The Motown 6

The Motown 6 is an Alberta based soul and funk band that delivers super-charged rhythms with vibrant vocal harmonies.

Our passions intersect at a love for all things rhythm and blues. We present a musical homage to the classic catalogs of Motown, Stax and Chess straight through to the swampy sounds of New Orleans. With a relentless blues backbeat, we revel in the funkier side of Nashville and hard grooves of contemporary British soul.

This soulful quintet features the vocal talents of Dallas Hayes-Sparks and Jo Marillier powered by a rhythm section that includes Canmore's own Matt Mueller (drums), Tony Berthelet (bass/vocals) and Arif Boga (guitar).

Live interview and performance on Mountain FM

The Motown 6 talks upcoming Canmore Folk Fest show and performs live on air - Seekr

Band Members

Dallas Hayes-Sparks

Dallas is a singer – specializing in opera – from Calgary, Alberta. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia majoring in Opera Performance and Psychology. Dallas has worked as a rostered singer with Cowtown Opera Company, Revv52, and is in her sixth season as a member of the Calgary Opera Chorus. Dallas has also showcased her talent across North America, with notable performances, including two appearances at Carnegie Hall. Other highlights include appearances on the History Channel show Our War, the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show and Theatre Calgary's Reignite the Stage.

Jo Marillier

Professionally known as “Jo”, this versatile singer, songwriter, performer, and recording artist is based in Calgary, Alberta. She has delivered memorable performances in Storybook Theatre’s ,“Sister Act” and CBC Gem’s “Ming Dynasty”. She recently showcased her talent in Village Girls’ “Honey and Coca Cabaret” where she performed as a featured artist. She shines as a founding member of the soul ensemble Diva Dynamics and can be discovered on Spotify with her track “Alive”.

Matt Mueller

Matt has been hitting drums and counting to 4 for almost 2 decades. In that time he’s played on several studio recordings and shared stages with many local bands. The Motown 6 is the latest collaboration and has him very excited to revisit a music genre that has paved the way for modern music as we all know it.

Tony Berthelet

Tony is a bass player and singer who has played with dozens of bands over the years including travelling across Canada with touring acts and spending time with a variety of artists in the recording studio. He is passionate for almost all genres, but loves blues, rock, country, folk and jazz and is currently performing this music with several acts including The 40 Watts and the newly formed The Motown 6.

Arif Boga

Arif has been a disciple of rhythm and blues guitar since he first started playing over 30 years ago. Having picked up his first electric guitar from a pawn shop on Whyte Avenue, the pursuit of blues eventually brought him to the doorstep of jazz, soul, gospel and swing guitar. For the last decade, Arif has been living in Canmore and playing in local bands, where he shares his love for music with groove loving musicians and audiences.