About this season
The story of the big names that have shaped the musical genres, plus an occasional stopgap for the new rock 'n' roll - comedy.
Episodes (5)
1. The Motown Invasion
Aired 20 February 2009 • 59 min
In 1965, the Motown Revue - that label’s first UK tour - played to half-empty venues and was nicknamed ‘The Ghost Tour’ despite an incredible line-up that included Little Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, and Smokey Robinson. Young, sharp black Americans from Detroit zig-zagged across small-town provincial Britain as the country awoke from its post-war slumber and entered the swinging Sixties. Motown and the UK had a life-changing impact on each other. All interviewees were a part of the original events, including Paul McCartney, Motown Revue artists such as Mary Wilson of the Supremes and Martha Reeves, and British fans who experienced it all.
2. The Beverley Sisters: Tickled Pink
Aired 27 February 2009
3. The Andrews Sisters: Queens of the Music Machines
Aired 6 March 2009
4. Julie London: The Lady's Not a Vamp
Aired 5 May 2009
5. Josephine Baker: The First Black Superstar
Aired 9 July 2009