Nov 1657 - Young songwriter Berry Gordy has his first hit with Jackie Wilson's Reet PetiteJan 1959 - Gordy launches Tamla Record Company on a loan of US $800, its first single being Mary Johnson's Come To Me1960 - A year later the company name changes to Motown and settles at 26-48 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit. A sign is hung outside saying Hitsville USAJune 1961 - Motown releases first two albums The Soulful Moods Of Marvin Gaye and Hi We're The MiraclesDec 1961 - First Number One single with The Marvellettes, Please Mr PostmanJune 1962 - Songwriters Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Edward Holland start working togetherAug 1963 - Little Stevie Wonder scores Motown's first number one pop album, The 12 Year Old Genius Oct 1964 - The Supremes Baby Love is released and gets a huge response, later ranking 324 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All TimeJan 1967 – Marvin Gaye’s Heard It Through The Grapevine spends seven weeks in the charts at Number OneJan 1970 - The first Jacksons single, Want You Back, is releasedDec 1970 – This was Motown's most successful year with 17 Top 10 hitsJan 1971 – Marvin Gaye’s What's Going On is releasedDec 1971 - Michael Jackson's first solo hit, I'll Be There, is releasedMar 1972 - Stevie Wonder kicks off a stunning run of albums, Music Of My Mind, followed soon after by Talking Book, and ending with the legendary, Songs In The Key Of Life, in 1976 Nov 1972 - The Commodores, fronted by Lionel Richie, sign to Motown and quickly become its biggest selling actJan 1973 - Berry Gordy steps down as head of Motown Records to become boss of Motown Industries, and moves Los Angeles. This move prompted fans to view it as the end of the 'Golden Era'April 1977 - Thelma Houston's Don't Leave Me This Way, marks a transition to discoApril 1981 - Rick James’ Street Songs album comes out, his best selling album everFeb 1988 - Berry Gordy is inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. Over the next nine years, he is joined by Holland-Dozier-Holland and 10 classic Motown acts including Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight And The Pips and The SupremesJune 1988 - Berry Gordy sells Motown for 61m dollarsJan 2009 - Now headquartered in New York City, Motown begins its year-long 50th anniversary celebration, including the Motown: The Complete No.1’s 10 CD boxed set, which was released on 9 December 2008