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  isaiah imani (isaiah) 3-Pundit Username: isaiah Post Number: 63 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 205.188.116.138 |
When will this superb group of musicians get their place in the sun??? First, Louis Satterfield's lawsuit against Phil Collins iS the subject in the web address below, but I think his work as a versatile session man at Chess, playing the bass on countless blues albums, as well as, his work with the Pharoahs, and later the Phenix Horns of Earth Wind & Fire, deserves more than a little commentary from me... This man was a multi-instrumentalist who taught the great Mr. Maurice White how to play the Kalimba, and Verdine the bass... He and guitarist Gerald Sims, who later bought the Chess Studios in Chicago, are present and accounted for, on two of the immortal ballads of the 1960's, Billy Stewart's I Do Love You and Sitting In The Park, as well as, countless other great Chicago Soul and Blues records... As a member of the Phenix Horns, Satterfield switches from the bass to trombone, and is equally superb doing that... Leonard Caston, the Chess session pianist, later worked and collaborated with Frank Wilson on Eddie Kendrick's solo albums, and Maurice White, well...he would be about the only one of these musicians whose esteem goes beyond the realm of soul geeks at SDF... Yet, these Chess Session Men exhibited far greater versatility in their recorded music than did the Funk Brothers, whether playing straight Jazz with Ramsey Lewis, or The Blues behind Chess Records many Blues artists... Why does Stax and Motown garner more attention for their work than does this incredible collection of musicians out of the city of Chicago, I cannot say, but they are the equal and better in my opinion... Clearly, that opinion is subjective, and owing to different philosophies of the companies they recorded for, but based on the sheer versatility of these cats, and their ability to do much more than simply play(Gerald Sims actually started out as a lead singer for the Dayliners), I would say they deserve a great deal more attention and affection than they've gotten, even here at SDF... It seems everything is Motown, Motown, Motown, and a lil somum on Stax(smile!) It is about time these great Chicago musicians work is given the praise and dapz it richly deserves... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ent ertainment/719198.stm Peace! Isaiah | ||
isaiah imani (isaiah) 3-Pundit Username: isaiah Post Number: 65 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 205.188.116.138 |
Nice piece on THE PHAROAHS... http://www.ubiquityrecords.com /pharaohs.html Peace! Isaiah | ||
Chi Drummer (chidrummer) 4-Laureate Username: chidrummer Post Number: 142 Registered: 5-2004 Posted From: 24.15.230.109 |
Boy, you can really hear the roots of EWF's music on those Pharoahs' records. Thanks isaiah, I learned something new today. | ||
Don (don) 6-Zenith Username: don Post Number: 754 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.75.174.61 |
That's too bad to hear and a travisty. I hope one day I wish and hope the two will get their just deserve reward in other avenues. Don Chicago | ||
Robb_K (robb_k) 6-Zenith Username: robb_k Post Number: 510 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 217.232.131.244 |
I agree. Chicago had an awful lot of great musicians and producers in the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s that are underappreciated. | ||
Carl Dixon (carl_dixon) 4-Laureate Username: carl_dixon Post Number: 107 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 82.44.203.80 |
Isaiah - you are right. I kneed to brush up on Chicago. I stayed in the Chicago Knickerbocker Hotel in 1999 and had a drink at the bar. The bar tender told me the pianist for the night, when he arrived, knew evrybody in the city connected to the music from days gone by. I never got chance to meet him and I cannot remember his name sadly. However, I remember stood in the hotels' small shop asking the girl who served there where the Curtom recording studios would have been. A gentleman interupted and claimed to be a local saying surely you mean 'Chess'? I said no, Curtis Mayfields concern and he replied that he did not know Curtis was from his home town, yet alone recorded there. So, keep those urls coming! | ||
isaiah imani (isaiah) 3-Pundit Username: isaiah Post Number: 66 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 205.188.116.138 |
