Link to the Show / Show Notes
During my career in the music industry, I have had the opportunity of meeting some great people; both men and women. However; it was not until I metBarney Ales, that I really had the chance to see one of the most powerful men in the music industry in action. Since I was promoting product forMotown Recordsat the time (1964), I had an excellent insider's view.
He sat in a humble office located upstairs atHitsvilleon West Grand Boulevard in the Motor City....Detroit, Michigan. From there Barney controlled the flow of Motown Records' product all over the world.
For years, many people speculated that Barney owned Motown, notBerry Gordy. Berry was an astute businessman and knew he needed a white man to front Motown in order to collect monies from the (mostly white) distributors and rack jobbers. Berry could have made no better choice than Barney Ales.
Knowing the potential of the Motown machine; discerning the machine's many talents (including his own) and knowing how to collect the rewards....was Barney's talent.
This interview with Mr. Ales was recorded at his home in Malibu several months ago on a mini-cassette recorder. I have been holding back the interview because I couldn't figure how I wanted to produce it. I have decided to run the interview alone (sans music cuts) as the discussion is quite informative (and humorous) by itself. The interview is totally un-edited.
There are four parts to this interview. BluePower will run one part per week. Anyone remotely interested in the music business of the Motown era and of that time period will want to tune in to a talk with one of the most fascinating men to ever work the music industry.
Let's put it this way....Barney Ales has an incredible sense of business acumen and used it to grow one of the most prestigious and profitable entertainment companies of all time; Motown Records.
John Rhys/BluePower.com
Listen to Barney Ales....The Master Of Motown
Listen To Barney Ales....The Master Of Motown (Part Two)
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