Marvin Gaye, who had left the label a year before to sign with Columbia Records and had a current hit with "Sexual Healing", agreed at the last minute to join the roster of other Motown legends to perform.

The 'first lady of Motown' Mary Wells and Vandellas frontwoman Martha Reeves were each given a 30-second spot, singing their respective hits, "My Guy" and "Heatwave".

[3] Michael Jackson, who had recently released his worldwide best-selling album Thriller, was reunited with his brothers to perform a medley of their hits "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save", "Never Can Say Goodbye", and "I'll Be There".

Michael danced while singing to prerecorded vocals of "Billie Jean", which at the time was in the middle of a seven-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100 music charts and was the only non-Motown song performed on the show.

In the years followed, Jackson's concert performances of "Billie Jean" would mirror his appearance at Motown 25, from the opening pose with the fedora, black sequin jacket, and glove, to the moonwalk routine in the song's bridge.

Original Miracles member Ronnie White did not participate in the reunion for personal reasons (his wife, Earlyn, died that year).

As Motown's first group and the label's first million-selling act, they were first on the show, singing four of their greatest hits, "Shop Around", "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", "The Tears of a Clown", and "Going to a Go-Go".

Richard Pryor opened the segment with a fairy-tale story of 'three maidens from the Projects of Brewster' which was then followed with a montage of various Supremes' video clips.

By the time the reunion aired on May 16, Ross/Wilson altercations were widely reported, including an article and pictures in Us Weekly, and the performance resulted in negative publicity for the group.

All of the original members of the Four Tops performed: Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, and Lawrence Payton, with Levi Stubbs providing the lead vocals.

While Motown 25 was billed as "Yesterday, Today, Forever", artists from the golden era of Motown, such as the Marvelettes, the Vandellas, the Contours, Kim Weston, Brenda Holloway, Marv Johnson, Jimmy Ruffin, Edwin Starr, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Rare Earth, the Isley Brothers, and the Velvelettes were not included in the special, while newer artists such as DeBarge, High Inergy and José Feliciano (who paid homage to Gordy singing "Lonely Teardrops") were.

Non-Motown artists, such as Adam Ant (who paid homage to the Supremes singing "Where Did Our Love Go" with Diana Ross) and Linda Ronstadt were featured as well.

Additional appearances were made by Dick Clark, Howard Hesseman and Tim Reid (reprising their WKRP in Cincinnati roles as disc jockeys), fast-talker John Moschitta Jr., T.G.

[10] Ruth Adkins Robinson and Suzanne de Passe would continue writing shows together for the next 25 years, including other Motown tributes.

On April 21, 2019, Motown 60: A Grammy Celebration, premiered on CBS featuring Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Boyz II Men, Tori Kelly, John Legend, Ciara and more.