Well, Carl, and everybody, we once had a great thread here about Johnny Pate, and another about Charles Stepney went a little piece, but for the most part, considering the beautiful music that came out of this city, the town gets short shrift... I think Chicagoans at this board need to bring the flava of the city, and represent(smile!) With the possible exception of Don, the numersous Chicagoans who post here march along to the beat of the Motown metronome... No way Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield, Chaka Khan, Minnie Ripperton, Mauric White can come outta my city, and I wont take mad time out to discuss their legacy... Sam, no matter what folk might wanna say, influenced far more singers than did all of Motown combined... Later came, Curtie May, whom I've heard Kenneth Gamble say was his greatest influence in conceiving all of the message music that came out of Philadelphia International in the '70's... It seems we spend a lot of time here discussing the effect, and not the cause, the tree, but not its' roots... Some of the other Chicago musicians who participated in the making of the records, guys like Phil Upchurch, Fred Below, rubin Cooper, Paul Serrano, Julian Priester, Bunky Green, Pete Cosey, Henry Gibson, these guys deserve some attention... I once asked DVDMike to have his friend TomTom84 deliver some info on Master Henry, but I've heard nothing since that time... He was a tremendous percussionist, the man heard on most of those 70's Mayfield albums... Frankly, with all the latitude he was given to influence and write his signature on Curtis' sound, we should probably be talking more about him that Eddie Bongo... I don't know, Young&Holt had their time in the sun, no doubt, and their names are given recognition, but the rest of these guys would make a tremendous story were those in the know to tell it... I think it is no less important than the story which unfolded at Motown, in fact it was part of the same story that unfolded at Motown, or Stax, or Atlantic... It was the story of the making of Soul Music in the 1960's and 1970's... And it is time for us tell the WHOLE story, and get the facts right and proper... Peace! Isaiah | ||
mel(andthensome) (mel) 6-Zenith Username: mel Post Number: 558 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 81.154.242.233 |
Chicago for me is way up there with Detroit/Memphis/Philly etc a great mecca for the vibes. My boxes are full of great 45's from chicago. regards scar-face-mel with the mob........ | ||
isaiah imani (isaiah) 3-Pundit Username: isaiah Post Number: 67 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 205.188.116.138 |
http://members.aol.com/iam79/H eritage.htm A little something more on EWF's Heritage page... Peace! Isaiah | ||
Juicefree20 (juicefree20) 6-Zenith Username: juicefree20 Post Number: 2220 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 24.46.184.162 |
What's going on Brother Isaiah!! That was a good article on The Pharoahs. You well know my affinity for the Chicago Sound. Outside of Robert Preuter, there seems to be precious little attention given Chicago as regards the music scene. Perhaps one day soon, someone will get the participants together to make a documentary about those days, before they all pass on. | ||
Eli (phillysoulman) 6-Zenith Username: phillysoulman Post Number: 1535 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 64.12.116.138 |
Carl, Curtom studios was up on the north side aon the 5900 block of Lincoln. It was on the corner of a narrow-ish street whose name escapes me right now. The building looked as though it could have one time been a store of some kind, although I could be wrong. The studio was medium sized, about 25 by 30 with multi colored carpet remnants on the walls. The control room was kind of spacious with a shop in the back. They had an MCI desk and old RCA main monitors. There were offices just to the right of the main entrance. All in all, it was a cozy and homey environment where you could just kick back, and have a nice hot toddy on a COLD Chicago day. believe me, I have experienced those over there. I remember back in '78 when we were working on Linda Clifford's second album, we had to dig our way out of the place due to a blizzard which hit during our session. But....it was fun, Ill tell ya!! The musicians were: Keni Burke-bass Chester Thompson- Drums Dean Gant-keys Bobby Eli and Ross Traut-Guitars Henry Gibson-percussion Marv Anfinson and Freddie Breitberg engineered Gil Askey produced and arranged There was a second keyboard player but his name escapes me | ||
dvdmike (dvdmike) 5-Doyen Username: dvdmike Post Number: 344 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 4.158.75.126 |
Curtom used those old Sennheiser headphones with the ear cushions. The second keyboardist could have been Calvin Bridges, aka James Mendell, the name he used when he co-produced Dee Dee Sharp's "Happy 'Bout The Whole Thing" LP with Bobby Martin for TSOP. That apparantly was not a very happy experience for Calvin. I remember asking him about it some years ago and he was a bit evasive. He was Jerry Butler's m.d. for a bit before going exclusively gospel in the early '80s. | ||
isaiah imani (isaiah) 3-Pundit Username: isaiah Post Number: 70 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 64.12.116.138 |
This is a nice page on the Soul Music tradition of Chicago, Ill-a-Noize... Check it, and enjoy it... http://www.soulofamerica.com/c ityfldr2/chicago14.html Peace! Isaiah | ||
