Motown comes to K-town on Friday night in a revue that proves the music that provided most Baby Boomers with a soundtrack for their formative years is as timeless as it is soulful.
For Clay Raines, who conceived and is directing “Reflections: A Tribute to Motown,” these tunes were “oldies” when he was young. For the performers, most of them students at Kinston High School, these songs are pure classics, the sound that expanded regional influences into popular culture and, before they were born, paved the way for music simply called “pop.”
“I’ve always liked Motown,” said Raines, theater arts instructor at Kinston High. “I grew up on it. My mom loved it, and we used to listen to the oldies all the time and dance around the house to it.”
Convinced he was part of a large fan base, Raines began “piecing together” his Motown tribute back in September. He narrowed the vast catalogue of hits down to some local favorites by surveying employees of Lenoir County Public Schools in November. “I sent out a questionnaire asking them what their favorite Motown songs were, and that’s how I put the show together,” he said.
He had to whittle down a list of 280 nominated favorites. The result – “Reflections: A Tribute to Motown” scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at the Kinston-Lenoir County Performing Arts Center – showcases the music of such chart-topping acts as The Supremes, the Temptations, Gladys Knight, Martha Wells, Aretha Franklin, Lionel Richie, Marvin Gay, Tina Turner and the Jackson Five.
But the some 30 acts are the result of inspiration, not of impersonation. While the costumes Friday night might reflect the look of the Motown era – “lots of sparkles,” Raines said – the singers will bring their own talent to a playlist so well known because the songs were so uniquely done. In matching his performers to the music of Motown artists, Raines said, “I’m not trying to make it where they actually sound like them, because nobody can ever duplicate that sound, but just finding someone who I know can really rock that particular song.”
A lot of that responsibility falls to students at Kinston High and they’re up to the task, in Raines’ opinion. “The natural talent we have out here is unbelievable,” he said. Included in the 75-member cast are members of the school’s drama club, the marching band and flag team and the gospel choir. In addition to contributing mightily to the music, students choreographed most of the dance numbers.
To augment the in-house talent, Raines brought in friends and people with whom he performs regularly, including his brother, Chris, and Antuan Hawkins. Raines and Sandra Fisher of Kinston will duet on “You’re All I Need to Get By,” the classic that Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell turned into the longest-running No. 1 R&B hit of 1968. Fisher will return to perform the Gladys Knight hit “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Susan Leigh of La Grange is performing “Baby Love,” which Diana Ross and the Supremes recorded for Motown in 1964, and Krissy Jones of Goldsboro will do “My Guy,” one of the hits that earned Martha Wells the title “The Queen of Motown.”
But the high school contingent can easily hold its own on the stage with more seasoned performers, according to Raines. “They’re really good,” he said, predicting that a couple of Kinston High juniors, Kimothy Caleb (doing “Who’s Loving You” by the Jackson Five) and Robert Brown (performing “No Bad News” from the musical “The Wiz”) will “nail” their numbers.
The show, which will be hosted by Rick Vernon, honors African American History Month and Music in Your Schools Month, Raines said. It also honors Motown, to the delight of its fans, past and present.
“I knew it was something that a lot of people around here would like to see,” Raines said, “and I’d like to introduce it to this younger generation.”