Edie's Vault of Gems and Treasures

Unsung: Freddie Jackson

2012-01-24T10:03:00.002-06:00

Unsung: Atlantic Starr

2012-01-17T10:43:00.002-06:00

Unsung: Bobby Womack

2012-01-10T21:48:00.004-06:00

SoleMann's...♪♫♪ "Save The Children" OOTP Archive Blog

2011-10-18T13:48:00.002-05:00

The 1973 Save The Children Benefit Concert

Save the Children [aka Brothers and Sisters in Concert] (1973) - Made originally as a documentary film based on the 1972 PUSH Expo theme. The 123-minute version goes into depth on the theme of black self-determination; contains footage of Reverend Jesse Jackson and Black Expo; shorter version places emphasis on the various artists' performances.

STAN LATHAN...THE DIRECTOR OF SAVE THE CHILDREN

Stan Lathan, who was already a veteran of directing multiple camera variety shows on network television in the early '70s, approached his landmark concert film, Save the Children, with the precision of a military campaign.

"Operation Push, which was a Jesse Jackson organization, was giving a huge exposition in Chicago in 1972 to encourage black-owned businesses," Lathan recalled. "It was always planned to have this gathering of black talent, and myself and a few other people including Quincy Jones and Matt Robbins, got together about six months before and came up with the idea of doing this film to help support the Black Expo. We raised $750,000 from the Ford Foundation as a grant and put it together."

At the time of Save the Children, Lathan was a director on Sesame Street and had done both dance and music specials for PBS, as well as multi-camera musical variety shows. "The big challenge for me was that we were shooting on film," Lathan noted, "and we were in this massive convention center with terrible acoustics. We used eight cameras, all shooting 16mm film, and I devised an elaborate communications setup with each camera. I took a bird's-eye position and directed as if it were a live TV show. The difference, of course, is that I had no video feed, so I tried to keep the coverage varied from camera-to-camera, and keep track of who was shooting what."

Lathan said that despite the technical challenges involved, shooting in the days before video assist, his team had the advantage of shooting for three days straight.

"We shot 28 groups," Lathan explained. "Everybody from Marvin Gaye to Gladys Knight and the Pips, to the Jackson 5, to the Rev. James Cleveland and a 100-boy choir. We spent a lot of time before the event with a chalkboard discussing camera coverage the way you'd talk about defenses for a football game. We knew which groups were going to be moving around a lot — Gladys Knight and the Pips were known for their dancing for example — so the key was to make sure each camera had assignments beforehand. What happens if you don't give assignments in a multiple camera concert shoot is that five cameras will shoot the same guy because he's the most interesting one on the stage at the time."

"Most of the cameramen I used for Save the Children were documentary filmmakers who were comfortable with just roving around and getting the stories beyond the music," he recalled. "I remember going to see Gimme Shelter and recognizing the advantage those filmmakers had because they essentially lived with the Rolling Stones and could come back with very personal stories. If there's anything that would distinguish a musical documentary it's the relationship between the audience and the artist and what's really going on inside the artist's head. With things like MTV, MP3, DVD, etc., we can already deliver musical recordings at a very high level. So, today's documentary filmmaker should bridge the gap between the artist's life and the music. I think you have to do that to stand apart."

MARVIN GAYE...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT

BILL WITHERS...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT

ISAAC HAYES...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT

CURTIS MAYFIELD...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT

REV. JAMES CLEVELAND FEATURING ALBERTINA WALKER...
1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT

THE TEMPTATIONS...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT

JACKSON 5...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT

Comment by Edie2k2 on August 10, 2010 at 5:49am

This is one of our most popular blogs Sole!!! Bravo!

Comment by Edie2k2 on September 17, 2009 at 7:37pm: Loving the pic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by SoleMannKing on September 16, 2009 at 2:14pm: Ohhhhhhh, this is niceeeeeeee...Mama Edie, i think i remember reading that the DVD is out of print...I will be back to hear this...Love it!

Comment by Edie2k2 on September 16, 2009 at 1:03pm

Enjoy! An~Edie2k2~ProductionTrack Listing:1.DialogueNarration.mp32.SaveTheChildren.mp33.PapaWasARollingStone.mp34.EverybodyPlaysTheFool.mp35.Sunshine.mp36.ThisChildOfMine.mp37.CountryPreacher.mp38.SermonPraiseHimWithAStringInstrument.mp39.LeanOnMe.mp310.WhatsHappeningBrother.mp311.GiveMeYourLove.mp312.IveGottaBeMe.mp313.OnAClearDayYouCanSeeForever_KillerJoe.mp314.IHeardItThroughTheGrapevine.mp315.TheyLongToBeCloseToYou.mp316.PeopleMakeTheWorldGoRound.mp317.TheGreatestPerformanceOfMyLife.mp318.IWannaBeWhereYouAre.mp319.WhatsGoingOn.mp320.ImTooCloseToHeavenToTurnAround.mp3

play Rev. Jesse Jackson & Matt Robinson — D…
play Marvin Gaye — Save The Children
play The Temptations — Papa Was A Rolling S…
play The Main Ingredient — Everybody Plays …
play The O'Jays — Sunshine
play Zulema — This Child Of Mine
play Cannonball Adderley — Country Preacher
play Rev. James Cleveland & The Push Expo Choir — …
play Bill Withers — Lean On Me
play Marvin Gaye — What's Happening Brother
play Curtis Mayfield — Give Me Your Love
play Sammy Davis Jr. — I've Gotta Be Me
play Roberta Flack & Quincy Jones — On A Cl…
play Gladys Knight & The Pips — I Heard It …
play Jerry Butler & Brenda Lee Eager — (The…
play Ramsey Lewis Trio — People Make The Wo…
play Nancy Wilson — The Greatest Performanc…
play The Jackson 5 — I Wanna Be Where You A…
play Marvin Gaye — What's Going On
play Jackie Verdell & The Push Expo Choir — …

Comment by KnightD12 on February 8, 2009 at 11:54am
Stan Lathan did a good job capturing and editing this concert. Great sound too.

Comment by SoleMannKing on January 26, 2009 at 7:49pm: I fell in love with the scenes in the marvin gaye, bill withers, and isaac hayes videos...Those neighborhood and ghetto scenes were awesome.

Comment by Edie2k2 on January 26, 2009 at 7:44pm

This is a masterpiece blog!!!!!!!!!! So nostalgic!!!! *Bravo*

Mellow Moods...♪♫♪

2011-10-05T17:38:00.005-05:00

Compiled By Edie2k2

The Spa...ƸӜƷ

2011-10-04T20:03:00.019-05:00

Serenity and Calm are essential in this fast-paced world.

Come in and relax, meditate to the soothing sights and sounds of nature.

Be rejuvenated, refreshed..mentally massaged.~Edie

~The Spa-Vol 1~

The Chess Story..♪♫♪

2011-09-30T15:37:00.023-05:00

Leonard and Phil Chess, two Polish born immigrants, founded Chess Records, the pre-eminent Blues label of the 50s and 60s in the late forties. Eventually they created a monopoly of Chicago music recording, doing sessions and releasing recordings by every major blues performer from John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, "King of the Slide Guitar", to Bo Diddley through Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry and everyone in between.

Brothers Phil and Leonard Chess owned the upscale Macamba night club on Chicago's Southside. Chess Records was known as "Home of the Electric Blues". The Chess brothers bought into fledgling Aristocrat Records, a label that had been formed a short time before by Evelyn Aron and her husband.

Charles and Evelyn Aron
By the time they got involved with Aristocrat, Leonard and Phil were already aware of what sort of music might sell in the Black community, that of a young Delta-born-and-bred slide guitarist: Muddy Waters. Waters had previously recorded for Columbia, but none of his work was released. When he recorded "Gypsy Woman" and "Little Anna Mae" for Aristocrat, the Chess brothers found in him the means to distinguish their little company from the hundreds of other independent R&B labels springing up across the country.

Phil Chess

Leonard Chess

At the beginning, Leonard and Phil focused their recording and publishing ventures primarily in the area of popular jazz, but soon expanded into blues, receiving their first Billboard recognition in 1947. By 1949 Aristocratic Records which became Chess Records in 1950, was a fixture in the world of music and its recordings and the songs published by Arc Music remain the most impressive collection of blues music in the world. From their experiences in the nightclub business on the South Side of Chicago, the Chess brothers understood the popular preferences of their predominantly African-American audiences, but also saw the marketability of blues music to a broader audience.

In the beginning Chess Records was ran as a two man business, with Phil overseeing the nightclub and the offices of Aristocrat/Chess and Arc, while Leonard alternately scouted talent, produced the sessions, and hand delivered fresh

recordings to radio stations in the Chicago area.

Willie Dixon

Slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk's pre-war popularity made him a nice acquisition, and the 1948 session that produced his My Sweet Lovin' Woman was doubly important because it introduced bassist Willie Dixon , an artist whose talent as a producer/songwriter/ session player during the 1950s and 1960s vastly contributed to the label's long-term success.

McKinley Morganfield aka Muddy Waters

In 1950, the Chess brothers launched Chess Records with Gene Ammons'My Foolish Heart followed by Waters'Rollin' Stone. Guitarist Jimmy Rogers made his Chess debut August of 1950, with That's All Right and Luedella. Little Walter, who revolutionized the role of the harmonica in Chicago blues executed astonishing flights of amplified fancy. Walter's legacy is punctuated by his slew of hits during the '50s: Mean Old World, Off The Wall,You're So Fine, and the 1955 Dixon-penned R&B chart-topper, My Babe.

Chester Burnett aka Howlin' Wolf

Despite his success with local talent, Leonard Chess, aided by Sam Phillips, began to look outside Chicago for talent. Phillips supervised Memphis pianist Roscoe Gordon's smash Booted(1952) and shipped Chess masters by Rufus Thomas, Dr. Isaiah Ross, Joe Hill Louis, and Bobby Bland, but his top contribution to the label's legacy was Chester Arthur Burnett, a.k.a. Howlin' Wolf. With Ike Turner playing the piano, both sides of Wolf's first Phillips-produced Chess 78, How Many More Years and Moanin' At Midnight, proved major sellers in 1951. By 1953, Wolf had left Memphis for Chicago, recording more hits including Who Will Be Next and Smokestack Lightnin'.

Eddie Boyd

Willie Mabon

Memphis Slim

A host of other blues legends recorded for Chess during the early and mid-1950s. Memphis Slim, Eddie Boyd and Willie Mabon, assuredly did. Boyd's 1953 Eddie Boyd Part 1"24 Hours" and Eddie Boyd Part 2"Third Degree" both sold very well, as did Mabon's

I Don't Know 1952) and I'm Mad (1953), both number one R&B smashes.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker first recorded for Chess in 1950. Joe Williams made the charts that same year with "Every Day I Have The Blues." Big Bill Broonzy and Washboard Sam recorded material in '53 that straddled the fence between pre-war Chicago blues and the brasher new style. Memphis Minnie likewise attempted to resuscitate her career with a 1952 Checker single, Me And My Chauffeur (1941). On the jazzier side of the tracks, saxmen Leo Parker, Tab Smith, Lynn Hope, and Eddie Johnson kept things swinging. By the early-1950s, Water's group added pianist Otis Spann. Though he was now a star in his own right, Little Walter still recorded behind his ex-boss on Waters' immortal "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I'm Ready."

