Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson – Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyMotown legends Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson were this year’s recipients of the 32nd annual MusiCares Persons of the Year benefit gala with a galaxy of stars out to celebrate them.
Along with Motown royalty like Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, The Temptations, Claudette Robinson, and Ronnie McNeir Duke Fakir of The Four Tops, according to uDiscover Music, the event also hosted the next generation of talent including Chloe x Halle, Grammy-winner Samara Joy, and Colombian star Sebastián Yatra.
Also in attendance were five-time Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Lalah Hathaway, John Legend, Marcus Mumford, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee Sheryl Crow, who performed The Jackson 5’s smash hit “I Want You Back.”
Also in attendance was original Temptations’ member Otis Williams, who along with his bandmates, performed a medley of hits including “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “I Can’t Get Next to You,” and “My Girl.” The group earned a standing ovation from an audience that included Elton John, Representative Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul, Tom Hanks, Gayle King, Nile Rodgers, Richie Sambora, and more.
And no celebration of the label would be complete without the First Lady of Motown, Claudette Robinson, who walked the red carpet with her daughter, son, and granddaughter.
“[Motown] means everything,” enthused Robinson. “It has a tremendous impact on, I have to say, the world. And I’m just so honored that I have been able to be a part of that. I also am grateful and thankful to Mr. Gordy for giving me that title.”
