The Motortown All-Stars boast a rich history, including ties to The Temptations, the Miracles and The Contours.
“These are authentic Motown artists who have performed with many of those very memorable groups,” said Glen Raby, the group’s musical director. “Ours is a classic Motown show that most would say is more than just similar to that style but is that genre.”
The Motortown All-Stars will perform “A Motown Christmas” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.
“I think the mix between the Motown and the Christmas music is what the attendees really get into the show,” said Ben Holt, who runs BPE Promotions, which presents the shows. “There is not a period of just Motown, as there is not a long stretch of Christmas music. In fact, some of the medleys put Motown words into the classic Christmas songs. The crowd really enjoys the combination, and they get into it. It’s fun to watch the audience react. The performers do several Motown medleys, and it is hard to say that any one is (an audience) favorite. They all are.”
Hart said one of the highlights of the evening is The Temptations’ version of ‘Silent Night.’”
The group includes Charles Franklin, who performed with Al-Ollie Woodson’s Temptations; Leon Franklin, who performed with Woodson’s Temptations as well as The Miracles, The Contours, and also is performing with The Dramatics; Danny Friendly, who performed with the doo-wop group The Edsel and Antonio Dandridge, who performed with many Detroit-based groups and is the godson of Martha Reeves. The group is backed by a six-piece orchestra.
Raby has been the musical director for several Motown artists, including 15 years for The Contours.
“I left The Contours in 2012 and reached out to various people from the groups that I worked with over the years and formed what I considered to be a dream team of Motown artists to put the group together,” Raby said. “This is our 10th year performing.”
Raby said there are many great Motown songs.
“The entire Motown catalog is filled with enduring songs that have stood the test of time and remained popular for decades,” Raby said. “One of the hardest parts of putting together this show for me was to whittle the playlist down to a manageable performance time. As such, every song in the show is a favorite for me, as it is for most of our audience.”
For more, visit motownchristmas.net.
