Indiana, in 1966. They signed with Motown in the late 60s. Their first 4 singles went to #1 on the Billboard chart. The Jackson 5 Motown hits include I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, I'll Be There, Mama's Pearl, Never Can Say Goodbye, and Sugar Daddy.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson had several solo hits on Motown in the early 70s, including Got to Be There, Ben, I Wanna Be Where You Are, and Rockin' Robin.

The Undisputed Truth

The Undisputed Truth reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the late summer of 1971 with "Smiling Faces Sometimes". They never had another hit.

The Commodores

The Commodores formed in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1970 and joined Motown in 1972. The group consisted of lead singer Lionel Richie, William King, Thomas McClary, Milan Williams, Ronald LaPread, and Walter "Clyde" Orange. The Commodores hits include Sweet Love, Just to Be Close to You, Easy, Brick House, Three Times a Lady, Sail On, Still, Lady (You Bring Me Up), and Oh No.

Lionel Richie

Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1949, Lionel Richie, former lead singer of the Commodores, began a solo career in 1982 that resulted in five #1 singles, including a duet with Diana Ross, "Endless Love".

DeBarge

De Barge was a family group from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who had several hits in the mid 80s, including All This Love,Time Will Reveal, Rhythm of the Night, and Who's Holding Donna Now. The group featured brothers El DeBarge, Mark DeBarge, James DeBarge, Randy DeBarge, and their sister Bunny DeBarge.