By RJ Spangler (205.188.208.135 - 205.188.208.135) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 03:54 pm:

Be sure to catch the Latin Counts & the Motor City R&B Pioneers at Labor Fest 2002 at the Wayne State Athletic Field this Monday, Sept 2. For more info, go to the link below. -RJ

http://detnews.com/2002/detroit/0208/28/s02-571762.htm

By Sue (152.163.189.167 - 152.163.189.167) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 08:35 pm:

That story doesn't convey the excitement out there about seeing Detroit R&B legends Joe Weaver, Stanley Mitchell and Kenny Martin singing (and dancing, in Kenny's case) onstage, backed by RJ and the Rhythm Rockers, with special guest, Fortune Records' Nathaniel Mayer rocking out on "Village of Love" and another tune or two.

And it's free! And you can get free UAW ball caps and bags!

And that doesn't even count the Latin Counts, always a Laborfest favorite ...

All the UAW guys organizing the concert are excited, the people who are going to be in the Labor Day parade are geeked too. It's at Matthei field, the Wayne State athletic field; plenty of parking in Wayne facilities.

By RJ Spnagler (152.163.189.167 - 152.163.189.167) on Monday, September 02, 2002 - 06:45 pm:

I just got home from laborfest. What a ball! I saw and met quite a few from the forum. The Latin Counts were great -- Andy Alonzo is something else. I was proud of the men I represent: Joe Weaver, Stanley Mitchell & Kenny Martin. It was an honor back Nathaniel Meyer!
Great way to end the summer....
-RJ

By SisDetroit (64.157.170.68 - 64.157.170.68) on Monday, September 02, 2002 - 07:28 pm:

RJ SPNAGLER - "GREAT JOB" You have a fantastic band. I missed the Latin Counts. I really wanted to hear them. I had a great time. It was great seeing Sue, and so nice meeting you, Lynn Bruce, and Fury13.

Sis

By Barbara (68.62.11.148 - 68.62.11.148) on Monday, September 02, 2002 - 09:05 pm:

Thank you RJ! What a great show, what a great day. Visit
http://homepage.mac.com/bigrafx/PhotoAlbum9.html for some photos

No titles yet, we just threw them up.

Barbara Ingalls

By Sue (152.163.189.167 - 152.163.189.167) on Monday, September 02, 2002 - 09:17 pm:

Laborfest is a great gig. RJ's band was great and Stanley, Kenny and Joe were in great voice. It was cool seeing younger musicians like Chris Buhalis marvel at their voices. As soon as Kenny hit "I'm Sorry" even Buhalis, who is a baby of 28 or so, remembered hearing it.

Our own Fury 13 taught RJ's band the backup vocals for Nathaniel Mayer's "Village of Love," and Fury joined them upstage to back Nate up. There are pictures of this!!

The UAW guys were very happy -- there's always a lot of people at Laborfest -- 22,000 this year -- but after marching in the Labor Day parade they all usually get tired and leave at around 1. This year they stuck around longer because of the music. It was great watching Ron Gettelfinger, the UAW prez, watching Joe Weaver talk about his 30 years as a UAW member.

It was great to see Sis Detroit and Lynn Bruce, Gino Washington and Marilyn Bond, and Rob Moss was in from Coventry, England -- Rob of course knew every 45 everybody onstage had released, between the Latin Counts and the R&B Pioneers. Rob's got his own label, Hayley, and has been on this forum, and knows Graham from Taiwan.

It was fun also to see Lynn B. and Nathaniel M. reminisce about a gig they did together at the Wayne Showbar! Just wish I didn't get so sunburned!

By David Meikle (62.252.128.6 - 62.252.128.6) on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 01:53 pm:

Sis asked me to post this pic of some Soulful Detroiters. The real thing!

Sue, Fury, Lynn, Sis

By Ralph (209.240.198.62 - 209.240.198.62) on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 03:03 pm:

Great pic.�I love to see pictures of regular forum members. You all look great!

By SisDetroit (67.25.219.47 - 67.25.219.47) on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 06:56 pm:

Thanks Ralph, I had a great time. Music is good for the soul. (LOL)
Sis

By Ralph (209.240.198.62 - 209.240.198.62) on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 07:41 pm:

You got that right Sis.

By Andy Alonzo (63.96.230.143 - 63.96.230.143) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 12:01 am:

To start with it was great to have shared the same stage with RJ and the Rhythm Rockers and The Detroit Legends, the Legends are all friends of mine and it was great hearing them do the songs they made famous. As I told RJ when it was over that I sure wouldn't mind doing this show again soon, let me tell you that RJs Band is one of the best bands of its kind I mean They ROCKED hard, they are as authentic as it gets. And it was good seeing my good friends Lynn, Marilyn and Gino. Andy

By Sue (152.163.189.167 - 152.163.189.167) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 12:09 am:

RJ's band has that great roadhouse feel.

And Andy, it's because the Latin Counts are always such a hit with the Laborfest crowd that the Pioneers, RJ and Nathaniel were booked. They knew they had to get more great Detroit R&B to get people to stay at the festival.

By David Meikle (213.122.193.214 - 213.122.193.214) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 03:55 am:

Hi Sis

Lucky Graham will probably be in Detroit by now.

When you see him please find out what he's been up to.

Oh and show him Cyril's jukebox....Jimmy "Soul" Clark, The Younghearts...unbelievable.

By SisDetroit (67.25.219.163 - 67.25.219.163) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 11:42 am:

Will do that David.

Lonnie informed me that he, Luke, and Lloyd backed Jimmy Soul Clark on two recordings: "Stop That Girl", and "If I Only Knew". I believe Jimmy recorded the latter before the New Holidays recorded it. I've talked to Lloyd and I emailed him those two links re his CD.

By Lynn Bruce (64.233.239.143 - 64.233.239.143) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 08:20 pm:

To all my scottish friends,if you look very closely at the picture on my Detroit T-shirt you,ll see a picture of a man wearing a kilt holding the Stanley cup over his head.

By Larry (216.23.183.2 - 216.23.183.2) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 08:25 pm:

To all of you.
Thanks for sharing and posting. Sounds like a great time was had by all.

By AH (67.25.177.70 - 67.25.177.70) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 09:01 pm:

If I hadn't read that post late I would have drove to Detroit and witnessed myself. It's good to see a pic of Sis, Ritchie talks to her on board all the time but I didn't have a clue as to who she was. I actually thought it was his sister. Sis is my mother's nickname too.

By SisDetroit (64.159.102.108 - 64.159.102.108) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 11:18 pm:

AH You should come to Detroit to meet Graham (AcooolCat). He will call me so we can decide when we are gonna get together with Cyril.
Sis

By Sue (205.188.208.135 - 205.188.208.135) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 11:25 pm:

Sis,
How long is Graham going to be in town? I'm going out of town tomorrow for a few days, but I'll be back early next week and hope to meet up with him.

By SisDetroit (64.159.102.108 - 64.159.102.108) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 11:32 pm:

I think their all gonna meet at the club on Sept. 6.

By Sue (205.188.208.135 - 205.188.208.135) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 11:32 pm:

Ack but I'll be out of town then. He'll be here longer though, won't he?

By Sue (205.188.208.135 - 205.188.208.135) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 11:43 pm:

Sis I emailed you privately! Duh, forgot I had your email ...and Graham's!

By AH (65.132.79.39 - 65.132.79.39) on Thursday, September 05, 2002 - 12:55 am:

I'll have to check into that Sis.

By Fury13 (209.69.165.10 - 209.69.165.10) on Thursday, September 05, 2002 - 10:44 pm:

It was great meeting SisDetroit, Lynn Bruce, and Rob Moss from the UK at Laborfest! I had a ball -- absolutely fantastic music. The Latin Counts were superb as always and their band, Dreams Deferred, was topnotch. Of course, RJ & the Rhythm Rockers did some serious soulful rockin' behind Joe Weaver, Kenny Martin, Stanley Mitchell and Nathaniel Mayer. I have to say, it was a dream come true to help out a little with background vocals behind Nathaniel on "Village Of Love." All in all, an awesome show, and one that will be hard to top next year.

By RJ Spangler (64.12.96.230 - 64.12.96.230) on Friday, September 06, 2002 - 06:15 am:

Ol Fury did a fine job too! He did know all the vocal parts better than ANYONE!! -RJ

By Lynn Bruce (64.233.239.143 - 64.233.239.143) on Friday, September 06, 2002 - 11:31 am:

R.j. Spangler & the Rythmn Rockers have done some serious wood-shedding to sound as good as they do .You don,t ask to sit in at a show(unwritten musicians rule),but R.J if I ever catch you in a club and you need a pee&tea break I,m your man.
It was a pleasure & and honor to meet all the people on this site.
Nathanial Mayer I enjoyed talking with you,man you haven,t lost a lick,it must be that good living.
Andy Alonzo I first met in the late fifty,s when my friend Joe Morreno brought him & the latin Counts to my parents house and we rehearsed in the basement(drums& a singing group).Through the years we would get together (either working together or at functions)and I have never worked with a better singer.In all these years he sounds just as good as he did in my parents basement as a teenager.The Latin Counts harmony is so tight you couldn,t cut it with a knife.The best thing is Andy is always nice to anyone that comes to talk after the show,unlike some singers I,ve worked with,the same with the Counts.They are what Detroit singing groups are supposed to sound like
If you people that live in Europe ever get a chance to see them run don,t walk and get a ticket as you won,t ever see a finer example of Detroit singing than Andy Alonzo & the Latin Counts.Everything about them is class,what more can I say!!

By Marilyn (65.148.88.101 - 65.148.88.101) on Friday, September 06, 2002 - 11:49 am:

Lynn-
You go,guy! The Counts have always been my "boys". I was their first manager in 1958,even took Andy to New York for a visit once. I plan on taking them in the studio next month to do an all acapella cd. How cool will that be!!
Marilyn

By ed.wolfrum (165.121.215.91 - 165.121.215.91) on Friday, September 06, 2002 - 12:23 pm:

Hello Dave

I have not heard from Graham yet. Do you know if he got to Detroit yet?

By SisDetroit (67.26.13.196 - 67.26.13.196) on Friday, September 06, 2002 - 12:28 pm:

Ed...Graham arrived here yesterday from Windsor. I haven't talked to him other than through email. He said things have been hectic. Hopefully we will meet Saturday.
Sis

By RJ Spangler (64.12.96.230 - 64.12.96.230) on Friday, September 06, 2002 - 04:13 pm:

Yeah, I am supposed to have lunch with Graham and Joe Weaver Saturday! Lynn, I have a jam session at the Music Menu in Greektown every Tuesday and I am starting a new one in East Pointe on Wednesdays starting on Sept 25. C'mon out and jam! I would LOVE that! -RJ

By Andy Alonzo (63.96.230.193 - 63.96.230.193) on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 07:32 pm:

Hey RJ, have Graham give me a call 313 561 6054 Andy Alonzo

By acooolcat (152.163.189.167 - 152.163.189.167) on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 04:27 pm:

Hi, I'm sorry not to have posted... but I've been really busy - I've interviewed a few peiple over the past few days - Fred Bridges of The Brothers Of Soul, Willie Hatcher, members of The Tempos, The Swingers, The Paragons, The Caravelles, Inner Vision, Cyril Clarke... who's house I'm at now with Sis: As you say David - a great jukebox! I spoke to one one The Detroit Emeralds and one of The Capitols today. Also one Of The Contours. I'm meeting one of The Fantastic Holidays tomorrow. If anyone wants to make contact with me my email is
acooolcat@yahoo.com
I hope to see RJ and Sue soon too.
All the best, Graham