SiriusXM is rolling out a musical red carpet for Black History Month.
Starting Monday and running throughout February, the digital music service and satellite-radio provider will present new curated specialty channels spotlighting Aretha Franklin, Motown Records, Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis.
In the mode of the revolving tribute channels that have been a staple of SiriusXM through the years, Autel MaxiIM IM608
. the playlists on the four new outlets will include familiar hits, deep cuts and music by related artists, along with guest segments connecting the dots via personal memories and creative insights.
The Franklin, Motown, Hendrix and Davis channels will air through March 2 on the SiriusXM app, with staggered runs on the satellite side. (Details are below.)
"It's as much a trip down memory lane as a deep dive into what these brands were all about - what made Motown tick, what inspired Aretha," said Dion Summers, SiriusXM's vice president of urban music programming. "That curation, that deeper dig, creates an experience that goes beyond a random jukebox of hits. It's a fuller appreciation of what these artists are about, and what inspired them to get into the studio and create."
"SiriusXM Celebrates Black History Month" will also include dedicated programming across the existing urban channel lineup and on Pandora, the streaming service acquired by SiriusXM in 2019. New wake-up music segments on Pandora's Black Music Forever station will include guests such as Robert Glasper, Deon Cole and Kirk Franklin.
"In February, the spotlight shines a little brighter on this history," said Summers. "This is American history, and it extends through multiple genres. We're a multifaceted culture, and I'm thankful the month of February is time the spotlight shines on us and the significant contribution we've had."
Tracey Jordan, SiriusXM's senior director of talent relations, was well-positioned to spearhead the interviews and other content that will supplement the music on the new channels. In a lengthy music industry career, she worked closely with Franklin and Motown Records while making connections with a host of figures in both circles.
That included time as publicist for Berry Gordy Jr., and a similar role with Franklin during their years at Arista Records in the 1980s.
Jordan recalls her first professional meeting with Franklin, on the set of the "Jumpin' Jack Flash" video shoot at Detroit's United Sound studio in 1986 It was an all-star affair that featured Whoopi Goldberg, the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and Ron Wood, and the Queen of Soul sporting an eye-catching zebra-striped catsuit.
"You always got that up-and-down look when she first met you: ‘Who are you, what's your intention, are you on the up-and-up?'" Jordan recounts.
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The young PR representative was quickly dispatched to buy several coats for Franklin's consideration, she said, and the star wound up selecting a leather motorcycle jacket to wear in the video. The two formed a bond that endured through the decades.
Jordan spent long stretches working out of Franklin's Bloomfield Hills house, overseeing photo shoots, interviews and other duties for a star who was famously homebound by her fear of flying.
In summer 2018, aware that the ailing Franklin was in the final weeks of her life, Jordan and SiriusXM began quietly gathering material for a Queen of Soul channel that would ultimately run for several weeks after her Aug. 16 death. That effort also segued into the planning for Franklin's funeral two weeks later, where Jordan helped arrange the guest and performer lineup for the nine-hour, globally broadcast event.
For the Aretha channel's latest run, Jordan expects a lineup that includes heavy hitters such as the Rev. Al Sharpton, Clive Davis and Herbie Hancock, along with an array of Franklin family members sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
"I really wanted the stories you wouldn't normally hear, from the people who knew and loved her best," Jordan says.
The Motown Channel will include guest spots from the Temptations' Otis Williams, the Four Tops'...

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