Interactive: Video, audio and more of the best of Motown’s first 50 years

Marvin Gaye was one of the mainstays of Motown, and helped it change during the 1970s. (AP)

In Jan. 12, 1959, Elvis Presley was in the Army. The Beatles were a little-known group called The Quarrymen casting about for gigs in Liverpool. The nascent rock ‘n’ roll world was a few weeks away from “the day the music died” — when a single-engine plane crash claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens.

It’s also the day a 29-year-old boxer, assembly line worker and songwriter named Berry Gordy Jr. used an $800 family loan to start a record company in Detroit.

Fifty years later, Motown Records Corp. and its stable of largely African-American artists have become synonymous with the musical, social and cultural fabric of America. The company spawned household names, signature grooves and anthems for the boulevard and bedroom alike that transcended geography and race.

And time.

Motown may be 50 years old, but it isn’t any less relevant with current hitmakers — from Taylor Swift to Coldplay — citing the label’s signature “sound” as an influence.

Would there be a Beyonce or Mariah Carey had Diana Ross, Martha Reeves and Gladys Knight not come first?

How about Kanye West and Justin Timberlake? What would have become of their musical careers had Motown not blazed a trail with the likes of Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and The Four Tops?
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Mary J. Blige is among the acts scheduled to perform. (AP)

Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown and Natalie Cole will be among the top artists performing at a Sept. 26 Michael Jackson tribute concert in Vienna, organizers said Tuesday.

But they left open the possibility that major stars such as Madonna might still be part of the show that will take place outside a 17th-century palace in the Austrian capital.

“Just hold your horses!” Jackson’s brother Jermaine told reporters at a packed news conference in Vienna’s city hall.

Event promoter Georg Kindel said that up to 25 performers are expected to participate in concert that is being billed as the main global tribute for the King of Pop, who died June 25 in Los Angeles. More names will be unveiled later this week in London and Berlin, Kindel said.
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Michael Jackson will be buried at sunset today.

The private funeral will take place at the Holly Terrace Grand Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills. It is expected to start at 7pm and run for 45 minutes.

Media and fans will be banned from the service, which will be attended by a handful of close friends and family. Read the full story

A look at who wins and loses in Michael Jackson’s 2002 will, which aims to move all of his estimated $500 million-plus assets into a private family trust.

SHUT OUT: Ex-wife Debbie Rowe; Jackson’s father Joe Jackson.

CLEAR WINNERS: Mother Katherine, 79, who also was named guardian of Jackson’s children; son Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11; and son Prince Michael II, 7. All were called trust beneficiaries in documents filed with the will.

POTENTIAL WINNERS: Several Jacksons were named “contingent remainder” beneficiaries, who usually gain once the main beneficiaries pass away. They include the three sons of brother Tito Jackson — Taj, Taryll, and T.J., who make up the band 3T.

CHARITIES: Unknown, but one of the people to be notified of the will is California Attorney General Jerry Brown, whose office oversees charitable gifts from estates.

MOTOWN MOM: Diva Diana Ross was named guardian of his children if Katherine passes away or is unable or unwilling to serve.

EXECUTORS: Three executors were named in the will, but one, Santa Monica accountant Barry Siegel, resigned in 2003. The remaining co-executors are John Branca, a longtime Jackson attorney who split from Jackson in 2006 but says he was rehired two weeks ago, and John McClain, a music executive and longtime friend.

INSURANCE: Documents indicate the existence of a “Michael Jackson Insurance Trust.” Estate lawyer Roy Kozupsky said if that trust holds a life insurance policy, the proceeds could be used to pay off the huge tax bill the estate could owe the federal government.