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An Evening of Icons – Celebrating Motown’s 65th Anniversary

The Commodores & The Pointer Sisters with special guests The Spinners!

What’s up, everyone! Derek here, a.k.a. The Photographic Ginger and I’m back again with another incredible night of music in our nation’s capital. This time we’re celebrating the 65th anniversary of Motown and what is arguably one of the most amazing and influential eras of music. 

The Spinners 

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From their beginnings with Motown in Ferndale, Michigan in 1954 The Spinners have defined the soulful sounds of Philadelphia (known better as Philadelphia Soul) and in the decades since they’ve gifted the world with their musical talents and hits, all of which recently landed them in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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While the group has had many members over the years, including original member Henry Lee Fambrough who sadly passed away earlier this year, the group is currently composed of Marvin Taylor, Ronnie Moss, Jessie Peck, and C.J. Jefferson.

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On this evening their set took the fans through the journey of their career including “It’s a Shame”, “Sadie”, “Mighty Love” and more. All made even more amazing by the soulful choreography, the stylish suits and the soothing vocals. Truly embodying the title of “Icon” and creating an incredible start to an amazing night of music.

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You can check out their latest album ‘Full Circle” now on all streaming platforms.

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A special shoutout to Pam, whom I had the honor of photographing alongside as she’s been friends with and photographing the band throughout their career. 

The Pointer Sisters

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Originating in California, The Pointer Sisters have cemented themselves as Pop music icons and are known around the world for their catalogs of hits. Going from a quartet (Ruth, Anita, Bonnie and June) to trio (Anita, June and Ruth) they then also crossed genres from Pop to Rock and Roll, proving their musical talents have no bounds.

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This variety of music was brought to life on stage through songs such as “Automatic” and “Fire” while the crowd was on their feet, dancing and singing along.

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The group proved why they are so iconic through the energetic performance, vocals and choreography. All made even more memorable as they donned their red outfits. 

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As their set continued, so did the number of hit songs with the additions of “Jump (For My Love), “Neutron Dance” and the chart topping sounds of “I’m So Excited”. It’s these songs along with countless others which have placed them amongst Billboard’s Top 5 female groups of all time and won them many accolades over the years.

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While sadly Anita, Bonnie, and June are no longer on this earth with us, their legacy continues through performances across the globe by Ruth accompanied by her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako. 

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The Commodores

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Perhaps one of the most influential and most well known Motown groups to ever touch the stage, The Commodores have been making music magic since forming in 1968. While members of the group have changed over the years, perhaps most famously including Lionel Richie throughout the late 1970’s, today now as a trio it consists of original member William King, vocalist J.D. Nicholas, and the son of Walter Orange, Cody Orange. 

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I was clear from the moment the music began and their introduction welcomed them to the stage how loved they were by the fans and from that moment on there was an energy that filled the air and a magic feeling of nostalgia mixed with serotonin.

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Their set was filled with hit after hit. Early on they gave us one of their big hits in the form of “Easy” followed shortly after by “Three Times a Lady”, which prior to starting William took a moment to introduce the crowd to the next generation of the group by formally introducing Cody Orange on vocals and his twin brother on guitar. 

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As their evening began to come to a close they gifted the audience with the Grammy award winning song “Nightshift” before formally closing out the night with the funky hit sounds of the legendary “Brickhouse” which had all the ladies dancing and grooving across the theater. 

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All of these Icons have brought their smooth moves, sounds and infectious energy to stages all around the world throughout the years.

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Some of those stages even include ones connected to some of the Shutter 16 staff, as The Commodores performed at my mom’s (Pat Baker) high school prom, while The Pointer Sisters performed at the coming out party of Shutter 16’s founder and leader Dianna Augustine’s mother Miss Eileen. 

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If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see. 

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See the full gallery of the night here

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