isaiah imani (isaiah) 4-Laureate Username: isaiah Post Number: 71 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 64.12.116.138 |
What's happenin' Juice! How you doing???(smile!) I don't own Robert Prueter's work on Chicago Soul, and when I tried to pick it up from the BPL, I was told all they had was a reference copy which I could read only in the library(smile!) Crooklyn fuh ya!(smile!) Here's a review I found on the web about the book, though... http://www.findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_m2298/is_n2_v12/ai _15543172 Peace! Isaiah | ||
Phil (phil) 4-Laureate Username: phil Post Number: 169 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 213.36.160.63 |
Isaiah, it's a great book, very informative.You can get it from amazon, at $18 + | ||
Don (don) 6-Zenith Username: don Post Number: 763 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.75.49.44 |
Isaiah Thank You for giving me a kind word. I try to make due and make use of what I got, and I have to give other's their due for contributing what info they can lend, no matter how large big or small. It's all greatly appreciated. Because without each other's knowledge we'd all be left in the dark. I may not post something new for a thread but I'm working on it. See, alot of my vast record library, info, pics and comics got stolen yrs ago. So I'm really at a disadvantage to speak. Either someone shows some singles, lp & cd covers and artist's pics does help ease the thinking cap a bit. But I'll be the first to say I had a piece of wax or not, or if I remmember something or not. I maybe older but my brain is still sharp as a tack. I can only use what I got to work with. Maybe there are more Chicagoans or former one's than Philly, Detroit or etc? And we should pull our resources of knowledge of Chicago Soul, because our city has been ignored and forgotten. I'm not speaking for the popular artists (I'm not hating on, I'm really happy for them), that most DJ's keep pushing their music in our ears all the time which makes any sense. Most DJ's make it seem subliminally that all Chi had all was 10 artists, which can get sickening at times for the most part. That's why I listens to only a choosen few like -WKKC, WBEZ, WVAZ (Only for Herb Kent, I know he's with the mainstream station and has to deal with pd's) and 106.3 (I fogot the call letters). And that's it. The rest don't count nor do they cease to exist, I lost my ears & my respect long time ago. As far as Classic Chicago went the only thing I did see only was the GOOD & HAPPY times, and to be completely and brutally honest I never seen the negitive sides. At least let someone else tell their own story, sad but true. Don CHGO, IL | ||
Carl Dixon (carl_dixon) 4-Laureate Username: carl_dixon Post Number: 112 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 195.153.219.170 |
Nice links Isaiah. I need to read them again and slower....to let it all sink in. Where would we be without the Internet? And I never realised that Sam Cooke's influence was so strong. An interesting comment about the largest juke box manufacturer in the city! The second link has many big words in it for this time of the morning, but great reading. Mention Chicago over here and people say �ER� � which is very sad (or even those fibre glass cows that were all over the city at one time). Still, I felt something when I walked down a Chicago street in the centre wearing my newly acquired Motown T-short from Hitsville on that holiday. I got the thumbs up from a hotel worker taking a ciggy break at a side door. He possibly detected from my attire and body language my respect for the music I enjoy. Biggest shock in the city: walking past the Wrigley building and seeing people scraping up the chewing gum off the footpaths with pogo stick contraptions. Bobby, did you ever meet Curtis Mayfield? Would he have been around on those sessions? I seem to recall a conversation about this in the past�. | ||
Don (don) 6-Zenith Username: don Post Number: 773 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.75.171.116 |
Hey Carl, so you we're the guy walking around town in The Loop, and the northsides with the Motown T-Shirts on. Are you the same guy that wore the Def Jam Jacket? Don | ||
isaiah imani (isaiah) 4-Laureate Username: isaiah Post Number: 82 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 170.224.224.134 |
Don, are you familiar with Don Myrick, formerly the de facto leader of EW&F's Phenix Horns section??? Don was "killed" by the LAPD in 1993, in which they alleged Don Myrick answered their knock on his door with a cigarette lighter that resembled a gun... They later changed that story to it was an unfortunate case of Mistaken Identity...(smile!) Yada, yada, yada, likely story in America... His family won a half a million dollars civil suit against the LAPD, but Don Myrick lives no more... Peace! Isaiah | ||
dvdmike (dvdmike) 5-Doyen Username: dvdmike Post Number: 355 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 65.208.234.85 |
I knew Don, albeit not real well. I met him here and later hung out with him, Lui Lui and Rahmlee in L.A. They were in the process of rehearsing with David Foster at the SIR Rehearsal Studios on Santa Monica Blvd. across the street from the cemetary. | ||
Don (don) 6-Zenith Username: don Post Number: 776 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.75.171.116 |
Yes Isaiah, I heard the sad and sickening news & a twisted and shaddy story at that. I heard the death of Myrick had something to do with coming to the aid of a woman's domestic disturbance. If I we're the Family I would have filed a multi-million dollar suit, period. Mr. Myrick & Satterfield was known in certain circles, sure. Alot of folks may not know this that Myrick & Satterfield use to pal around with Kystal Generation's Fred White Maurice White's brother was their drummer. Yes, I'm filmiliar with the connection of people that are mentioned in this thread. Also I'm aware of The Pharoahs/Phoenix Horns/Salty Peppers b/k/a EW&F Connection. PS Thanks again for putting a nice thread together. Don Chgo, IL | ||
Gary (gary) 4-Laureate Username: gary Post Number: 156 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 66.73.238.3 |
What's up Isaiah? Excellent links and an excellent thread. I really don't know why Chicago musicians are so overlooked. Clearly, their musicianship as well as their musical contributions rank right up there with the best ever to come out of Memphis, Detroit, L.A. and Philly. Their recognition is long overdue. | ||
Juicefree20 (juicefree20) 6-Zenith Username: juicefree20 Post Number: 2260 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 24.46.184.162 |
The problem seems to be that the only one championing their cause is Robert Pruter, There are enough of the major players still living. They need to gather their forces & resources together & do something definitive & substantial to bring them the recognition. What are they waiting for & why are they leaving it up to others, when they can still speak for themselves??? | ||
Don (don) 6-Zenith Username: don Post Number: 782 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.75.49.231 |
Well Juice, he's probally at it as we speak. | ||
isaiah imani (isaiah) 4-Laureate Username: isaiah Post Number: 87 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 216.148.244.70 |
Juice, that's a damned good question!!! Damned Good! Slutsky's from Philly, and the guys who did the Only the Strong Survive piece are not from Memphis... Someone who loves the music, and has the wherewithal to trumpet their cause, might help, too... Perhaps, there needs to be a groundswell of public opinion about the area's music from places like this one... No slight on any city or region of the country when I say that Chicago is the unchallenged MECCA of Black Music in the United States... The city drew African Americans from the areas where our musical roots run deepest, Mississippi, Louisiana, and perhaps, Tennessee... The combined impact of that migration to the city gave it's music a flavor seen in very few other places the United States... I believe Prueter makes that point, among many, in his work... I know that when I hear the sound of it's '60's output, I feel the church all up in it... There's nothing slick or over-produced about the music... Just a bunch of cats playing, and letting the vocals flow... For me, that is the charm of the city, as well as the music it produced... I know that growing up in NYC, Chicago's music competed quite well with the cacophony of sounds I heard in the streets in those years - including Motown... Much like the sound that came later, Willie Mitchell and Al Green's productions, there was a down-home flavor most folks in my community still catered too when the lights went low... Chicago Soul represents that kind of sound to me... Peace! Isaiah | ||
Juicefree20 (juicefree20) 6-Zenith Username: juicefree20 Post Number: 2264 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 24.46.184.162 |
You know Isaiah, the truth of the matter seems to be that while WE speak about our love for our own music, cats like Alan Slutsky love it enough to actually DOCUMENT our stories. Now I'm sure that chroniclers like Mr Slutsky & Mr. Pruter have little funding to work with & have many obstacles to hurdle. Why is it that men such as them actually take the time to chronicle OUR history, while the actual PARTICIPANTS, sit back & are content to be INTERVIEWEES, as opposed to chroniclers of their own history & experiences?? I'd love to hear their answers to my questions. It seems that everyone besides the participants, love to write about our musical history. It was that way with Jazz & Blues as well. Lazy asses!!! | ||
isaiah imani (isaiah) 4-Laureate Username: isaiah Post Number: 90 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 66.119.33.135 |
Juice, because cats can shang, don't mean they can write, now(LOL!) There are a helluva lot of us can write a lot better than we rap, and vice versa... Hey, based on what little I was able to read of Prueter's book, I felt he did and infinitely better job than what Slutsky did with Jamerson book... The Jamerson*Funk Brother story is a whole helluva lot sexier and racier than the Chicago Music scene as a whole, to begin with, and the lack of promotional pizzaz hurt the selling of the book... Chicago Soul also comes off as a more intellectual, more academic work than the SITSOM piece, as well... That being said, the whole Chicago story, artists and musicians, needs to be put out there by Chicago people, as you said... Who is hell is going to care if the City itself doesn't care... What is interesting is that its great music legacy is something the city should be attempting to sell to the public, but the Cubs seem to be more sexy... Go Figure... Peace! Isaiah | ||
Juicefree20 (juicefree20) 6-Zenith Username: juicefree20 Post Number: 2276 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 24.46.184.162 |
I hear that I. But somewhere in the heart of The Windy City, has to be at least 25 guys, who can get this started. I give these fellas that much credit. Again, as with a lot of things, we're too damn lax at chronicling our own history. We leave it up to others, who don't share or understand in totality, the experience, then complain if it's inaccurate. Both of Pruters books (Chicago DooWop is great as well) are essential & excellent. If he found a way to gather all of that info & interviewed all of those players & got info from all of those magazines, the brothers who actualy PARTICIPATED in the music, could have done likewise. It seems to me that they just don't see the need to do so. I've bought biography after biography & reference book after refrences book, for my own knowledge & interest in Soul music. These folks seem to be less interested in their own history than I am. I really don't understand that. The only Chi-Town artist whom I've read an autobiography of is Jerry Butler. Where is The Chi-Lites story, The Dells story or The Gene Chandler story??? For that matter, where is the Vee Jay Story. They were the Motown of their day & even had the Pop phenomenoms, The Four Seasons, as well as The Beatles before Capitol/EMI snatched them up. The only Vee Jay Story that I have is the 3 CD set. Other than that, they're just a chapter in different Soul music books. Like I said, I just don't understand it. Chi-Town needs to represent ITSELF better. | ||
Don (don) 6-Zenith Username: don Post Number: 785 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.75.191.200 |
Isaiah & Juice. I know a couple of guys and a female vocalist that's in the process of doing their own books as well as we speak, as we're conversing back and forth to one another on this forum. I can't give it away right now, but I'll let you both know sometime soon, off line though. Also, that both of you are in agreement about known and forgotten artist of The Chicago Soul Scene should start writing their own books. There are at times alot of obstacles to be begin with using actual names, because some behind the sceens and other's that made things happen are still alive, and somethings maybe a little harder to speak out upon artist, places and certain dealings. Some artists that I've talked with feels deturbed about wanting to write their own stories because-,they will give interviews. And sometimes Isaiah & Juice alot of them can't be found, or some may have passed away that we don't know or some may have moved on with their lifes. I know if the artists did write a book it would be more in the style of Pruter's writing style, who can say. And once their books are written and get published and are out on the market, we all may not like the books and feel that we've been duped. Some topics and subjects maybe explained in depth, but don't expect when you read a bio to expect an all out war, raising cane and dishing dirt all the time. I'm not speaking from a fan's understanding, I would expect to understand it from a admirer of the artist from their point of view. See, alot of people really don't understand the music business frim the outside looking in. One of the big "IF's" I would like to see is a book devoted to the LA Soul scene. I mean there are artists, musicians, labels, studios from LA, but alot of folks there the majority that are Cally people or not really from there. And alot of Labels there leased alot of product from other labels from around the States etc, etc, and so forth. I would love to see a book one day written about LA Soul or Doowop. Another book I would love to see publ one day is a book about NY/NJ Soul another big "IF". IMHO, alot of the music there from the east always reflected alot of string arrangements, the songs may seem POP but nevertheless I still regard the music as SOUL anyways. I dig the raw and nitty gritty 60's soul stuff more. Since I don't live in the east I don't know if they still do play those kinds of records anymore, but I know they use to when I use to visit the city. The Jazz Station there in the days was off the hook! NY/NJ like Chicago, if there we're newer books publ, I think there'd have to be a volume sets of 1,2,& 3's. What do you both or anyone think. Don Putting It Down!! CHICAGO | ||
Juicefree20 (juicefree20) 6-Zenith Username: juicefree20 Post Number: 2283 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 24.46.184.162 |
Don, You give a hell of a perspective there. You made some excellent points, excellent points! Now, for my part, I don't want to read nasty stories about who did what. I want to hear some inside perspective as to what things were like, how it all came together & to hear from some of the lesser known people. For example, I'd like to hear Diane Cunningham & Deniece Williams aka Denise Chandler, speak about recording as a teenager & how it was. We know about Niecy, but I'd like to know what happened to Diane after her recording career & her perspective about her recording career, or lack thereof. I'd like to have read a chapter somewhere, where Ruby Andrews/Stackhouse spoke about her experiences. What about Joshie Jo Armstead & Candace Love??? I would think that their perspectives would be interesting, so would JoAnne Garretts'. I don't really want to hear about every major player, most of their stories are well chronicled. I would've loved to see a book that had a chapter with Otis Leavill speaking about his recording & writing career. Unfortunately, that will never be, as he's no longer with us. Those are the type of stories I'd like to read about. I'd love to read a book about The Dells. You would think that after 50 years of singing & the various styles of music that their careers encompassed, as well as their quality, that they are worthy of at least a book, if not a movie. No disrespect meant, but 3 kids die in an airplane crash & they're immortalized. Both in song & in movies, they've become legends, with all of 10 hits between them. Meanwhile, these men have straddled FIVE DECADES, with a multitude of quality songs & get nary a mention from the "experts". Meanwhile, I can read about damn near any '60s garage band, who made 3 acetates in their garage. Something's wrong about that! This rich musical history is being slighted & few of them seem inclined to do anything about it. Meanwhile, we've had books about the New York Sound, from Jerry Wexler, The Brill Building Sound, 16,793 books about Motown & 26,702 about The Beatles. I'm glad to know that someone in Chi-Town is doing something about this. I look forward to reading some more about the Chicago Sound. I await the books that you've mentioned! | ||
Don (don) 6-Zenith Username: don Post Number: 788 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.75.191.200 |
Amen Juice, amen. Don | ||
isaiah imani (isaiah) 4-Laureate Username: isaiah Post Number: 94 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 170.224.224.92 |
Don and Juice, as always some great insights! Juice, I cannot disagree with you on the importance of these musicians and singers finding their history worth the telling... Particularly in light of the great groundswell for literature and other media about Motown and Stax... Other cities, such as New York, Chicago, New Orleans, and Los Angeles have as rich a musical history as Detroit, but, it seems, these cities, perhaps, feel that their heritage in things other than music is more important... And, perhaps, the artists have adopted that same attitude... Additionally, the books authored about Motown are, in the majority, not authored by the artists themselves... Other folk have taken an interest in the Motown phenomenon, and written extensively on that subject... Jim G has written about the Detroit Jazz scene prior to Motown, but even Detroit's other labels, and musical history, suffers from an over-focus and concentration on the COMPANY, if you dig what I mean... As no other city boasted an independent label of the magnitude of Motown(Atlantic-Stax, perhaps?)it is understandable that writters will gravitate toward the monolithic, the phenomenon of Motown... I think some of the other cities, particularly Chicago, might feel an inferiority complex behind that... That's why I feel a groundswell has to go up from among the public to assure some folks that to invest the time and energy in a Chicago Music project would meet with public approval in dollars and sense... There are a number of folk out there whom I'd love to see a book from, like Lou Rawls, for example... The man has a Chicago and Philly experience that is phenomenal... The man sang and worked with the great Sam, and produced great Chicago music before moving on to Philly, and creating classics with them... It would be great to read about the history of the great Dells and the Flamingos, and so on - even though cats are probably nearing, and in their 70's... That time is now, Chicago people - and while y'all are at it, please tell the Chicago Gospel folks that they've got a major fan base that'd love to hear their stories of '40's, '50's, and '60's Gospel, a very golden age for the music... Peace! Isaiah |