Rice Miller a/k/a Sonny Boy Williamson II

In 1955 new talent was added to the Chess stable. Sonny Boy Williamson, a blues legend across the Mississippi Delta, thanks to his King Biscuit Time King Biscuit Time radio broadcasts, joined Checker, a Chess subsidiary label. For his first recording Don't Start Me Talkin' Chess paired him with most of Water's band. Bo Diddley was signed in 1955 too. His first two-sided smash for Checker, the self-titled "Bo Diddley" and "I'm A Man".

Chuck Berry

No one at Chess had the impact on the future of popular music than Chuck Berry did. Berry accepted Water's advice regarding the advantages of working with Leonard Chess, signing with the label in May of 1955, starting with his first unforgettable hit, Maybellene. There were also vocal groups at Chess. Harvey Fuqua's "The Moonglows" from Louisville had a 1954 hit with Sincerely, and The Flamingos, a Chicago quintet fronted by Nate Nelson, scored big for Checker in

1956 with their dreamy I'll Be Home and A Kiss From Your Lips.

Bo Diddley

As Berry, Bo, and the vocal groups sold platters by the crates, some of the blues greats that had epitomized at Chess during its early years of operation began to recede into the background. But mainstays Muddy, Sonny Boy, and Wolf hung tough. Wolf did some of his best work during the early 60s when Dixon wrote "Back Door Man," "The Red Rooster," and "Hidden Charms" for him (the latter manically energized by Hubert Sumlin's elastic guitar work). Hubert Sumlin & Sunnyland Slim-Come On Home Baby

Buddy Guy

In 1960, Dixon recruited younger Chicago blues talent, signing guitarists Buddy Guy

("First Time I Met The Blues" and "Broken Hearted Blues")Broken-Hearted Blues/I Got A Strange Feeling

and Otis Rush (1960's "So Many Roads, So Many Trains")

Etta James

Etta James also made her Chess debut in 1960, scoring no less than four hits for the imprint that year alone. Etta's magnificent work for Argo (and later Cadet and Chess) over the next 16 years uncovered depths of passion and pain barely hinted at on her previous waxings. She waxed the torch ballads "At Last" and "Trust In Me" (both major hits in 1961) surrounded by sumptuous strings, rocked the house with a gospel-rooted "Something's Got A Hold On Me" the next year, and set Muscle Shoals ablaze in '67 with her strutting "Tell Mama," sounding equally confident in all

three diverse settings. It Hurts So Much

Fontella Bass

In addition to James, Chess had many female artists during the mid-1960s such as Jan Bradley ("Mama Didn't Lie"), Sugar Pie De Santo ("Slip-In Mules"), ("I Had A Talk With My Man"), Fontella Bass ("Rescue Me"), Jackie Ross ("Selfish One"), Jo Ann Garrett ("Stay By My Side"), Laura Lee ("Dirty Man"), and the Gems, whose precocious membership included Minnie Riperton. I'll Be There Even Irma Thomas joined Chess in 1967, recording with Muscle Shoals. Koko Taylor scored the last Chicago blues hit for Checker in 1966 with her growling "Wang Dang Doodle." As rhythm and blues merged with gospel influences to form the basis of soul, Chess was right on top of the trend. Little Milton Campbell had hits with "We're Gonna Make It," "Who's Cheating Who?" and "Grits Ain't Groceries."

The Dells

Along with Little Milton, were the Dells, ("There Is" and "Stay In My Corner") The Radiants ("Voice Your Choice"), Billy Stewart ("Summertime," "Sitting In The Park"), Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces ("Searching For My Love"), Tony Clarke, James Phelps, and Bobby McClure. Tommy Tucker's "Hi-Heel Sneakers," a huge '64 hit on Checker, traveled bluesier terrain, while the Ramsey Lewis Trio, with Eldee Young on bass and Red Holt on drums, turned out to be a crossover sensation when their grooving instrumental remakes of "The In Crowd" and "Hang On Sloopy" which vaulted up the R&B and pop charts in 1965. Nor was the Chess combine deficient in humor - albums by veteran comics Moms Mabley and Pigmeat "Here Comes The Judge" Markham made sure of that. Chuck Berry remained at Chess into 1966, seemingly rejuvenated after serving a prison term (his 1964 hits included "No Particular Place To Go" and "You Never Can Tell"). After unwisely switching to Mercury Records for a few lean years, he returned home to Chess and scored his biggest pop hit of all in 1972 with "My Ding-A-Ling." Bo Diddley recorded a slew of Checker LP's throughout the decade, his trademark beat never faltering.

2120 South Michigan Avenue

So inspired by the magnificent output of Chess were the Rolling Stones that they immortalized the label's famous address, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, in song on one of their early LP's. During this time, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf tried their best to cope with 60s trends. Muddy Water's "Twist" was admittedly nothing to write home about, but his '63 Folk Singer LP was a heartening return to his Delta roots, and 1969's "Fathers and Sons" set united Muddy with adoring disciples Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though at the tail end of the decade producer Marshall Chess submerged Waters and Wolf in a quagmire of psychedelia, each legend emerged with his vaunted reputation intact. In 1969, Leonard Chess died, stilling the heart and soul of Chess Records. Earlier that year, he and Phil had sold the company to GRT where producers Ralph Bass and Gene Barge tried their best to hold things together. Sadly, though, the momentum that Chess had long enjoyed quickly began to erode. In 1975, GRT closed down the logo, selling it to All Platinum Records of Englewood, New Jersey. Finally, in 1985, MCA acquired the rights to the massive Chess catalog. At the start of 1987, MCA Vice President of Catalog Development & Special Markets A&R, Andy McKaie, began to mount an ambitious long-term reissue campaign of the invaluable Chess masters - an ongoing program that raged full steam ahead all year long in 1997 with the 50th anniversary celebration. "The impact of Chess was far wider and greater than any of the others, ranging from the impact of the Chicago blues sound, the Chuck Berry/Bo Diddley school of rock & roll, and the vocal group sounds," he continued. "The range of that impact was so great that it's still being felt today.

Leonard Chess was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Zulu..♪♫♪

2011-09-29T21:58:00.011-05:00

(Photo By Clemence Bee Keling)

Henry Cele was quite the specimen.

His love brushes me
as winnowing treetops
fanned upon the
African sky's backdrop.

He is rich soil,
rugged--brown,
and all encompassing..

He is Zulu.

Watering me
with expression
feeding the passion
of my roots
...causing them to emerge.

He is Zulu.

Daily I bask
in the sunlight
of his heat
his sizzling
masculine energy.

I grow in the sensuality
of his essence
while flourishing
in his love.

Yes, he is Zulu.

...and I, am his Queen.

©Edie Antoinette 2009

My favorite scene. And Nandi...ahhhh, tight!

I ♥ DOO WOP

2011-09-29T14:24:00.012-05:00

This is classic Doo-Wop at it's best.

Lee Williams & The Cymbals

This Harlem vocal group was discovered Hollywood style. The guys were singing in the backyard of a brownstone on 127th Street where they lived when Joe Evans, the owner of Carnival Records, heard them practicing as he walked by. Carnival, a tiny operation in Newark, NJ, had three employees, with Evans being one of them. At the time of the discovery Evans was in Harlem on a promotional mission for his label. Excited by what he heard, he persuaded the landlady to let him in so he could see the warblers. Evans conducted an audition for the singers and the guys gave it their all. Liking their blend and the powerhouse lead of Lee Williams, Evans signed them on the spot. When he got back to Newark he made up a tape of songs for the group to learn. Ronnie McCoy, who had a group called the Topics, wrote one of the songs, "I Love You More."
(I have this and will post it with the above playlist)..~e He had been sending Evans songs and bugging him to record his group. McCoy wanted the song for his group but Evans thought it would be better served to have his new discoveries record it. As a consolation Carnival released "She's So Fine"/"I Don't Have to Cry" on the Topics.

"I Love You More" sold substantially in many cities including Baltimore, Washington, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Chicago. It was so popular in Chicago the group did a stint at the city's Regal Theater. The record barely missed entering Billboard's R&B Top 40, stalling at number 41 in 1967. It would be the group's biggest record ever. Carnival followed with "Peeping Through the Window," another McCoy composition, which didn't do as well but was their second most popular waxing. Four more singles followed: "Shing a Ling USA," "Please Say It Isn't So," "I Need You Baby," and "Til You Come Back to Me." All were good records but they only attracted local and spot interest. The group left Carnival though they were the label's second most popular act (next to the Manhattans) and recorded for some even smaller labels. One was Black Circle Records in Pittsburgh, PA, where they had a few releases that stiffed due to the same problem that afflicted Carnival Records -- lack of promotion. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide

Time Machine: A Look At Sly & The Family Stone...♪♫♪

2011-09-25T12:47:00.008-05:00

Sly Stone vanished into rumor in the 1980s, remembered only by the great songs ("I Want to Take You Higher," "Dance to the Music") he left behind. What's become of the funky leader of the Family Stone since he forsook his Woodstock-era utopianism for darkness, drugs, and isolation? After a few sightings—most notoriously at the 2006 Grammys—the author tracked the last of the rock recluses to a Bay Area biker shop, to scope out where Stone's been, where he's headed, and what's behind those shades. Will Sly show up?
I sure hope so. I have an appointment with him. I've flown across the country and quadruple-checked to make sure that we're still on.
To cynics and music-industry veterans, this very premise is laughable: an appointment with Sly Stone. Yeah, right. For 20-odd years, Stone has been one of music's great recluses, likened in the press to J. D. Salinger and Howard Hughes. And in the years before he slipped away, he was notorious for not showing up even when he said he would. Missed concerts, rioting crowds, irritated promoters, drug problems, band tensions, burned bridges.

But in his prime, Stone was a fantastic musician, performer, bandleader, producer, and songwriter. Even today, his life-affirming hits from the late 60s and early 70s—among them "Stand!," "Everyday People," and "Family Affair"—continue to thrive on the radio, magically adaptable to any number of programming formats: pop, rock, soul, funk, lite. He was a black man and emphatically so, with the most luxuriant Afro and riveted leather jumpsuits known to Christendom, but he was also a pan-culturalist who moved easily among all races and knew no genre boundaries. There was probably no more Woodstockian moment at Woodstock than when he and the Family Stone, his multi-racial, four-man, two-woman band, took control of the festival in the wee hours of August 17, 1969, getting upwards of 400,000 people pulsing in unison to an extended version of "I Want to Take You Higher."

