‘Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever’ Turns 40: Michael Jackson, Diana Ross …

Do you remember what you were doing the evening of May 16, 1983? Well, you may have been one of the 47 million people tuned into NBC’s landmark special “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever.”

It was the star-studded celebration hosted by Emmy nominee Richard Pryor which saw Michael Jackson reuniting with his brothers for a medley of their Jackson 5 hits including “I Want You Back,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.”

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But it was Jackson’s solo performance of his blockbuster No. 1 hit “Billie Jean” from his breakthrough album “Thriller” which galvanized the audience.  It was an electrifying turn where he introduced the fedora, black sequin jacket and glove and his momentous moonwalk routine during the bridge of the song, all of which became his trademarks when performing “Billie Jean.” The New York Times described the routine as “astonishing. He is clearly the heir apparent to the dazzling androgyny mantle once monopolized by Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.”

It’s little wonder that Jackson was Emmy nominated for his appearance that dominated the entire special. Ironically, Jackson had initially turned down the special because he thought he was too frequently appearing on TV. It was Motown founder Berry Gordy who convinced him to perform.

“Motown 25” was taped nearly two months earlier at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and featured a who’s who of Motown, though, some of the legendary acts got a mere 30 seconds in the spotlight such as Junior Walker (“Shotgun”) sans The All-Stars, Mary Wells (“My Guy”) and Martha Reeves (“Heatwave”) without her group the Vandellas.

Besides the Jacksons, the special featured many reunions. Smokey Robinson reunited with the Miracles to sing their hits “Shop Around” and “Tears of a Clown.” Though The Commodores performed without Lionel Richie, the singer/songwriter appeared solo in a taped performance of “You Mean More to Me.”

The Four Tops and The Temptations had a singing duel of their hits such as performing as “Get Ready” and “Baby I Need Your Loving.”

The Supremes reunion — Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong— was highly anticipated and ultimately disappointing.  “After one verse of ‘Someday We’ll Be Together,’ Miss Ross suddenly cuts short their act by inviting all of the other participants to join them on stage,” wrote the New York Times. “Miss Wilson, for one, was clearly not amused.”

The special also featured one of the last TV appearances of Marvin Gaye, who would be murdered by his own father the following April. He performed “What’s Going On’ and even schooled the audience on the history of black music.

Stevie Wonder was on hand serving up such hits as “I Wish,” “Uptight,” “Signed, Sealed Delivered, I’m Yours” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,”

Several classic Motown artists weren’t represented in the special including Jimmy  Ruffin, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Rare Earth and the Isley Brothers while non-Motown artists Adam Ant and Linda Ronstadt performed.

And then there was James Jamerson.

“’Motown 25’ concerned itself with stars and not the regular musicians, a.k.a. the Funk Brothers, who helped define the unified sound of the label’s records,” wrote Billboard. “Jamerson, the studio bassist who reportedly performs on 95% of Motown’s records made between 1962 and 1968, was in the audience at the show…. But he had to buy a ticket from a scalper. Jamerson died three months after the show aired. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

The special earned nine Emmy nominations winning the top prize — best variety, music or comedy program. And producer/director Don Mischer won the DGA honor for outstanding directorial achievement in musical/variety. The album, “The Motown Story: The First 25 Years” earned a Grammy nomination for best historical recording losing to “Arturo Toscanini: The Greatest Recordings of Arturo Toscanini Symphonies, Vol. 1.”

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