Originally Posted by
mirage
St. Broadway Berry gives back to Detroit… worthless renderings of Motown connected to a cache of missing millions andthe jobs that were never created.
Beautiful renderings of a fictional place … Motown Center. Gordy Foundation; grant funds; corporatedonors were supposed to fund it. Show Detroit the “Money”.
There are nocredible excuses for the misplaced or missing millions including the grantmonies provided for the Motown project. In fact, it is inexcusable for the Motown Historical Museum to somehow sufferfrom the same accounting practices as the Motown Town Center Project albeit fora longer period of time. The Museum needsall new trustees as well as government intervention and investigation. How does a Museum where its founder rakes inmillions and receives accolades and honors a man of integrity when he givesnothing back to his hometown or the real Motown entertainers and back-roomfamily members.
And thefactual history of Motown is not reflected in some far-fetched Broadway musicalfairytale. Allegedly written by BB, this romantic talecreates a Romeo Berry and Juliet Diana theme. There is no truth in this Shakespearean imaginative plot unless youinclude all of Romeo Berry’smany naïve and passed around female conquests. [[The stage would collapse if all the ladies showed up to be recognized.) And who would ever characterize reading andwriting as two of BB’s strengths?
BB is simplya former factory guy that got lucky; followed a dream with the help of many nowforgotten individuals; made millions; but also got into bed with some ratherdifficult and unsavory business associates. Detroit’s manufacturing dust simply didn’tfit in with the Motown personnel changes that were made. One should never leave paperwork behind. Maybe it should have been removed and buriedwith Jimmy Hoffa.
Berry and his LA MoWester groupies seem to have long-term memoryloss when it comes to Detroitand the real Motowners who gave BB the opportunity to make Motown an integratedsound. How many MoWesters actually arefrom the big “D”? [[No, Suzanne de Passe …you are not an Original Motownfamily member; you are just another “Berrygirl”.)
For any oneto assert that BB built Motown alone is ludicrous and hurtful to those Motownfamily members that are actually the history behind Motown. They are the real story behind Gordy’s Motown.BB has yet to learn as old as he is that you can get up on stage to receivehonors or accolades but the truth is you would not be on that stage without theDetroit Motowners that put you there. A roundof applause for those now deceased Motowners; those still with us; and for theCity of Detroitfor their historical and significant contributions to making Berry Gordy a starand Motown music a global sound.
Reading someof the Berryfied-posts that are filled with gushing BB praise are a bitoverkill especially when connected to their sources. Where are my manners … Congrats to BB and to allthose selected to attend his “Evening” in Chicago. PBS will insure that BB’s Motown storyremains historically without its core Motown family as they are back in Detroit.
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