For one early morning, at least, the idea of "getting higher" wasn't an empty pop-culture construct or a stoner joke, but a matter of transcendence. This man had power. He also had a compelling penchant for folly. In the jivey, combustible early 1970s, when it was almost fashionable for public figures to unleash their ids and abandon all shame—whether it was Norman Mailer's baiting a roomful of feminists at New York's Town Hall or Burt Reynolds's posing nude on a bearskin for Cosmopolitan—Sly was out on the front lines, contributing some first-rate unhinged behavior of his own. Like marrying his 19-year-old girlfriend onstage in 1974 at Madison Square Garden before a ticket-buying audience of 21,000, with Soul Train host Don Cornelius presiding as M.C. Or appearing on Dick Cavett's late-night ABC talk show while conspicuously, if charmingly, high. "You're great," Stone told his flummoxed host in 1971, in the second of two notorious visits to Cavett's soundstage. "You are great. You are great. You know what I mean? [Pounds fist on heart.] Booom! Right on! Sure thing. No, for real. For real, Dick. Hey, Dick. Dick. Dick. You're great."

*Video courtesy of my Baby Solemann*

Cavett, grasping for some sense of conversational traction, smirked and replied, "Well, you're not so bad yourself."
"Well," said Sly, eyes rolling up in contemplation, "I am kinda bad … "
Sly Stone is my favorite of the rock-era recluses, and, really, the only big one left. Syd Barrett, the architect of Pink Floyd's entrancingly loopy early sound, passed away last summer at the age of 60, having resisted all entreaties to explain himself or sing again. Brian Wilson, the fragile visionary behind the Beach Boys, has been gently coaxed out of his shell by his friends and acolytes, and now performs and schmoozes regularly. He doesn't count as a recluse anymore.

But Sly has remained elusive—still with us, yet seemingly content to do without us. I have been pursuing him for a dozen years, on and off, wondering if there would ever come a time when he'd release new material, or at the very least sit down and talk about his old songs. I've loved his music for as long as I've been a sentient human being—he started making records with the Family Stone when I was a toddler. And over time, as the silence has lengthened, his disappearance from public life has become a fascinating subject in and of itself. How could it have happened? How could a man with such an extensive and impressive body of work just shut down and cut out?
"I often tell people that I have more dead rock stars on tape than anyone, and they'll say, 'You mean Janis, Hendrix, and Sly?'" says Cavett today. "A lot of people think he's gone." Even if you're aware that Sly lives, you have to wonder what kind of shape he's in, projecting that beautiful but reckless man of 1971 into 2007, the year he turned 64. What of the dark rumors that he's done so much coke that his brain is zapped, and that he now exists in a pathetic, vegetative state? What of the more hopeful rumors that he's still writing and noodling with his keyboards, biding his time until he feels ready to attempt a comeback?

I had long dreamed of the latter scenario. Syd Barrett excepted, they do all come back. Brian Wilson did. The Stooges did. The New York Dolls did. Even Roky Erickson, the psychedelic pioneer from the 13th Floor Elevators, long presumed to be fried beyond rehabilitation by electroshock treatments he received in the early 1970s, has staged a robust return to the live circuit.
My hopes for a Sly comeback were highest in 2003. That year, in the back room of a music store in Vallejo, California, where Sly grew up, I sat in on a rehearsal of a re-united Family Stone led by Freddie Stone, Sly's guitarist brother. Freddie was intent on recording an album of entirely new material that he had written with his sister Rose, who played organ and shared lead vocals in the old group. "Sylvester's doing very well, by the way," Freddie told me, using his brother's given name. Gregg Errico, the band's drummer, who was also in on the reunion, explained that, while they weren't counting on Sly to join them, they had set a place for him just in case, like Seder participants awaiting Elijah. "We profess that the keyboard is on the stage, the [Hammond] B3's running, and the seat is warm for him," Errico said.

But that reunion quickly fizzled out. After that, my Sly search lay dormant; I pretty much gave up. He hadn't shown his face in public since 1993, when he and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Characteristically, Sly slipped in and out of the ceremony without saying much, barely acknowledging his siblings and bandmates. So why would he ever want to perform again, much less meet up with a stranger?

Then, out of nowhere, there began a series of brief, intriguing resurfacings. In August of 2005, he was sighted in L.A. on a chopper motorcycle, giving his sister Vaetta, who goes by the nickname Vet, a ride to Hollywood's Knitting Factory club, where she was performing a set with her band, the Phunk Phamily Affair. The following February came Stone's enigmatic appearance at the 2006 Grammy Awards, in which he loped onto the stage in a gold lamé trench coat and plumy blond Mohawk, performed a snippet of "I Want to Take You Higher" with some guest musicians paying him tribute, and loped off again before the song was over. And in January of this year, Stone put in a surprise cameo at Vet's band's show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, adding vocals and keyboards to their performances of "Higher" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."

ƸӜƷ ♪♫♪....An Edie Antoinette Production...♪♫♪ ƸӜƷ

Just One More Day

2011-09-25T09:08:00.014-05:00

If I could have just one more day with you

I would comb your lovely gray hair

and rub the front of your aged legs

the way I did when I was small

and absorb your every move

I would 'inhale' your smile.

ƸӜƷ

If I could have just one more day

I would watch you while you cooked,

I would pay attention to each wise word

and hug you with my arms, as well

as my glance.

ƸӜƷ

If I could have just one more day

I would ask all kinds of things,

like what it was like when you were

young, and what Mommie and Daddy

were like as a little boy and little girl...

and I would be in rapt

attention, in love with each shared

recollection.

ƸӜƷ

If I could have just one more day,

I would tell you how dear you are,

how much I cherish you,

and I would thank you for being

...mine.

ƸӜƷ

I would sing you a song

filled with notes of gratitude,

a melody of deep respect

laced with honor and affection.

ƸӜƷ

Yes, for just one more day with you

I long.

For one more day I yearn.

To be with you, my precious Grannies..

ƸӜƷ

...just one more day.

A Look At Chicago's Cabrini Green ..♪♫♪ Pt. 1

2011-09-23T17:06:00.008-05:00

Before I get down to the nitty gritty, I want to start off with a reference to my favorite movie, Cooley High the 1975 feature film produced and released by American International Pictures and written by Eric Monte (co-creator of Good Times). Starring Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, and featuring a Motown-produced soundtrack, Cooley High, set in 1964 Chicago, explores the adventures and relationships of two black high school students, whose carefree lives take a turn for the worse through several twists of fate. The film is considered a classic of black cinema and features G.C. Cameron's hit single "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" as a theme song. "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" was covered in 1991 by Motown act Boyz II Men, who named their first LP, which contains the cover, Cooleyhighharmony in honor of this film. Cooley High is frequently compared favorably to the 1973 George Lucas film American Graffiti. ABC had planned a television adaptation. The pilot was poorly received, and ABC had Monte retool the show. As a result, Monte created the TV show What's Happening!!, which was loosely based on Cooley High and ran from 1976 to 1979.
Monte based the film on his experiences in the real-life Cooley High School that served students from the Cabrini-Green public housing projects in Chicago. While the film was set in and around the Cabrini-Green, it was primarily filmed at another Chicago-area housing project. He has said that he wrote the film to dispel myths about growing up in the projects: "I grew up in the Cabrini-Green housing project and I had one of the best times of my life, the most fun you can have while inhaling and exhaling".

Cabrini-Green is a public housing development on Chicago's North Side, bordered by Evergreen Avenue, Sedgwick Street, Chicago Avenue, and Larrabee Street. At its height, Cabrini-Green was home to 20,000 people, living in mid- and high-rise apartment buildings. Over the years, gang violence and neglect created terrible conditions for the residents, and the name "Cabrini-Green" became synonymous with the problems associated with public housing in the United States. Currently, fewer than 5,000 residents remain in Cabrini-Green. Several of the buildings have been razed and the whole neighborhood is being redeveloped into a combination of high-rise buildings and row houses, with the stated goal of creating a mixed-income neighborhood with some units reserved for public housing tenants. The plan, and the way it is being implemented, has proven to be controversial.

History Of Buildings & Residents

Cabrini-Green was composed of four sections, built over a twenty-year period: the Frances Cabrini Rowhouses (1942), Cabrini Extension North and Cabrini Extension South (1958), and the William Green Homes (1962) (see Chronology below). The construction reflected the "urban renewal" approach to United States city planning in the mid-twentieth century. The Extension buildings were known as the "reds," for their red brick exteriors, while the Green Homes, with reinforced concrete exteriors, were known as the "whites." Many of the high-rise buildings originally had exterior porches (called "open galleries"). It is a popular destination for urban exploration.

According to the Chicago Housing Authority, the early residents of the Cabrini rowhouses were predominantly of Italian ancestry. By 1962, however, a majority of residents in the completed complex were African-American. White flight from the complex escalated over the following decade; by the 1970s, its population was overwhelmingly black.

How Problems Developed

Poverty and organized crime have long been associated with the area: a 1931 "map of Chicago's gangland" by Bruce-Roberts, Inc. notes Locust & Sedgwick as "Death Corner": "50 murders: count 'em." At first, the housing was integrated and many residents held jobs. This changed in the years after World War II, when the nearby factories that provided the neighborhood's economic base closed and laid off thousands. At the same time, the cash-strapped city began withdrawing crucial services like police patrols, transit services, and routine building maintenance. Lawns were paved over to save on maintenance, failed lights were left for months, and apartments damaged by fire were simply boarded up instead of rehabilitated and reoccupied. Later phases of public housing development (such as the Green Homes, the newest of the Cabrini-Green buildings) were built on notoriously stingy budgets, with attendant problems with construction quality and durability.

As a result, the buildings are very dangerous and neglected, and there was an exodus of residents who had any resources or options. Only the most marginalized and destitute residents remained. Such a resource-poor population could not effectively exert political pressure on the city, so the city increasingly neglected its obligations to residents.

Meanwhile, the buildings' proximity to affluent areas made Cabrini-Green a lucrative site for illicit drug sales; in the absence of other employment opportunities, intense competition in this underground economy fostered gang formation and violence. Reportedly, specific gangs 'controlled' individual buildings, and residents felt pressure to ally with these gangs in order to protect themselves from escalating violence.

During the worst years of Cabrini-Green's miseries, residents endured rat and cockroach infestations, rotting garbage in trash chutes (once piled up to the 15th floor), the stench of urine and insecticide in hallways, malfunctioning elevators, graffiti on walls, as well as problems with basic utilities, such as frequently bursting pipes. On the exterior, boarded-up windows, burned-out areas on the façade, and pavement instead of green space--all in the name of economizing on maintenance--created an atmosphere of neglect and decay. The high "open galleries" proved to be dangerous, and the Housing Authority for safety reasons enclosed the entire height of the buildings with a steel mesh, which increased the perception that the residents were imprisoned. (page3)

Reputation

Though Chicago has had many ill-fated public housing projects (such as the Robert Taylor Homes on the South Side and Rockwell Gardens to the west), Cabrini-Green's name and its problems were most well-known, especially beyond Chicago.

