Michael Jackson Tribute Anniversary at Lehman Center

By Deardra Shuler

No matter what one personally thinks of Michael Jackson there is no denying he was a musical genius the likes this world will never see again. Not because there aren't or wont be other geniuses to follow but because he was unique unto himself. He was aloof yet caring having donated numerous amounts of money to charities. There is a price to pay for genius in this world because it sets one apart and puts one in the position of being original in a world that is trapped into a programmed mindset that seeks to attack or tear down those who stand above the status quo. Michael Jackson was an original; a child man who maintained a degree of innocence so that his art form tapped into a untethered purity imbued with wonderment and imagination. Because his heart was so pure it could not withstand the cruel accusations and betrayals of those who sought to see his love for children as something vile or his whitened skin as something more than his affliction with the disease Vitiligo.

King Michael had the Midas touch when it came to music, dance and fashion and he was an astute businessman as well. Once on stage, Jackson was thrilling and mind blowing.

The seventh child of the Jackson family, Michael debuted with his brothers as part of the Jackson 5 in the mid 1960's until he went solo in 1971. He went on to become an immense figure in the entertainment business obtaining crossover appeal for his records and videos like “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller.” In fact, “Thriller” is the best selling album of all time with “Off the Wall,” “HiStory,” “Bad” and “Dangerous” a close second. Michael captured 13 Grammy Awards, 13 No. 1 singles in the U.S., 26 American Music Awards and held the distinction of “Artist of the Century” and “King of Pop.” Mr. Jackson sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide.

MJ Impersonators Michael Firestone, Pete Carter and 11-year-old Ivan Kelly will be depicting the various stages of Michael Jackson's career at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, the Bronx, on Saturday, June 26th (the day after the anniversary of Michael Jackson's passing on June 25, 2009 due to cardiac arrest) in tribute to Michael Jackson: The King of Pop.

“This is a never seen before or again production. It will be like no other. We have all-star dancers performing unbelievable dance numbers to Jackson's many songs. We will have the GospeLive choir doing harmonies. There will be Djs, percussionists, video jockeys and of course our three well respected Michael Jackson impersonators and tribute artists,” said Steve Love the producer. “We plan on a few surprises. This will be an extravaganza. Tickets are going fast so get them early,” continued Love.

“It takes me all day to prepare to do a Michael Jackson show. I start 6 hours before the show to get my voice ready,” said impersonator Michael Firestone. “It takes about 3 hours to transform into Jackson. I have to white out my face completely and erase my own features with makeup. No one has Michael Jackson's eyes so I have to start with my eyes since eyes are the window to who you are. Once I get his eyes correct, I start on the cheekbones. Michael wore lip liner to conceal the Vitiligo. Usually the disease centers around the eyes, mouth area and hands. Its a gradual change in coloration over time. Thus, Michael had varying shades of coloration which he evened out with heavy makeup as his skin tone gradually whitened. Michael attempted to deal with his disease privately but when folks criticized him he finally revealed his affliction. But still many people didn't believe him. In order to transform into Michael, I have studied his life and in some ways channel his persona and psyche. There is always someone in the crowd who is a heckler but since Michael passed the audience has been nice. I hope people will continue to be kind to Michael's memory and to his children,” said Firestone who performs in Las Vegas and across the country. “I met Michael once in person all of 5 minutes but then later he called and we talked awhile. I had purchased up front tickets to catch the “This Is It,” concert in England but of course Michael died before he was able to do his farewell concerts.”

Child prodigy Ivan Kelley (aka Lil’ Man) is reminiscent of a young Michael Jackson. As a result of Kelley's appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show, he was invited to tour with hip hop artist Acon. “It's very rare to find a young person whose voice is so similar to the young Michael. I like to think that Michael would be very proud of these impersonators who pay tribute to him,” remarked the show producer.

“I am working on the dance tributes to Michael. We will be doing many of his popular routines,” said Pete Carter who met Jackson several times. “I have been to Neverland and visited Michael in L.A., when he was rehearsing the “This Is It” London concert. I've been impersonating him for 10 years. I last saw him in April 2009. Michael was such a sweet person. He truly loved his fans and took the time to sign autographs whenever asked. In fact, he signed his signature on my back and I immediately had it permanently tattooed there. Michael was excited about doing the “This Is It” concerts. He was feeling good although he was thinner than I had ever seen him before. I felt his bones when we hugged and this surprised me. I look forward to performing at Lehman Center because everyone wants to truly honor Michael as the great “King of Pop'” said the renowned MJ impersonator.

Interested parties can call the Lehman Center Box Office at 718-960-8833 or go online at www.LehmanCener.org for tickets.

Little Rock Revisited

By Deardra Shuler
Photo by Deardra Shuler

On Tuesday, September 29, I had the privilege and poignant experience of viewing playwright Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj’s “Little Rock,” a play reading done superbly by cast members Clifton Davis, Leslie Uggams, Leslie Becker, Sherry Boone, Alan Campbell and Rodney Hicks. The play, featured for two days, September 29-30, was so moving that many of the audience members unabashedly cried, cheered, and felt enormous pride when one of the 9, Carlotta Walls LaNier, was introduced.

For those of you who may not know of this historic event, in 1957, 9 African American children volunteered to integrate the segregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was a time when the Jim Crow laws were in full-force and Blacks went to separate schools, had to use separate bathrooms and were denied access to white owned restaurants and facilities. Initially, these students were prevented from entering the all-white school by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus who sent the National Guard to block the children’s entrance into the school. Mobs of enraged segregationists, filled with hate, stood outside of the school determined to keep the statusquo. So violent and threatening were these mobs of whites that President Eisenhower, determined to enforce the Supreme Court ruling of school desegregation, intervened by sending a 1000 troop members to escort the black children to school.

These nine children, Terrence Roberts, Melba Pattillo Beals, Minnijean Brown Trickey, Thelma Mothershed-Wair, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Gloria Ray Karlmark and Ernest Green were subjected to unimaginable atrocities. Acid was thrown in the eyes of Melba Pattillo Beals who only escaped blindness due to the quick reaction of her military guard. A lighted stick of dynamite was thrown at her and she was also stabbed. Fire bombs were thrown at the black children in the cafeteria. They were spit upon, kicked, pummeled, called “Nigger,” ‘monkey’ and all forms of degrading names. They were tormented, tortured and humiliated by both white boys and girls. Mobs threatened to lynch them and their parents. Some white kids even peed in their lockers and upon their books. Each day brought a different hateful torture. Yet, these young black students prevailed despite the fact they were told not to retaliate.

After their military guards withdrew, these teenagers were left to face the villainy of the demented mob, racist teachers, school administration and white students. Even their parents were threatened with lynching and 4 were fired from their jobs. Yet, these brave students and their parents endured. When Minnijean Brown Trickey finally couldn't’t stand it any longer, she reacted by spilling her bowl of chili upon one of her tormentors. The school expelled her. Whites gleefully held up signs saying: “One down, 8 to Go.” Of varied ages, these young heroes only wanted to be left alone to pursue their education but that was not to be their fate; only Green graduated, since the following year, Gov. Faubus shut down all public schools in the state.

Known as the Little Rock 9, all 9 individuals are alive today. Thelma Mothershed went on to earn her Master's degree in Guidance & Counseling and holds a Administrative Certificate in Education from Southern Illinois University. She taught home economics in the East St. Louis School System for 28 years before retiring in 1994. Minnijean became an activist for minority rights. Eckford presently lives in Little Rock and continues to be a role model. Gloria Ray who currently lives in Sweden, earned a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Mathematics, served as an executive officer for a Dutch company and publisher of a European computer magazine and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Jefferson Thomas frequently speaks at high schools and universities throughout America and is a mentor to young children. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Congressional Gold Medal. He was honored by the State of Arkansas with a statue of his likeness as were all the other Little Rock 9. After over twenty-seven years as a civil servant, Thomas retired on September 30, 2004 from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Columbus, Ohio. Beals graduated from Columbia School of Journalism and presently lives in San Francisco where she teaches. She earned her doctorate this year. Terrence Roberts received his Master's degree in social welfare from the UCLA School of Social Welfare and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Southern Illinois University. He served as core faculty and co-chair of the Master of Arts in Psychology program before retiring in 2008. Carlotta graduated from Colorado State College. She founded LaNier and Company, a real estate brokerage company and has authored a book “A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School.” Ernest Green earned a master’s degree in sociology and became the Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs under President Jimmy Carter until 1981. Green has been depicted in two TV movies about the Little Rock Nine.

“Little Rock,” sponsored by Peggy Dodson via her Urban Broadcasting Company, produced by Rebel Theater and written and directed brilliantly by Maharaj is a MUST SEE. It is a shame that after all the Little Rock 9 went through to pave the way for future black students, currently far too many black children are not taking advantage of a good education.

Black people, without an education we cannot move forward. Remember your history. We cannot blame others any longer. It’s time to realize others are only interested in their own. We must be supportive of our own as well. United we stand, divided we fall! We have endured too much in America to fall or to fail. Unless, parents, teachers, politicians and the students themselves turn this around, hope will surely be lost. Drop the “N” word. Forget the bling. Get an education. Become the future doctors, lawyers, scientists, and mighty people we are.

The hope is to get this play to Broadway and eventually have a television special. Little Rock may even have an off-Broadway run in the Spring. Stay tuned.

Ruth Brown: A Musical Pioneer

By Deardra Shuler

When R&B singer/actress Ruth Brown passed on November 17, 2006, the world lost a musical pioneer. Known for for her rhythm and blues style, it was Ruth Brown who in the 1950s brought popular music to the then fledgling company, Atlantic Records. In fact, one might say that Atlantic Records was the house that Ruth built. Hits like “So Long,” “Teardrops from My Eyes,” and (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean,” put Atlantic Records on the map.

Born Ruth Weston, in Portsmouth, Virginia, Ruth, like many African American entertainers, got her start singing in the church choir, although she had a great fondness for singing at USO shows and in nightclubs. This often upset her strict father who sought to tame Ruth's adventurous spirit.

Inspired by jazz chanteuses Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington, Ruth was determined to prove herself. In fact, eager to impress Billie Holiday when she spied Billie at a club where Brown was singing, Ruth belted out one of Billie's songs. Afterwards, Holiday approached Ruth advising Ruth to work on her own style telling Ruth she need not imitate anyone else's style. She told Ruth that as long as Ruth tried to sound like Billie, she would never find her own voice in music. Billie's advice remained with Ruth.

Eager to break loose from the family yoke and establish her singing career, Ruth married trumpeter, Jimmy Brown (who she later discovered was aleady married), so she could finally sing in bars and clubs. She spent a month singing with the Lucky Millinder's orchestra.

Cab Calloway's sister, Blanche, also a bandleader, arranged a gig for Brown at a club called Crystal Caverns where Willis Conover, a DJ, known as the Voice of America, saw her and recommended her to Atlantic Record Executives, Herb Abramson and Ammet Ertegun. Unfortunately, Brown was in a car accident preventing her from auditioning. In the hospital for 9-months, Ertegün and Abramson drove to Washington to hear Brown sing convincing her to switch her musical repetorie from popular ballads to R&B, while still maintaining her pop style. It wasn't long before Brown became R&B royalty earning the tag “Miss Rhythm.”

Ms. Brown ended her relationship with Atlantic Records in 1960 with the recording "Don't Deceive Me," choosing to raise her two sons. She disappeared from the music scene until the mid-70s, when once again after supporting herself as a bus driver and working regular 9-5 jobs, she reestablished her musical career. Always known to have a comedic sense Ruth appeared in the TV sitcom “Hello,” which featured actor MacLean Stevenson. She later appeared in Hairspray and then in 1989 appeared on Broadway in “Amen Corner,” and Black and Blue, which won her a Tony Award. She later won a Grammy Award for her album Blues on Broadway which featured hits from the Black and Blue show.

It is no secret that many of the artists of her time did not get the royalties due them for their records, Ruth was no exception. Therefore, Ruth became an outspoken advocate of artists rights. Using her influence to press for musicians' rights regarding fairness in contracts and royalties, led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.

In 1989, Ms. Brown was the recipient of a Pioneer Award and in 1993, Ruth Brown was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the “The Queen Mother of the Blues.”
Ruth Brown died following a heart attack and stroke in Las Vegas, Nevada, in November, 2006. A memorial concert for her was held at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.

Connie Francis and Dionne Warwick: Two divas in Las Vegas

By Deardra Shuler

Multi-gold record winner and legendary singer Connie Francis who is known nationally and internationally, will grace the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel stage with Dionne Warwick during the weekend of May 21-May 23rd.

There was a time that Connie was dubbed Female Entertainer of the Century. Her foreign hits remained in the Top Ten for more than six months at a time, earning her titles such as “Japan’s Most Popular Singer,” “Italy’s Most Beloved Italian American Singer” and she won the European Golden Lion Award as “Most Popular Artist-Male or Female on the European Continent.”

Born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero in Newark, N.J., Ms. Francis entered the world during a dance contest. “My mother was dancing at one of those dance contests similar to the movie “They Shoot Horses...” It was during the song, “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” I decided to be born. My mother was rushed to the hospital where she had me,” recalled Connie who began her career at age 4, singing “Anchors Away” at Olympic Amusement Park in Irvington, NJ.

At 11 years old, she appeared on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour, the Arthur Godfry Show and became a regular on Startime,” a show featuring child performers. She signed with MGM where she recorded a series of bombs until her father talked her into recording “Whose Sorry Now.” Dick Clark played the song on American Bandstand on January 1,1958, launching Connie into musical fame.

Ms. Francis was the top-charting female artist of the 1950s and 1960s. She was voted the World’s No. 1 Female Vocalist and voted No.1 in almost every country including the United States, the Far East, Europe, South America, Australia and nearly everywhere records were sold. Connie Francis topped the
Billboard Top 100 singles chart on three occasions with”Don't Break the Heart That Loves You,” and become the phenomenon of the 20th century charting hit after hit with songs like “Where the Boys Are, “Lipstick on Your Collar,” Stupid Cupid,” “Mama” and “My Heart Has a Mind of its Own. She made 4 movies, recorded records in 17 different languages, world traveled, and was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in December 2007. She sang “Never on a Sunday,” during the Oscars where the song became the first foreign song to win an Oscar. Francis appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show 41 times.

“I don't like to talk about my movies. The movie “Where the Boys Are” was my Gone with the Wind and my other movies went downhill after that. I recorded “Where the Boys Are” in 6 languages in advance of the movie and it was instrumental in helping the film. The song and the movie put Fort Lauderdale on the map. There was about 13,000 college kids who came to the city before the movie. After the movie, about 75-100,000 kids descended upon the unprepared city, taking Fort Lauderdale totally by surprise,” remarked the endearing entertainer.

One of her proudest moments was entertaining the troops during the Viet Nam war. “The highlight of my career was my trip to Viet Nam. It was rewarding. I never felt more useful or needed. Viet Nam was a nightmare. The way these kids were treated when they came home from the war made me sick. They were booed and denigrated. We have troops all over the world. If we brought them home, America would not have problems paying for health care or college education. We have enough weapons to wipe out the world 20 times over. I think what Obama is doing with nuclear arms reduction is wonderful. When we put Obama on the world stage we put our best foot forward. Those folks that say that Barack needs to keep his socialist hands off Medicare, don't understand Medicare and Medicaid are already government run programs. Pres. Obama is my hero. In fact, I am such an Obama fan, I dreamed I married him. And guess what... it took me all night long to get rid of Michelle. That was no easy feat, I tell you!” chuckled Connie.

Connie talked about her rape at knife point at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge after appearing at Westbury Music Hall which left her depressed for 20 years. “For 7 years, I was a total recluse. That night, my husband left a body guard with me. I told the bodyguard I would be safe so encouraged him to go next door. He checked the windows and I double locked the doors but as it turned out they were not safe. 6 months after the rape, Howard Johnson had not fixed the door so I sued them” said Connie. “It was a watershed in personal injury litigation. Hotel security started to use the cards instead of keys in doors after that. Afterwards, I received thousands of letters from victims of violent crime. When my brother was murdered in 1981 by the mafia, I could no longer wallow in self pity. I went to Washington and became head of Pres. Regan's Violent Crime Task Force where we changed laws in NJ, NY and California. I would have done more had I not been misdiagnosed as a manic depressive and spent the next 9 years in 17 involuntary commitments to mental institutions in 5 states. On May 19th I am going to be named spokesperson for the Trauma Campaign for Mental Health America with an eye toward helping others become mentally healthy. I plan to devote a lot of time to that,” stated Ms. Francis about her mental health commitment.

Fans can catch Connie Francis and Dionne Warwick via promoter Eric Floyd's Grand Divas of Stage show at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel on May 21-23 or get tickets/information by calling 800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755 or go on line at www.lvhilton.com. To hear her radio show with me on “Topically Yours,” go to Blakeradio.com, Rainbow Soul and/or visit Music Pastures on Soulinterviews.com.

George Clinton admits to being funky

By Deardra Shuler

“P-Funk” is pure funk. I do the best I can with the funk and after that... Funk It!” claimed George Clinton of the Parliament-Funkadelic, as we talked about his being inducted in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame and his years as a funkmeister.

