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Motown throws a party that
brings out the stars
700 attend tribute for
Esther Gordy Edwards
November
14, 2005
BY
KELLEY L. CARTER
FREE
PRESS MUSIC WRITER
John Mason,
one of the night's hosts, warned early on that if folks started heading to
the valet before Smokey Robinson finished crooning, they'd miss out on a
special treat.
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WILLIAM ARCHIE/DFP
Esther Gordy Edwards, flanked by granddaughter Elesha Cherry
and brother Berry Gordy, puts items into a time capsule during a ceremony
before attending the Motown Forever gala at the Detroit Marriott
Renaissance Center. The capsule will be opened
in 20 years.  MORE PHOTOS
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He was
right.
Radio
personality Mason, along with former TV news anchor Amyre Makupson,
cohosted Saturday night's Motown Museum tribute to founder Esther Gordy Edwards,
who 20 years ago opened Hitsville USA to fans of the musical era
around the world.
The event,
Motown Forever: Motown
Historical Museum's
20th Anniversary Gala and Tribute to Esther Gordy Edwards, honored a woman
who had a vision to preserve a huge American success story.
But it was
more than a night of touching tributes to the sister of Berry Gordy,
founder of the Detroit
music label. It was a reunion like none other, and most of the notable
surviving Motowners were in attendance.
The night,
at the Detroit
Marriott Renaissance
Center ballroom,
didn't end with Robinson nor with a performance by legendary Motown
songwriters Eddie and Brian Holland. Nor did it end after Stevie Wonder
took the approximately 700 guests on a quick spin through some of his
biggest hits.
It ended
with many Motown alumni -- songwriters, singers, producers, former
executives and others -- gathered onstage, with Gordy directing an
impromptu performance of their hits.
It was a
priceless moment, seeing Gordy in a role that he had played decades ago on Detroit's west side,
as he tried to make the world take notice of a little record label.
It seemed
like old times, with Gordy taking his natural role as director, calling out
to his singers, "You know what key you're in, right?" before he
handed them the microphone.
A mixture
of old and new Motown stars and some who might as well have been part of
the Detroit record label -- Thelma Houston, Teena Marie, Wonder, Robinson,
Claudette Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Keith Washington, Freda Payne, Mickey
Stevenson, Brenda Holloway, Martha Reeves, Suzanne De Passe and many others
-- crowded around Edwards and went through a medley of Motown hits.
"I'm
going to the councilwoman and let her do her thing," Gordy said to the
crowd, speaking of Reeves' election last week to the Detroit City Council.
"Everybody is fighting to get up here."
After
hearing Payne sing her hit "Band of Gold" and Houston sing
"Don't Leave Me This Way," and after Teena Marie's rendition of
Robinson's "Ooh Baby Baby," Gordy wanted the group to sing what
he referred to as the Motown national anthem: Reeves' "Dancing In The
Street."
Motown
alumni were still singing well past midnight, joining together to sing
"My Girl" to Edwards, who sat center stage holding a bouquet of
roses from her brother.
The night
was a toast to Edwards, who was ridiculed by her Motown family and friends
years ago for saving fliers and other artifacts while the musical acts were
traveling on revues. The mementos became part of what is now the Motown Historical Museum,
a place that draws thousands of visitors annually.
Nearly
everyone who has come into contact with Edwards says that her generosity
and caretaker attitude defined those early Motown days.
"Ever
since she was a kid, she's been a boss," Gordy said. "She was
collecting history before we knew that's what it was. It's great to be back
here celebrating my wonderful sister ... She's been just a wonderful,
wonderful spirit."
Guests were
greeted at the dinner with champagne, flutes of sparkling water with
raspberries and chocolate-dipped strawberries.
On the
chairs in the ballroom were Motown Forever program booklets, and each guest
got a 20th Century Master Millennium collection of a Motown artist,
including artists such as Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Robinson, Marvin Gaye
and Tammy Terrell and the Temptations.
"This
is what Detroit
misses so much," said Mason who broadcasts on KISS-FM (102.7).
"Motown throwing a party for Detroit."
A mixture
of entertainers, politicians and fans who came from as far away as Britain,
sat at round tables, drinking red and white wine, and dining on chicken,
roasted vegetables and chocolate desserts.
Two
projector screens were on either side of the stage, and during dinner Edwards
received greetings from a few old friends who were in Europe:
Abdul Duke Fakir of the Four Tops, Otis Williams of the Temptations and
Shelly Berger, the longtime Temptations manager.
During his
performance, Robinson said that he would be back for Super Bowl XL, joining
with Detroit
businessman Don Barden to put on a show during that week. Robinson also
said he will donate $100,000 to the museum at that time.
"This
is my life and I feel so happy to know that there was someone -- even when
I didn't think about it myself -- to document my life," Robinson said
of Edwards.
Wonder said
that Edwards shared with him the experiences of life. Calling her the
master encourager, he said she helped him see the future despite his
blindness.
"It
was her that explained the politics of the world," he said. "I
want to thank you for the blessings that you have given me in my
life."
Contact KELLEY L. CARTER at 313-222-8854 or carter@freepress.com
  
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