Washington ( CNN ) -- The White House grooved to the Motown sound Thursday night , with an all-star lineup performing some of the most memorable songs from the hit factory that started in a Detroit basement . President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted the tribute to the music from Berry Gordy Jr. 's Motown Record Corp. in a concert that will be broadcast on PBS later this year . It 's part of its `` In Performance at the White House '' series . Clapping , swaying and singing in the audience were Gordy himself , Motown superstars Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson , Vice President Joe Biden and his wife , Jill , and the Obamas as the music that helped shape a generation and beyond filled the East Room . Obama called Motown 's tunes the `` soundtrack of the civil rights era '' and cited how the popularity of music by Robinson and others crossed the color barrier to bring together racially mixed audiences . He recounted the origins of Motown , with Gordy borrowing $ 800 to set up operations in the basement of a house on Detroit 's West Grand Boulevard . Wonder also paid tribute to Gordy , saying people would be singing and dancing to Motown music for centuries to come . Actor and singer Jamie Foxx added an unpredictable element to the proceedings as master of ceremonies , challenging Obama to dance at one point , poking fun at Biden and changing the lyrics of the Temptations ' `` Get Ready '' for the occasion by singing , `` We won the e-lec-tion . The White House , babe , so much fun . '' Speaking of Gordy , Foxx said the money from his publishing royalties could help erase the federal deficit and signaled to Obama that he and Gordy should talk . When Foxx said `` We 're gon na paint the White House black , '' he immediately joked `` Uh oh , look at all this security , '' and mimicked a security agent coming after him . Foxx , John Legend , Seal and Nick Jonas opened with a Temptations ' medley that included brief renditions of `` Get Ready , '' `` The Way You Do the Things You Do , '' `` I Ca n't Get Next To You '' and `` Ai n't Too Proud To Beg . '' Next up was Sheryl Crow , a former backup singer for Michael Jackson , who performed the Jackson 5 hit `` I Want You Back , '' followed by Jonas singing `` I Ca n't Help Myself '' by the Four Tops . Ledisi sang the Mary Wells hit `` My Guy , '' and Legend returned to perform Marvin Gaye 's `` Heard It Through the Grapevine , '' which Crow introduced as the greatest Motown hit of all time . The trio of Natasha Bedingfield , Jordin Sparks and Ledisi sang the Supremes ' `` Stop in the Name of Love , '' complete with the hand-up dance move on the chorus . Seal returned in his silver shoes to croon the Temptations ' hit `` My Girl . '' Bedingfield then sang Robinson 's `` Tracks of My Tears '' as Smokey clapped and sang along in the audience , followed by Amber Riley of the television program `` Glee '' performing Wonder 's `` Living for the City '' twice -- there was a technical glitch the first time . The band Gloriana did `` Ai n't No Mountain High Enough , '' a hit by Gaye with Tammi Terrell as well as Diana Ross , and Mark Salling of `` Glee '' performed yet another Temptations ' hit `` Just My Imagination . '' After Sparks returned for the Supremes ' `` Ca n't Hurry Love , '' Robinson finally took the stage with Crow for a duet on his hit , `` You Really Got a Hold on Me , '' and then Wonder followed with his classic , `` You Are the Sunshine of My Life . '' `` Berry , thank you for this incredible Motown ride , '' Wonder said , calling for the crowd to celebrate by `` dancing in the streets '' to introduce the showstopper of the same name , joined by all the other performers , as well as Martha Reeves of Martha and the Vandellas . In a bit of Motown soul , Reeves brought down the band in the middle of the song to improvise some praise for Gordy as the music continued lightly , and then the Obamas and daughter Sasha took the stage for the rousing finish .
President Barack Obama hosts an all-star concert to be broadcast on PBS . Obama calls Motown music the soundtrack of the civil rights era . Motown legends Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder are among the performers . The event is part of a series called " Songs That Shaped America, " which will air in September at 8 p.m. ET.