Saturday, May 21, 2005 - Disco Ball At The Taj Mahal in Atlantic City

     This past Saturday, Vito Bruno Productions produced "'KTU's Disco Ball # 4". This was a great show & Vito gave us the following winning lineup:

    A Taste Of Honey, Jimmy Ellis & The Trammps, Tavares, Norma Jean Wright & Luci Martin now known as "THE LADIES", Musique', Jackie Moore, Anita Ward, Jo Jo of The Mary Jane Girls, Jimmy "Bo" Horne, Maxine Nightingale, Bonnie Pointer, France Joli, Randy Jones of The Village People & The Sugarhill Gang.

     Although this was a track date, the feel of the festivities, hearkened back to those Disco days. The show had all of the energy of Disco, with the added feature of these icons singing live vocals. Instead of watching a DJ spin vinyl, we got to see & hear our stars sing live & in living color. The crowd had a great time & for 2 shows, the old-school hustlers partied like it was 1979!

     The ages of the revelers ranged from the early 20s, to the early 60s & there was an equal distribution of each. I smiled at the view of several 50 & 60 something people, dancing & hustling everywhere. This was a great show & I hope that Vito does it at least once more before the Summer is through.

The fun of that Disco era was captured perfectly & no one was the least bit bothered at the lack of live instrumentation. They were thrilled to see & hear their favorites & the use of tracks allowed them to see more artists than would have been possible had they used live bands. Here is an overview of the 2 shows.....

     Musique pleased the crowd with their classics, especially "In The Bush". They gave a fine performance & I look forward to seeing them perform again.

     Maxine Nightingale was effervescent & in fine voice & sang her classic "Right Back Where We Started From". Maxine is quite the performer & is an energetic crowd pleaser.

     Randy Jones got the crowd rocking with a selection of Village People hits. His Village People for the evening were two young ladies who currently sing for The Ritchie Family, who are very much alive & performing currently.

     Jimmy "Bo" Horne had the crowd hustling & dancing their feet off to his Dance classic, "Spank". It was good to see Jimmy back on stage performing.

     France Joli thrilled the crowd with her classics, "Come To Me" & my favorite, "Gonna Get Over You". France still has that great voice that we first heard back in 1979, the lady has some pipes!

     Bonnie Pointer gave an energetic performance as usual, singing hits such as "Jump" & "Heaven Must Have Sent You". Bonnie brought the energy level up several notches & was all over the stage, encouraging the crowd to JUMP & going into the audience & getting up-close & personal with the revelers.

     Anita Ward came out to enthusiastic applause! The crowd was pumped & sang, blew whistles & did the hustle, along to "Ring My Bell".   Anita was in fine voice & finished by hitting & holding a high note that was Ripertonesque & the crowd went nuts! Anita sounded great & she is still amongst the nicest of the people of the music industry.  Anita sounds better than ever & it's always a pleasure to see & hear her perform.

     Jo Jo of The Mary Jane Girls was a pleasant addition to this lineup. Though she wasn't a Disco artist per se', she certainly sang on some serious Dance classics, produced by the late, great Rick James.

     Sounding good & looking as sexy as she wanted to look, Jo Jo hit us with songs like, "In My House", "Candy Man" & the classic, "All Night Long". Jo Jo should be seen much more often, as she is a good performer & sounds great.

     Tavares definitely turned the mother out, with their classic songs. The Brothers Tavares, Butch, Chubby & Pooch, absolutely thrilled the crowd. They ran through classics such as, "Whodunit", "More Than A Woman", "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel" & my favorite, "It Only Takes A Minute". Butch is energetic, covering every inch of the stage & Chubby thrilled several of the ladies by going into the audience & singing to them.

     Tavares is a quality group that we simply don't get to see enough of & that is sinful. The Brothers Tavares are much more than a Disco group. I am hopeful that someday a very savvy promoter will put them on a show that will allow them to showcase their many fine ballads as well as their Dance cuts.

