New McCree Theatre to Present SINCERELY: THE MUSICAL ODYSSEY OF AN ORIGINAL MOONGLOW, 5/7-30

The New McCree Theatre, 2040 W. Carpenter Road, Flint, is presenting the original musical revue, Sincerely: the Musical Odyssey of an Original Moonglow, written by Charles H. Winfrey, directed by Lawrence "Chris" Young, with music directed by Dr. Phillip Young, May 7 - May 30, 2015, with performances on Thursday and Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Advance general admission is $15.00 and $10.00 for students and senior citizens. Admission at the door is $18.00 and $12.00. Admission for groups of 10 or more is $11.00 and $7.00.

Sincerely traces the musical odyssey of Harvey Fuqua, a founding member of the seminal R & B group, the Moonglows, across five decades of soul music, from doo wop to hip hop. Fuqua, the nephew of a member of the famed Ink Spots quartet, Charlie Fuqua, along with his childhood friend, Bobby Lester, founded a singing group in Louisville, KY they called the Crazy Sounds. They took the group to Cleveland, Ohio because they felt they could get more bookings for the group. In Cleveland, they met Alan Freed, who signed the group to his Champagne Record label and changed the name of the group to the Moonglows. The group toured with Freed for years before leaving to record for the Chess Label.

The group disbanded in 1958 and Fuqua began recording as Harvey and the Moonglows, with a new group of Moonglows that included former Marquis member, Marvin Gaye. After cutting a few recordings on the Chess Label, Fuqua disbanded the group and sent them back to Washington D.C., except for Gaye, who made up the other half of the Chess label duet, Harv and Marv.

Fuqua and Gaye eventually made their way to Detroit, where they both married Gordy sisters, Gwen and Anna. After unsuccessfully launching his own record label, Tri-Phi, Fuqua joined forces with brother-in-law, Berry Gordy to work as producer and AR man for the fledgling Motown Record Company. During Fuqua's stint with Motown, the label produced some of its most memorable recordings. Fuqua worked with his writing partner, Johnny Bristol and with Ashford and Simpson, to successfully launch the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell duet. The second act of Sincerely is replete with recordings Fuqua either wrote, produced, or both.

After Motown, Fuqua created Fuqua II Productions with the RCA Record Label, where he launched the group, New Birth and their megahits, Been Such a Long Time, and Wildflower. From there, Fuqua produced the disco hit by Sylvester, (You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real

Tickets are on sale now at McCree Theatre, or they can be purchased by telephone at (810) 787-2200, or via the internet at www.thenewmccreetheatre.com.

Pictured: The Moonglows (Harvey Fuqua, backrow, left)

Don't Miss a Michigan News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...