I’m returning to last October when I ran a story about a unique concert held in Berlin. Now, thanks to Ray Ellis, who attended the event, I’ve got a little more to tell. Martha Reeves was one of the artists to be featured in the world premiere of the Memories Of Motown show at the Hotel Estrel in Germany’s capital, on 11 January 2009. The hotel is an entertainment and convention complex in the eastern part of Berlin. “The glitzy revue-styled extravaganza was well orchestrated and superbly executed,” Ray told me. “MC and translator, Carmen Franke ensured smooth continuity throughout and the nine-piece band with up to four backing singers ably led by musical director Glen Raby did a fine job in recreating the famed Motown Sound.”
So – what was this all about? Yeah, you’ve got it. The show celebrated the 50th anniversary of Motown Records. The exclusive pictures here accompanying this event are courtesy of Ray – and for this I’m extremely grateful – while the mention was actually prompted by the publication of Al Abrams’ recent book High On Sou! because he co-wrote Memories Of Motown with Mickey Stevenson, who also penned “The Motown Song” especially for the event.
Briefly then, the show was produced by Bernhard Kutz, who had already staged a number of Stars In Concert in Berlin, and agreed to include the Motown show in that series. It was part tribute, part original artists, with The Contours led by Sylvester Potts, The Miracles and, of course, Martha Reeves representing the real thing! They performed alongside tribute acts honouring Motown icons, like Diana Ross. Ray recalled, “Roz Turner, stunning in a blue clinging dress, showed the nuances and savvy of Diana with a voice to match, and presented a Supremes’ segment of hits as well as Ross’ ‘I’m Coming Out’ and ‘Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)’.”
Marvin Gaye was remembered by Tee Turner who, resplendent in a white tailed suit, looked the part but really lacked the charisma associated with the man himself on songs like “Pride And Joy” and “It Takes Two”, with Rachael Hiew accompanying him. Not only did Mr Turner wear Marvin’s woolly hat, but he’s also a member of The Miracles since 2001 with Sidney Justin, Dave Finley and Bobby Rogers. Ray continued, “Bobby was unable to appear due to illness, so Charles Davis was an excellent replacement….(The group’s) smooth harmonies punctuated ‘Shop Around’, ‘You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me’, ‘Mickey’s Monkey’ and ‘The Tracks Of My Tears’.” (Bobby Rogers died in March 2013 from diabetes complications. He was seventy-three years old)
Bobby Brooks Hamilton – so like Jackie Wilson, his father, in appearance and voice – solidly stood in dad’s big shoes to give a stunning performance, prompting one reviewer to tag him “Mr Entertainment”. He easily worked his way through “Lonely Teardrops” and, naturally, “Reet Petite” which, I’m told, was just the right start to the evening’s show because, as you know, Berry Gordy wrote the song for Jackie prior to forming Motown.
The Contours
Sylvester Potts led The Contours through an exciting, exhilarating act with lead vocals being swopped as they sweated through their sharp choreographed routines, that included the frenetic “Do You Love Me”.
Solo Martha Reeves performed twice. The first had her shaking her tambourine to “(Love Is Like A) Heatwave”, “Nowhere To Run” and “Jimmy Mack”. The second time was when she brought the show to an end by leading all the artists off the stage to gyrate around the tables to a rousing version of “Dancing In The Street”. For the first time, the German audience showed some kind of appreciation, as they clapped and stomped. One reviewer commented on this, saying, “I was interested to see the German audience’s lack of response to music which quite simply makes me want to dance. I am clapping and shaking in my chair as those around me are simply staring at the stage…..When the artists invited the audience to clap or sing along, the people just sat there calmly as though making any noise would be disrespectful.”
Martha actually made reference to this when the opening chords of “Jimmy Mack” were played. She asked them to “do something that was unusual for German audiences” to help get Jimmy back by clapping and singing with her. Nah: nothing doing. As an aside here. I’m reminded that when visiting American artists first performed in the UK, they were surprised/disappointed/shocked that we waited until the end of a song before we showed our appreciation. They were used audiences joining in with the songs, clapping, and dancing in the aisles. However, I’m happy to report that over the years, we learned to whoop and holler with the best of them!
Ray Ellis, Martha Reeves, Al Abrams
Alongside the musical tributes and authentic performances in the German audience was treated to Al Abrams and Mickey Stevenson’s memories of Motown’s early years. These encompassed a humorous element alongside serious events surrounding the formative years of a company that opened its doors to black performers. By all accounts, many were unknown stories and aired for the first time. Sadly, none were noted in any review! Two large screens were erected on either side of the stage playing original black and white footage that was synchronised to the performance on stage. Precious clips from “Ready Steady Go!” were said to be included. The general consensus was unanimous – the evening was a great success, with all the hard work paying off ten-fold. So, again, my thanks to Ray Ellis for being so generous with his time and photos.
Let’s move on. I bought myself an early Christmas present – Lionel Richie’s “Truly“, a long-awaited memoir. You may remember (or not!) that in March 2009 I wrote “Hello”, a book published by Equinox. One reviewer reckoned I did a decent enough job “in rendering a thorough account of Lionel’s career to date, from his formative years in the Commodores to his most successful years as a solo artist, making for an informative read for popular music buffs.”
