Motown celebrates with Down Under tour

Family reunions can conjure up all sorts of emotions, but when some of the world's
best R&B stars from the past five decades get together to tour Australia it's all
business and plenty of backslapping.
Motown Records was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1960 and gave rise to young R&B,
soul and jazz artists who performed smash hits around the globe.
The Four Tops, The Miracles, Martha Reeves of The Vandellas, The Temptations and
Mary Wilson of The Supremes were all signed by Motown way back then, and have
arrived Down Under to embark on a 50th anniversary tour.
Appropriately named The Motown Event, original members of the groups and some recent
additions gathered in Sydney on Thursday before kicking off their four-city tour.
Wilson says Australians cherish old songs more than Americans, who are always asking
"what's next".
Getting everyone together from the Motown family was a tradition, but with a
talented twist, she said.
"I always say this is a family reunion for us," Wilson told AAP.
"It's almost like cousins getting back together, but all of the cousins can sing."
None of them ever imagined they would be celebrating such a reunion.
"Fifty? I never thought about that and I'm past that now. It was all in the moment,"
Wilson said.
Abdul "Duke" Fakir, the last original member of The Four Tops, has toured Australia
six times in his 55-year career.
"The Australian people have always accepted us very graciously. They seem to love
the music and we've always had a great time," Fakir said.
"It's what I love to do and I think I should do it as long as I possibly can because
I think it's a rich legacy that needs constantly cultivating."
Original member of The Temptations, Otis Williams, remembers vividly his first trip
to Australia.
He was flying over the Pacific in 1984 when fellow R&B legend Marvin Gaye was shot
dead by his own father.
When he and many other young African-American artists gathered in the original
two-storey building that housed Motown Records, he had no idea they would last 50
years, and beyond.
"It's just a wonderful testament of the music, all the talent and the whole
embodiment of Motown," Williams said.
All of the groups joined forces at Thursday's media call to rehearse The Jackson 5
hit I'll Be There, which they'll perform on tour as a tribute to Michael Jackson.
Australian rock legends Jimmy Barnes and Ian Moss and six-time Grammy nominated
American artist Joan Osborne joined in the tribute and will tour with the Motown
originals.
The Motown Event kicks off in Melbourne on February 16 then heads to Sydney and
Brisbane before wrapping up in Perth on February 28.