The Motown 60: A Grammy Celebration TV special will feature a long list of legends.
Smokey Robinson will co-host the April 21st CBS event with Cedric the Entertainer. Rounding out the cast are fellow Motown icons Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Thelma Houston, Martha Reeves, Valerie Simpson and Boyz II Men.
Famed songwriters Eddie and Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Mickey Stevenson will appear along with contemporary stars Meghan Trainor,John Legend and Ne-Yo.
The show will be taped next Tuesday the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Fasho Thoughts:
- Hey — what about surviving Supremes Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong?
- Four Tops co-founder Duke Fakir and original Temptation Otis Williams are also AWOL.
- Gladys Knight and The Isley Brothers — who left Motown and enjoyed greater success on other labels — have also been left off.
- And no Commodores? No Lionel Richie? The biggest-selling artist on Motown from the mid-’70s to the mid-’80s.
- Maybe Lionel’s American Idol commitments — or the fact that the series on ABC — put him off-limits.