The widespread familiarity may have developed in part because Cabrini-Green was surrounded by wealthy neighborhoods, notably the Gold Coast and Lincoln Park just blocks away. Reportedly, residents of Gold Coast high-rise condos could see the flash of gunfire in Cabrini-Green. Oak Street, one of the city's most posh shopping streets, came to a dead end at the doorstep of the project. As a result of this location, wealthy Chicagoans were more aware of Cabrini-Green than they were of other projects that were farther removed from their daily routes of travel and activity.

Several infamous incidents contributed to Cabrini-Green's reputation. In 1992, seven-year old Dantrell Davis was killed by a stray bullet while walking to school with his mother. In 1997, nine-year-old "Girl X" (later identified as Toya Currie) was brutally raped and poisoned in a stairwell, leaving her blind, paralyzed and unable to speak. Members of the infamous street gang, the Gangster Disciples, who controlled most of Cabrini Green, were ordered by leaders to find the person responsible for the crime and brutally assault him. The attacker, Patrick Sykes (who was not a gang member), was later apprehended by police and sentenced to 120 years in prison. Cabrini Green was so feared by the police during the 90's that many refused to go into the complex for fear of their lives. Several Chicago Police had reported that once inside the project they had been verbally abused, spit at, some had rocks smashed through their cars, and many others had been shot.

An unanticipated result of the steel mesh (described above) was that it became even harder to police the buildings, since it was difficult for police to see through the steel mesh from outside; in 1970, two policemen were killed by snipers.

In an effort to demonstrate a commitment to making the complex safer, Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne moved into a fourth-floor apartment in 1981. Backed by police and bodyguards, she stayed for only three weeks. This incident, too, contributed to public perception of Cabrini-Green as the worst of the worst of public housing.

While many non-residents regarded Cabrini-Green with almost unalloyed horror, long-term residents interviewed by a Chicago Tribune reporter in 2004 described mixed feelings about the end of the Cabrini-Green era. They told the reporter that, in the face of their shared hardships, many residents had developed bonds of community and mutual support. They lamented the uprooting and scattering of that community, and worried about what would become of the residents who were being moved out of the old buildings to make way for new development.

Recent History And Future Plans

The Chicago Housing Authority, under a ten-year Plan for Transformation enacted in 2000, plans to demolish almost all of its high-rise public housing, including much of Cabrini-Green

(except the original rowhouses, which will remain).

While Cabrini-Green was deteriorating during the postwar era, causing industry, investment, and residents to flee from its immediate surroundings, the rest of Chicago's near north side underwent equally dramatic upward changes in socioeconomic status. Cabrini-Green's location became increasingly desirable to private developers.

First, downtown employment shifted dramatically from manufacturing to professional services, spurring increased demand for middle-income housing; the resulting gentrification spread north along the lakefront from the Gold Coast, then pushed west and eventually crossed the river.

Then, in the 1980s, the Lower North Side industrial area (just across the river from the Loop, west of famed Michigan Avenue, and south of Cabrini-Green) was transformed into "River North," a focus of arts and entertainment.

By the 1990s, developers had converted thousands of acres of former industrial lands near the north branch of the Chicago River (and directly north, south, and west of Cabrini-Green) to office, retail, and housing.

Speculators began purchasing property immediately adjacent to Cabrini-Green, with the expectation that the project would eventually be demolished.

Indeed, in May 1995, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development took over management of the CHA and almost immediately began demolishing vacant buildings in Cabrini Extension ("the reds"), intending to make Chicago a showpiece of a new, mixed-income approach to public housing. Shortly thereafter, in June 1996, the city of Chicago and the CHA unveiled the Near North Redevelopment Initiative, which called for new development on and around the Cabrini-Green site. Demolition of Cabrini Extension was completed in 2002; part of the site was added to Seward Park, and construction on new, mixed-income housing on the remainder of the site began in 2006.

Subsidized development of mixed-income housing on vacant or under-used parcels adjacent to Cabrini-Green (for instance, the sites of a long-shuttered Oscar Mayer sausage factory, the former headquarters of Montgomery Ward, and Orchard Park, an adjacent senior housing project) began in 1994, and new market-rate housing now almost completely surrounds the remaining public housing.

Cabrini-Green once housed 15,000 people but this number is now down to about 5,000 (plus an unknown number of squatters occupying "vacant" apartments that are slated for demolition). New housing built on the 70-acre Cabrini-Green site will include 30% public-housing replacement housing and 20% "workforce affordable" housing, while many adjacent developments (almost all targeted at luxury buyers) include 20% affordable housing, half targeted as public-housing replacement, with a goal of 505 replacement units built off-site.

The best-known redevelopment site so far is North Town Village, a 261-unit development completed in 2001 by a partnership with Holsten Real Estate Development and Kenard Corporation on city-owned but vacant land directly northwest of Green Homes.

In February 2006, a unique partnership between CHA, Holsten, Kimball Hill Urban Centers and the Cabrini Green LAC Community Development Corporation will begin a 790-unit, $250-million redevelopment of the 18-acre Cabrini Extension site, to be called Parkside at Old Town. Plans for demolition and redevelopment of Green Homes are still under negotiation, while the original Cabrini rowhouses are currently undergoing rehabilitation.

The Plan for Transformation's relocation process was the subject of a lawsuit, Wallace v. Chicago Housing Authority, which alleged that many residents were hastily forced into substandard, "temporary" housing in other slums, did not receive promised social services during or after the move, and were often denied the promised opportunity to return to the redeveloped sites. The lawsuit was settled in June 2006, as the parties agreed to two relocation programs for current and former CHA residents: (1) CHA’s current relocation program, encouraging moves to racially integrated areas of metropolitan Chicago and providing for case-managed social services, would be applied to families initially moving from public housing; and (2) an agreed-upon modified program run by CHA’s voucher administrator, CHAC Inc., would encourage former CHA residents to relocate to economically and racially integrated communities as well as give them increased access to social services.

Wallace v. Chicago Housing Authority

Some former CHA residents have moved out of Chicago, to nearby suburbs or outside the region to other cities. Other residents have successfully moved into the replacement housing, and to date residents of the mixed-income developments have reported few problems. The entire redevelopment and relocation process remains highly controversial, more so at this highly sought-after site than at other CHA sites.

Crime has dramatically decreased as the area's population has shifted; in the first half of 2006, only one murder occurred. Since most of the new housing post-dates 2000, no census figures are yet available, but the area is no longer predominantly African American. As of July 2006, foundations are being built at Parkside, the first development on former public housing land. Demolition of the Green Homes continues slowly and is expected to be completed by late 2008. Plaintiffs in Wallace and others allege that CHA's hasty removal of residents has exacerbated socioeconomic and racial segregation, homelessness, and other social ills that the Plan for Transformation aimed to address by forcing residents to less-visible but still impoverished neighborhoods, largely on the south and west sides of the city.

Cabrini-Green in Popular Culture

The 1975 film Cooley High was set in and around the Cabrini-Green projects.

Cabrini-Green was the setting for the film Candyman, made in 1992.

Danitra Vance, Saturday Night Live's first black female repertoire player (first appearing in the show's 1985-1986 season), had a recurring character named Cabrini-Green Jackson, a poor, black teenage mother who acted as a motivational speaker to young, unwed mothers.

Englewood-60's

A Look At Chicago's Cabrini Green ..♪♫♪ Pt. 2

2011-09-23T16:47:00.003-05:00

The sitcom Good Times (1974-1979) was ostensibly set in Cabrini-Green. Although Cabrini-Green was never mentioned by name as the housing project in which the Evans family of Good Times lived, exterior shots of Cabrini-Green were shown in both the opening and closing scenes.

In the latter half of the 1980's, the backstory of DC Comics character Amanda Waller, leader of the third incarnation of the Suicide Squad was initially tied specifically to Cabrini-Green.

The 1994 film Hoop Dreams chronicles the life of Cabrini-Green youth William Gates (along with Garfield Park resident Arthur Agee) in pursuit of his dreams to someday play in the NBA.

In the sitcom The Bernie Mac Show (2001-2006), Bernie's two nieces and nephew Van...

In the 1999 film Whiteboyz, a group of white hip-hop fans from Iowa come to Cabrini-Green to buy drugs.

The book Cabrini-Green in Words and Pictures (compiled by David T. Whitaker, 2000) tells the story of this community from the perspective of those who lived there. Through interviews with three generations of residents, young and old share thoughts and memories of a place they called home.

In the 2001 Film Hardball, an aimless young man (played by Keanu Reeves) struggles with alcoholism, gambling and ticket scalping. Desperate for cash, he secures a loan from an acquaintance by agreeing to coach the Little League team of the Cabrini Green. His new job gives him purpose and he starts to turn his life around. This is also when Reeves had his famous line, "whooooa," with a blank look on his face.

The 1990 futuristic fictional comic book series Give Me Liberty by Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons begins in Cabrini-Green. As of the opening of the story in 1995 the neighborhood has already been enclosed in a gigantic walled and roofed structure, turning it into a prison for its impoverished residents, reflecting the decision to enclose several buildings in steel mesh. The enclosure is demolished years later by direct order of Howard Nissen, the future United States President, who does so after being informed of the horrible living conditions by the story's protagonist, Martha Washington, who grew up there.

The 1999 documentary, Voices of Cabrini: Rebuilding Chicago's Public Housing (by Ronit Bezalel and Antonio Ferrera) is a half-hour look at the redevelopment/demolition of Cabrini through the stories of its residents. The film interviews resident Mark Pratt and his son Trevonte. In addition, Cabrini Green Barber George Robbins is also interviewed and eventually has to move out of the community. The website can be found at http://www.voicesofcabrini.com which I brought over for you.

Redevelopment

As Cabrini Green is being torn down, it is important to photograph the community. So that in ten years, we can have a record of what used to stand in the area. Below are pictures taken after the documentary Voices of Cabrini was completed. They show further changes to the community, which are ongoing.

The new Starbucks with a Cabrini Green building in background
Unfortunately, this says it all

This building was once called "the palace". It was 19 stories tall.

This used to be a little league field at Cabrini

The Neighborhood

Cabrini Green is often divided into three sections based on the type of buildings - the "reds", "whites" and "rowhouses". Each cluster of buildings has its own feel, each place is like a neighborhood unto itself.

One of the "reds". These buildings (15 in all) were completed in 1958.
They are now the first buildings to be demolished

A "white" Cabrini Green building. Dedicated in 1962, there are
8 of these buildings.

The rowhouses were the first Cabrini buildings. They were
constructed in the 1940's for returning war veterans.

Future Homes
What will happen in the future as the Cabrini buildings are torn down? Where will residents live? Many have taken section 8 certificates, some will move to the suburbs, a few will moved back to the area, and many more will be homeless. The question always remains...how many residents will move back, and what happens to everyone else?

