(June 24, 2009) Last night I had the privilege of attending the wrap up party that was held in Detroit to celebrate the video tribute to Motown’s 50th anniversary, as created by the Detroit Free Press. Led by Free Press writer Brian McCollum, videographers/producers Romain Blanquart and Marcin Szczepanski and Executive Producer Kathy Kieliszewski, the event highlighted a series of fifty incredible short videos, each chronicling a specific aspect of the great Motown story.
The evening provided a wonderful opportunity for many of the Motown stars — both performers and those who made the Motown machine work behind the scenes — to reunite and to comment on this historical project. And with a stirring introduction to the evening by the Four Tops’ Abdul "Duke" 
Fakir, the event became a love-in and appropriate celebration of the "Sound of Young America."
From an in-depth discussion with Holland-Dozier-Holland on the hitmaking process to a guided tour of the Motown mansion, the riveting series of short videos reconstructs the magic of a record company that became the symbol of a seismic change in America and the definition of a city. And the best news of all is that the Freep is making the videos available online for free at the Free Press Website. Grab a coffee, close your door, and get ready for a great ride — and some incredible music.
By Chris Rizik
Click Here to visit the Free Press Motown Video Collection
Click Here to see our SoulTracks Motown 50 tribute page
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