LOS ANGELES – The Temptations, Isley Brothers and Four Tops turned back time and sang and danced like they were in their prime at a reunion of aging Motown stars.
The occasion was to honor Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson for their musical achievements and philanthropic efforts as Friday night’s MusiCares Person of the Year, the first time the nonprofit organization has honored two people in the same year.
The Detroiters have been friends for more than 65 years.
“When I first met this man, that was the beginning of my dream,” Robinson told the crowd at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
“I wanted to be a singer, I wanted to be in show business, I wanted to write songs and make music,” said Robinson. “I never thought I would be able to do this where I grew up. But then I got there because I met Berry Gordy. He took me under his wing. He is my mentor.”
Gordy later took the stage with Robinson to accept their awards.
“I’m happy to be here with my best friend. Damn it,” said Gordy.
Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Mumford & Sons, Dionne Warwick, Brandi Carlisle, Michael McDonald, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder were among those who honored 93-year-old Gordy and 82-year-old Robinson two days before the Grammy Awards ceremony.
“I wouldn’t know any music if it wasn’t for Motown,” Legend told the crowd.
Gordy and Robinson took turns standing and applauding, clapping, and sometimes singing as the performers sampled the massive Motown catalogue.
The Temptations opened the two-and-a-half-hour concert with a medley of “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “I Can’t Get Next To You,” and “My Girl.” Radiant in red Suits and red patent leather shoes, the distinct harmonies of the group of five were as tight as their choreography.
Gordy leaned forward and wrapped his arm around Robinson at their table while the group let the crowd sing along to “My Girl.”
Warwick, 82, later sang “My Guy,” the Mary Wells hit written and produced by Robinson on Motown. She and Robinson blew kisses to each other.
81-year-old Ronald Isley and his 70-year-old guitarist brother Ernie performed “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)”, a hit on Motown’s Tamla label in 1966.
The Four Tops have rebooted their hit series from the 1960s with “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)”, “Reach Out I’ll Be There” and “It’s the Same Old Song”. The crowd was on their feet, singing and dancing.
Wonder got the crowd clapping along to his reggae-tinged rendition of “The Tears of a Clown,” a hit he co-wrote with Robinson as a teenager.
“All my appreciation, respect and love goes out to you, Berry, who thought I couldn’t sing,” Wonder said, prompting laughter. “Smokey, I want to thank you. I can never pay you back.”
Carlisle was joined by twin brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth on “Tracks of My Tears,” which received a standing ovation for the 1965 Robinson-penned hit. The trio wore matching silver metallic jackets and black bow ties.
Trombone Shorty blew it up on “Shotgun,” the Junior Walker and the All Stars song produced by Gordy in 1965. McDonald received a standing ovation for his performance of “Lonely Teardrops,” which Gordy wrote for Jackie Wilson.
Pairing young (28-year-old Sebastián Yatra) and alto (66-year-old Rita Wilson), they sang “It Takes Two,” a 1965 hit for Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston on the Tamla label.
Valerie Simpson and Jimmie Allen teamed up on “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” while Lalah Hathaway was joined by PJ Morton of Maroon 5 on piano and vocals on “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.”
In the strangest sighting of the night, Elton John and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi swayed side by side in the crowd.
The evening ended with sisters Chloe and Halle Berry holding hands with Wonder as they sang The Temptations’ hit ‘Get Ready’ along with the likes of McDonald, Wilson and the Four Tops.
Now in its 33rd year, the dinner and auction raised money for programs and services to support musicians in need.
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