‘American Idol’ Joins Forces With Motown!

Tune in the following night Thursday, March 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT
tape-delayed) to find out if the judges use their save or if America
sends another finalist home. Also, Smokey Robinson will perform, and ‘American Idol’ winner Ruben Studdard will return to the ‘Idol’ stage to perform his new single, “Together.”

Smokey Robinson has been synonymous with the Motown sound since the late 1950s when he first met Motown founder Berry Gordy in Detroit. Gordy took Robinson and The Miracles under his wing, and in 1960, signed them to Motown.
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles began turning out a string of hits
in the early 1960s, including “Shop Around,” “You Really Got a Hold on
Me,” “Ooo Baby Baby” and “I Second That Emotion.” Robinson quickly
became involved in every facet of Motown’s
operations, writing and producing his own work as well as that of Mary
Wells & the Supremes, and he helped establish The Temptations.
Robinson left The Miracles in 1971 to concentrate on his role as Vice
President of Motown, and
the following year, he launched his solo career. Robinson was inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. A familiar face on the ‘Idol’ stage, he performed a medley of his hits with the Top 6 male finalists on the ‘American Idol’ Season Six finale.

Songwriter, producer, director and entrepreneur Berry Gordy is the man behind the Motown
sound and acts such as Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson
& the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops,
Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Lionel Richie & the Commodores, Martha
Reeves & the Vandellas and Gladys Knight & the Pips, Chris
Clark, Rick James and Teena Marie. Under his leadership, Motown
achieved one of the most significant musical accomplishments and
stunning success stories of the 20th century by creating music that
broke down barriers in a segregated country, touching all people,
regardless of color. Starting out in a house that came to be known as
Hitsville, USA, he built Motown
into a record company with one of the most impressive rosters of
artists in the history of pop music. In the 1960s, Gordy booked his
artists on television shows including “American Bandstand” and “The Ed
Sullivan Show” and in clubs such as New York’s Copacabana, paving the
way for other Motown artists and R&B acts. What Berry Gordy and Motown
accomplished in music, television and film had never been achieved
before; their contributions to music past, present and future are truly
immeasurable.

The distinctive, upbeat and uplifting music of Motown Records brought together pop and soul, white and black, old and young, like never before and continues to this day. Motown
broke down racial prejudice by becoming the most successful independent
record company in history and the most successful African-American
owned business in America. Today, the label is part of the Universal
Music Group, with its classic recorded music catalog managed by
Universal Music Enterprises, and the timeless songs of Motown
from 1959 to 1985 are represented by EMI Music Publishing. Through the
end of 2009, Universal Music Group and EMI Music Publishing will mark
the 50th anniversary of the historic Detroit label’s musical
achievements with a series of initiatives, including monthly music
releases.

Since winning the second season of ‘American Idol’
in 2003, Ruben Studdard’s impact on the music charts has been
impressive. His single “Flying Without Wings” debuted at No. 2 on the
Hot 100, and his version of “Superstar” peaked at No. 2 on the R&B
chart. In December 2003, his first album, “Soulful,” had advance orders
of over a million copies, which automatically qualified it for platinum
certification and allowed the record to enter The Billboard 200 at No.
1. His follow-up single, “Sorry 2004,” reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 and
No. 2 on the R&B chart. Studdard’s new album, “Love IS,” helmed by
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, is scheduled for release on May 19 through a
joint venture with Hickory Records and 19 Recordings. The album is a
collection of love songs featuring original recording as well as covers
of classic hits.

‘American Idol’
is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19
Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO,
FremantleMedia North America; and Ken Warwick, executive producer,
FremantleMedia North America.