Mixed Income Communities being built in the Cabrini Green Area:

North Town Village is a mixed-income development consisting of 261 units, 79 of which are CHA units. This site is located on North Avenue and Halsted. Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation and Kenard Development Corporation are the developers for this site. Source: thecha.org

Old Town Square is 113-unit development of which 16 units are reserved for CHA residents. Developed by MCL Companies, construction for this site began in 1998 and was completed in 2001. Source: thecha.org

Renaissance North is a mixed-income community containing 59 units. Public housing residents will occupy 18 of these units. The Renaissance Company is the developer for this site which is located on North Avenue. Source: thecha.org

Orchard Park Townhomes The CHA purchased 13 units (in the Orchard Park Townhomes) which were formerly owned by the Chicago Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation in a 54-unit mixed-income town community built on 2.75 acres of CHA land. CHA residents occupy these 13 units. Source: thecha.org

The site of the new, mixed income development
at North Town Village, located next to Cabrini Green.
Of the 261 housing units,
30% are public housing, 20% are affordable housing,
50% are market rate.

Two completed buildings at North Town Village.
A handful of Cabrini Families were scheduled
to move into these buildings by Summer 2001

North Town Village Today

In Alex Ross's Kingdom Come miniseries, he created a background character named Kabrini. He is a green monster in chains whose name is basically a joke re... Chronology * 1850 - Shanties first built on low-lying land along Chicago River; population predominantly Swedish, then Irish. Acquires "Little Hell" name due to nearby gas refinery, which produced shooting pillars of flame and various noxious fumes. By 20th century, known as "Little Sicily" due to large numbers of Sicilian immigrants. * 1929 - Harvey Zorbaugh writes "The Gold Coast and the Slum: A Sociological Study of Chicago's Near North Side," contrasting the widely varying social mores of the wealthy Gold Coast, the poor Little Sicily, and the transitional area in between. Marshall Field Garden Apartments, first large-scale (although funded through private charity) low-income housing development in area, completed.
* 1942 - Frances Cabrini Homes (two-story rowhouses), with 586 units in 54 buildings, completed. Initial regulations stipulate 75% white and 25% black residents. Holsman, Burmeister, et al, architects. (Named for Frances Cabrini, an Italian-American nun who served the poor and was the first American to be canonized.)
* 1958 - Cabrini Homes Extension (red brick mid- and high-rises), with 1,925 units in 15 buildings, is completed. A. Epstein & Sons, architects.

* 1962 - Green Homes (1,096 units, north of Division Street) is completed. Pace Associates, architects. (Named for Great Society era congressman William J. Green.)

* 1966 - Gautreaux et al vs. Chicago Housing Authority, a lawsuit alleging that Chicago's public housing program was conceived and executed in a racially discriminatory manner that perpetuated racial segregation within neighborhoods, is filed. CHA was found liable in 1969, and a consent decree was issued in 1981.

* July 17, 1970 - Sergeant James Severin and Officer Tony Rizzato of the Chicago Police Department are fatally shot.

* 1981 - Mayor Jane Byrne moves into Cabrini-Green as part of a publicity stunt.

* October 13, 1992 - Seven-year-old Dantrell Davis is fatally shot while walking to school with his mother. Some of the shots came from 500-502 W. Oak Street.

* 1992 - Candyman is released, the story taking place at the housing project.

The demolition of one of the Cabrini-Green buildings

* 1994 - Chicago receives one of the first HOPE VI (Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere) grants to redevelop Cabrini-Green as a mixed-income neighborhood. * September 27, 1995 - Demolition begins.[citation needed] * January 9, 1997 - Nine-year-old "Girl X" found in a seventh-floor stairwell at 1121 N. Larrabee Street after being raped, beaten, choked, poisoned with insecticide and scrawled on with gang symbols. Her attacker allegedly stepped on her throat. She was left for dead but survived, though the attack blinded her. [4] * 1997 - Chicago unveils Near North Redevelopment Initiative, a master plan for development in the area. It recommends demolishing Green Homes and most of Cabrini Extension.
* 1999 - Chicago Housing Authority announces Plan for Transformation, which will spend $1.5 billion over ten years to demolish 18,000 apartments and build or rehabilitate 25,000 apartments. Earlier redevelopment plans for Cabrini-Green are included in the Plan for Transformation. New library, rehabilitated Seward Park, and new shopping center open.
* January 19, 2004 - The man who portrays the mascot of the Chicago Bulls, Chester J. Brewer, is arrested on the suspicion of selling marijuana out of his car at Cabrini-Green. [1]

* August 8, 2006 -A 14-year-old boy is still hospitalized Tuesday morning after being shot by Chicago Police, while residents of the Cabrini-Green neighborhood protested that the police shooting was not justified.

* August 14, 2006 - A 17 year-old teen is arrested after spitting on a police officer. Officers alleged the teen hit an officer during a protest and attempted to assault that officer.

* October 18, 2006 -A 21-year-old man was shot to death Saturday night as he crossed the street near the Chicago Housing Authority's Cabrini-Green Homes, police said. Source: www.chicagotribune.com

* April 1, 2007 -A fire breaks out in the garbage chute of 1230 north larabee cabrini green,all of the breeze ways filled with smoke, and three people were injured with minor burns.source:www.cbs2chicago.com

See also:
* Robert Taylor Homes, Chicago

1. "Man behind "Da Bull" in trouble with law". ABC7 Chicago (2004). Retrieved on 2006-12-08.

External links:

* Cabrini Green: Gangsta City

* Chicago Housing Authority: Cabrini-Green Homes

* Cabrini Residents Human Rights Page

* Residents' Journal (written, produced & distributed by Chicago Public Housing residents; archives contain many articles on activism at Cabrini-Green, particularly around the plans for redevelopment).

* Chicago Coalition to Protect Public Housing

* Photos, Paintings and Discussions about Cabrini-Green

* Voices of Cabrini (Documentary film)

* Cabrini-Green in Words and Pictures (book, 2000) ISBN 0-942986-80-6

* CBS News: Tearing Down Cabrini-Green

* Chicago Tribune: Cabrini-Green Columns

* North Town Park site plan (redevelopment of Cabrini Extension site)

* Business & Professional People in the Public Interest Information on Gautreaux lawsuit and continuing litigation against CHA on behalf of tenant interests

* Map of Cabrini-Green Area at Google Maps

The Encyclopedia of Chicago has very detailed background information on the history of public housing and the Near North neighborhood.

K2K2 FM 88.9...♪♫♪

2011-09-19T17:30:00.043-05:00

Featured Track: "Borderline"
Darryl Hall ...♪♫♪ From the Album:
Soul Alone

Simply put..the BEST Music Streamin..
Live from the transmitters of Edie2k2, 24/7 365+

Channels

Memorable Old School Album Covers ...♪♫♪

2011-09-14T20:18:00.017-05:00

Now Playing: Rock Me Easy Baby-Isaac Hayes

Edie's Mood ..♪♫♪ Part One

2011-09-14T16:34:00.012-05:00

Track Listing:

1. Eddie Harris-Listen Here LP Version
2. Donald Byrd-Flight Time
3. Norman Connors - Destination Moon
4. The 5th Dimension - Loves Lines Angles and Rhymes
5. Ennio Morricone - Sergio Leone Suite (Once Upon a Time in America Deborah's Theme
6. DJ Jazzy Jeff - My Peoples feat.Raheem
7. Straight Ahead - Wearing Lace
8. Yusef Lateef - First Gymnopedie
9. Gayle Adams - Stretchin' Out
10. The Jones Girls - Nights Over Egypt
11. Jean Carne - My Love Dont Come Easy
12. The Manhattans - Follow Your Heart
13. Bob James - Sign Of The Times
14. The Jones Girls - You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else
15. Doug & Jean Carn - Dindi
16. Karrin Allyson - Dindi
17. Arthur Prysock - My Funny Valentine
18. Donald Byrd - Christo Redentor
19. Sarah Vaughan - NightSong
20. Cal Tjader - Fuji
21. The Prayer Cycle A Choral Symphony in 9 Movements Movement VI Innocence Voice - Salif Keita/Allanis Morrisette/Nusrat Ali Khan
22. The Prayer Cycle A Choral Symphony in 9
Movements Movement I Mercy Voice - Salif Keita
23. Salif Keita - Ana Na Ming
24. Salif Keita - Souvent
25. Terence Blanchard - In Time Of Need
26. Nina Simone - See Line Woman J.Viewz Remix
27. Afterlife - Clear Blue Sky
29. Mary J Blige - BeautifulDay
30. Afterlife - Still Feat Melanie Williams
31. Nina Simone - NightSong

Carmen Jones..♪♫♪

2011-09-09T00:29:00.003-05:00

Parts 1 Through 10

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten-Final

BlueLight Basement Party..♪♫♪

2011-09-08T23:10:00.014-05:00

Remember when ...on any given night you could find a blue light shining from somebody's basement, to guide you to the house party? This is that place.

D'Angelo..♪♫♪

2011-09-08T20:34:00.005-05:00

Parliament Funkadelic..♪♫♪

2011-09-08T17:03:00.023-05:00

One Nation Under A GROOVE ... Getting Down Just FOR The Funk Of It!

Inductees: George Clinton (vocals; born July 22, 1940), Jerome “Bigfoot” Brailey (drums; born August 20, 1950), William “Bootsy” Collins (bass, vocals; born October 26, 1951), Raymond Davis (vocals; born March 29, 1940), Tiki Fulwood (drums, vocals; born May 23, 1944), Glenn Lamont Goins (vocals, guitar; born tk, died 1978), Michael Hampton (guitar; born November 15, 1956), Clarence “Fuzzy” Haskins (vocals; born June 8, 1941), Eddie Hazel (guitar, vocals; born April 10, 1950, died 1992), Walter “Junie” Morrison (keyboards, synthesizers; born tk), Cordell “Boogie” Mosson Jr. (bass; born October 16, 1952), William “Billy Bass” Nelson Jr. (bass; born January 28, 1951), Gary Shider (vocals, guitar; born July 24, 1953; died June 16, 2010), Calvin “Thang” Simon (vocals; born May 22, 1942), Grady Thomas (vocals; born January 5, 1941), Bernie Worrell (keyboards, vocals, born April 19, 1944)

Under the guiding hand of mastermind George Clinton, the affiliated groups Parliament and Funkadelic established funk as an heir to and outgrowth of soul. If James Brown is funk’s founding father, Clinton has been its chief architect and tactician. Over the decades, he’s presided over a musical empire that’s included Parliament and Funkadelic, plus numerous offshoots (such as the Brides of Funkenstein and Parlet), solo careers (Clinton’s and bassist Bootsy Collins’ being the notable) and aggregates (the P-Funk All-Stars). The pioneering work of Parliament and Funkadelic in the Seventies—driven by Clinton’s conceptually inventive mind and the band members’ tight ensemble playing and stretched-out jamming—prefigured everything from rap and hip-hop to techno and alternative. Clinton’s latter-day disciples include Prince and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Between them, Parliament and Funkadelic virtually defined the melting pot known as funk: a melding of rhythm & blues, jazz, gospel and psychedelic rock. With them, Clinton has purveyed larger-than-life characters and concepts from the stage, culminating in such theatrical milestones as the Mothership, a mock flying saucer from which the black space “aliens” of Clinton’s musical entourage alighted onstage. Though his musical productions have been typified by danceable grooves and driven by a laser-sharp sociological wit, Clinton’s ultimate goal is serious: “I am intent on making the word funk as legitimate as jazz and rock and roll.”

