Motown Museum Founder's Day culminates with surprise Spinners performance
The Spinners made a surprise musical appearance to cap a lively Sunday afternoon outside the Motown Museum, where hundreds gathered for the institution’s annual Founder’s Day.
The free community event honors Esther Gordy Edwards, who founded the museum in the 1980s at the home of Motown’s original Hitsville, U.S.A., office and studio.
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a longtime Motown advocate and a friend of the late Edwards, was among those on hand Sunday, making her latest visit to the vaunted Studio A.
“I feel like I’ve been to church,” Stabenow said afterward.
In late 2022, the senator secured $10 million in federal funds for the museum, which is amid an ambitious three-phase expansion. It was the largest single contribution yet to the $65 million campaign.
“We’re going to have the biggest party you’ve ever seen in your life when this is done,” Stabenow told the crowd.
Motown Museum CEO and chairwoman Robin Terry, granddaughter of Edwards, recounted her grandmother’s diligence in preserving Motown memorabilia when the label departed for L.A. in the early '70s, aware it was the stuff of history.
On a festive day with a block-party feel, entertainment included a performance by Drey Skonie, winner of the Motown Museum’s recent "Amplify: The Sound of Detroit" singing competition.
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Motown’s Martha Reeves was among the alumni in attendance, getting up to boogie for the crowd as a DJ spun “Dancing in the Street.”
It was the first Founder’s Day held since the museum’s new plaza was dedicated in 2022, and it kicked off a summer schedule of pop-up performances and other community events. Visitors on Sunday received free hardback copies of Berry Gordy's 1994 autobiography, "To Be Loved."
The Spinners, who were honored at the museum Friday and played Music Hall Saturday, surprised attendees by hitting the stage for a pair of tunes — an a cappella rendition of 1961’s “That’s What Girls Are Made For” along with “It’s a Shame” — joined onstage for the latter by original vocalist G.C. Cameron.
The group announced Friday it is donating 375-plus outfits and more than 200 pairs of shoes to the Motown Museum. Terry applauded the gift and encouraged other artists to donate artifacts, saying the Motown Museum is the place where icons and stories will live on.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Motown Museum Founder's Day capped by surprise Spinners performance
