Entertainment and performing arts
Live music has been the dominant feature of Detroit's nightlife since the late 1940s bringing the city worldwide attention. The metropolitan area boasts two of the top live music venues in the United States: DTE Energy Music Theatre and The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Detroit Theatre District is the nation's second largest. Major theaters include the Fox Theatre, Masonic Temple Theatre, the Detroit Opera House, and the Fisher Theatre. Orchestra Hall hosts the renowned Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
In the 1940s, Detroit's blues scene saw the long-term residency of John Lee Hooker. During the 1950s, the city became a center for jazz, with stars performing in the Black Bottom neighborhood. Berry Gordy, Jr. founded Motown Records which rose to prominence during the 1960s and early 1970s with acts such as Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Diana Ross & The Supremes, and Marvin Gaye. Gordy moved Motown to Los Angeles in 1972 to pursue film production, but the company has since returned to Detroit. Aretha Franklin is another Detroit R&B star.
Detroit also gave birth to the Nederlander Organization, which originated with the purchase of the Detroit Opera House in 1922 by the Nederlander Family. The organization would later go on to become the largest controller of Broadway productions in New York City.
The area spawned a high-energy rock in the late 1960's and 1970's around the Grande Ballroom with artists Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Mitch Ryder, Rare Earth, Brownsville Station, Glenn Frey and Bob Seger. The group Kiss captured the love for rock music in "Detroit Rock City." This was a precursor to punk rock's MC5 and Iggy Pop's The Stooges, among others.
As a birthplace of Techno music emerging in 1987 to venues worldwide, seminal Detroit Techno artists include Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson. This genre developed alongside Chicago's House music, yet was more influenced by funk and European electronic pioneers such as Kraftwerk, as well as Atkins's own early electro work. Techno reached a worldwide audience and in Europe triggered a revolution in both youth culture and music industry.
In addition, Detroit's garage rock of the 1990s rose to national attention with the bands The White Stripes, Von Bondies, the Dirtbombs, and Electric Six. In recent years, bands like The Hard Lessons revived garage rock. Hard rock, powered by 101.1 WRIF, produced local success for bands like Sponge. Detroit Hip Hop rose to prominence in the late nineties with the emergence of Eminem, Kid Rock, Street Lord'z, Slum Village, D12, J Dilla, Obie Trice, Blade Icewood, Big Herk, and Royce Da 5'9 as well as other artists like Tone Tone and Esham. Detroit Rap and Soul are internationally recognized. Detroit Soul artists include Dwele, Amp Fiddler, Monica Blaire, and Kem.
Other music events include Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, the Motor City Music Conference (MC2), the Urban Organic Music Conference, the Concert of Colors, and the hip-hop Summer Jamz festival.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
