R&B Hall of Fame honors musical heroes at Detroit induction ceremony

The evening after the Queen of Soul played to the masses, a corps of R&B heroes gathered Sunday, June 11, to close the inaugural Detroit Music Weekend with the fifth annual Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The four-hour affair -- often ramshackle but filled with a genuine kind of family reunion warmth (where the relatives all like each other) -- honored a dozen performers and a selection of Unsung Heroes, along with special awards for Martha Reeves, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Jackson 5 patriarch Joe Jackson, the Chi-Lites and others. There were several calls -- from Reeves and U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence -- for a permanent R&B Hall building to be established in Detroit. Founder Lamont “Showboat” Robinson, an entertainment and sports impresario from Cleveland, has been working, without success. to make that happen and has also been negotiating with parties in Philadelphia.