Entertainment

Berry Gordy Opens Famous Motown Musical in L.A.

Published

11 years ago

May 13, 2015

Berry Gordy, Jr., speaks to the audience during the “Motown: The Musical” at The Hollywood Pantages Theatre. (Photo By Valerie Goodloe)

By Danny Bakewell Jr.
Special to the NNPA from the LA Watts Times

The Motown sound began with Berry Gordy as a dreamer in Detroit and the music that originated from Hitsville U.S.A. ignited a sound of lyrics beats and hymns that transformed culture and was beloved by everyone.

Now, the story of Gordy is being told from the stage in the famous Broadway hit sensation “Motown: The Musical” that arrived from New York to Los Angeles.

Gordy feels “lucky”, he said, for having chosen Charles Randolph Wright to direct, since “on paper there were so many great Broadway directors he could have picked from.”

“It’s the ultimate honor,” said Randolph when asked about the challenge of directing the historical musical.

“People asked, ‘are you nervous?’ I said, ‘No, I know what this is. I’m not sleeping at all but I understand what this is. I understood every part of Motown… family, the love. All these things were important to me. [Gordy] and Smokey entrusted me with this. So, when someone believes in you, you’ll do anything in your power to do your best.”

Wright’s main goal was to tell the story accurately and organically.

“Motown: The Musical” is the true American dream story of Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more. Through his vision Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat.

The musical chronicles Gordy’s life and how he started Motown. Based on his book, “To Be Loved”, it features over 40 classic songs and is playing at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through June 7. Bringing his story to life, presented both challenges and joys, he said.

“When you’re working on a project [sometimes] there are nothing but challenges,” Gordy said during a recent interview with the Sentinel.

“Because, we wanted to do it as truthful as possible with the amount of time that we had. But the truth has to be entertaining, otherwise it’s a documentary.”

The joy came in having “wonderful characters to write about,” said Gordy.

“These are the characters of my life, my best friend Smokey Robinson… the fact that we’re still best friends after all that we’ve been through, it’s amazing, a testament to great love.”

Gordy described Robinson as a friend who suffered with him through thick and thin, following him down roads, “even where there were no roads…”

For his part, Robinson counts it all as the record company’s inherent family environment.

“Many people have thought throughout the years, that the Motown family was mythical. ‘It could not have possibly been that way. How could all those different musicians with different egos and personalities have been like family,’” Robinson explained.

“But there is still a Motown family. For those of us who are still alive, we still have the Motown family because the love is so deep rooted. It was the foremost thing. I think we learned it from the Gordys, because their family was so together and I think that just spilled over into the way he set Motown up…”

Gordy founded Motown Records in Detroit, Michigan in 1959. Although many have come to recognize the “Motown Sound” as a brand in itself, in reality Motown’s records encompassed many different genres of music, from early rhythm and blues to soul, funk, pop, and more.

A company brochure published in the early 1960s details Motown’s goals to “satisfy a variety of preferences in popular music.” Diversity has always been a key component of the Motown legacy.

Gordy himself was inspired by the “truth- telling” of early black music. As he told Ebony magazine, “From the drumbeat rhythms… that our ancestors carried

from Africa, to the work songs and Negro spirituals of slavery, black music is a chronicle of our collective emotional journey in this world – pain and sadness, happiness and celebration… wisdom and faith.” Gordy embraced this philosophy and passed on the importance of using music to tell the truth about life to those he worked with.

One of “those”, Edna Anderson (who was an activist and Gordy’s personal assistant), and who he credits as the greatest person he’s ever worked with, was the subject of dedication for the show’s opening night. Anderson had been ill and had taken a leave of absence from the company. Her attendance was a pleasant surprise for Gordy.

