Featured Artists
Find out more about the lives and music of the artists featured in Motor City's Burning.
John Lee Hooker
Influential American post-war blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter born in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Read more on John Lee Hooker
Berry Gordy
American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label and its many subsidiaries.
Read more on Berry Gordy
The Supremes
One of Motown Records' signature acts, The Supremes were the most successful African-American musical act of the 1960s.
Read more on The Supremes
Holland-Dozier-Holland
Songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr.
Read more on Holland-Dozier-Holland
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
The first big all-female band to come out of the Motown stable, and the creators of some of the most memorable pop tunes of the 1960s.
Read more on Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
MC5
Short for Motor City Five - a hard rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan in 1964 and active until 1972.
Read more on MC5
John Sinclair
Detroit poet, one-time manager of the band MC5, and leader of the White Panther Party from November 1968 to July 1969.
Read more on John Sinclair
Marvin Gaye
American singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who gained international fame as an artist on the Motown record label.
Read more on Marvin Gaye
George Clinton
American musician and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and is now a solo artist.
Read more on George Clinton
The Stooges
American rock band that was first active from 1967 to 1974, and then reformed in 2003. The Stooges sold few records in their original existence and often performed for indifferent or hostile audiences.
Read more on the Stooges
YOUR COMMENTS
Send in your comments
Enter copy here
Disclaimer: The BBC will put up as many of your reviews as possible but we cannot guarantee that all emails will be published. The BBC reserves the right to edit reviews that are published.
The shadow
Agree with PM why no techno, is this story to be continued. Really enjoyed the program but it must have detroits best export investigated. detroit created one of the most important music styles of the last 40 years. Mad mike will not be amused
K Nielsen
Sorry to see the founding members Underground Resistance missing from the feature (Jeff Mills, Mike Banks & Robert Hood)
Supo
I thoroughly enjoyed this well produced program. It was accurate to the point of being cringworthy. Tanks on 8 mile, rampant racism even to this day, lifetime stoners and some oh so true quotes-Detroit *will* get you and it is like New Orleans without the natural disaster but the musical legacy is really something to be proud of...
Snowy D
Why is everyone going on about no techno? The clue is in the title of the programme!
dwight Parrish
I enjoyed the show as I am form D town. I don't think they mentioned techno because of the time period. I also would like to see the Hooker concert. love the music shows on the beeb cheers
Chris Kenny
The end seemed a bit arbritary. Detroit in the 80s had another musical boom as techno was developed and pioneered by people like Derek May, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins. This music has had a huge impact on current trends today and to ignore it was hugely short sighted!
Bo Bo Blobs
Agree with comment from Purpose Maker - unbelievable that there was nothing on Detroit Techno and the holy trio of Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May followed by the second wave including Carl Craig, Jeff Mills etc.
callage
Doesn't John Lee Hooker look like Jeff Mills...
catherine
What no electronic music??!! Hardly seems fair on the impact the city has had/continues to have…
M-PLANT
Great show and about time someone started to join up the dots on the Detroit music scene. Can't wait for part two where you'll be talking about the lifeblood of the Detroit underground music scene, Techno. There is a part two right?
Alan Marshall
Motor City Burning great docu..good to see Iggy Pop acknowledge Alice Cooper..both rock greats..Alice often overlooked...think how many bands since have splashed the make up.
Blueclaw
No mention of UR, Derrick May, Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, come on BBC sort it out! Great Doc though, Love the MC5s
G London
Excuse my geography, but no mention of Grand Funk Railroad, who sold over 40 million records. They were from Flint Michigan which must be close to Detroit. Why have they been forgotten?
Not so long ago....
I lived and worked in Detroit recently. It's never recovered from the riots and they can't even organise a decent car or music tribute (museum?). Overall, Americans have no grasp of heritage.
Sleepy Pete
Well as it's from Motown to The Stooges, it probably pre-dates Techno? No?
Marlon C
Is there any chance of showing the complete Soul Deep series in the near future
Purpose Maker
No techno???? Vast oversight!!
Danny G
I saw the John Lee Hooker concert several years ago, on BBC1 or 2, but there was a documentary on him on BBC4 before I got Freeview which I've never had the chance to see. Any chance of it being repeated?Also, it would be helpful if programmes which are repeats had an (R) next to their name in the listings, eve if this does apply to most of them.