This year, NBC celebrated Christmas with some ofMotown’s biggest and brightest, alongside some of today’s rising stars. WhatA Motown Christmashas proven is that the music will forever be timeless. The acts that made the genre what it is will forever be in our hearts.The label is the soul of the season.
Co-hosted by the legendarySmokey RobinsonandHalle Bailey, a young star whose voice fits the music effortlessly,A Motown Christmasbridges the generation gap for a family event that is destined to be played for years to come. Blending a night of classic holiday tracks with the music that made Motown what it is,this special ignites the joy inside.
Motown Is Alive and Well
The joy of Christmas is finding something special that brings families together. No matter where you are in the world, music is that universal thing that can unite us. That’s what A Motown Christmas has done this year. Rather than bringing in an entire lineup of stars solely to take up singing covers of Motown hits, the special brought those modern acts in to sing the Christmas songs while the Motown legends do what they do best: their own music. With Smokey Robinson as the totem of the music, he brings in colleagues includingGladys Knight, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and theTemptationsfor medleys of their biggest and brightest.
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The new and modern singers are present to bring a new generation into this world.October LondonandJojobringMarvin Gaye’s music to life, showing just how timeless his message has been. Motown Records would not be what it is had it not been forBarry Gordy. Having a voice likeAndra Dayshowcases how someone like her transcends time. The richness of her tone could have lived in that musical generation, just like Halle Bailey’s tribute toDiana Rossandthe Supremes.There’s something uniquely radiant about their modern voices through a classic perspective.Hell, even whenmgktakes the stage performing a song that is not traditionally Motown, the fact that Smokey Robinson acknowledges the importance of his presence at this Motown Christmas party for welcoming a new generation to this sound.
Not the First, Certainly Not the Last
This is not the first time Motown has been celebrated via television specials.First, in 1983, NBC broadcastMotown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. Taped before a live studio audience in Pasadena, the special saw a battle of the bands type performance between The Temptations and The Four Tops, the return of Diana Ross with the Supremes, aJackson 5reunion, and Marvin Gaye’s inspirational speech about black music history, among many others. The lineup, likeA Motown Christmas, was meant to be a celebration of a sound that continues to resonate. When Motown celebrated another milestone birthday, further tribute shows and special albums reignited the sound.
NBC once again brought a special to the screens two years later withMotown Returns to The Apollo. The celebration of great entertainment was also a tribute to the venue’s 50th anniversary and its official re-opening. The historical significance of marrying Motown and The Apollo is not certainly lost for those with an appreciation for music. Like the record label,The Apollo has a rich heritage with Black artists.It served as a safe haven to share their music. Bill Cosby hosted this celebration with guests includingDebbie Allen, James Brown, Little Richard, Stevie Wonder, and, of course, Smokey Robinson. The special earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Program.
Whether featured in one of the many specials, albums, or simply through memories passed down through generations,Motown music’s impact is everlasting.The bigger picture, of course, is how Motown helped to integrate Black artists into mainstream music in a manner that was crucial and necessary in a very divisive time. The Motown sound is filled with soul. Bringing that soul to the holidays was a wonderfully smart gift.A Motown Christmasis an instant classic thanks to the way it integrated history through music. It’s a special that can be shared forever and ever.
