Detroit’s musical legacy

“I grew up in the era when Motown Records was in Detroit, so you could see Smokey Robinson orthetemptations driving around.the music came from the city. Strings and horns from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra were added to R&B and gospel – and that’s what created the Motown sound. The Motown Museum is amazing.you learn how producer Berry Gordy started Motown with an $800 loan. At the end of the tour, you wind up in the studio where the magic happened.they have the piano that Stevie Wonder played. Martin Luther King recorded his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech on Motown Records too.

Motown left Detroit abruptly – but that’s when this incredible underground hip-hop scene grew. Some of the best rappers in the world, like Eminem and Tee Grizzley, come from Detroit. Saint Andrew’s Hall is one of the first places Eminem played.

Detroit is still a mix of gospel, jazz, R&B and rock and roll. For jazz, I’d go to Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, one of the USA’S oldest jazz clubs.techno was created in Detroit, too, and the TV Lounge is a great place for that.

We also have the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre – a beautiful waterside venue where you can see Canada from the stage.” Bassist Kern Brantley has served as the musical director for Beyoncé and Mary J Blige, and played alongside Lady Gaga and Aretha Franklin. He’s a musical director at the Motown

Museum in Detroit, Michigan.