Rock & Rails features old school Motown with Ron Ivory and One on One

Detroit Motown and classic soul will fill Whistle Stop Park this Thursday, Aug. 10, when Ron Ivory and One on One take the stage.

The quartet will be playing a range of music from the 1950s through the 2000s including familiar songs from The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas and The Supremes. They're playing it during a year when the group is marking its 20th year performing in what's been one of its busiest years.

"It started in 2003," said Ron Ivory, who serves as bandleader for One on One, while reflecting on the group's history. "Originally it was a group that was designed to be more intimate, a supper club type of situation. That's why we came up with the name One on One. But we got a lot of invitations to play festivals." Ivory described it as a special group, and one of the busiest groups that he takes part in.

Although One on One is a sought after act throughout the Front Range, Ivory says he's always eager to play in Niwot. "We're excited because the crowd is so wonderful. They get up out of their seats and dance. They make us feel like we're in Red Rocks. We get the same love and 'woop, woop' we get every year. That's the part we look forward to."

Ivory is an experienced performer with a long career that began as a boy, and he experimented with composing songs, creating mock concert performances with his toys. As he grew older and began working with groups, he noticed how music affected his audiences and his passion for performing grew.

That passion is still with him today, and is one of the reasons he continues to take the stage. Ivory shared that one of the most memorable experiences he has had during a concert happened when a pair of audience members who were in a troubled relationship told him they were inspired to reconcile because of his performance. "That's the stuff I want to hear. When my music impacts a person or people emotionally, and lifts their spirits, that's probably one of the biggest redeeming factors for me," Ivory said.

Ivory will be preceded on the Rock & Rails stage by another passionate performer. Award-winning and nationally-performing singer-songwriter Megan Burtt will perform during happy hour just prior to the main show. She is known for her roots-based Americana music that has a soulful energy and rich tones.

In addition to entertaining early crowds in Niwot, Burtt has opened for acts including Marc Cohn, Gregory Alan Isakov, and LeAnn Rimes, and was a featured performer with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Collaborators on her most recent release include Louis Cato who performs with Jean Baptiste and the Stay Human band on Stephen Colbert's The Late Show, and Bobby McFerrin.