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by Claudia Elliott.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic soul label’s visit to the UK.

In spring 1965 the Tamla-Motown Revue arrived in the UK for what they hoped would be a successful tour of 20 cities. You could have seen , , and together for just 15 shillings (the price of a Fabulash mascara, or about £4 in today’s money).

Sadly, aside from two sold-out London dates, the shows were poorly attended, even with home-grown star added to the roster. The few who did turn up witnessed some of the most joyful, life-affirming performances they’d ever experienced.

One of those was future and guitarist Ronnie Wood, who said seeing Stevie Wonder and Martha & The Vandellas on that tour left an “indelible” impression on him, while his pal in the next seat kept repeating, “Aren’t we lucky to see this?”

The 50th anniversary of the tour was celebrated at the with a special event including guest speakers and memorabilia from the . The label, started by in Detroit in 1959, had its first UK hit with ’ My Guy in 1964, and The Beatles covered several Tamla-Motown songs on their second album With The Beatles. There were a dedicated group of fans, the Tamla Motown Appreciation Society, founded by Dave Godin, but in 1965 the label was yet to score the hits needed for a wider audience in the UK.

At the V&A, speaker Adam White, former editor of Billboard magazine, vividly recalled the thrill of seeing the show as a 16-year-old in Bristol: “It was like manna from heaven…It fulfilled every promise, every hope we’d had about why that music was so magnificent.”

And Daryl Easlea, former head of the UK Motown catalogue, explained how the police-constable mime by The Supremes to Stop! In The Name of Love helped to imprint the song in people’s memories.

Back in 1965, the Detroit musicians were introduced to the peculiarly British delights of warm beer, watercress sandwiches and waxy loo roll, none of which were to their liking. On the way to Birmingham the coach was ‘held up’ by masked men, a prank staged by compere Tony Marsh, who was unaware that the Motown Revue had been shot at by Ku Klux Klan in the US.

The black artists did enjoy a warm welcome, however, from , who championed their cause. On April 28, 1965 Dusty presented the RSG! Sound of Motown on TV, featuring acts from the tour. Tamla-Motown had one UK Top 20 hit in 1965 but, by the end of 1966, they’d had eight – the Motown invasion was truly under way.