On Saturday April 30th, Touch of Blue (formerly BlueNote Vocal Ensemble) performed at the 2022 Big House Commencement Ceremony. We were thrilled to be asked to perform a medley of Motown tunes honoring Hitsville USA legend Berry Gordy, as he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by U-M.
We had a great time putting together some of Berry's greatest hits, including The Jackson Five's ABC and The Contours' Do You Love Me, and it's safe to say that performing to 60,000 people was a first for all of us! During our rehearsals for the event, we watched several documentaries about Berry and his influence on Motown, as well as doing an Essential Listening session to make sure we had a good grasp of the music we were performing.