By b.soul (64.12.97.7) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 02:34 pm:

a number of different singing groups/acts have appeared in some blaxploitation films in the 1970's. I notice Hues Corporation in Blacula and Allen Toussaint in Black Samson? Who was the group that appeared in the 1976 film Velvet Smooth? And can you help me know some other acts that appeared in blaxploitation films?

By Reese (12.15.169.254) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 02:52 pm:

Blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon appeared in THE BLACK GODFATHER. James Ingram appeared in one of Rudy Ray Moore's DOLEMITE pictures, but I can't remember which one. Laura Lee also appeared in a blaxploitation film, but I can't remember the title. All I remember is that she was singing at some function, and then the function was held up. Maybe it was the film DISCO 9000?

These aren't blaxploitation films. But TRAIN RIDE TO HOLLYWOOD (I think that's the title) had Bloodstone in it. And the X-rated FAIRY TALES had a cameo by Martha Reeves.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 03:01 pm:

Curtis Mayfield appeared in Superfly.
NYC radio personality Frankie Crocker appeared in a couple of films.
The Chi-Lites were in 1995's "Original Gangsters".
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By mc5rules (148.61.97.30) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 03:17 pm:

You're thinking of Detroit 9000, which features the songs "Touch Me Jesus" and "Sunday Morning People" and some other great music.

Here are a couple of that film's taglines (courtesy of imdb):
Visit the murder capital of the world--where the honkies are the minority!

It's the murder capital of the world. And the biggest black rip-off of the decade.

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 04:01 pm:

A scene in that movie was filmed in the Book Cadillac Hotel. The scene involved a robbery of the guest attending a reception.

By mc5rules (148.61.97.30) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 05:10 pm:

While I wouldn't call it a GOOD movie, I certainly get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Great music, hilariously bad acting, terrible fashion...it's worth watching!

By Eli (172.129.3.165) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 05:18 pm:

I get a kick out of the Blaxploitation spoofs like I'm gonna get you sucka, Hollywood Shuffle and the like.

Also Putney Swope is a classic.
Did anyone notice Ronnie Dyson in that film??

By matt (208.130.56.167) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 05:32 pm:

the impressions have a lengthy recording-studio singing scene in "three the hard way"....

By dvdmike (68.72.174.164) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 07:03 pm:

I never liked that term, blaxploitation. Who was being exploited? That's not even a term that we coined. During that period, a lot of African American actors, writers, directors, composers and crew members were working pretty steadily. I don't think too many of them felt like they were being exploited.

By dvdmike (68.72.174.164) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 07:05 pm:

In the film, "Dolemite", there is a group called Revelation Funk performing at the Total Experience nightclub. Check out closely the keyboard player with the perm, you'll recognize him as James Ingram.

By Eli (64.12.97.7) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 08:35 pm:

Lonnie Simmons was the gentleman who owned several ventures called Total Experience.
The club in South central, the recording studio right behind Capitol on Yucca and Argyle and a thriving record and publishing company.

my sub-pub guy in the UK bought out his musical empire and has since reaped the rewards of a multitude of sample usages including at the top of the list "Outstanding" by the gap band.

By mixedbyDLM (64.175.232.50) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 11:57 pm:

I was watching "Willie Dynamite" (Universal, 1973) on a cable channel "Blackstars", and I was suprised by the score of the film was fully composed by the great Jazz trombonist (died from a self-inflicted gunshot a couple of years back) J. J. Johnson. And the vocals from the title track were sung by no other than Martha Reeves. Yes, her!
So by chance, go rent the flick, or watch it next time if it appears on cable. And after that, toast yourself with a Mogen David, a Colt 45, Boones Farm Strawberry/peach wine, a Thundebird, Ripple, or Night Train, and get youselves ghettofied, circa the 1970's. Cheers!

By Funkyone D J Dollar BILL (216.221.81.96) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 01:49 am:

Yeah, Willie Dynamite staring Roscoe Ormand who late went on to be the main man on Sesame Street.Great movie!J.J. also was in on the score for Across 110th St.

By Julian (152.163.252.68) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 02:42 am:

I bought the soundtrack for "Shorty the Pimp" by Don Julian (great name!) and the Larks and it was good. There are a few of Motown covers on it, I think "What Does It Take(To Win Your Love," "Inner City Blues," "My Cherie Amor" and "Message To The Blackman." Also they did "Show and Tell." (If I got something wrong, forgive me, because the cd is not presently in front of me).

They did another soundtrack, too. Anyone know the name of it and how I can get it?

By jan (80.50.141.165) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 08:06 am:

not blaxploitation really but i always enjoy the scene where christopher walken 'grooves' to freddie jackson in 'king of new york'

By Livonia Ken (136.1.1.101) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 08:57 am:

The sex and violence genre films at the time were referred to as "exploitation". Since a lot of the low-budget productions with predominantly black casts that came out in the wake of Melvin Van Peebles' "Sweet Sweetback's Bad Asssss Song" were in the "exploitation" category, somebody with too much time on their hands came up with the term "Blaxploitation". This is the kind of thing that people with too much time on ther hands did before the internet was invented.

Regards,
Ken

By Funkyone D J Dollar BILL (216.221.81.96) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 11:53 am:

It was someone with too much time and not enough money!He had just lost his bid for the Superfly promotion account and used his involvment in the NAACP to try and sink the movie.The earlier part of this genre had much more creativity than the exploitation type films that came later.The actors only felt exploited once the movie roles stopped coming overnight as they thought they were opening new doors for black actors.

By GrahamD (62.254.0.34) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 02:41 pm:

Hi, Guy's,I think the films you all mention are cool,wich reminds me! i have a great album taken from the Film,Hit em Hard! as anyone ever seen this film,i will have to dig out the Lp for the info on the cast etc,but there is some nice tracks by Delila Moore tucked away on it. Cool stuff. GrahamD

By R&B (138.238.41.118) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 03:27 pm:

THERE WAS A FLICK CALLED[UPTOWN STRUTTERS]THAT FEATURED THE MAD LADS AND THE DRAMATICS,THE MOVIE WAS JUNK,BUT WORTH WATCHING FOR SONGS PERFORMED.

By dvdmike (68.72.175.186) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 05:57 pm:

Well, "That's The Way Of The World" was also a piece of crap, but the soundtrack album was the bomb. A lot of people didn't even know about the movie.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 06:04 pm:

dvdmike:
It's been said that the film "That's The Way Of The World" (which starred a young Harvey Keitel and EW&F) opened and closed within the first week of its theatrical run.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By ErikT.O. (64.228.108.25) on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 05:26 pm:

Jeez, I thought it was a pretty decent budget feature... (That's The Way Of The World). Speaking of non so-called 'Blaxploitation' soundtracks which are still funky, I was wandering if anyone here knows if there's a soundtrack that was ever released for the '74 budget cop flick with Michael "law & Order" Moriarty, called "Report To The Commissioner"- damn funky soundtrack here & there...