Legendary Ladies of Motown Come to the Center for the Arts

Two unmistakable voices that helped define an entire generation of music in America, Mary Wilson of The Supremes and Martha Reeves of The Vandellas, come together for an evening of Motown favorites at Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Saturday, October 7 at 8 p.m.

Tickets, priced starting at $40 and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or online at http://arts.pepperdine.edu/. More information about Mary Wilson available at https://www.marywilson.com/ and Martha Reeves at http://www.missmarthareeves.com/

Mary Wilson of The Supremes and Martha Reeves of The Vandellas reign today as two of Motown's most beloved singers, with 14 Billboard #1 singles, seven Billboard #1 albums, and 42 Billboard top ten singles between them.Together, Wilson and Reeves bring together an entire kaleidoscope of Motown music memories in one rich evening of performance.

It was a vision of musical stardom as a Detroit teen that inspired Mary Wilson, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, to found one of the most successful female singing groups in recording history - The Supremes. Since then, Wilson has written a best-selling autobiography, performed on stage and screen, lectured and toured the world, and continues to be looked up to as a singer who set the standard for females in the recording industry.

This past summer, Wilson performed a number of consecutive shows at Feinstein's at the Regency, New York's premiere supper club. In her "Mary Wilson: Up Close" show, she wowed audiences with an intimate selection of standards and easy-listening tunes that showcased her smoky voice and vocal prowess.

Throughout her career, Mary Wilson has had the privilege and pleasure of performing all over the world. Royalty requested many of her performances with The Supremes, such as for Britain's Queen Mother as well as for the King of Sweden. In 2000, Wilson had the prestigious honor of performing at the White House for the Millennium Celebration as well as two inaugural dinners held in President Bush's honor.

In 1988, The Supremes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, receiving the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, which Wilson personally accepted. Seven years later, the Hall launched an exhibit of the "Supremes" gowns for the museum's opening in Cleveland, Ohio called The Supremes Reflections: The Mary Wilson Supreme Legacy Collection. Wilson had been personally archiving the gowns for years. The Mary Wilson Supreme Legacy Collection, including the Butterfly dresses worn on their 1968 television special, is currently on tour in the United Kingdom.

It's been more than 50 years since Martha Reeves first boarded that rented bus along with the likes of The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes and Marvin Gaye on the first Motown Review. She and her backup group, the Vandellas, sang behind Marvin and soon hit the charts with their own trifecta: "Come and Get These Memories," "Love is Like a Heat Wave," and "Quicksand." Over the next decade, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas would be a constant presence on the music charts, as well as on television and top venues across the US and abroad.

Whether performing solo or with the Vandellas, Martha Reeves continues to heat up clubs, concert stages and music festivals, thrilling audiences across the globe, and always leaving them dancing. In 2012, she returned to the Billboard charts with her Top 25 hit, "I'm Not Leaving," recorded with tech no DJ duo The Crystal Method, and returned to the Howard Theatre - site of the very first Motown Revue show-for its grand re-opening. She capped 2013 with a 13-city sold-out solo tour of the UK. Her 2014 Calling Out Around the World Tour, commemorated the 50th anniversary of the release of "Dancing in the Street." In 2017, she celebrates 50 years of calling for "Jimmy Mack" to come back.

Moving beyond the confines of the concert stage, Reeves starred in a US tour of the Tony-winning Ain't Misbehavin', and has performed in road shows of The Jackie Wilson Story and Good Black Don't Crack. She co-starred for three seasons in the UK stage review Dancing In The Street, alongside Motown peers like the late Edwin Starr, Mary Wilson, and Freda Payne.

Reeves is the recipient of the Dinah Washington Award, a Rhythm n' Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, a Black Woman in Publishing Legends Award, and has been inducted in the Alabama, Soul, Rock and Roll, and Vocal Group halls of fame. "Dancing in the Street" has been entered into the Library of Congress Registry of Historical Recordings and the Grammy Hall of Fame. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas are listed among Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Immortal Artists" and Martha herself was named one of the "30 Top Lead Singers of all Time."

This performance is sponsored the Office of Andrew K. Benton, President of Pepperdine University, and The Law Offices of Hiepler & Hiepler.

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University provides high-quality activities for over 50,000 people from over 800 zip codes annually through performances, rehearsals, museum exhibitions, and master classes. Located on Pepperdine's breathtaking Malibu campus overlooking the Pacific, the center serves as a hub for the arts, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Facilities include the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, the "black box" Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.