     Jackie Moore came out & as many hadn't seen her in some time, they went wild when they saw & heard her. Jackie threatened to blow the roof off the Taj! Her voice was as strong as ever & she held some notes & never wavered. Jackie is another performer that we simply need to see & hear more of. In a word, her performance was GREAT!

     The Ladies - Norma Jean Wright & Luci Martin strode to center stage, looking GOOD!!! The Ladies sang all of the hit songs that they blessed us with during those glorious Disco days.

     Luci & Norma Jean worked that crowd for all that they were worth & they sounded great! Norma showed off that powerhouse voice of hers & Luci injected Soul into every syllable that she sang. The crowd certainly appreciated their efforts & was into every song that they sang.

     The Ladies blessed the house with hits such as "Everybody Dance",  "Le' Freak" & "Good Times" & they sang them as ONLY THEY can sing them! They rocked The Taj & it will be wonderful to see them singing again at any venue, with or without tracks. These ladies are PERFORMERS & deserve a larger stage!

     Jimmy Ellis & The Trammps provided us with the expected standout performance. As always, the fellas came armed with some great harmonies, great dance steps & some damn great singing!!
 

     Jimmy Ellis hasn't lost a thing off of his fastball. His voice is as strong as ever & Stan, Doc & Dave sound great together. They sang "Stop & Think", "The Night The Lights Went Out" & all were well received by the crowd. But the crowd went ballistic when they hit "Disco Inferno"!

     The Trammps had that crowd eating out of their hands & you can best believe that Jimmy Ellis & The Trammps ALWAYS put on a great show. They are the GENUINE article & always deliver the goods!

I LOVE THESE GUYS!!!

     A Taste Of Honey came out & was superb. Janice-Marie Johnson has a new partner, Susan Thomas & the girl plays as good as she looks! They have the sound, the look & the skills to satisfy any discerning Dance music fan.

     A Taste Of Honey began their set with Sukiyaki & the audience embraced the song enthusiastically! Now, although this was a track date, ALL of the artists sang LIVE! A Taste Of Honey was no exception, as they sang & played their instruments LIVE as well.

     Janice-Marie was in fine voice & she performed her fan dance. Once they finished Sukiyaki, the crowd applauded wildly & you could feel the anticipation for their Disco favorite, Boogie Oogie Oogie & boogie, they did!

     When that bass line hit, the crowd jumped up immediately. Some of the hustling crowd jumped up & began hustling, while others just jumped up & began dancing. I lost several great shots, while being bumped by enthusiastic dancers, but, it was all good, because it was all about love in that room.

     Janice handled that bass as though it were a magic snake. She indeed weaved some magic with it. It's almost impossible to sit down to a Janice-Marie bass line & Susan was working that guitar & her pedals. For the uninitiated, Susan is an excellent guitarist & would fit in a Rock band, as easily as she would a Funk band. The girl is versatile & the crowd responded like it was 1978 all over again!

     These ladies sound good & they definitely look great. They have a great chemistry together & everyone enjoyed their performances immensely! They give a lot of energy to their fans & they perform their behinds off!

     The crowd loved their performance & A Taste Of Honey deserves to be seen on a performing stage...LIVE...and SOON!!!

     
      This was an excellent show that Vito Bruno & KTU-FM brought to the Taj Mahal. I also applaud Vito Bruno for being a "mensch" & for the having courage & integrity to do the right thing. I look forward to seeing this show again & soon!!! If you happen to see this show appearing in your town, I would heartily recommend that you attend if you are a lover of this great music that we call DISCO!!!

    Click HERE to see show photos

Friday, June 10, 2005 - Legends Of The Motor City At N.Y.C.'s Hammerstein Ballroom

     On Friday, June 10th, Detroit came to New York & put on a great show. Big Fish Productions brought the "Legends Of The Motor City" show to The Hammerstein Ballroom, in Manhattan Center. This was an excellent show.

