Krystle Dos Santos digs deeper into Motown stories at Firehall Arts Centre

Krystle Dos Santos is bringing a deeper dive into Motown's untold stories to the Firehall Arts Centre stage.

A History of Motown, running August 19–29 at Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova St., Vancouver), began as an educational tool for school audiences. Last April and again in August, Dos Santos and her six-piece band took the show from school gyms to the theatre stage. For her second Firehall run, she's expanded into two sets: the first establishing Motown's foundation — what it was, when and where it operated, and who drove it — and the second opening into a dance party with the label's greatest hits.

For this upcoming series, Dos Santos is taking a deeper dive into the stories of Motown artists like Diana Ross. She's also adding a segment exploring the post-Motown careers of icons like Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, giving her the chance to perform songs like Jackson's Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, and possibly Beat It, and Ross's post-Supremes version of Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

The show is rooted in a little-known Canadian connection to Motown. In 1968, the Vancouver band Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers signed to the Detroit-based label. The group, which included Tommy Chong, had a top 30 hit with Does Your Mama Know About Me. "There's an alternate story to Diana Ross discovering the Jackson Five," Dos Santos says. "It's Bobby Taylor who discovered them while on tour in Chicago in 1968."

Most of the show draws from well-known Motown hits, with a few exceptions. "One of my all-time favourite songs is If I Were Your Woman by Gladys Knight & the Pips, from when they were still signed to Motown. It's such a beautiful arc for a performer to dig into. I absolutely love singing that song."

Considering its cultural impact, Motown had a fairly short run. "They started in 1959, probably got traction around 1960 or '61, and by '71 it was the disco era. They continued, but when we think of the Motown era, we don't think of Boyz II Men as Motown, even though they were. That classic Motown sound probably only happened over about a decade."

Dos Santos still brings Motown to elementary and high school students, most of whom have no initial familiarity with the label. "I start by asking, 'Does anybody know Motown?' and they're like, 'No.' By the time we get to the Jackson Five, they're singing. My Girl is another one everybody knows."

Theatre audiences bring a different energy. "Theatre audiences generally tend to be an older audience, and then you get a huge cross-section of other people coming through in sprinkles. What's great is that many people have personal connection stories. They're from Ontario, which is near Detroit, or they met Bobby Taylor, or they've been listening to this music their whole lives."

Checo Tohomaso, who leads the Sweet Soul Choir in Victoria, approached Dos Santos after a show asking why she wasn't performing a particular Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duet. "Then he starts telling me all these stories and my jaw is dropping because he has these incredible personal accounts."

Tickets start at $40 at firehallartscentre.ca or 604-689-0926.