March 25, 1983: Motown tapes an all-star concert at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California in order to celebrate the label's anniversary. Performers include Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Commodores, Martha Reeves, and Jr. Walker. Also appearing, in what would be his last TV performance, is Marvin Gaye. A very brief Supremes reunion (and an altercation between Diana & Mary which never made the airing) and a Jackson 5 performance top off the night, but when the show is broadcast on May 16, 1983, it is Michael Jackson's solo performance of his new single "Billie Jean" -- complete with moonwalk -- that would steal the show, kicking off the Thriller juggernaut and turning Michael from a superstar to a megastar overnight…

 A 1983 television special to commemorate Motown's twenty-fifth year of existence, even though Motown was founded in January 1959, meaning that a twenty-fifth anniversary special should have aired in 1984, not 1983…

OK, guess it was the anniversary of Berry Gordy's vision of what would become "Hitsville U.S.A."

Regardless, a LOT of great music was aired that night and you can check it all out here…

Smokey Robinson opened the show and introduced Richard Prior

the host

Richard then introduced Smokey and The Miracles segment which included an old clip of the original group doing “Shop Around,” which segued into the group doing it live, then doing abbreviated  versions of “You Really Got a Hold on Me, Tears of a Clown and Going to a Go-Go” as a medley…

Bobby White was absent due to family matters

Dick Clark gave a pretty good “history lesson” on Motown’s impact on American music…

Stevie Wonder’s segment opens with that great old clip of the 13 year old Stevie doing “Fingertips”

In his live part of the program he’s accompanied by his band and his girl group Wonderlove sang several of his greatest hits, including "I Wish", "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", "My Cherie Amour", "Sir Duke" and others…

—Stevie also sincerely and emotionally  gives thanks to Motown and the fans for making it possible for him to make it…

All that, and more, is included in

Motown 25:

Yesterday, Today, Forever (part 1)

—Check it out!

And, this is only Part 1 of a six part series: Coming up later is Part 2 of the show with excerpts from the early songwriters, a bit about all that awesome choreography, a segment with Marvin Gaye and a whole lotta MOTOWN MUSIC…

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