George Clinton spent his teenage years in Plainfield, New Jersey, where he founded a vocal group called the Parliaments. They recorded as far back as 1956 but didn’t impact the charts until 1967, when “(I Wanna) Testify"—a prescient mix of Sixties soul, rock and pop—went #3 R&B and #20 pop. That year, Clinton began listening to the new wave of psychedelic rock by bands such as Cream, Vanilla Fudge and Sly and the Family Stone. The dual influence of cutting-edge soul and rock served as inspirations to Funkadelic. In 1970, Clinton dropped the “s” from his other band, and Parliament was born.

Each group had a distinct identity and alternated releases into the late Seventies on a variety of labels—Invictus, Westbound, Warner Bros.—with Clinton dividing his time between them. Parliament was essentially a horn-based soul group and Funkadelic a guitar-based rock group, but both were built on a foundation of funk. Parliament and Funkadelic were flip sides of the same coin, and these overlapping entities’ respective outputs were referred to in stylistic shorthand as “P-Funk.” In Parliament’s self-referential theme song, “P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up),” Clinton and entourage referred to themselves as “dealers of funky music, P-Funk, uncut funk, The Bomb.”

Parliament and Funkadelic frequently resorted to allegorical concept albums to make larger points about societal injustices and ways in which a community of like-minded souls could liberate themselves from its constrictions. Clinton animated the moral conflict between opposing forces of good (the trippy funkateer “Starchild") and evil (the uptight, uptight “Sir Nose D’Void of Funk") over the course of a five-year run of Parliament albums, from Mothership Connection (1976) to Trombipulation (1981). Meanwhile, Funkadelic gelled on one of the finest funk albums ever produced, One Nation Under a Groove, whose title track was a rousing anthem of union and community.

Parliament and Funkadelic dominated and revolutionized the music scene in the latter half of the Seventies—particularly in 1978 and 1979, when they racked up four #1 R&B hits: “Flash Light,” “One Nation Under a Groove,” Aqua Boogie” and “(Not Just) Knee Deep.” Clinton’s main collaborators during Parliament-Funkadelic’s heyday included keyboardists Bernie Worrell and Walter “Junie” Morrison and bassist William “Bootsy” Collins. Known for his star-shaped sunglasses, glittery “space bass” and cartoonish demeanor, Collins became a funk icon and solo star in his own right. Melding soul, funk, jazz and psychedelia, a succession of P-Funk guitarists—including the late Eddie Hazel, Mike Hampton and DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight—have carried forward the legacy of Jimi Hendrix with their adventurous, exploratory soloing.

During the 1970s, Parliament, Funkadelic and a host of related offshoots placed roughly 60 singles on the R&B charts and were among the hottest attractions on the concert circuit. They were responsible for some of the most theatrical tours ever undertaken, deploying one of the largest props—the otherworldly “Mothership"—ever dragged from city to city. Financial, legal and personal problems grounded the Mothership in 1980, but Clinton resurfaced stronger than ever as a solo artist on Capitol Records.. “Atomic Dog,” the popular dance-funk centerpiece of 1982’s Computer Games—one of Rolling Stone‘s 100 Greatest Albums of the 80’s—topped the R&B chart for four weeks. In 1983, Clinton also released an album credited to “the P-Funk All-Stars,” which drew on the talents of various members of Parliament and Funkadelic (including Bootsy Collins), plus guests like Sly Stone and Bobby Womack.

A new generation of hip young listeners discovered P-Funk via rap and hip-hop records that heavily sampled Clinton’s vast body of work. By the Nineties, Clinton was widely recognized as a black-music patriarch and pioneer whose contributions put him in a league with James Brown. In fact, Clinton is second only to Brown as the most heavily sampled artist. Meanwhile, the Parliament-Funkadelic juggernaut has shown no signs of slowing down, remaining active on the recording and touring fronts as George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. One of their later albums—The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership (T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.), released in 1996—returned the funk collective to the concept that helped establish them as visionaries 20 years earlier.

P-Funk Mothership Crew

George Clinton

aka Dr Funkenstein is the founding member of the P-Funk Crew aka FUNKADELIC and PARLIAMENT. GC was the main influence behind the P-Funk vibe and after 40 years of funkin, is still going strong.

Bootsy Collins

aka Bootzilla | Casper is the original funk master bassist, who, in he’s early days was funked up by none other than James Brown and developed the tightness required for echelons of funk bass. Bootsy got on-board the mothership and joined with George in 1972 for the next phase of P-Funk

Catfish Collins

‘Phelps’plays a funkstastic rhythm guitar and isÂ mostly known for his work in the P-Funk collective.Â Catfish andÂ his brother, Bootsy, heped to create that P-Funk sound. Catfish played on many important and influential records by Parliament, Funkadelic, and Bootsy’s Rubber Band.

Eddie Hazel

started his funk career from a young age by joining the Parliaments as a lead guitarist in 1967, aged 17! He mustta been a great musician at that age to get on board the mothership. He played in one of Funkadelic’s finest albums: ‘Maggot Brain’ and over three years helped to develop the P-Funk Sound. Eddie is no longer with us in phisical form, but will always be remembered for that outfit and his unique sound.

Garry Shider

a funkstastic guitarist and soulful vocalist, got on board the mothership in the form of Funkadelic, and performed on most of their best albums. From hit songs like, ‘Cosmic Slop’, and ‘One Nation’, his voice is recognisable. He was also influentialÂ in the success of Bootsy Collins first releases, as a solo artist.

Bernie Worrell

is pure funk on keys. Another virtuoso from the mothership who wrote a concerto when he was 8! One or two of them notes mustta been funky. He was with Parliament from the start. Through the 1970’s, he toured with Parliament and Funkadelic. Bernie played, and still plays the keyboards, and occasionally the organ, plus other instruments on studio tracks. He officially joined the P-Funk in 1970, and recorded the album ‘Free Your Mind… And Your Ass Will’ Follow.

The Brides of Funkenstein

were previously backing singers for Sly Stone. Mabry and Silva joined the P-Funk collective around '77. Dr Funkenstein renamed them, and then recorded their first album with the p-funk collective, “Funk Or Walk”, for Atlantic Records in 1978.

A Bronx Tale - Soundtrack

2011-09-06T20:53:00.006-05:00

Track Listing:

1. Cool Chang - The Streets Of The Bronx
2. Dion And The Belmonts - I Wonder Why
3. The Cleftones - Little Girl Of Mine
4. Della Reese - Don't You Know
5. Jerry Butler - For Your Precious Love
6. Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head
7. Cool Change - Father And Son
8. The Rascals - A Beautiful Morning
9. Aaron Nevile - Tell It Like It Is
10. Bobby Watson - Bustalk
11. The Gerry Niewood Quartet - I Only Have Eyes For You
12. Wilson Picket - Ninety Nine And A Half (Won't Do)
13. The Moonglows - Ten Commandments Of Love
14. The Flamingos And The Complexions - I Only Have Eyes For You
15. The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin
16. The Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Lovin'
17. Butch Barbella - Regrets
18. The Jimmi Hendrix Experience - All Along The Watchtower
19. The Impressions - I'm So Proud
20. James Brown - It's A Man's Man's Man's World
21. Donald Byrd - Cristo Redentor
22. Bells And String Orchestra - Streets Of The Bronx

New York Undercover: A Night At Natalie's

2011-09-06T18:06:00.010-05:00

Classical Gems

2011-09-03T12:59:00.007-05:00

Slow Jams

2011-09-03T11:56:00.005-05:00

ƸӜƷ An Edie2k2 Production ...♪♫♪

Gourmet Chicago Dusties

2011-09-03T11:07:00.007-05:00

ƸӜƷ An Edie2k2 Production ...♪♫♪

Steppers Lounge - Vol's 1 and 2

2011-09-02T08:08:00.012-05:00

ƸӜƷ ♪♫♪... An Edie2k2 Production ...♪♫♪ ƸӜƷ

Neo-Soul Chatbox..♪♫♪

2011-09-02T00:44:00.009-05:00

ProjectVibe Radio..♪♫♪

Frankie Beverly & Maze

2011-09-01T22:45:00.011-05:00

Frankie Beverly is one of those cats that has lasting power. He started in the music business doing a tour with doo wop group the Silhouettes and then formed his own group called the Blenders. The Blenders never recorded a single, Beverly wouldn't appear on wax until forming the Butlers a few years later. Along with Beverly, the Butlers included Jack "Sonny" Nicholson, Joe Collins, John Fitch, and Talmadge Conway.

Beverly would later enjoy great success fronting Maze and
Conway would become a well-known songwriter

penning Double Exposure's "Ten Percent" and the Intruders' "Memories Are Here To Stay."

While Maze is a phenomenal group, Beverly's work before that group will always stand out as his best (imo). The Butlers produced tunes that most Northern Soul fans would kill for and Raw Soul gave the funksters something to pursue. If, by chance, you know of a way to get in touch with Frankie Beverly or his management, please drop me an e-mail. It would be absolutely great to do an interview with him about his pre-Maze work. He's still playing out, most recently doing a New Year's Eve show in Atlanta. You can find current tour dates for Maze. The history of the Butlers/Raw Soul is dense, but for all of us music nerds, that's normal. It is not totally clear what year the Butlers actually formed but they released their first single in 1963 on Liberty Records. That single was "She Tried To Kiss Me" and another single followed on Guyden entitled "Lovable Girl." After the Guyden single the Butlers took a break not recording another record until the single "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh" was released on the Phila label in 1966. The group also backed Charles Earland and Jean Wells on one Phila single ("I Know She Loves Me").

As you might be noticing, the Butlers were doing a fair amount of recording but not achieving much success. The group's recordings sold regionally but never had the promotion to make an impact on the national scene. After the single with Phila, the Butlers moved to the Fairmount label (part of the Cameo-Parkway family) and released a handful of singles, some being reissued singles of the past. The Butlers were with Fairmount for 1966-67 and then moved to Sassy Records. Sassy released the group's greatest single (in my opinion) "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" b/w "If That's What You Wanted." A copy of that 45 sold for just under $500 last summer on eBay. Even though that isn't that much in the world of record collecting--it's still a hefty sum. The Butlers released another single on Sassy ("She's Gone" b/w "Love Is Good") that appears to be even harder to come by then the
"Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" single.

The true history become a bit blurred here as the AMG biography states that the Butlers last record was released on C.R.S. in 1974 (". However, between 1971 and that single, Frankie Beverly formed a group called Raw Soul and released a number of singles. Some of the songs recorded by Beverly during this period are "While I'm Alone," "Open Up Your Heart," (both on the Gregor label) and "Color Blind." "Color Blind" was released by the Eldorado label and rerecorded by Maze. Beverly's big break came when Marvin Gaye asked Raw Soul to back him on a tour.