Born July 22, 1941, Clinton revolutionized the music of the 1970s -- not only as a singer but as a producer and songwriter. He was the principal architect of P-Funk and creator of Parliament. Parliament started out as a doo-wop band in the 1950s after 15 year old George formed them. He later added a second band, Funkadelic in the 1970s, which emulated the psychedelic guitar strains of Jimi Hendrix. Funkadelic produced a sound unheard of at that time. The Funkadelic band was comprised of master musicians such as keyboardist Bernie Worrell; bassist Billy Bass Nelson; guitarist Tawl Ross; keyboard player Mickey Atkins; Tiki Fulwood on drums and lead guitarist Eddie Hazel. Even Sly Stone played with them as did the great Jimi Hendrix before Hendix became The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

“Eventually Parliament ended up at Motown. When that faded out, I started Funkadelic. Funkadelic played behind Parliament, it was our back-up band. But we were all one group because we all played together at the same time and still do. When Parliament didn't have a regular album, Funkadelic would put an album out,” said Clinton. “Funkadelic did the psychedelic music releasing songs like “Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow” and “Maggot Brain.” Parliament came out with “Chocolate City, and a single entitled “Flashlight” that became their signature” Things started to go well for us and for a long while Parliament-Funkadelic dominated black music during the 1970s,” remarked Clinton.

Once Clinton became a solo artist, he signed with Capitol Records wherein he played with the P-Funk All Stars releasing “Computer Games,” Loopzilla, “Atomic Dog,” “Nubian Nut,” “and Do Fries Go With That Shake,” etc. “The bands released a series of hits which include: “The Motor Booty Affair,” “Gloryhallastoopid,” “Trombipulation” and “Aqua Boogie,” said George who wrote songs during his Motown days for the Jackson Five and the Supremes, et al. His latest releases in 2008, were “How Late Do You Have 2 BB4UR Absent?” and “The Gangsters of Love.” Currently George is in the studio recording a series of Motown tunes.

Clinton and his bands garnered over 40 R&B hit singles, and three of their albums went platinum. George Clinton also released albums with the All-Funk All Stars entitled “You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish,” “Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends,” “R&B Skeletons in the Closet” and “The Cinderalla Theory.” "Loopzilla" was our hit that topped at #20 on the R&B charts. “Atomic Dog,” came next reaching #1 on the R&B charts ” commented the extraordinary music innovator.

Mr. Clinton devised a stage show and went on tour. This tour was known as Parliament-Funkadelic's “P-Funk Earth Tour.” The biggest feature of the show was the Mothership, a spacecraft designed as a flying saucer that landed on stage during each show with Clinton emerging from the ship as his alter-ego “Dr. Funkenstein.” Fans flocked to the shows in droves to see this grand spectacular which included wild psychedelic music and out-of-this-world costumes and multi-colored psychedelic wigs.

“The Mothership was a million dollar stage set. It landed on the stage and was 60 feet across. It landed at Madison Square Garden a couple of times. During that period everybody was playing with us. Sly Stone played with us for a time and was one of the few who actually stepped out of the Mothership. As noted earlier, Jimi Hendrix occasionally played with us. We loved his guitar style and copied Jimi's mastery of the psychedelic guitar. Eddie Hazel was our lead guitar player and the only person that could play anywhere near Jimi and also come up with his own songs. In fact, a lot of folks thought our song “Maggot Brain,” emulated Jimi's sound, ” recalled Clinton.

On tour presently, Clinton was in Tallahassee, Florida when he and this reporter spoke. “I am eager to get back home to New Jersey. I was in the Bronx and then headed to Finland and the Netherlands immediately afterwards. We toured Europe and performed in Japan. We also expect to be in Africa, near Madagascar later this year. It's been a busy tour, so I am looking forward to some down time afterwards. I plan to go fishing. Fishing is one of my favorite things to do. I caught a shark here in Florida. What was I going to do with a shark? So, I threw it back,”chuckled George concerning his fish tale.

Known as the Godfather of Modern Urban Music, Clinton has inspired artists such as the Outkasts, Snoop Dog, Missy Elliott, Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes and Fishbone. He sang with Tupac Shakur on the song “Can't C Me” from Tupac's album “Eyez on Me.” He worked with the WuTang Clan on their song “Wolves,” from their album “Diagrams.” He also wrote the vocals for the ground breaking release “Freaky Styley” with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Most recently, George did an amusing puppet show project soon to be aired on Nickelodeon.

“I am always changing. I don't think about the music I have made already, I think about the music I am going to make. I cant think about “One Nation” “Atomic Dog”or “Knee Deep,” because if I have that on my mind, I cant come up with a new sound. I don't really listen to my music from the past unless I bump into someone playing it. “Gangsters of Love” and “How Late Do You Have 2 BB4UR Absent?” are my latest offerings. Both tunes are a departure from my early days,” said Clinton who received several awards including “The Heroes Award,” “Lifetime Achievement Award,” and the “NAACP Image Award.