“She’s just the most beautiful person I’ve known,” Gordy said. “This night is dedicated to her…”

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Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

Published

5 days ago

October 4, 2026

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From Historic Memories to New Possibilities: Oakland Celebrates Coliseum 60

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, September 18, for Coliseum 60, an event marking six decades of sports, entertainment, employment, and community memories at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex. Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum first opened, the celebration featured cultural performances and a mini-documentary highlighting its history. Speakers reflected on the venue’s significant role in the community and its future possibilities. Read more to learn about the individuals and stories honored during this special event.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE moderates a panel discussion at the Coliseum 60 celebration at Youth UpRising featuring Keith Brown, a member of IATSE Local 107; author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; and African American Sports and Entertainment Group President Ray Bobbitt.

By Carla Thomas

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, Sept. 18, for Coliseum 60, a celebration honoring six decades of sports, entertainment, employment and community memories connected to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex.

Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum opened, the event carried the theme, “One Community. One Legacy. One Future. Forward Together.”

The celebration opened with the national anthem performed by sisters Anese Jade, Amina Benjamin and Zaza Benjamin. Diamano Coura West African Dance Company contributed African dance and drumming, bringing movement, rhythm and cultural expression to the program.

A mini documentary highlighted the Coliseum’s sports history and its broader role as an entertainment destination. Archival material recalled performances by Prince and Tina Turner, along with memorable games featuring the Warriors, Oakland A’s and Raiders.

“The Coliseum 60 is about much more than celebrating a building or looking back at 60 years of history,” said event organizer Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE.

“It’s about the people who made that history possible: the families, workers, athletes, artists, community leaders, fans and generations who gathered there and created memories together.”

A panel exploring that history featured author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; stagehand and union representative Keith Brown; and Ray Bobbitt, president of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group AASEG. Lewis described her family as fourth-generation Bay Area pioneers.

“My family and Black families who arrived even earlier helped build the Bay Area, grew businesses and established culture here,” Lewis said. “This should be taught in the public schools.”

Lewis recalled Oakland’s influence on sports, music and literature, from the Raiders’ beginnings at Laney College to stars such as The Pointer Sisters and Rickey Henderson who attended Oakland public schools. She also advocated for school museums, historical timelines, entrepreneurship training and investments benefiting corridors such as Bancroft Avenue and High Street.

Keith Brown, a member of Local 107 of the International Alliance of Theater and Stage Employees (IATSE) who began working at the Coliseum in 2011, remembered the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Ice Capades, baseball bat giveaways and Nelson Mandela’s 1990 appearance.

“The special events are amazing, but it’s the workers that make the memories real for everyone,” Brown said. “They make the magic happen at the Coliseum.”

The program recognized longtime workers, including beer-stand manager Robert Preston, who served for 40 years, and Kenyatta Gentry, who worked as a vendor for 24 years and used her earnings to purchase her first apartment. Union workers Jose Gonzales and Carmen Sandoval were also honored. Speakers emphasized that Coliseum employment provided generations of residents with union wages and benefits.

Dr. Denise Saddler, the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) was also honored. Saddler shared her family’s history of working at the Coliseum.

District 7 Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston discussed the complex ownership arrangements involving the city, county and private interests.

“This was the most complex deal of its kind in the country,” Houston said.

Prior to moving from the East Coast, Alameda County Supervisor and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority Chair Nate Miley recalled learning about Oakland through its three professional sports teams. As an elected official and public servant, Miley fought hard to keep the Golden State Warriors, Oakland As, and the Raiders, but he is hopeful for the future.

“The story is not over for the Coliseum,” Miley said. “We’re entering a new chapter.”

Bobbitt said the departure of three teams had once seemed unimaginable, but he maintained that Oakland’s future remains bright.

“Oakland is a cultural superpower worldwide,” Bobbitt said. “We’re going to write the future where we participate and drive the redevelopment.”

Bobbitt highlighted AASEG’s four-year partnership with Castlemont High School’s architecture program, which engages students in reimagining and creating redevelopment concepts for the Coliseum property. “The youth will always move us forward. They are the future.”

In closing, Atkins said, “September 18 is the celebration, but what we build together afterward is the legacy.”