“Motown DC” shares the “Sound of Young America” with a new generation

“People don’t know that there are several Motown artists who were born and raised in D.C. You never hear their names when people talk about Motown, they never get acknowledged. I felt it was my duty to recognize them in this exhibit,” said Beverly Lindsay-Johnson, an Emmy Award-winning producer and Howard University graduate who co-curated the exhibit with Nikki Graves Henderson. The two collaborated with the Anacostia Arts Center and the African American Music Association.

In addition to sharing the story behind two D.C. bands, the exhibit, open since May, features 90 photographs of Motown greats like The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops and more. Also on display are memorabilia and personal items provided by original Motown artists.

The exhibit will close on Sunday, but one final event was held on Saturday afternoon. About 30 people came to the art center for “Motown DC and Gen Z,” an in-depth tour of the exhibit and an open discussion about Motown history with Lindsay-Johnson and local impresario Terrance Blowe. Gaye, The Dynamic Superiors and The Young Senators were the standout artists at the DC exhibit.

The Dynamic Superiors, whose members are all from Northeast Washington, were discovered by Motown in 1972 and released four albums on the label. Tony and Maurice Washington, Michael McCalpin, George Peterbank Jr. and George Spann formed the band in 1963 while attending Eastern Senior High School in Kingman Park. Singer Tony Washington made history as one of the few openly gay Motown singers at the time.

Another D.C. band made Motown history: The Young Senators were the first non-Motown touring band to record with a major Motown artist, Eddie Kendricks. The seven-member Go-Go band was inducted into the Go-Go Hall of Fame in 2002.

The Motown DC memorabilia gallery also paid tribute to singers Glenn Leonard and Joe Herndon (formerly of The Temptations), Billy Eckstine, disc jockey Hal Jackson, and post-Motown DC musicians Stacy Lattisaw and Johnny Gill.

Jessica Randolph, Associate Creative Director at Anacostia Arts Center, He said he wanted to cultivate an intergenerational conversation about music in an arts and culture space geared toward Generation Z but also inclusive of millennials and Generation X.

“The idea is to get more people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who don’t realize the cultural impact Motown had in the past, the impact it has on us every day and the impact the music tradition will have in the future to come and see this exhibit,” Randolph said.

Motown was known as the “sound of young America,” a term coined by founder Berry Gordy because its music united Americans in a time of civil unrest and racial tension.

For Michelle Khlat, 24, learning about D.C.’s connections to Motown was a highlight. Although she came to the event from Richmond, she didn’t know much about Motown or that Marvin Gaye was from D.C., but she left with a wealth of knowledge about the music label.

“I enjoyed seeing all the connections between different eras in history. These artists were able to overcome a lot of racial barriers and give us the environment we have today for music, and I think that’s really amazing,” Khlat said.

Rubin Chen, 23, heard about the event through Khlat. The two came to have a learning experience and to be introduced to a new genre of music.

“The passion behind it all has a very rich history,” Chen said. “I’m not very familiar with this kind of music, but it was nice to see how enriching it is.”

Briana Jones, 35, considers herself a music nerd and loves it Learning about music. The District Heights resident was drawn to the exhibit when she saw the local component and headed to the arts center Saturday afternoon.

“I just wanted to see what deeper connections there were (between Motown and DC),” Jones said.

After watching the “DC’s Unsung Heroes” portion of the exhibit, Jones adds The Dynamic Superiors and The Young Senators to his playlist.