     Curtis Sliwa was on hand & he spoke about the classic music form the 50s - '70s that many of us grew up listening to. He then introduced legendary New York Radio icon, Bruce Morrow, better known as Cousin Brucie.

     Cousin Brucie lamented the decision to turn WCBS-FM into some sort of pseudo-ipod experience. He discussed some of the differences between then radio industry then, as opposed to now, as well as the qualities that has always made New York radio unique. He introduced Sen. Charles Schumer, who also blasted the "Jacking" of WCBS-FM.

Finally.....it was SHOWTIME!!!

     First on stage, were Martha Reeves & The Vandellas.

     Martha, Delphine & Lois strode out, stage left & the crowd went crazy upon seeing them. Martha, Delphine & Lois delivered & the crowd was definitely into them. The way that the room was set up, there was ample room for dancing & man, did that crowd dance!

     Martha & the girls hit us with all of their classics that we all know & love. Martha also sang a beautiful rendition of her original "Home To You', that she had written for her son when he was an infant. The sound is very similar to The Stylistics, "Hurry Up This Way Again" & with Lois & Delphine blowing some sweet harmony behind Martha, it is a great song.

     Another thing that served to excite the crowd, was the chemistry between the girls. They enjoy performing together. They communicate with one another through subtle glances & smiles. The audience seems to sense that & the energy seems to feed on itself. You instantly know that Martha, Lois & Delphine are giving you all that they've got.

     After their performance, they graciously sat & met with their fans. Whether it's a hug, an autograph, or simply a smile, Martha, Lois & Delphine reach out to their fans. They are extremely approachable & extremely fan friendly.

     Once again, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas proved that they are indeed formidable & ca definitely carry a show!

     Richard Street & Voyces were on next & they put on a great show. Richard strode on stage looking as classy & as elegant as you'd expect a former Temptation to look. Voyces were elegantly attired as well, making their white suits look like royalty was in the house.

     When Richard Street & Voyces began singing, the crowd exploded. These men can sing! Richard was hitting all kinds of notes & sounding just as smooth as he ever did. As for Voyces, these gentlemen are aptly named. They hit some fine harmony & all of these gentlemen can sing. Each of them had a chance to shine & shine they did.

     Richard Street & Voyces are the complete package. They sound great, they dance great & are very entertaining. If you haven't had the chance to see Richard Street & Voyces yet, you're in for a treat when you see them. When Richard Street & Voyces comes to your town, check them out. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

     Closing the show, were The Spinners. The Spinners had the crowd rocking to all of those classic songs, that are so familiar to us.

     The Spinners displayed some fine harmonies & were in fine voice. Bobby Smith & Frank Washington handled their leads with excellence. Harold "Spike" Bonhart & Henry Frambrough were smooth as silk & Pervis Jackson held down a strong bottom.

     A highpoint of their set was when they did "The Rubberband Man", complete with flashing strobe lights. The effect of them spinning around & the flashing strobe lights making them to appear to be moving in slow motion, excited the crowd.

     Unfortunately, midway through their set, Pervis fell ill & couldn't continue. Being the troupers that they are, The Spinners continued on with the show. The Spinners spun a fine performance, leaving everyone pleased with this evening of fine entertainment, presented by Big Fish Productions. Pervis was released from the hospital the next morning & I was told that he is doing fine.

     Backing all of the acts this evening were students of Delaware State University. Let me tell you that these young musicians were no joke! They were excellent & sounded like seasoned professionals. They'd give many a professional a serious run for their money.

     One of the things that I found to be very encouraging, was the ages of the people in the audience. The crowd was divided nearly 50-50 between those of us who are 35 & older & young adults between the ages of 18 - 35!!! And those young people were standing, dancing & singing along to the songs.

    Many of them stood in front of the stage getting their dance on. It felt great to see young people responding to this music in such a manner. It gives one hope for the future of our music called "Soul".

     This was a excellent show in every way possible & I look forward to the next Big Fish Production. A big thanks to Larry Cotton & John Steele for making coverage of this show possible. Also, a big thanks to all of the artists who were generous with their time & for allowing me to capture their images.

 Click HERE to see show photos

Monday, July 11th, 2005 - 23rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert Series At Wingate Field

      This past Monday, "TRUE" School Soul music was in full effect at Brooklyn's Legendary Summer Concert Series!  As usual, the concerts are presented by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz & this seasons' debut concert was nothing short of GREAAAAAATTTT!!

     I send out my thanks to Ms Tahirah Muhammad, who saw to it that I was able to gain access to be able to take these photos. Ms. Muhammad has worked behind the scenes for years, handling the negotiations to bring us these artists to the Wingate Concert Series, as well as the Seaside Concerts in Coney Island. I look forward to seeing her step out & do her thing in her own right. This is a formidable young lady who gets the job done!

     I also thank Bobby Eli & Ms Vonnie, who facilitated the meeting between Ms. Muhammad & myself. Also to be thanked is Russell Thompkins Jr., Kenny "Piano Man" Thompson (Musical Director}, Abdul (guitarist) & The New Stylistics...Jonathan, James & Raymond.

     Also to be thanked is Billy Brown & Ray, Goodman & Brown, The Dells Manager, Mark Williams & The Dells, who made it possible for me to present pictures of The Dells, not just for this show, but also The Valentines' Day Show at Philly's First District Plaza. I also have to thank our L.C., who introduced me to Mark way back then. Had any of these artists said no to my request, I'd have no pictures to show & I appreciate their kind cooperation!

     Also, a big thanks to Marty Markowitz & all those who helped bring this great show to my town! And now, on to the show......
 

                                             Ray, Goodman & Brown


     Kicking off the show, was Ray, Goodman & Brown. In a word, they were excellent. They performed their usual excellent show & their harmonies are still tremendous. Billy Brown & Kevin Owens are still hitting those clear tenor notes, easily bringing it up to a clear, strong falsetto when the song calls for it. Larry "Ice" Winfrey took a turn at lead as well & as always, Al Goodman held down a strong bottom.

     Their banter & playfulness had the audience in stitches & as always, those classic songs had the crowd singing hapilly along. I've have yet to hear a performance by Ray Goodman & Brown, that was anything less than excellent & their band kicks behind as well!

     They sang all of those classic songs that we know & love them for: Love On A Two-Way Street, Not On The Outside, Sunday, Inside Of You, Special Lady & so many more. It is always a pleasure to see Ray, Goodman & Brown perform. They are a upper echelon group & sound as good today as they ever did. Ray, Goodman & Brown are bad & that means GOOD!
 

                        Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics

     Up next were Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics & I love these guys. First of all, they are a great group of people. Most of all, they work hard & put on a classy & great show. They don't mess with your money & you can be sure that if you love Russell's tenor & those harmonies of the fellas, you will always leave their show satisfied. I don't have many pictures of Russell & The New Stylistics at the present, as they were kind enough to allow me to get some footage of their performance. I'll indeed try to edit some later.

     Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics were very well received when they stepped onto the stage of Wingate Field. They left to OVERWHELMING APPLAUSE upon the finish of their set. They hit of with all of those classics that still make us feel good....Break Up To Make Up, Children Of The Night, You Are Everything, Betcha By Golly Wow, Payback Is A Dog, Peek-A-Boo, You're As Right As Rain, Pieces & People Make The World Go Round (I love their arrangement of it!), among others.

     New Yorkers are known for being notoriously difficult to please. Us Brooklynites are even more difficult to please. If you aren't doing it right, we're going to let you know it. Russell Thompkins & The New Stylistics had my fellow Brooklynites eating out of the palms of their hands. I take that back, the crowd consisted of folks from all 5 Boroughs & parts beyond. Either way, Russell & The New Stylistics were a tremendous hit, which only illustrates what I've been saying for some time now....It's time for some really smart promoter/promoters to get on board with Russell & The New Stylistics.

     I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but Russell's voice is as strong & clear as it ever was. Raymond handles his leads tremendously & James & Jonathan harmonized their behinds off. The fellas have some smooth moves, their band led by Kenny "Piano Man" Thompson, plays their collective behinds off. And Abdul is featured playing some great lead guitar solos. This is not to slight anyone else in the band, as they are ALL excellent.

     By now, their PBS performance has been viewed & that should have served as a clarion call of sorts. It's time to stop the nonsense, the promoters need to give us more of Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics. POINT BLANK!!!

     This notoriously tough New York crowd saluted them with tremendous applause & love. They indeed received the stamp of approval & I'm certain that all of the crowds in the music circuit will receive them as warmly as us supposedly "rough" New Yorkers did! When I got to work the next day, my co-workers in attendance raved about the entire show, but they really raved about Russell & The New Stylistics. High praise indeed, 'cause these folks ARE tough! Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics are back & sounding better than ever. If you don't know, now you know!
 

                                                 THE DELLS

     Again, just as with Bloodstone & their devastasting, showstopping show on Valentines Day, the only group that could hope to follow up the excellence of Ray, Goodman & Brown & Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics stellar set, was The Dells!

     As always, The Dells were well received. Their classics such as "Always Together", "A Heart Is A House For Love", "There Is", "Oh What A Nite" & "The Love We Had", got the house rocking. Their playful banter & Johnny taking a turn singing bass & Chuck's "indignance" about it, tickled the crowd. But, you know what everyone was waiting for...

                                          THAT NOTE!!!

The night just wouldn't have been complete without Marvin holding...THAT NOTE!!!

     As always, Marvin didn't disappoint. That crowd went crazy when Marvin began hitting & holding that note. That was the perfect punctuation for this evening of great music.

     My respect for The Dells & their legacy is such, that they could have came out there & sang The ABC Song, or sang names out of the phone book. Just as long as they are The Dells, all seems right with the music world. They are truly one of our most revered, respected & loved groups. They are among the rare gems of our music.

     As Marvin so truthfully said, when his generation of singers are gone, that's it. It's sad to think about that, but in a month in which we've lost one of his pioneering peers,Obie Benson of The Four Tops, his words ring true & are very poignant to me. And, we'll all be the worse for it. When the generation of singers from the 50's - '70's are finished, what do we have left? They're from a different time. Hell, they're from a different world. A time of relative innocence, that we can never hope to recapture again.

     What groups of the last 20 years will still be out there singing quality music 20 years from now? Who can carry the mantle, much less the heavy burden that groups like The Dells have borne? Who's going to make the next, "Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation", "Stay In My Corner", "I Touched A Dream" & songs like that? For now, it looks like this generation will have to reminisce & wax poetic about sweet love songs about F- me & things as such.

Doesn't sound too promising, does it?

     We'd better enjoy & appreciate our classic artists while we still have them with us. We need to support them & demand a place for both their new & old music as well. It's amazing how many of these classic artists still come with their "A" game. We need to get behind them, if not us, who? Ok, I'll get off of my soapbox for now. Let me give you some pictures of The Mighty Dells.

     Before I get off of the soapbox, I would just like to give a special shoutout of appreciation to The Dells Musical Director, Mr. Tico Allison. As I mentioned in the "Obie" thread, while a well-deserved tribute to Luther Vandross was shown, Mr. Allison made it a point to make sure that our beloved Obie Benson's passing was acknowledged as well. Where as many entertainers are focused & concerned about preparing for their own performance, Tico showed some real class & made sure that Obie wouldn't be forgotten.

     Tico, I salute you & The Dells organation for showing true class & respect to Obie, one of our musical pioneers. I thank you, you aren't "Old School". You're "TRUE" SCHOOL & I truly appreciate what you did! Thank you Borough President Markowitz, for making sure that Brooklyn honored Obie Benson as well.

     My love & respect for The Dells knows no bounds!!! I'm glad to know that they're still here, giving us the best that they have. For me, that's MORE than good enough!

     I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way about them!

Click HERE to see show photos