Naturally I was well pleased with that response. The publishing blurb that accompanied the book’s release gushed that “by the eighties he was the most popular singer/songwriter in the world, and a decade later was the ultimate star entertainer with a ‘nice guy’ image. He was a five-time Grammy winner who had sold 100 million albums worldwide, and for nine consecutive years had number one singles in America, a feat matched only by Irving Berlin. It is also a story of two broken marriages, personal insecurities, near-death experiences and an insight into the man behind a success story that broke the rules.” That also sounded good.
BUT now at long last, the man himself has put pen to paper – and I couldn’t be more delighted! His words; his life as he lived it, and all wrapped up in an easy, relaxed read. On occasion you can hear him talking through the printed word. Published by William Collins, this is a large book (nearly five hundred pages) with no Index, but it appears we’re lucky to get it at all because Lionel had some trepidation about the project as a whole. Apparently, he had considered writing it across two volumes (Cher has done this) but his publisher and collaborator Mim Eichler Rivas, a credited author and ghost writer, talked him out of it.
Lionel and Mim (who has no credit on the book cover or immediate inside page) started working together for a few hours of an afternoon until they worked by the singer’s clock, which often meant starting at 1am through to dawn. By doing this, Lionel argued, he was less likely to be disturbed because anybody trying to get hold of him would be sleeping. Their basic working process involved Mim asking him questions, whereupon she would record the answers. Sometimes it didn’t go according to plan, like, for example, when she used a word like ‘flabbergasted’, prompting Lionel to say “Mim, I’m Black. This isn’t a word I’d use.”
I won’t give anything away except to say “Truly” is a frank, honest and open read, which is both happy and sad. There are triumphs versus tragedies, success and disasters, yet all through his journey, Lionel remains the painfully shy college guy who wore glasses and stood in the background, while his fellow students made merry. From his upbringing in Tuskegee, Alabama, he takes us on his journey into a music career which involved him composing some of the finest love songs known to our generation. Said he, “The statement I hear the most, wherever I am, from folks of every background, is, ‘You know, I grew up with your music.’ To which I always say, ‘Funny thing, so did I.'”
Meeting Berry Gordy for the first time took a while, Lionel recalled, because the man was always busy. They finally met at a company party that Berry was throwing at his plush Bel Air home which had a panoramic view of Los Angeles. It was clear from his book that Lionel was in total awe of the Motown boss, but had been warned about making a huge gaff. “I’d been told, ‘Whatever you do, do not ever make a reference in any way to his height’. To be fair, he was not tall but his demeanour negated that reality….I could see he had power of presence. He had been a boxer in his teens and it showed in how he walked – like a prize fighter…..What I learned from watching (him) and his aura of power, his ultimate teaching tool, was everything.”
Berry Gordy Jr., Marvin Gaye, The Funk Brothers (Photo, courtesy Chris Clark)
And this leads me nicely into wishing Mr Gordy a rather belated happy birthday. On 28th November, he celebrated his ninety-sixth birthday with three hundred guests at a special soiree held at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles. Joining in the birthday fun were Motowners such as Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves (“I had the most wonderful evening…seeing all the Motown family again felt so good. Berry looked fantastic with his trademark smile from ear to ear.”), Otis Williams, Valerie Simpson, Stevie Wonder, Claudette Robinson, Mickey Stevenson, the Holland brothers, Paul Riser, who said, “He was mobile, interacting with everyone, sharing great recollections and sentiments with people.”
Stevie was among those who performed during the five hour event, singing (naturally) “Happy Birthday” followed by “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” with lyrics pertaining to Berry. Smokey performed “Did You Know” a dedication to Berry, first performed at the 2021 Kennedy Center Honours, while Valerie Simpson played the piano to perform her self-penned tribute. Politicians, record executives mingled with Suzanne de Passe, Robin Terry, and members of Berry’s family like Terry, granddaughter of Esther Gordy Edwards, who said, “From the moment my uncle walked into the room, folks were cheering and showing him love. You could see how excited he was to be there, celebrating his birthday with his family, musical icons, titans in the business and his friends. It was the perfect crown, and they showed him so much love.” (Some of this information from Brian McCollum, “Detroit Free Press” and I am extremely grateful).
I regret not having met Mr Gordy when I worked for Motown in London, although I console myself with I came ‘that close’ when he was over here one time for Wimbledon. Also, during the sixties, when Diana Ross and the Supremes were in London I phoned her hotel room and he answered. Nah, that doesn’t count either. So, while that personal touch remains missing, it’s with thanks to a close Motown friend that I’ve learned a great deal about this wonderful man who had a dream – and turned that dream into a reality. So that’ll have to do!
Another year is about to end – and these years become more precious when you reach a certain age – but I crammed in as much as I could in the past twelve months. The same will go for next year too, as there’s some exciting events on the horizon, including the 40th anniversary of The Former Ladies of The Supremes. Forty years!! So hopefully we can put something special together. Before launching into 2026, I’d like to wish you all a peaceful and soulful Christmas period with whoever you choose to share it with. This time of year is always a celebratory time: personally, as being a Catholic, I welcome the birth of Jesus whose destiny was to save the world. That task is proving harder as the decades roll by, but thankfully I see that Christianity remains strong.
With love and thanks as always…..
Sharon Davis
(The picture of Berry Gordy, Marvin Gaye and the Funk Brothers was taken by Chris Clark)
LIONEL RICHIE: TRULY –