Gaye helped Beverly/Raw Soul get a contract at Capitol. Beverly decided to take the group in a different direction, a name change occurred, and Maze was created. The above isn't the most complete history of Beverly but hopefully someone will know a way to get in touch with the man or his management because a comprehensive pre-Maze history needs to be done on Frankie Beverly (his real name is Howard, by the way). Below you'll find every Frankie Beverly (pre-Maze) song available to me right now ("Color Blind" will be up soon). If you have a song that is not included below, shoot it over to funkinsoulman (at) yahoo.com and it will go up in the next Frankie Beverly post (later this week--highlighting Maze). Also, if you have any more information please share your knowledge. The Butlers material has been comp-ed sporadically (usually imports) but the entire Maze catalog has been reissued and is available. Enjoy.
"She Kissed Me"
(Fairmount, 1966 or 1967)

"I Want To Feel I'm Wanted"
(not sure which label or year)
"Laugh, Laugh, Laugh"
(Phila, 1966)
"Because Of My Heart"
(Fairmount, 1966 or 1967)

"Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)"
(Sassy, 1967)

"If That's What You Wanted"
(Sassy, 1967)

"While I'm Alone"
(Gregor, 1971)

**this is Raw Soul, not the Butlers**

K2K2 FM-88.9

2011-08-31T16:45:00.027-05:00

Simply put..the BEST Music Streamin..
Live from the transmitters of edie2k2, 24/7 365+

Weary Blues By Langston Hughes

2011-08-24T13:24:00.006-05:00

The Weary Blues

by Langston Hughes

Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,

Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,

I heard a Negro play.

Down on Lenox Avenue the other night

By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light

He did a lazy sway . . .

To the tune o' those Weary Blues.

With his ebony hands on each ivory key

He made that poor piano moan with melody.

O Blues!

Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool

He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.

Sweet Blues!

Coming from a black man's soul.

O Blues!

In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone

I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan--

"Ain't got nobody in all this world,

Ain't got nobody but ma self.

I's gwine to quit ma frownin'

And put ma troubles on the shelf."

Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.

He played a few chords then he sang some more--

"I got the Weary Blues

And I can't be satisfied.

Got the Weary Blues

And can't be satisfied--

I ain't happy no mo'

And I wish that I had died."

And far into the night he crooned that tune.

The stars went out and so did the moon.

The singer stopped playing and went to bed

While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.

He slept like a rock or a man that's dead.

My YouTube Channel

2011-08-18T00:56:00.010-05:00

My Son, Evan Christian (YouTube link)
Bobby McFerrin (YouTube link)
Lebo M (YouTube link)

The Blues Lounge...♪♫♪

2011-08-17T23:31:00.028-05:00

The origins of blues is not unlike the origins of life. For many years it was recorded only by memory, and relayed only live, and in person. The Blues were born in the North Mississippi Delta following the Civil War. Influenced by African roots, field hollers, ballads, church music and rhythmic dance tunes called jump-ups evolved into a music for a singer who would engage in call-and-response with his guitar. He would sing a line, and the guitar would answer.

From the crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, and the platform of the Clarksdale Railway Station, the blues headed north to Beale Street in Memphis. The blues have strongly influenced almost all popular music including jazz, country, and rock and roll and continues to help shape music worldwide.

The Blues... it's 12-bar, bent-note melody is the anthem of a race, bonding itself together with cries of shared self victimization. Bad luck and trouble are always present in the Blues, and always the result of others, pressing upon unfortunate and down trodden poor souls, yearning to be free from life's' troubles. Relentless rhythms repeat the chants of sorrow and pity of lost souls.

This is the Blues.

W.C. Handy

The blues form was first popularized about 1911-14 by the black composer W.C. Handy (1873-1958). However, the poetic and musical form of the blues first crystallized around 1910 and gained popularity through the publication of Handy's "Memphis Blues" (1912) and "St. Louis Blues" (1914). Instrumental blues had been recorded as early as 1913. During the twenties, the blues became a national craze. Mamie Smith recorded the first vocal blues song, 'Crazy Blues' in 1920. The Blues influence on jazz brought it into the mainstream and made possible the records of blues singers like Bessie Smith and later, in the thirties, Billie Holiday.

The Blues are the essence of the African American laborer, whose spirit is wed to these songs, reflecting his inner soul to all who will listen. Rhythm and Blues, is the cornerstone of all forms of African American music. Many of Memphis' best Blues artists left the city at the time, when Mayor "Boss" Crump shut down Beale Street to stop the prostitution, gambling, and cocaine trades, effectively eliminating the musicians, and entertainers' jobs, as these businesses closed their doors. The Blues migrated to Chicago, where it became electrified, and Detroit.

Elmore James

In northern cities like Chicago and Detroit, during the later forties and early fifties, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James among others, played what was basically Mississippi Delta blues, backed by bass, drums, piano and occasionally harmonica, and began scoring national hits with blues songs. At about the same time, T-Bone Walker in Houston and B.B. King in Memphis were pioneering a style of guitar playing that combined jazz technique with the blues tonality and repertoire.

B.B. King

Meanwhile, back in Memphis, B.B. King invented the concept of lead guitar, now standard in today's Rock bands. Bukka White (cousin to B.B. King), Leadbelly, and Son House, left Country Blues to create the sounds most of us think of today as traditional unamplified Blues.

Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup

Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Wyonnie Harris, and Big Mama Thorton wrote and preformed the songs that would make a young Elvis Presley world renown. In the early nineteen-sixties, the urban bluesmen were "discovered" by young white American and European musicians. Many of these blues-based bands like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Canned Heat, and Fleetwood Mac, brought the blues to young white audiences, something the black blues artists had been unable to do in America except through the purloined white cross-over covers of black rhythm and blues songs. Since the sixties, rock has undergone several blues revivals. Some rock guitarists, such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen have used the blues as a foundation for offshoot styles. While the originators like John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins and B.B. King--and their heirs Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, and later Eric Clapton and the late Roy Buchanan, among many others, continued to make fantastic music in the blues tradition. The latest generation of blues players like Robert Cray and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others, as well as gracing the blues tradition with their incredible technicality, have drawn a new generation listeners to the blues.

W.C. Handy the Father of the Blues wasn't an ordinary Delta bluesman. Handy studied music as a youth, playing the cornet and traveling the South with dance bands playing minstrel and tent shows. Later in life he became a songwriter, bandleader and publisher.

The Southern Cross' The Dog The intersection of the Southern Railroad and the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad (The Dog) at Moorhead, Mississippi that inspired the singer at Tutwiler.

Legend is that while waiting for an overdue train in Tutwiler, Mississippi, in 1903 that he heard an itinerant bluesman playing slide guitar and singing about "going' where the Southern cross the Dog," referring to the junction of the Southern and Yazoo and Mississippi Valley railroads farther south near Moorhead. Handy called it "the weirdest music I had ever heard."

The Crossroads

In the delta of the Mississippi River, where Robert Johnson was born.

Robert Johnson

Not much is known about Johnson other then after the death of his wife in 1930 he decided to become a bluesman. Wandering around the Delta in 1933, he met Son House and Willie Brown. When they heard him play on the guitar startled them. In an amazingly short time, Johnson had turned into a blues guitar master.

Blind Lemon Jefferson

Blind Lemon Jefferson was indeed blind, unlike other Delta musicians who merely claimed the limitation. He died penniless in Chicago in December 1929, possibly suffering a heart attack when he became disoriented during a snowstorm.

Huddie William Ledbetter aka Lead Belly

Leadbelly was a large man, and given to fits of rage. In 1917, he was convicted in Texas for killing a man and in 1930 was convicted of attempted murder in Louisiana. Both sentences were commuted, however, based solely on his musicianship. His "discovery" came, in fact, at Louisiana's Angola Prison Farm.

Willie Dixon was certainly the single most important presence on the postwar Chicago scene. What distinguished Willie Dixon from most other Delta bluesmen of his day was his ability to read, write, compose, and arrange music -- talents that were to destine him for legendary status among the bluesmakers. However, it was boxing, not music, that brought Dixon to Chicago in 1936. He was an upstart professional fighter who for a time sparred with the great Joe Louis.

Named after a 19th-century American president, young Chester Arthur Burnett earned the nickname that was to become synonymous with the power of his voice "Howlin' Wolf."

Thanks For Your Visit

Momma and Me at Uncle Ely's Impala Lounge..Chicago 1976

Phyllis Hyman Remembered

2008-03-06T11:51:00.037-06:00

DIVA. A reference made to a female performer (usually an opera singer). In the popular vernacular of the music business, particularly in black music circles, the term diva takes on a whole other meaning. It implies that a female artist is demanding, difficult, uncompromising, inflexible. It can also be considered a term of endearment, referring to the incredible talent they possess, making them a cut above the rest. In addition to these 'Diva Qualities', Phyllis was also very elegant, statuesque, radiant, photogenic, and jazzy. Phyllis Hyman was truly a SOPHISTICATED LADY!!

With so much media attention focussed on current would-be's, wanna-be's and has been's, it's rare to find any pertinent coverage of the women who make up the backbone of today's R&B, Pop and Jazz fields. Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, and a host of girl groups owe a tip of the hat to their predecessors, women who didn't glide so easily to the top of the charts, or at least with such frequency.

Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, Marlena Shaw, Melba Moore, Chaka Khan, and Angela Bofill have all been recording for many years as underappreciated Divas. Unlike Houston, Carey, and Braxton however, these women's careers have progressed like quiet thunder, providing them with regular touring work (while also fighting brutal & unfair record companies), and also being constantly in demand as guest vocalists on a variety of albums/CDs.

Devoted fans of the late singer Phyllis Hyman describe her as a songstress extraordinaire with a no-nonsense attitude, and a lavish, larger than life stage persona. Deep-voiced and statuesque, Phyllis sang with a life affirming energy and emotional intensity found in few other female vocalists. Born in Pittsburgh in 1949 (and raised in Philadelphia), her professional career began in New York city where, during an engagement, she was spotted by producer Norman Connors and contemporaries Jean Carne and Roberta Flack among others. Phyllis was immediately offered a guest appearance on Connors' 'You Are My Starship' album (1976), which included her classic rendition of 'Betcha By Golly Wow' (previously a hit for The Stylistics in the early 1970's).
In 1977 Buddah Records released her self-titled debut LP which featured the hits 'Loving You/Losing You' and 'I Don't Wanna Lose You'.

