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*A who's who of Motown alumni returned to famed Studio A of Hitsville USA yesterday to officially kick off a year-long celebration of the label's 50th anniversary.
The Four Tops' Abdul "Duke" Fakir was joined by other Detroit-based Motown artists, including Bobby Rogers of the Miracles, Rosalind Ashford of Martha & the Vandellas and Rare Earth's Gil Bridges, Funk Brothers Uriel Jones, Ivy Joe Hunter and Dennis Coffey, producer/arrangers Paul Riser and Johnny Allen, Motown manners coach Maxine Powell and songwriter Melvin Moore, according to reports.
Many will spend the week working as celebrity docents at the Motown Historical Museum, housed in the company's original Hitsville Headquarters in midtown Detroit, as part of an In Their Own Words series.
"Fifty years is a wonderful anniversary," Fakir told Billboard.com.
"You've got to give credit to the songs, but of course you've got to give credit to (Motown founder) Berry Gordy for the vision. He had the whole vision, and he made it come true. It's just great to be part of that legacy and still be alive to talk about it."
Gordy did not attend Monday's event but sent a message that was ready by Robin Terry, his grand-niece and CEO of the Motown museum. Gordy said he was "honored" by the celebration and noted that, "Motown music was for everybody, and it grew out of love. It has spread around the world and has become part of the culture and consciousness in all seven continents, and it all started right here."