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A new installation along the Detroit riverfront celebrates the Motown tours that helped put homegrown artists on the map and broke barriers amid the ‘60s fight for civil rights. “Motortown Revue: A Culture in Motion,” revealed Tuesday by the Motown Museum and Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, documents the starry package tours that showcased the label’s talent for audiences across the U.S.
The Four Tops’ Duke Fakir was the star on a lovely first morning of summer along the Detroit River, a day that started at the Fox Theatre with a marquee specially made up for the occasion — and a bus trip to the riverfront in a nod to the Motortown Revues of yore.
Eight kiosks situated between GM Plaza and Cullen Plaza, what they’ve dubbed the Motown Mile, tell the story of those transformative tours, which became a fixture in the ‘60s and typically concluded with multiple-night stands at the Fox. With text and photos, including rare images, the themed kiosks mark a “perfect marriage” of Detroit institutions — Motown and the riverfront — said museum CEO and chairwoman Robin Terry. Each kiosk includes a scannable code that will launch songs on visitors’ mobile devices, including songs by the Contours, Marvin Gaye, Temptations and other revue staples. The Detroit RiverWalk, recently ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today for a second consecutive year, draws more than 3 million visitors annually.
The new installation, which will run through the fall, is the second Motown Mile, following last year’s West Grand Boulevard tribute to Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” That sidewalk exhibit was conceived during the pandemic, when “we had to figure out how to continue to share” Motown’s story with the public, Terry said. The installations will continue yearly at sites across Detroit, she said.