A year later Hyman was signed to Arista Records. Her premiere album for the label 'Somewhere In My Lifetime', was released in 1978 ('Somewhere In My Lifetime' included many tracks that Phyllis recorded for a 2nd album at Buddah titled 'Sing A Song', which is now available on CD!). The title track for 'Somewhere..' (produced by then newcomer Barry Manilow, a longtime admirer of Hyman's) became Phyllis' first solo radio hit. A cover version of Exile's 'Kiss you All Over' was remixed for club play as part of Arista's promotion, showcasing her versatility. The following year, the James Mtume/Reggie Lucas produced 'You Know How To Love Me' (1979, Arista) album hit the record stores, and the title track became one of Hyman's biggest hits. The 1979 album became a then best seller for Phyllis, even though Clive Davis wasn't enthusiastic with the finished project. She would include the hit title track it in her repertoire until the time of her passing. The album, which also contained fan favorites like 'Complete Me' & 'Under Your Spell', was remastered & re-released in 2002 with informative liner notes & comments by producer James Mtume. The remastered CD also featured a rare unreleased 1977 track ('You're The One').

In addition to having a hit album in 1979, Phyllis also lent her talents to the original soundtrack for 'The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh' (starring Julius 'Dr.J.' Erving!), which was a minor hit despite being slayed by most critics, but it was a lot of fun for basketball fans. Phyllis sang 'Magic Mona', which was the theme song for one of the central characters played by Stockard Channing.
In 1981 Phyllis co-starred (with Gregory Hines & Judith Jamison) in the hit Broadway tribute to Duke Ellington, 'Sophisticated Ladies' and continued in the role for two and a half years, garnering a Tony Award nomination and a Theatre World Award for Best newcomer. The original cast recording was released by RCA and the CD is now out of print. While performing in Ladies, Phyllis cut her next album, 'Can't We Fall In Love Again' (1981) featuring the title track (a duet with Michael Henderson), and production by Norman Connors. Phyllis was at the peak of her career at this point, and was widely recognized as a New York celebrity. She was everywhere!

The follow up album, 'Goddess Of Love' (1983) featured a sensational cover shot of Hyman at her most seductive, draped in a silver bugle beaded gown (which, according to Phyllis, weighed thirty pounds!) and sporting chandelier-sized earrings, a Hyman trademark. The album (produced by Narada Michael Walden & Thom Bell), although containing two strong tracks, was considered patchy at best and Phyllis, discontented with the material chosen for this project was blunt about her feelings toward Arista records and its cavalier attitude towards her."Firstly, I came to the label because of the takeover of Buddah. So I didn't have much choice in the matter," she recalled. "There were some nice records, but I'd say I was pretty much overlooked and ignored."Ironically, the title 'Goddess of Love' stuck with Phyllis as a term of endearment from both critics and fans. 'Goddess' would be Hyman's final Arista album, and even though it is a highly sought collector's item, Arista never released it on CD, and all of the songs are scattered on a variety of Phyllis compilations released by Arista /BMG.

Phyllis was left unrecorded for four years due to contractual discrepancies with Arista, and since she was still 'legally' bound to the Clive Davis-operated company, signing with another label wasn't possible. Arista records also tried to destroy Hyman's career by deleting key albums/CDs, and also by preventing her from recording full legth albums elsewhere. During Phyllis' tenure as a prisoner at Arista, the label used all of it's resources to promote Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin & Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album in 1985 (Angela Bofill was barely holding on at the label herself at this time). While legal battles ensued, Phyllis appeared on numerous movie soundtracks & albums as a guest vocalist, most notably with Chuck Mangione, Barry Manilow, The Whispers, and The Four Tops.

Keeping in the public eye, Phyllis also toured extensively with her band, did a college lecture tour, and lent her voice to several television commercials.
In mid 1985, Phyllis was finally FREE from Arista, and in 1986, she recorded the classic 'Living All Alone' album for the resurgent Philadelphia International record label (released through Manhattan/EMI and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff). The release of the first single, 'Old Friend', brought Hyman back to the forefront of the industry with saturated radio play, international concert bookings, talk show appearances and countless magazine articles. Arista also attempted to cash in on the new success that Phyllis was enjoying by releasing the shabby 'Under Your Spell' compilation, which totally missed the mark. Phyllis also had a cameo role in the Spike Lee film, 'School Daze' (1988), performing the jazzy tune 'Be One', to which a video was later released. Other film appearances include 'Lenny' (1976), 'Two Scared To Scream' (1983) and a co-starring role with Fred Williamson in the action drama 'The Kill Reflex' (1991).

'Prime of My Life' (1991, P.I.R./Zoo/BMG) was Phyllis' eagerly awaited follow up album after a four year lull, but was well worth the wait as she took an active role in selecting the material. While making the album, she agonized over a recent breakup. "It made the songs difficult to record, but the results were fabulous," Phyllis conceded. The uptempo hit song, 'Don't Wanna Change The World', was enthusiastically received by clubs and radio, attaining international status and becoming her FIRST number one record according to Billboard. When the song's popularity soared, P.I.R./Zoo issued a remixed version to accommodate the demands of disk jockeys around the country.

In 1992 Phyllis was voted 'Number One Best Female Vocalist' in the United Kingdom by Blues & Soul magazine readers, beating out the likes of Anita Baker, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin. During this time Phyllis became involved in combating the AIDS crisis by lending her voice to countless benefit shows and visiting wards and hospices in and around New York. Many patients requested Phyllis' presence, which left the singer feeling inadequate and perplexed as to their reasons for wanting to see her as opposed to a family member or friends. The visits took a heavier toll on Phyllis that she realized. By now, her own personal problems were becoming evident. An ongoing battle with alcohol and weight gain, combined with career and financial woes were making life difficult for Hyman and those around her. In 1993 she was dealt another blow when both her mother and grandmother died within a month of one another.

Although Phyllis continued to record new material and perform live, her bouts of depression were clearly overwhelming her. Her irrational, self-destructive behavior was becoming common knowledge to those inside the music industry, her friends and also her fans and on June 30th, 1995, only hours before a scheduled performance (opening for The Whispers) at the Apollo Theatre in New York, Phyllis' lifeless body was found in her apartment where all efforts to revive her failed. Her suicide, while shocking, was not a surprise to many insiders. We, like so many others who know her, believed she would pull her life together. Sadly, we were mistaken.

In the posthumous released, 'I Refuse To Be Lonely' (1995, P.I.R./Zoo/BMG), Phyllis alluded to her inner struggle on several songs, five of which she co-wrote. Her most intimate and emotional project yet, 'I Refuse To Be Lonely' had reached the top 15 on Billboard's R&B chart, proving that talent of this caliber will always stand the test of time. Three years later, 'Forever With You' (1998, P.I.R./BMG), was released with the title being chosen by Hyman's loyal fans. 'Forever With You' is an awesome collection of unreleased songs that Phyllis recorded for Philadelphia International Records between 1986 and 1995, and it conveys the rich emotions that we have all come to associate with Hyman.

Most recently in 2003, Michael Grimaldi spearheaded the release of a special Phyllis Hyman compilation. The CD titled 'In Between The Heartaches-The Soul Of A Diva' (2003, Expansion Records), is being heralded as a classy tribute to the lost Diva, and it's packaging (liner notes, photos, etc.) is probably the best ever designed for a Hyman CD. The CD features many rare tracks including 3 with McCoy Tyner, 'Magic Mona', and a host of previously unreleased gems. While fans rejoice over Grimaldi's project, Arista/BMG continues to release redundant compilations for Phyllis including 'The Essence Of Phyllis Hyman' & 'The Ultimate Phyllis Hyman', which is nothing but a watered down version of 'The Legacy Of Phyllis Hyman'. All is not lost for Hyman's most devoted fans, as Grimaldi has revealed the existence of additional rare music, and future projects to honor The Sophisticated Lady's gift of song.

Phyllis Hyman's passing has left a void in the entertainment world, and in the hearts of many, including her most devoted fans. We wish that Phyllis knew how much she was loved & appreciated, and her legacy is a testimony to her tremendous gift of song. Phyllis Hyman will never be forgotten!

You Gotta Start 'Somewhere'

2007-12-27T09:31:00.015-06:00

Welcome to my spot and to what I have to offer. I still don't know what I'm doing but I'll figure it out. My main goal is to express and give from a personal level. Googling is too easy to think I can educate anybody formally, but I 'can' add my perspective on the music and that special 'Edie' touch. So here we go.

I think it's apropos to lead with my favorite cut of all time "Cristo Redentor" by Donald Byrd. Regarding the album: "The idea of a jazz group and vocal chorus is an unlikely one. But what Donald Byrd and Duke Pearson accomplished in this 1963 session was more than an innovative experiment. It is music of exquisite beauty typified by the classic "Cristo Redentor." Hank Mobley, Kenny Burrell and Herbie Hancock are among the sidemen."
Cristo Redentor-Donald Byrd/A New Perspective

I was different as a teenager because although I loved doo-wop and all the songs of that era--I deemed 'this' cut (actually the whole album is etched in my heart, but this cut reigns above everybody..lol) my favorite. That's not the norm for a 14 year old.

My favorite by this next group is "I Love You More", which reminds me of the crooners outside my window in the wee hours of the night back in the early 60's. Had I the mind at that time I would have had me a tape recorder because they jammed. It was like lullabies of soul. Anyway, enjoy this cut from the same group.
Lee Williams & The Cymbals-Say It Isn't So-1966 Sorry the link didn't work and thanks to "private beach" for the heads up. I didn't realize you can't have certain characters in the link or it won't take.

I fixed it though.

Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:33PM

I'm so exhausted from trying to move and extract my music files to my server. What a nightmare! I accidentally deleted all my pictures and the back-up, so you know I'm bummed. Life goes on though. I've been assuaged by this gem of a cut by The Occasions called

Baby Don't Go-1967 I hate I couldn't find a pic of this group. It's off of a Dusties compilation that I picked up from my hometown in Chicago several years ago from my favorite record shop there called Out Of The Past Records. It's a wonderland in there for dusty lovers--like me. Here's some info on this obscure group that I wish had a pic somewhere..dagnabbit:

According to Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide, Jim Brown's legendary career with the Cleveland Browns was over when he decided to back a local singing group. Big Jim Records had lofty goals of recording local talent, and the Occasions, a relatively unknown group, consisting of Jennifer Mason, Johnal Thompson, Billy Carter, and Evans Woodson, was the first act.
The label, a subsidiary of Way Out Records, unleashed "Baby Don't Go" in 1967. The soft, floater written by Carter and Woodson became an instant local hit and received play in other metropolitan areas. "There's No You," a snappy uptempo number featuring Woodson on lead vocal, was the B-side. Big Jim was off and running with more releases coming, or so they said. It never happened. If Jim had remained with the Browns, it might have, but he retired at the end of the 1965 season and had begun acting in movies; he left Cleveland for Hollywood permanently shortly after the Occasions release and never looked back.

People waited and waited for the new Occasions record that never came. They only did a few gigs so few people witnessed a live performance; distraught, they gave up and never recorded again. Jennifer Mason married Evans Woodson, Woodson died in the late 90's; the rest are alive and well in Cleveland. Brown wasn't in California long before he backed another act, the Friends of Distinction, this time getting a bang for his bucks when they hit the first time out with "Grazing In The Grass," in 1969.

I've played this tune about 25x's straight while composing this blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.