Commodores & The Spinners in El Cajon

Commodores are an American funk and soul band formed in 1968 by students at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. After signing to Motown, they became known for dance-floor tracks such as “Brick House” and “Machine Gun,” as well as ballads including “Easy,” “Sail On” and “Three Times a Lady.” The group later recorded “Nightshift” following Lionel Richie’s departure. In the early 1970s, Commodores toured as an opening act for the Jackson 5, an association that helped bring the band to Motown. By 1977, they were documenting their own headline performances on the double album Commodores Live!, which captures the stage repertoire of the lineup featuring Lionel Richie and Walter Orange.

The Spinners are an American vocal group formed in Detroit in 1954. After recording for Motown, they moved to Atlantic Records and developed a polished Philadelphia soul sound with producer Thom Bell. Their best-known songs include “It’s a Shame,” “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” “The Rubberband Man” and “Then Came You,” recorded with Dionne Warwick. In 1974, The Spinners performed at the Zaire 74 festival in Kinshasa, the music event held around the Muhammad Ali–George Foreman fight and later documented in the film Soul Power. The following year, Live! captured their lead-vocal handoffs and ensemble harmonies at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill.