Motown’s Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy celebrated at pre-Grammy gala
LOS ANGELES: Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy, the visionary creative duo behind the revolutionary Motown genre, saw their legacy play out onstage Friday at a pre-Grammy gala honouring their life’s work.
From Robinson’s ‘The Tracks of My Tears’ to ‘My Girl’ songs, Motown defined the 1960s and influenced scores of artists that followed.
Gordy’s now iconic Motown Records, which the 93-year-old founded in Detroit in 1959, also played a pivotal role in uniting Black and white music fans in a decade convulsed by racial divisions.
Robinson was only 17 years old when he was recruited to join the label, where the balladeer became a prolific songwriter and seminal figure of the early days of R&B and soul.
“There had never been anything like Motown before Motown. There will never be anything like Motown again,” the now 82-year-old artist told AFP on the red carpet.
The star-studded gala that this year included Motown prodigy Stevie Wonder is an annual pre-Grammy tradition from MusiCares, the charitable wing of the Recording Academy that raises money to help musicians in need.
Friday marked the first time the show honored two artists, a decision MusiCares said was necessary to fete the two musical legends ‘of equal and parallel esteem.’ Both loom so large in music, and their stories are so intertwined, that picking just one as the MusiCares Person Of The Year – an honour previously bestowed on Joni Mitchell, Quincy Jones, Aerosmith, and other luminaries – would be a half-measure,” the institution said.
Industry darlings turned out in full Motown swing with performers including the Four Tops, the Isley Brothers, Dionne Warwick, John Legend and Brandi Carlile.