The Tragic Real-Life Stories Of Motown Stars

May 2024 · 2 minute read

The 1960s ushered in the golden age of Motown, when the Jackson 5 were riding high, Diana Ross reigned supreme, and Smokey Robinson began a miraculous run of nearly 40 hit songs. In 1966 "three out of every four Motown releases made the charts," according to Detroit News. And though no one knew it at the time, in 1969 a future Motown star was born — literally. Kim Owens, better known as KEM, would grow up to be a Grammy-nominated singer and sell millions of albums. But his road to success was long and torturous.

Looking back on his childhood, KEM told MLive, "I had a lot of what we would call today low self-esteem, childhood depression, anxiety — all of the normal things adolescents go through magnified by 50." A survivor of sexual abuse, he tried to drown his trauma in alcohol and drugs as a young teenager. For years he didn't tell his parents about the abuse, and, unaware of why he was acting out, they kicked him out.

KEM was homeless for about four years. He ate from trash cans and ran afoul of the law. But in 1990 he took stock of his life and realized he needed help. He found it at a Salvation Army treatment facility, where he replaced his alcohol habit with a piano habit. Music didn't just become KEM's livelihood; it helped save his life.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9lGtua2hfqbWmedOrmKChk2K%2Fpq3LZqOinpViwLW70aKcrGWfm3quu9Oorqdlo6mus7%2BO