With stars like T.G. Sheppard and a few drinking songs, Motown tried to launch a country label called Melodyland; then a TV evangelist got involved.
, the landmark 1983 TV special honoring one of the most enduring record companies ever. The singer was feeling the same way backstage at the Pasadena Civic Center in California, marveling at moments like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” moonwalk, Marvin Gaye’s otherworldly “What’s Going On,” and the reunions of the Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and the Supremes.
Still, the little-known story of Melodyland — involving a titillating novelty song, an early rock & roll star who tried to go country, and a resolute evangelist who wouldn’t back down — telegraphs country’s crossover popularity. Gordy, a titan of Black music, saw the appeal of the genre and leveraged his powerful label to take a shot at Nashville — only to come up with an empty beer glass.
But Gordy’s dreams didn’t end there. By 1974, Motown had moved to Los Angeles and was once again exploring other opportunities, right as country was having a moment thanks to crossover hits by Charlie Rich and country-by-association stars John Denver and Olivia Newton-John. This time, Gordy reached out to Ray Ruff, a Texas-based record man, and Mike Curb, known for running MGM Records and scoring a few hits with his unflappably wholesome pop group, the Mike Curb Congregation.
“I said, ‘No, Dad,’” the younger Strunk recalls. “And he goes, ‘It’s when a song rises at a certain rate on the chart.’” Melodyland had another hit single in the making — but no one knew that it would also mark the beginning of the label’s end.
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