January 12 is widely considered to be the day when motown first shook up the music world. This was the date when Tamla Records was founded, by Berry Gordy Jr.

A year later, the label was incorporated as the Motown Record Corporation ( a portmanteau of "motor" and "town") and, centred in Detroit, it quickly propelled many African-American artists into the pop mainstream.

During the 1960s, the Motown label had unprecedented success in popular music, with as many as 110 singles reaching the Top 10 between 1960-1971. Tracks like Barrett Strong's 'Money (That's What I want)' and The Marvellette's 'Please Mr. Postman' helped exemplify its early success, while music giants like The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5 all helped the label go from successful to legendary.

Motown also had an important part to play in the racial integration of popular music. As an African American-owned label, it was responsible for helping black artists enter the cultural and musical mainstream.

To mark the 60th Anniversary of Motown's foundation, Hot Press editor Niall Stokes will be on BBC Radio Foyle tomorrow, January 12, at 1.20/1.25, to talk about the history of the label.

Until then, here's a playlist of some of our favourite Motown tracks:

Hot Press' Top 10 Motown 💃

Our top ten best of the best of Motown