The Second Track

The Mistake That Made Motown: How a Broken Microphone Created the Sound of a Generation

Episode Summary

In 1959, a malfunctioning ribbon microphone at Hitsville U.S.A. should have been thrown in the trash. Instead, it became the secret weapon behind dozens of Motown classics, giving us that warm, slightly distorted vocal sound that defined soul music. The story of how Berry Gordy's penny-pinching accidentally created one of the most recognizable sounds in pop history.