Tag Archives: Funk Brothers

Funk Brothers keep Motown alive

Eddie Willis, left, and Bob Babbitt, original Motown Funk Brothers, will perform Aug. 1 for Artown.

Eddie Willis, left, and Bob Babbitt, original Motown Funk Brothers, will perform Aug. 1 for Artown.

Don’t expect Bob Babbitt to hang up his bass any time soon. The veteran musician, best known for playing on Motown hits during the late 1960s and early 1970s, says his instrument is a “fountain of youth.”

“My sister once said to me, ‘Bob, are you ever gonna retire?’ And you know what I said to her? ‘What makes you think I work?’ I don’t care what you do, if you honestly and truly love it, it’s not work.”

So, Babbitt keeps playing, and Aug. 1 he’ll be in Reno to close the 2009 Artown festival with a free performance by his band, the Funk Brothers.

Click here for full story: http://rgj.com/article/20090726/ENT/907260302/1056/Funk-Brothers-carry-Motown-tradition-to-close-of-Artown

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Big plans for Reno’s Artown festival

Folksinger Richie Havens will open Artown with a free concert.

Folksinger Richie Havens will open Artown with a free concert.

Artown will kick off its 14th season July 1, and organizers are promising more entertainment options than ever, but presented in a slightly different fashion than in years past.

“We had 350 events last year,” Artown executive director Beth Macmillan said. “We have 400 unique events this year, and we’ve cut back on our ticketed events.”

Click here for full story: http://www.rgj.com/article/20090503/LIV/905030312

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