Duke Fakir, of The Four Tops, speaks at a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of Motown Records in Detroit on Monday. (Tony Ding/Associated Press)

Legendary record label Motown, the musical home of the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5 and other chart-toppers, celebrates its 50th anniversary Monday.

Organizers have planned a year's worth of celebrations to honour the anniversary, complete with special album releases, documentaries, museum exhibitions and a new stage musical in the works. Radio stations around the globe will also help celebrate the anniversary with broadcast specials.

Government officials declared Monday "Motown Day," with Detroit city councillor Martha Reeves, one of the label's former stars, among those taking part in the celebrations.

The Motown Historical Museum, housed at the label's original home, is a key location for the festivities. Motown alumni will be on hand to help tell the label's story, museum executive Audley Smith told CBC.

"The alumni will be stationed in different places of the museum, so instead of the tour guide doing the interpretation of the area, the alumni will tell from their perspective, [from] someone who was there, their story," Smith said.

Participants span a wide range, said chief curator Lina Stephens.

"We have performers. We have songwriters. We have producers, arrangers, engineers," Stephens said. "One of the performing artists that will be [here] is Duke Fakir of the Four Tops. Bobby Rogers of the Miracles has indicated that he may come by. Gil Bridges who was with Rare Earth."

Founded 50 years ago with $800

Songwriter Berry Gordy Junior founded the Detroit label five decades ago with an $800 US loan from family. Originally known as Tamla, the label became renowned as a hotbed of hit African-American talent, such as the Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations and the Commodores.

Gordy, who at the time likened his artist-grooming process and consistent churning out of hits to the smooth-running of Detroit's automakers, later caused much consternation when he decided to pick up and move his label to Los Angeles. He began selling off his holdings in the 1980s.

Over the years, the label (now owned by Universal) produced nearly 200 No. 1 hit songs, with many of them now considered classics that continue to be covered by contemporary musical acts.

With files from the Associated Press