Motown Returns To The Apollo (1985 Full Show)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyozXIscRVE

Dancers whirled down the aisles of the newly renovated Apollo Theater shortly after 8 P.M. yesterday. It was ''Motown Returns to the Apollo,'' a three-hour television special taped by NBC for airing on May 19, with 60 entertainers representing a wide spectrum of pop, soul and jazz talent over the last 50 years.

The taping was one of several events yesterday that launched the 50th anniversary and grand reopening of the theater that was one of the birthplaces of rock-and-roll and soul. The taping was followed by a post-concert dinner-dance to benefit the Africare-Ethiopian Famine Relief Fund.

''Entertainment was what the Apollo was always about and what it is still about,'' proclaimed Bill Cosby, the evening's master of ceremonies.

Since Jan. 26, 1934, when black entertainers and audiences first streamed into the converted burlesque house, the Apollo's marquee has boasted such names as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and Nat (King) Cole, and the theater, often known as ''the big top,'' gained an international reputation as a performance center for top black musicians.

But as neighborhood problems grew and entertainers moved downtown in the 1960's, the Apollo became less profitable. The theater finally closed in May of 1978 and sporadic attempts to reopen it failed.

The reopening of the theater this year comes after a multi-million-dollar renovation by the Inner-City Broadcasting Corporation, headed by Percy E. Sutton, the former Manhattan Borough President. Financing for the project included $4 million in state and Federal loans and $1.5 million from private investors.

The first star to hit the redecorated stage last night was Eldra DeBarge, one of the hottest pop-soul stars on Motown records. Mr. DeBarge burst onto the stage singing his current hit, ''Rhythm of the Night.''

A Roster of Diverse Talents

The vibrant, upbeat performance set the tone for a musical event that brought together such diverse talents as James Brown, Cab Calloway, Sammy Davis Jr., Little Richard, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Sarah Vaughan and Stevie Wonder, along with white British singers associated with soul music like Rod Stewart and George Michael of the duo ''Wham!.''

Mr. Wonder, using an electronic vocal filter, recreated his 12-year-old self singing ''Fingertips.'' Later in the evening, he returned to sing a rousing tribute to the late Duke Ellington, ''Sir Duke,'' with the evening's excellent 18-piece band.

Al Green, Mavis Staples, Patti LaBelle and Little Richard, backed by a New Jersey gospel choir, offered a roof-raising medley of ''Joy, Joy, Joy'' and ''You'll Never Walk Alone.'' Little Richard, Wilson Pickett and Chuck Jackson made an equally impressive trio on ''Didn't It Rain,'' and Miss Vaughan performed ''Body and Soul,'' the song that won her first prize many years ago at an Apollo Theater amateur night.

Among those in the audience were the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King, Joseph Papp, Dick Cavett, Andy Warhol and Berry Gordy.

Mr. Cosby led the black-tie audience through the small delays and quirks that attend the taping of a live television special, and he encouraged the audience to forget they were wearing tuxedoes and to ''speak out if something moves you.'' And the elegant crowd responded.

Mr. Cosby introduced an intriguing duet between Mr. Robinson, the Motown veteran, and Mr. Michael, the British blue-eyed soul singer, singing ''Careless Whisper,'' the recent No. 1 hit for Mr. Michael's duo.

Preceding the taping was a reception for 500 guests sponsored by Coca-Cola in the mezzanine of the subway station at 57th Street and the Avenue of the Americas.

A sextet featuring members of the original Duke Ellington orchestra performed along with the Apollo's 12-member dance ensemble, the Rainbow Dancers.

At 7 P.M. the guests boarded a 1948 subway train for the ride to the 125th Street station to go to the Apollo at 126th Street and Eighth Avenue.

The newly refurbished theater has all the glamorous trappings of a Broadway house - plush purple carpet, crystal chandeliers and red-and-gold trimmed box seats. It was an splendid setting for what its backers hope will be a long-lasting revival.