Greta Pope and the Spaniels Forever to play at the Winter Park Playhouse

Winter Park residents looking to get their soul music fix are in luck. Greta Pope and the Spaniels Forever will be delivering an hour-and-a-half of Motown Music with their “Motown … The Spirit of Motor City” performance Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Winter Park Playhouse. 

Second Round

This won’t be the first time Pope, a lifelong vocalist who has performed throughout Europe, South America, the Caribbean and more, has performed at the playhouse. She sang at a cabaret performance a few years ago.

This time, though, is a more extravagant affair. Pope will be singing alongside the Spaniels Forever, a 1950s doo-wop group that still has one of the original members, as part of her Motown tour. 

“We don’t use a piano, we don’t use a bass, we don’t use drums, it’s all vocal with a guitar,” Pope said. “It’s rhythmic, it’s fantastic.”

It’s all part of their Motown tour during which they perform renditions of classic Motown-era songs from Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Diana Ross and many more. The Motown sound is a distinct flavor of 1960s pop and soul music immortalized by performers such as Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and others. 

Pope, a Chicago resident, has a master’s degree in vocal performance as well as a doctoral degree in business administration. 

She has performed in a variety of genres, including jazz, opera and blues, and shared the stage with figures such as Dick Van Dyke, Wynonna Judd and Boy George. When not performing with a group, she often hits the road for solo shows.

Pope’s foray into Motown is a recent development. 

“No matter what generation people are, people have heard this music” she said. “People know who Diana Ross is, they know who the Temptations are. … It’s feel-good music; it’s positive music. It talks about love and respect — all of the things we’re missing a little bit in our society today. People leave the theater feeling great. They’ve heard music they haven’t heard in many years.”

What excites her the most about traveling and performing, though, are the people she meets along the way. 

“I don’t think it matters where you go — people are welcoming and kind and enthusiastic the world over,” Pope said. “Even if there’s a language barrier, people are kind. … It’s been my experience that people are wonderful. Music is certainly an international language, I know people say that all the time, but it truly is. It bridges a gap between culture and language.”

IF YOU GO

Motown … Pride of Motor City

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3 

WHERE: Winter Park Playhouse, 711 N Orange Ave., Suite C, Winter Park

TICKETS: $65

PHONE: (407) 645-0145

WEBSITE: bit.ly/2AoAy0p

CLASSIC MOTOWN ARTISTS

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Ike and Tina Turner

The Temptations

Diana Ross and The Supremes

Smokey Robinson

Sam Cooke

Martha Reeves and 

The Vandellas

Curtis Mayfield