Marvin Gaye News

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL's N'Kenge returns to Broadway Tuesday, Dec. 2 in the role of Mary Wells which she originated.

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Broadway Philadelphia, are proud to announce that single tickets for MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, presented collaboratively by The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Organization, are now on sale forMOTOWN THE MUSICAL at the Academy of Music for a two-week engagement January 6 - 18.

Barbara Morrison will reprise her starring role as Dinah Washington in "I Wanna Be Loved" with singer-actor Jay Jackson co-starring as Brook Benton and the John Stephens-led 18-piece Barbara Morrison All-Star Jazz Band on Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 29-30) at her performing arts center in Leimert Park. The performances begin at 3 p.m. PST.

Centric, today's 24-hour music and entertainment channel for African American and multicultural viewers, airs the 2014 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS Show November 30 at 8 pm/7 central.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is pleased to announce that the legendary singer, songwriter and entrepreneur Smokey Robinson will serve as the judge for Highmark First Night Pittsburgh's annual Sing-Off competition. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is searching for musically talented students to audition for the fourth annual vocal competition celebrating the New Year. The deadline for submissions has been extended through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, December 12.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is pleased to announce that the legendary singer, songwriter and entrepreneur Smokey Robinson will serve as the judge for Highmark First Night Pittsburgh's annual Sing-Off competition. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is searching for musically talented students to audition for the fourth annual vocal competition celebrating the New Year. The deadline for submissions has been extended through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, December 12.

I have no doubt that MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will be popular with audiences. It does, after all, contain the music that generations have grown up on, and it's still being played today. And, it's interesting that I was flipping channels on TV and saw an infomercial dedicated to the Motown 25th Anniversary special made in 1983 recently. That's the scene that opens the show, and where we first encounter the man who made it all happen, Berry Gordy. He's angry and doesn't want to attend because all his stars have left him for the greener pastures of other labels. This despite it being his own competitive spirit, and the fact that he instilled that in his roster of talent (songwriters, singers, and musicians), that created their desire to further pursue their careers in the first place. That makes for an interesting dichotomy that would seem ripe for the stage. So, why am I so disappointed? Because I wanted a real narrative (Gordy wrote the book himself) that doesn't gloss over important historical events while, at the same time, giving 60 fabulous tunes short shrift.

The Fabulous Fox Theatre is excited to announce that the national tour of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will play at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis tonight, November 18 - 30, 2014.

Broadway Across America and the Kansas City Broadway Series present Motown The Musical December 9 through 14 at the Kansas City Music Hall. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, the story of Motown is a true American dream.

Tap Soul Productions presents 'What's Going On with Jarran Muse' at SOMETHIN' Jazz Club 212 east 52nd Street NY,NY 10022 Monday November 24th at 7pm.

Clive Davis and The Recording Academy will present the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., the evening before the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

NJTV, New Jersey's public television network, announced the premiere broadcast of its first national public television production, The Midtown Men Live in Concert!, debuting this month.

South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) has announced its December 2014 events. Scroll down for details!

With one night down in THE VOICE's Live Playoffs (read my review of last night's show here), the teams are taking shape, but, as of yet, no one has blown the doors off the joint. Tonight, rookie coaches Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams will send their singers to the stage to perform for a live national audience for the first time.

Renata Braham, the director of Motown Sounds, loved to sing but never saw herself with a microphone in her hand in front of an audience. Her husband Darryl, who played in a band, thought otherwise, and 'pushed' her onstage. She was surprised that she loved it. Fifteen years later, she is still singing, but now she has a passion to help others who love the idea of performing -- but who may lack the confidence -- get up on stage.

Renata Braham, the director of Motown Sounds, loved to sing but never saw herself with a microphone in her hand in front of an audience. Her husband Darryl, who played in a band, thought otherwise, and 'pushed' her onstage. She was surprised that she loved it. Fifteen years later, she is still singing, but now she has a passion to help others who love the idea of performing -- but who may lack the confidence -- get up on stage.

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy, and Broadway In Boston have announced that single tickets for MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will go on sale to the public Sunday, November 9, 2014 at 10AM. Performances at the Boston Opera House, January 27 through February 15, 2015.

The long-anticipated Detroit engagement of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL opened last Wednesday, October 22 at The Fisher Theatre - check out photos below!

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has today announced it has signed a worldwide co-publishing deal with Canadian duo Tegan and Sara.

It's ladies night at SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2014! Today, CENTRIC announced that the Grammy Award-winning Queen Bee herself, Lil' Kim; Grammy Award-winning double platinum artist, Missy Elliott; and the first female solo rapper to ever go platinum, Da Brat, will join the list of all-star performers and presenters at this year's awards show.