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Stars mark Motown's 50th birthday
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Some of the all-time entertainment greats have come together to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Motown hit factory in Detroit.
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, along with Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Kid Rock, were all in Motown's original hometown for the Motown 50 Golden Gala.
The 50th anniversary event, which fetched more than £200 a ticket, was a fundraiser for the Motown Historical Museum.
The museum was the original home of Motown Records Corp, which Gordy started with a £480 loan.
The event drew about 750 people - and many of the big names and behind-the-scenes people from the label, which moved to Los Angeles in 1972.
Detroit's output included scores of hits, including My Girl by The Temptations, The Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and I Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye.
"The pleasure is mine to be here," Gordy said during a pre-concert reception. "I'm thrilled I got the nurturing and all of the things Detroit had to offer me. Motown could not have made it in any other city."
Gordy was joined on the red carpet earlier in the evening by local and national celebrities and dignitaries, including Otis Williams of the Temptations, Claudette Robinson of the Miracles; the Reverend Jesse Jackson; comedian Sinbad, the event's host; and Detroit Mayor and former Detroit Pistons all-star Dave Bing.
