By Jenn Chic
Black Press
Motown has influenced almost every singer out there - as the line-up for this year's Motown Madness illustrates.
Some 25 Canadian performesr will gather Saturday at Coquitlam's Red Robinson Show Theatre (2080 United Blvd.) to perform their favourite Motor City classic with a 12-piece band complete with a horn section and background singers.
"I think everyone has a relationship with the classic tunes of Motown," said producer Kendra Sprinkling, executive director of the Shooting Stars Foundation, an organization that raises funds for people with HIV/AIDS (see side story).
"And I just love those horns. It's like a train coming down the tracks."
Inspired by the critically acclaimed film Standing in the Shadows of Motown, the show features a number of hits such as I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Dancing In The Street and Papa Was A Rollin' Stone.
And among those to hit the stage for the concert are David Wills (once the hard-rocking frontman for Stonebolt); country singer Jaydee Bixby (of Canadian Idol fame); and acoustic folk singer Roy Forbes.
Tickets for Motown Meltdown on April 6 at 8 p.m. are $30 and available through Ticketmaster at 1-855-986-5000. The all-ages event includes a dance floor.
'She couldn't say no'
'She couldn't say no'
It was a dream come true.
For 25 years Kendra Sprinkling worked as a professional singer with stars such as BB King and Taj Mahal. She had been living in San Francisco when she received an invitation to play a fundraising gig in Vancouver.
David Harrison of the Arts Club Theatre was putting together Starry Nights, a fundraiser for AIDS, a mysterious disease that wasn't really even recognized in Vancouver at the time.
She couldn't say no.
In San Francisco, Sprinkling had seen first-hand the effect of this horrendous disease. In 1995, Harrison passed away from AIDS but he made sure to leave his fundraiser in good hands. Sprinkling took over and founded The Shooting Stars Foundation
"I changed careers without even knowing it. It was the most organic process possible," she admits.
Combined with her direct experience as a performer, Sprinkling credits the longevity and success of Shooting Stars events to a platform that is a win-win for everyone involved. The upcoming Motown Meltdown in Coquitlam is a perfect example of this symbiotic relationship.
"Everyone involved contributes their time for free," Sprinkling said. "There are 25 performers for the show and they love the networking factory that the backstage inevitably becomes. The band loves it because they get to play with 12 people - and that big band experience is like no other."
So far, Shooting Stars Foundation has raised $1.8 million for direct-service AIDS agencies in Vancouver with Motown Meltdown, Fit For A Queen, Gambado! Dinner and Auction, Undercover Wine Tasting and Starry Night.
